The Relationship Coach

by Sylvia McDaniel

  He laughed, his green eyes widened. “My world view?”

  “Yes. The more I know you, the better I’ll see what kind of film you’ll make.”

  He shook his head at her. “Psychology major?”

  “No, though I did take a lot of psych classes.”

  Raising the wine glass to his lips, he sipped and watched her, studying her like an ant under a microscope. Finally, he set the glass down. “Many of my college friends have had a big wedding only to realize two kids later that this is not what they wanted,” he responded, his brows drew together, his gaze dark as he shook his head. “It’s not fair to the kids. You know that better than anyone.”

  “Don’t you think you would pick the right person or that you could do a relationship better than your college friends?”

  “Maybe. But once I was engaged to a woman, and she chose a car over me. Since then, I’ve never found a woman who kept me interested enough that I was willing to take another chance. My career is my relationship, and we’re doing just fine.”

  “A car,” Lacey said.

  “Yes, a red Corvette. Her father said if she would dump me, he’d buy her a car.” He shrugged, and she knew he tried to act like it meant nothing, but he failed. Could this be the reason he seemed closed off, not open to love?

  “So you gave up on love.”

  He stared at her. “I’m way better than a red Corvette. She chose the car. I haven’t found a woman who has made me regret my decision to give up on marriage.”

  Reed didn’t acknowledge that he’d given up on love, but she could see it in his posture, in the tone of his voice, that he no longer believed in love.

  “What about kids?”

  “I like kids, but I don’t want my children shuttled back and forth between two homes and two parents, having to deal with step-parents or brothers and sisters. You of all people should understand where I’m coming from.”

  She nodded.

  He pinched off a piece of bread and raised it to his lips. “Until the day comes when I find a woman I can’t live without, I’m careful there are no accidental pregnancies.”

  His career was his life, and until he believed in love once again, no woman would complete him. But what were his career goals?

  “You’ve won an IDA award?” she asked, trying to avert her eyes from the way he licked his lips after eating the oil-dipped bread.

  Reed smiled. “Yes, my film on the Russian sex trade won an IDA award. Now my film on financial reform is up for an IDA award.”

  “Congratulations.”

  “But my last film about the underground sex trade in Russia and France disturbed me. I exposed how girls are often forced into brothels or sold by their parents. Despicable business, but the film garnered huge attention, and the studio made a nice profit.”

  She shuddered. “That sounds grim compared to what you’re doing now.”

  “Yes, I needed something fun and not so dark. Even filmmakers suffer from burn-out,” he said, with a smile.

  His face lit up when he spoke about his films, and his voice became animated with emotion and excitement. Lacey couldn’t help but think this documentary would be a perfect opportunity to show the world the joys and the heartbreaks of her business in a sensitive way people would understand. Yet, she would have to prove to him she offered a valuable service to people. She would have to show him love was a valuable emotion.

  “What is your biggest career goal?” she asked.

  “An Oscar,” he said immediately. “I want to win the big award that all filmmakers covet.”

  Many people had been disbelievers when they started her program, and when they finished, many of them shouted her praises. She would have to show Reed Hunter how her twelve step program mated people for life. She would have to show him love mattered most of all.

  Once he started filming her, she was certain he’d see the value of a relationship coach.

  Their food arrived, and as she savored the first bite, the violinists strolled up to their table and began to play a sad, romantic ballad. She wanted to roll her eyes at them, but instead, she concentrated on her manicotti. The cheese was excellent, and the music was irritating. Did they really think that crap worked on women?

  The trio ambled to the next table, and Reed gazed at her in surprise. “I thought you would like this restaurant.”

  He must have seen the eye roll. “Why? Because it’s romantic?” she asked.

  “Well, yes. You’re in the romance business. I knew we were meeting for a business dinner, but I thought this type of restaurant would appeal to you.” He held his fork in mid-air, his green eyes wide with surprise.

  Lacey sighed and wanted to scream with frustration at how people assumed so much about her business and relationships in general. “My business is tough on romance. I’m not in it for hearts and flowers. I find people partners who are compatible. Who share the same interests and goals and complement each other,” she said, letting her frustration come through in the pointed way she finished each sentence. “As for the sparks or passion, as my mother likes to call it, if the desire is there, fantastic. If not, as long as they are satisfied with one another, it doesn’t matter.”

  Reed sat back and began to laugh, staring at her in surprise. “I admit I’m shocked. This is not what I expected from you.”

  “Why? The divorce rate in this country is almost fifty percent. If we as individuals concentrated more on the person and less on the passion, then the divorce rate would decline.”

  “But the passion is what draws us together,” he said, leaning toward her until they were inches apart. “Passion is what makes a man pursue a woman.”

  “Not intelligence, compatibility, or even looks?” she asked him, leaning forward herself, until they were right up in each other’s faces.

  “That’s the icing on the cake,” he said, his voice whisper-soft.

  For a moment, she felt breathless as she stared into his gaze. His heated stare left her body warm, her pulse tingling, and she leaned back in the booth to escape the restless sensation. Oh, this man could charm his way into a woman’s bed before she remembered to say no. Lacey would have to be very aware of his charismatic appeal.

  “That means it’s okay for us to just hop into bed with one another, regardless of the fact we have nothing in common?”

  “Yes!” His response was enthusiastic and loud enough that people around them turned to stare.

  Most definitely, he was all about the passion and not about the romance and the monogamy.

  “I totally disagree. When I sleep with someone, there has to be a connection. But I need a kinship of the mind and the soul, not just of the body,” she said, her voice rising in pitch.

  “God, I wish my camera was on you now. I wish I was filming the passion for your business that I see on your face right now. Very interesting,” he said. His voice breathless, his gaze intense.

  Lacey stopped and stared at him, surprised at this side of him. They’d disagreed about this subject, and yet, he recognized her excitement about relationships. She knew she loved her job, but she’d never thought about how it came across to other people-her emotions exposed on her face, the dedication to teach people to dig further, before they acted on urges that affected them for a lifetime.

  With sudden clarity, she knew everything was going to be all right. Reed Hunter’s responses to her questions seemed honest and forthright. Even telling her he didn’t believe in her line of work.

  She had to trust him to show her profession as one she loved, one that she was passionate about. A professional love he could capture with his camera lens.

  “Mr. Hunter, I’m going to trust you to show my enthusiasm for my job in this film. I’m going to trust you with my life, my business.”

  Reed raised his wine glass, and she raised hers. “To a great documentary.”

  “To a film that’ll win you an Oscar and grow my business,” she said, certain she’d made the right decision.

  ***


  Reed hit the speed dial number on his phone.

  Graham answered on the third ring, his voice groggy like he’d been sleeping.

  “It’s a go!”

  His voice immediately changed. “She said yes.”

  “We’re hitting the road with her next week, and she’s going to give me a list of clients who agree to be filmed.”

  Adrenaline pumped through Reed’s veins like a speed junkie. He could hardly wait to start filming Lacey Morgan. Tonight at dinner, the animation on her face had revealed her passion as she spoke about relationships. Expressions like those were the kind he strived to show in his films, even when he didn’t agree with the subject.

  Such dedication he recognized because he felt that way about filmmaking. And every time he saw it in someone else, it surprised him.

  “Way to go, Reed. I can’t wait to see how you hang this bitch,” Graham said. “I’m sleeping alone tonight because of her.”

  Reed felt a moment of unease. Something that he’d never felt before when he worked with Graham. They’d always been in complete harmony, and they would be this time, as well.

  “Well, you won’t be sleeping alone for long. I’m sure once Juliet sees what we discover about Mate Incorporated, she’ll come running back.”

  Reed couldn’t understand why Graham didn’t want to move on. He couldn’t understand Graham’s single-mindedness to go after Lacey. They’d both been dumped, but Reed was wise enough to know that eventually Blair would have given up and left him.

  “I trolled her website this evening. I answered the questionnaire about true love and even considered signing up to find someone who meets my needs,” Graham confessed.

  “Geez, are you nuts!”

  “It’s just I really like the idea of finding my true love and mating for life.”

  Reed laughed, knowing he’d been had. “Funny, you had me going there for a moment. I believed you were falling for this crap.”

  Graham chuckled in the phone. “Just testing you.”

  For what? Did he not believe that Reed wanted to reveal this charlatan as much as he did?

  Well, to be honest, when he’d first met Lacey, he’d agreed her business was shady, but after dinner tonight, he thought she believed in what she did. Even if it was outrageous. “So did I pass?”

  “With flying colors,” Graham said. “Now bring me a documentary that reveals this bitch.”

  “Will do,” Reed said.

  “I expect a report on how it’s going in about three weeks.”

  “Sure thing, boss. Hope you sleep better knowing it won’t be long until Juliet is back.”

  “God, I hope so.”

  ***

  Lacey had set the lunch up with her sister a week ago, ostensibly to talk about the wedding plans and ask her what she wanted Lacey to handle.

  She waved to Kerri, and noticed she carried a big canvas bag. Her sister was a bigger planner than herself, and that canvas bag could only spell trouble.

  “Hey, girl.” She stood and hugged her sister. “What’s in the bag?”

  “Wedding magazines, brochures. I need your help in a huge way. Do you realize the wedding is two months away?”

  Lacey hoped to convince Kerri she was making the biggest mistake of her life. She wasn’t any more ready for marriage than she’d been ready to go away to college at eighteen, opting instead for junior college.

  College with training wheels and now she was experiencing her first serious relationship with training wheels. Kerri wasn’t ready for the big bike of marriage.

  “Yes, are you sure we’ll have time to put one together by then?”

  “No choice, we have to. I’ve been accepted to the University Of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, and we’re moving two days after the wedding. Wedding, honeymoon night, pack the car, and drive off the next. Life’s going to get crazy!”

  Lacey glanced at her younger sister’s flushed cheeks, bright gaze, and the obvious tension around her mouth. She grabbed her hand. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

  Her sister laid down the menu and gazed at her in complete shock. “Of course not.”

  From her frosty tone, Lacey knew she’d just made a huge blunder. “Look, I’m not being critical. I would love you regardless if you were pregnant. The way you two are rushing things, I thought maybe there was a reason.”

  “Rushing things?” her sister replied, her expression incredulous.

  God, could Lacey botch this any worse? “You graduate college next week. Getting married in two months and starting medical school a week later, I’d say you’re on the fast track to killing yourself.”

  “And you think I should wait?” her sister said in that tone Lacey recognized from when they were kids and meant Kerri was pissed.

  “I don’t want you to make a mistake like Mom.”

  “I’m not our mother. Matt makes me happy. I go to bed wanting to be with him. I wake up wanting to be with him and only him. He makes me think about things in different ways. He’s kind and considerate. He takes care of me and loves me even when I’m an angry, PMS-raging, hormonal bitch. He wants to be with me, and only me, and I want to grow old with him.” She took a deep breath, and Lacey sensed Kerri’s anger simmering around them.

  How did you make someone see reason when the person they loved took care of them when they were a PMS-raging, hormonal bitch?

  “If you don’t want to be a part of the wedding, let me know now, and I will find someone else. You’ve always been there with me, and I thought you would be again, but maybe not.”

  Lacey felt like an ogre. She couldn’t have been any uglier than if she’d turned green. “I love you, but I’m afraid for you.”

  “Why? Matt takes better care of me than Mother ever did.”

  “I don’t want to see you hurt.” Lacey reached out and grabbed her sister’s hand. “I want to be involved in your wedding. Just remember, if you change your mind or you have second thoughts, it’s never too late to back out.”

  “I’m not going to back out. I’m committed to Matt. I’m wearing his engagement ring. The wedding ceremony will legalize what I feel for him.”

  Lacey sighed, knowing she’d lost this skirmish, but not the war. She was still determined to help her sister realize she wasn’t ready for marriage. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

  “We need to schedule a day to go shopping for a wedding dress. Mom wants to go along.”

  “She’s not very happy with me right now.”

  “Yes, you two fight worse than any two alley cats I’ve ever heard. Talk about a real downer sometimes. Could you please try to get along with her and make it a fun time when we go shopping?” Kerri asked.

  Lacey went on the defensive. “I’ll do my best, but you have to admit, she causes a lot of the problems between us.”

  Kerri’s eyes bored into Lacey. “Yes, she does, but sometimes Lacey, I think she’s right. While Dean may be the perfect guy on paper, I don’t sense you not being able to live without him or that he makes you happy.”

  Stunned to hear her sister say she thought their mother was right, Lacey sat back and stared at her. Did she not understand that giving in to your emotions left you vulnerable?

  “Dean and I are doing fine. I haven’t told you because this is yours and Matt’s time, but we’re moving in together. We’ve been looking for an apartment. I planned to tell you the day you announced your engagement, but felt that the day was yours.”

  “You’re moving in together?” Her sister’s eyes widened with shock, and she shook her head. “You know what mother thinks about living together. Please, please, I don’t want to listen to the two of you fight while shopping for my dress.”

  Lacey shrugged, not looking forward to the conversation with her mother. “Okay, I’ll put this off for as long as I can, but Dean is pressuring me for us to find a place and move in.”

  “If he loves you, why doesn’t he just marry you?” Kerri asked, her eyes flashing duh.

  “Neither
of us is ready for marriage just yet,” Lacey responded in her calm, rational tone.

  “Yet you’re ready to commit to live together?”

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe the reason you’re not ready to commit to marriage is because you’re not certain he’s the one,” Kerri said, her expression so much like their mother’s that Lacey had to do a double-take.

  “I’m testing everything before I agree to walk down the aisle. I only want to do this once.”

  Kerri leaned toward her sister. Her eyes were warm, her brows raised, and her expression one of sincerity. “Lacey, I only want to do it once as well, but with Matt, I knew within weeks he was the one.”

  The news that she’d known so soon that she wanted to marry Matt stunned Lacey. Was Kerri becoming their mother? Fear for her sister crackled along her nerve endings, shooting through her like lightning. The very idea frightened her. “I hope like hell you’re right.”

  “I know I am. But I wonder about you. I wonder sometimes if you know what real love feels like. I worry about you, Lacey.”

  Chapter Six

  Jason released a relaxed sigh and rolled onto his back. Amanda curled around him, slipping her arm across his naked chest. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, as her world righted itself.

  “Hmmm, God, Amanda, nothing beats great sex.”

  She smiled and pressed her breasts against his ribs. “Pretty amazing.” The air conditioner caressed her sweat glistened skin, as a chill danced over her body, and she pulled the sheet around them, entwining her legs with his.

  With her finger, she drew a lazy circle eight around his nipples, amazed at the texture of his smooth skin interspersed with soft hair. She loved cuddling after sex, talking and luxuriating in the sensations.

  Jason stretched across the bed to the nightstand and found the television remote. He pointed it at the TV on the wall and hit the on button. Quickly, he scanned the channels until he found a baseball game.

  Stunned, she gazed at him in horror. What the hell did he think he was doing?

  “Great, we haven’t missed much. The Yankees play tonight. I’ve got to watch the game.” He pulled his arm from around her, causing Amanda to fall flat onto the mattress. He straightened the pillows and sat up.