“Then we would have gotten the matter out in the open. As it was, I cheated both of us. Don’t let that happen to you, sweetheart. Tell him.”
Natalie sighed. “I guess I should.” But she cringed at the thought of letting Jonah know she’d misled him on yet another matter. Maybe she’d tell him soon, but not until after she’d given him the basketball. He would go nuts over it. Sure, he’d realize it was expensive, but that wasn’t as significant as the fact she’d noticed his passion for the Knicks and had searched for something he would love to have. Surely that was more important than what she paid for the gift, wasn’t it?
LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, Alice invited Natalie and Jonah to a celebration dinner. Although Alice wouldn’t say what they were celebrating, Natalie was positive her mother had finished the first draft of her book.
Natalie hurried home from work to change into something more festive than her gray suit. Feeling like a spring flower spreading its petals after a long winter, she pulled a pink knit dress over her head and belted it with a multicolored sash. Her fingers shook as she wrapped the box containing the basketball. She’d invite Jonah to her apartment after dinner and give him the basketball.
And then…she didn’t know what would happen, but she knew what she wanted to happen. She wanted the reserve to disappear from Jonah’s manner. She wanted his passion to return and sweep her away, as it had all those long weeks ago. And she wanted him to tell her he loved her. Because she loved him with a depth that scared the dickens out of her, and if she didn’t have a chance to tell him soon, she just might explode.
When she arrived at her mother’s apartment Jonah was already there, a glass of his favorite beer on the end table as he sat on the couch reading what had to be a completed manuscript. From the stack of pages piled next to him, it looked as if he’d been there quite a while. Alice must have asked him to come early so he could read what she’d written.
Natalie was a little jealous that her mother had chosen Jonah as her first reader, but Jonah’s input was the most important for the project. He started to put the manuscript aside as she came into the room.
“That’s okay.” She motioned him to continue. “Keep reading.”
“Then I will, if you two don’t mind. I’m almost finished.”
“Can I get you anything?” Alice hovered around him like a nervous mother bird. “Another beer?”
“Nothing, thanks.” Jonah seemed distracted as he returned immediately to the manuscript.
“Here’s your copy, dear.” Her mother handed Natalie a stack of pages tied with a red ribbon. “I’m sure you guessed what this little dinner was all about.”
“I did.” Natalie took the manuscript and gave her mother a big hug. “Congratulations, Mom.”
“I’m a wreck,” Alice whispered to her. “Come on in the kitchen where we won’t bother Jonah. Would you like a glass of wine? I think I’ll have one. I think I’ll have six.”
“Hey, I’m sure it’s great.” A protective arm around her mother’s waist, Natalie walked with her back to the kitchen filled with the aroma of roast beef. “I still remember the first three chapters of the one you wrote before. I loved them.”
“Yes, and you were twelve years old and my daughter. You were probably amazed that I could write fiction at all. It’s like the dancing bear. He doesn’t do it well, but you’re impressed he can do it at all.” Alice took a bottle of their favorite Chardonnay out of the refrigerator and rummaged for the corkscrew in a kitchen drawer.
“I was brilliant at twelve,” Natalie said, grinning at her mother. “I was reading the classics by then. I would have recognized dreck if I’d seen it. Your story was good.” She took two glasses from the cupboard. “I’ll bet this one is even better.”
Alice pried the cork from the bottle and poured the glasses full. “It could be donkey dung. I can’t tell. But at least I finished it. At least I don’t have to say, ‘Someday I’ll write a book’ anymore.”
“Darn right.” Natalie picked up her wineglass and lifted it. “To living your dreams.”
Her mother picked up her glass and clinked it softly with Natalie’s. Her eyes were moist. “That’s exactly what this feels like.” She looked squarely at Natalie. “Thank you.”
15
JONAH FINISHED Alice’s book and sat with the final page in his hand while he absorbed what he’d read. The story was funny, passionate and technically accurate. Alice had paid close attention to everything he had told her about the business of fighting fires.
But he couldn’t find any trace of himself in the hero. She’d made him blond, for one thing, and shorter. Bobo’s rescue was transformed—the hero saved a kitten from an electrical pole and possible electrocution on a loose wire. She hadn’t used the bachelor auction at all, which would have been a dead giveaway. And the love scenes were hot, but he didn’t recognize anything about them other than the obvious similarities when any couple had sex.
The book was about a firefighter who meets a woman because he saves her pet, but other than that, the story bore no resemblance to Jonah’s life. He was incredibly relieved, but he wondered what she’d done with all that research into his childhood. This guy was an orphan, which Alice had used as part of the plot complication as he searched for his lost parents. The book’s hero was a loner afraid to commit, while Jonah had so many people in his life he had trouble keeping track of them all, and as for commitment, he was ready. Natalie was the iffy part of the equation.
Stacking the pages carefully and tapping them into a neat bundle, he set the manuscript on the coffee table, picked up his beer glass and stood. Then he stretched and glanced at his watch. Amazing. He’d sat there for almost three hours reading a romance. Although he was no judge of such things, he thought Alice’s book should be published.
And now…his contribution was finished. Natalie’s reason for bidding on him at the auction had been satisfied. She had no more reason to string him along.
Maybe she’d want to keep having sex with him now that her mother’s book was finished, but he had no idea if she wanted more than that. Perhaps it wasn’t a fair test, but he thought it all turned on whether she’d tell him about spending her retirement money. If she could be that vulnerable and let him know she wasn’t rich and she was also a little foolish, then maybe she wanted more than his presence in her bed.
If she couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him, then he didn’t hold out much hope for them.
He walked into the kitchen where Natalie and her mother were gathered in front of the open oven door peering at a standing rib roast that looked delicious. Now that Jonah knew Alice wasn’t wealthy, he was touched that she’d bought such an expensive cut of meat for this celebration.
The minute Alice realized he was there she slammed the oven door and whirled to face him, her face taut with dread.
“It’s great,” he said, so glad he could say that honestly. He’d wondered what he’d do if the book had turned out to be awful. “I don’t even read romances, but I couldn’t put it down.”
“Oh!” Alice ran across the kitchen and grabbed him in a bear hug, causing him to slop his beer on the floor. She didn’t seem to notice as she thanked him profusely over and over while she continued to hug him. He hugged her back with his free arm while he looked across the room at Natalie.
She had a big smile on her face, but when he looked into her eyes he could see the tears gathered there. He’d sure love to know what they meant. They might be tears of joy. Or they might be tears of regret that now she’d have to face the consequences of what she’d done for her mother. Maybe she didn’t want this inconvenient firefighter hanging around now that his usefulness had ended, and she had no idea how to gracefully get rid of him.
If that turned out to be the case, he wouldn’t make it difficult for her.
Alice finally released him and stepped back to take a deep breath and wipe her eyes. “Thank you, Jonah, both for your help and for liking the book.”
“Neither one was hard
to do,” he said. “But I do have a question.”
Alice looked apprehensive again. “I botched the fire scene, didn’t I? I wondered if I got it right, so if there’s anything wrong, I’ll fix it right up. That’s one reason I wanted you to—”
“Nothing’s wrong with the fire scene. You got everything right. The guys at the station will love reading it when it’s published.”
“You really think it will be?”
“It has my vote.”
“Oh, my.” Alice drew another shaky breath. “I hope Heart Books agrees with you.”
“So do I. But I wondered about the hero. Why did you ask me all those questions about my childhood when the hero’s an orphan?”
Alice looked guilty. “You’ll have to forgive me. My only defense is that I’m a mother. I wanted to find out your background so that I’d know more about the man my daughter has fallen in love with. The book research was a perfect excuse to snoop, and I took it. I hope you don’t mind.”
Jonah glanced at Natalie to see how she was taking this. Her expression had become more guarded and his stomach clenched. “No, I don’t mind,” he said to Alice.
“I thought it was an even exchange, considering all the family stories I told you so you’d know Natalie a little better.”
“Yeah, I appreciate that.” He flashed a grin at Natalie because he figured Alice expected him to. He was not encouraged by the weak smile he got in return or the wariness in her eyes.
“What I’m dying to know,” Alice said, “is whether you two have started making plans. After all, you’ve been constantly together for weeks, so you must be thinking about making it official. My guess is that you wanted to hold off telling me until I finished my project, and you’re afraid you’ll steal my thunder by announcing anything tonight. But you’d do nothing of the kind.” She glanced up with affection at Jonah. “I’d love to celebrate both things at once. So tell me, am I about to get a son-in-law?”
NATALIE’S HOPES died as she saw the trapped look on Jonah’s face. He was no more ready to commit to her than don a cape and fly over Manhattan. Yet it wasn’t surprising that her mother would ask such a question. After all, they’d put on a wonderful show of being madly in love. They’d obviously done too good a job, and now Alice expected a wedding.
As Jonah fumbled for an answer, Natalie rushed to his aid. “We still have a lot of things to settle before we do that, Mom,” she said. “And besides, I know Jonah wants me to meet his family. We’ve both been too busy to even think about a trip to Buffalo, but we don’t want to set a date before we do that, right, sweetheart?”
“That’s right.” Jonah met her gaze. “My folks would kill me if I announced I was getting married and they hadn’t even met my bride-to-be.”
“Oh.” Alice seemed to sag as all her former excitement drained away. “Well, of course. How self-centered of me. I completely forgot that you’d want to bring your parents into this before you announced anything.” She glanced around as if searching for a change of subject. “Goodness, I didn’t notice that I’d made you spill your beer. Let’s clean it up and then we’ll eat. Everything’s ready.”
“I’ll clean it up,” Jonah said. “Just give me a sponge.”
The two of them began to bustle around the kitchen, but Natalie couldn’t seem to move. She was immobilized by the picture of her mother a moment ago, and how the starch had gone right out of her once she discovered there were no wedding plans to celebrate. For a few seconds her posture was disturbingly similar to the old Alice, the one who had disappeared soon after Jonah rescued Bobo.
A horrible possibility occurred to Natalie. What if it wasn’t just the creation of the book that had lifted her mother’s depression? What if her good spirits were also tied to this romance her daughter was having with Jonah and the promise of an impending wedding?
The idea haunted Natalie throughout the meal. Vaguely she realized that both Jonah and her mother kept giving her strange looks. Every time she was aware they were doing it, she made a conscious effort to join in the conversation. Most of the talk centered around Alice’s next step and whether she should contact an agent or just send the manuscript straight to the publisher.
“In a way, it’ll be hard to let it go,” Alice said. “I’ve loved working on it. When I go into that fantasy world, I forget about my own problems.”
“Won’t you start another book right away?” Natalie asked. She’d never thought beyond the completion of this one. Now she worried that her mother would sit around waiting to hear whether this one sold. If it didn’t, that might put her right back where she’d been before, crying and working picture puzzles. Natalie panicked at the thought. “It’s probably a good idea to plunge right into the next project so you won’t be obsessing about what the editor will decide,” she said.
“I suppose you’re right,” her mother agreed. “But I’ve been so caught up in these characters, I can’t imagine thinking up new ones right now.”
Natalie figured desperation was her only excuse for what came out of her mouth next. “I know just the person you should talk with. His name’s Pete, and he lives in Jonah’s apartment building. He has an absolutely wonderful imagination, and I’ll bet he’d love to brainstorm story ideas with you.”
Jonah looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “How do you know Pete has a good imagination?” he asked.
“I talked with him a couple of different times, and it was pretty obvious. I even found out he makes up stories to tell his grandchildren.” She risked a glance at her mother, who was staring at her.
“Natalie,” Alice said slowly, “you wouldn’t be trying to fix me up, now, would you?”
“Of course not!” Natalie could feel the blush rising to her cheeks. In a way that was exactly what she was doing. She was beginning to realize that she couldn’t handle her mother’s situation all by herself, and she didn’t know the people in her building well enough to enlist them on short notice. Ironically, she knew the people in Jonah’s building better than the ones in her own, and Pete might be just the ticket. “But I think you’d like him.” She sent a pleading glance toward Jonah. “Wouldn’t it be fun if the four of us took in a movie sometime?”
“Um, sure. We could do that.”
“We’ll do nothing of the kind,” Alice said. “You are trying to fix me up, and I won’t have it.”
Jonah put down his fork and turned to face her. “Okay, I’ll admit it. Natalie and I thought you two would hit it off, but we weren’t sure how to bring up the subject. Natalie caught me by surprise, mentioning it now, but it’s probably the perfect time. I can vouch for Pete. I’ve known him for five years and he’s a terrific guy. He’s been widowed ever since I’ve known him and seems to be getting along okay, but I think he’s probably lonely. Natalie’s right. He’d love talking about story ideas with you.”
Natalie longed to hug the breath out of him for that. She sent him a grateful smile.
“So the two of you have been conniving, have you?” Alice seemed pleased with the idea. “Well, I’m not interested in a date, really, but I suppose a foursome would be fun. I sometimes feel like a fifth wheel when I go out with you, although I’ve loved every minute and couldn’t force myself to turn down any of your invitations.”
Natalie’s heart clutched at her mother’s vulnerability. “We loved having you go along, didn’t we, Jonah?”
“Absolutely. It’s been a great few weeks.”
The way he said it sounded almost as if they’d come to the end of an era, and Natalie couldn’t shake off that feeling herself. But Jonah was nothing if not kind. He wouldn’t abruptly abandon her mother to her own devices, even if he wanted to break off with Natalie. Just from the way he’d supported her suggestion tonight, she knew that he’d be happy to help introduce Alice to Pete and nurture that friendship before he bowed out of the picture.
The prospect of an outing with Pete seemed to perk Alice up considerably, as if it was a guarantee that her social life wouldn’t
end with the last chapter of her book. She served a pudding laced with rum and set it on fire with the flair that Natalie remembered from the days when her father had been alive. Natalie gave silent thanks that another hurdle seemed to have been crossed.
Inevitably, however, the evening came to an end. Natalie knew her mother expected Jonah to spend the night in her apartment as they’d implied he’d done many times before. Earlier in the day, she’d wondered if that might actually happen this time, but now she wasn’t so sure. Jonah might be ready to get rid of these two women who had turned his life inside out.
With her copy of the manuscript under her arm, Natalie gave her mother a hug as she stood with Jonah in the entry hall. “Congratulations, again, Mom. You did it.”
“Let’s hope it sells,” Alice said. “But I am pleased with myself for getting this far. A few months ago I wouldn’t have thought I could manage it.” She drew back and included Jonah in her smile. “Thanks to both of you, I was inspired.”
“Yeah, but you did the work.” Jonah gave her a hug, too.
Natalie found herself getting misty-eyed again as she watched her mother and Jonah embrace. They’d obviously formed a close relationship and now there was no telling what would happen with that. If Natalie had been able to keep her feelings for Jonah on a friendship level, the three of them could have maintained their connection indefinitely. But she couldn’t be just friends with Jonah—not anymore.
“I’ll talk to Pete about getting together soon,” Jonah said as he released Alice and started toward the door.
A light flush tinged Alice’s cheeks. “Not that it’s important, of course, but is he…attractive?”
Jonah grinned. “Better-looking than me.”
“Now, that’s impossible. Good night, you two. You’ve been great company, as usual.” Alice smiled at them, waved and closed the door.
Natalie glanced up at Jonah. “Well, that’s that.”
His expression gave nothing away. “Guess so.”
Single, Sexy...And Sold! Page 17
