Mixed Emotions

by MIA HEINTZELMAN

  Mike dug his nails into the leather of his seat while he leaned his head back against the headrest. Everett’s silence was killing him. When Ev didn’t immediately jump in, Mike felt compelled to fill the silence.

  “I had Monroe Properties’ best interest in mind. Anyway, I’ve already found a few other buildings for you to consider that make good business sense as far as the numbers go. The owners are well-respected among their peers. I’m hoping you’re okay with this decision and that…you’ll consider me for partner.”

  Mike was holding his breath.

  Come on, Ev. Say something.

  Half-heartedly, Mike imagined Everett jumping at the chance and telling him he only needed to make it official, but it didn’t go that way.

  “Mike.” Everett sighed. “I have to tell you, I’m kind of pissed off that you overrode my decision without even consulting me. I don’t just…I don’t know if I want a partner who makes unilateral decisions that could affect the company’s future.”

  A long hesitation dug along the fault lines of their friendship and shook Mike to the core.

  The heat level in the car seemed to rise. It smothered Mike. His heartbeat was sluggish as he pushed up his sleeves and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This guy was supposed to be loyal to your family and he’s out there giving other people a chance to undercut you? It’s wrong.”

  “You’re supposed to be loyal to my family. Mike, you are my family, and you didn’t even think twice about doing what you thought was best without checking with me. What kind of partner does that? What kind of friend does that?”

  Fuck.

  Everett was right. Mike should have called him. He’d had days before he met with Arnold the second time, and not once did it cross his mind to reach out to his best friend.

  “You’re right. I know, and I’m so sorry. I should have called you. In the back of my mind, I didn’t want to add to your worries. I thought I was doing you a favor, looking out for you.” Catching you before you fell.

  He closed his eyes and immediately, Lucas’ face came to mind. He was scared and falling, reaching for Mike and he couldn’t save him. This was the same thing all over again. It had been ever since. He was always busy trying to rescue someone, save someone.

  Until now, Mike didn’t realize he was the one hurting them.

  Tears welled in his eyes as he bit back the pain.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  “I know.” Everett’s voice was softer now, even. “Listen, man. I’m coming home early. We’ll be back on the third. Let me…think about what you said, and we’ll talk then.” Mike couldn’t dismiss the sadness in his tone, like he was betrayed.

  He was so caught up in his end goal he didn’t care who he hurt to get there.

  Mike walked into the house half an hour later with a bouquet of roses and a decent offer from Jason’s law firm, but he was deflated. He didn’t want to leave Everett any more than he wanted to make a lateral move. What was he really working toward?

  “Anybody home?” he called from the door as he hung his keys on the hook. “Something smells good.”

  “Back here.”

  At the sound of Zora’s heartwarming voice, he sighed with relief. This was what he wanted, to come home to the woman who made everything better. His house felt like a home with her in it: warm with the savory scent of home cooking, busy with the sounds of love.

  “Where’s Blue?” he asked.

  “He’s playing in the backyard. Just fed him.”

  Zora walked out from the hallway toward the kitchen, and he stopped in the foyer. As good as she cooked, there were simply no words for how good she looked. She was startlingly attractive with her full pout and tapered pixie cut…and that dress.

  She was barefoot with a sexy little red dress on. It had tiny straps holding up a thin fabric that did nothing to hide the swell of her breasts.

  Warmth flooded his insides, and suddenly he felt overheated. Mike loosened his tie and let the ends hang around his neck. He might have been burning up, but, God, he couldn’t take his eyes off her hardened nipples.

  “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He tugged his lip between his teeth and shook his head as she broke into a smile. He was hoping the smile was for him, but he suspected she’d noticed the roses.

  She flashed him an empathetic puppy dog look. “It didn’t go well.”

  “No, it actually went well with Arnold. I just got off the phone with your brother, though. It seems he doesn’t want a partner who makes decisions without talking to him first.”

  Zora rolled her eyes. “Give him a little while. He knows how good you are. He’s just stubborn and doesn’t want to say yes too fast to any idea he didn’t come up with. Anyway, stop worrying. You’re here with me now.”

  “Yes.” Mike smiled and warmth filtered through him.

  “Hi,” she purred.

  He closed the distance between them and slipped his hands around her waist. “Hi yourself.” Brushing his lips over hers, he squeezed her against his chest. “I missed you.”

  “Missed you too.”

  Mike pulled away and tilted his head as he narrowed his gaze. It wasn’t what she said, but how she said it that gave him pause. It was as if she was being careful not to add the “I.” Like she didn’t want to own it. It was the way you’d say it to a friend.

  “Anything eventful happen today?” He was fishing and praying she’d take the bait.

  Her brows waggled playfully. “Nope.”

  Mike broke into a smile. “With that look on your face, I find that hard to believe,” he said, but when he looked past her, he finally noticed the dining room. His brows knitted together. A mix of shock and appreciation laced his tone. “You did this?”

  The table was covered with a white sheet in lieu of a tablecloth. Two plates were set one across from the other with all the silverware, linens, and glasses. In the center, two candles were lit, giving it an intimate, romantic ambiance.

  “Are these for me?” She bounced on her heels and his stomach did a little flip. She was looking at him with that adorably sweet, half smile. For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of the girl he’d known once and the woman he was falling head over heels for.

  She gave him a wistful glance as her warm eyes crinkled around the corners and lit up.

  “Yes.”

  “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

  A shiver coursed through him and his face grew hot. He blinked, stepping out of his trance to guide her by the hand into the dining room. The delicate curve of her neck seemed to glow in the light of the chandelier.

  But then she pivoted to him.

  “I was actually hoping we could talk?” She batted her lashes at him.

  Here we go. What is going on with this day?

  Mike craned his neck back. “Do I even want to know what this is about?”

  Zora swayed into the kitchen and lifted herself up onto her tiptoes, opening the cabinet above the refrigerator. Mike had no clue how she knew that’s where he kept the vases, but he sure was enjoying the view. It appeared that she was just about to ungracefully climb onto the counter, when he leaned in behind her.

  “Uh, I think I can get it,” she said, but Mike ignored her and extended his arm to clutch his hand around the vase and pull it down.

  His mouth was no farther than an inch from her ear. “Here you go.” He could feel the curve of her behind firm against his growing hard-on.

  She exhaled. “You’re not playing fair.”

  “As the saying goes, ‘All is fair in…’” he trailed off, but he didn’t miss the questions in Zora’s eyes when she turned to meet his gaze. When he didn’t finish his sentence, she edged past him to the sink.

  He heard the thud as she set the vase in the sink basin and turned on the faucet. The awkwardness between them was back, and Mike hated it. He hated not being able to see her face. He swallowed and straightened his shoulders skimming through things that might be bothering her. She was on track fo
r her book deadline and he hadn’t even told her about his conversation with Everett. So what was it? She’d spent the day doing a photoshoot and shopping with Olivia, and…

  “How was your day with Olivia?” He asked.

  Mike ground his teeth and felt the tightening of his jaw as he exhaled. Something happened. Whatever Zora needed to talk about, he was sure Olivia had something to do with it.

  “Fine.”

  Yeah, I’m sure.

  Deciding to help, Mike swiveled around and stood beside her at the sink. He removed the plastic from the roses and pulled a knife from the drawer, gripping the stems with his left hand and cutting the twisted wire ties with his right.

  “You’re sure? Your day with Olivia doesn’t have anything to do with what you want to talk to me about?”

  She flitted a glance up to meet his eyes then quickly lowered her head. “Yeah. It’s fine. By the way, thanks again for these. It’s really sweet of you, but you don’t have to buy me stuff. Just letting me stay here is thanks enough.” She sounded stilted and measured.

  “I’ve got you. This is thick and thin right here.” He tapped his chest then pointed to Zora. “You know I’m here for you.”

  She paused for a moment. “Hmm, let’s see if that’s the case.” Mike could hear the smile in her voice. “First champagne, then roses. It’s only natural that jewelry be the next—“

  “Shit.” Mike sliced his finger. He dropped the flowers and let the water run over the cut, but Zora took over. She moved the vase and grabbed for paper towels, wrapped it around his finger, and squeezed.

  “Band-aids?”

  “My bathroom. Medicine cabinet. Top shelf.”

  In seconds, Zora was gone and back with the whole box. She removed a bandage and set it on the edge of the sink. Seemingly in savior mode, she took Mike’s hand without saying a word and carefully unraveled the paper towel. “Ouch. You did get yourself pretty good, but it looks like you just missed needing stitches.”

  Dabbing at the cut, she peeked up at him with a laugh biting at her lip. “Hold it just like this,” she instructed, straightening his finger. Her eyes were laser focused on the open wound. Her dainty hands caressed his fingers, leaving a trail of heat where their skin touched. As she adhered the bandage with precision detail, the smile reached up to her eyes. “Is this how you act every time a woman mentions jewelry in idle conversation?”

  A full grin spread across his face. He couldn’t help but laugh, too. One second he was “helping” with the roses, and the next he was on the verge of an emergency room visit. It sucked. He didn’t mind the part where a beautiful woman fussed over him, though. She was gentle and attentive.

  Beautiful? Stunning, actually.

  “You don’t just use the “J-word” so casually like that.” He laughed. “Next time I’ll just stick with a gift card.”

  A small giggle escaped Zora’s lips.

  “Thank you for this.” He held up his wounded middle finger, dramatically limping over to the table and taking his seat.

  After Zora expertly arranged the flowers and placed them on the table, she plated the food from the stovetop and poured the champagne. Over dinner, their conversation consisted of eighties movie references and Olivia’s brilliant photoshoot of Zora’s lunch dishes for the book.

  He was half finished with his salmon when Zora determined it was a good time to change the subject to serious matters.

  “Do you know what love is?” she asked.

  Mike almost spit out a mouthful of wine on her. He sputtered as he spoke. “Uh, yeah. That’s a really random question, though. That’s what you want to talk about?”

  “I’m just asking because I need a favor.”

  He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, studying Zora’s face. He couldn’t read her expression. Rather than jump to conclusions, he jutted out his chin, urging her to continue.

  “I was wondering if just for tonight, we could play a game of All Truth, No Lies?”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Zora

  Zora bit back a laugh as Mike squirmed in his chair.

  “Relax. It shouldn’t be hard to tell the truth if you’re not walking around all day telling lies. I’m just…trying to get to the bottom of something. That’s all. Let’s call it…research.”

  “For your cookbook?”

  No. “Yes.”

  “Funny. That did not alleviate my fears at all. How are love and truth related to food?” He laughed. “I have a better idea. Why don’t you tell me what it is that you’re trying to get to the bottom of? Wouldn’t that be easier? C’mon, McFly.”

  She pressed her palm to her chest in mock surprise. “You did not just go Back to the Future on me.”

  “I did.”

  “I love the fact you’re finally using movie references properly, but can you do this for me, please?” She pouted and batted her lashes. “It’s important.”

  Mike stared at her for a long minute then shrugged. “Fine. Ask away.”

  Zora perked up in her seat and bit into an asparagus tip. “Now. We’ll alternate, but I’ll go first. It’s really more like Twenty Questions, but we don’t have to do twenty,” she said it quickly, to avoid any pending objections. Without pausing to give him the chance, she lifted one brow. “Have you ever been in love?”

  The question was out there lolling in the air, and she was breathless, waiting.

  At least she’d find out now if he'd loved Kate.

  He threw his hands up in the air. “See? This is what I’m talking about. I’m gonna need more champagne if we’re going this route—and possibly a honey bun. Salmon is not going to cut it, no matter how well you seasoned it.”

  Zora burst out laughing and shook her head as she got her feet. When she returned from the kitchen, she topped off his glass and tossed him two honey buns from the pantry. “I gave you an extra one since I know you’ve got mixed emotions about this.” She winked. “A little sweetener.”

  He took a ginormous bite of the honey bun and slouched against the back of the chair, seeming to finally consider the question. “You’re killing me, woman.” He sighed and smiled, his cheek bulging as he chewed. “Yes. I have been in love.”

  Zora nodded, her brows raised, urging him to continue.

  “Just once, but it didn’t work out. Don’t ask the name or when it was, but know that it was real.”

  Uh. Don’t do me like that.

  A strained smile formed around the edges of his mouth. He had this far away, unseeing look in his eyes like he was back there with this mystery woman, and it was killing Zora. She hoped to gain some insight about what Mike thought about love, but his response was so personal and heartfelt. She had no details, but she was jealous of this lucky woman who made Mike travel in time to be with her. The idea that he still longed for someone, it jarred something loose inside of Zora. Sadness? Jealousy? She swallowed hard over the lump in her throat.

  “Wow. Do you…still love her?” Is it Kate?

  Mike snapped out of wherever his thoughts took him. His eyes were arresting, his mouth distracting as he glanced at her. Zora’s heart tripped around in her chest as her pulse quickened.

  Somehow, she knew she should be focusing on spilling the beans about moving out a month earlier than planned, but at the moment, all she could think about was the possibility Kate was the woman he loved. If so, why had they broken up?

  He slowly shook his head with a reprimanding tsk, tsk and smiled that disarming smile. It left a warm tightening in her stomach. “Don’t go trying to ask follow up questions. If you want specifics, ask specific questions. You’re not slick, Zo.”

  “Okay, fine.” Zora threw up her hands playfully. “Ask your question, then.”

  He made big work of squinting his eyes and pressing his pinky finger to his pursed lips. “Zo…did you hook up with—“

  “Nope. Nope. Nope.” She wagged her finger side to side between them. “All the questions have to be related to love. Nice try
, though. A for effort. Go again.”

  “Zora Marie Monroe, I’m flipping it on you. What are your deal-breakers…” he asked, adding, “…in love?”

  She hadn’t expected the question, but besides the obvious ones, like cheating and beating, she really only had one. The one thing she was afraid of when it came to relationships was losing herself. Changing for someone other than herself meant…changing everything that makes me, me. It was why she wasn’t gung ho about falling for guys. It occurred to her just then, that maybe it was why she was always drawn to Mike. He never once asked her to be anyone other than herself.

  “My deal-breaker—singular—is a guy who wants me to change for him,” she said. Her brows lifted. Bam! Mic drop. “Back to you. Since you’ve clearly been nose deep in it, define love. Oh, and by the way, middle names do not intimidate me, Michael Dwayne Kennedy.”

  She stood and began gathering their empty plates. He fell in line with the wine glasses and honey bun wrappers, stopping to blow out the candles.

  “I’ve got the dishes, if you want to put the food in the fridge.” He rolled up his sleeves and pushed the stopper into the drain.

  A wave of heat washed over her as she took in the strong lines of his broad shoulders and forearms. His sunbaked skin flexed with each movement as he turned on the faucet and poured in dishwashing liquid. She just stood there staring in amazement.

  As delicious as his body was to look at, this went beyond physical. The man was going to do the dishes. By. Hand. It didn’t matter they’d made only a few dishes dirty. He was doing it without being asked and without complaint.

  Holy shit. What a turn-on.

  Dishes—well chores—definitely felt like a component of love. Most of the married women she knew complained about their husbands boycotting the household duties, leaving clothes all over the floor, and basically wanting a trophy for taking out the trash. Partnership or respect, in some sort of way, felt like it should be part of the good stuff.