A smile spread across Maisy’s face.
Stepping across the deep persimmon-colored pile carpeting in Norman’s office, Maisy pulled him out of his chair and grabbed him into a hug.
“Come here, you relentless old meddler. How can I possibly stay mad at someone as crazy and wonderful as you?”
Norman’s face lit up with a boyish grin as he motioned for Maisy to sit down. “That’s exactly the point I’ve been trying to get across… How about a cup of coffee?” He ambled over to his espresso maker after Maisy nodded. “Espresso or cappuccino?”
“Espresso’s fine.” Maisy snuggled into one of the upholstered chairs. She waved the romance paperback in his direction. “Beloved Enemy? How long did it take you to dig this up?” Her lips curled into a smile.
“I just walked into the bookstore and, voila, there it was, calling my name,” Norman answered. “Don’t forget there’ll be a quiz on Monday, so you better read it.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Stanley, sir,” she said, saluting as she rose from her chair and went to Norman’s side at the espresso maker. She draped her arm around his shoulder. “I’m sorry about giving you the cold shoulder lately. I know you meant well, Norman, but that whole Fitch thing is still such a sore spot with me.”
“I know, sweetie, I know,” Norman said as he ground the Italian roast coffee beans to a fine powder. “Mmm, smells good, doesn’t it?”
Closing her eyes and breathing in a deep whiff, Maisy nodded. “Heavenly.”
“Heard anything from Keller yet?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Of course not. I never really expected to. Keller was only being nice because you all but hog-tied the poor man and bullied him into a corner.” Maisy chuckled as she walked to the far side of Norman’s office, checking out the newest cruise brochures.
“Oooh, that sounds kinky. I’ll have to remember that…” He winked.
“Let’s face it, Norman.” Maisy did a slow pirouette. “I’m not exactly Keller Fitch’s type. I mean, did you get a good look at the guy?”
Norman pursed his lips and fluttered his hand across his heart, “Oh honey, did I ever.” He rolled his eyes for effect.
Maisy whapped his arm. “You nut. I’m serious. Do you think somebody who looks like a goddamn movie idol would want to be seen with a plump plain Jane like me?”
A look of genuine astonishment flashed across Norman’s face as he bubbled forth with laughter. “Plump plain Jane?” He slapped his hand to his mouth, giggling.
Maisy’s eyes widened. “Well I’m happy you find my lackluster appearance so amusing, Norman.”
“Lackluster?” Wiping a tear from his eye, Norman propped an arm over Maisy’s shoulder. “My God, Maisy, how many times do I have to tell you you’re a knockout now? You’re a beautiful, breathtaking woman.”
Steam hissed from the espresso maker and Norman tended to his preparation, shaving a curl from the peel of one of the fresh lemons he kept in the small refrigerator in his office.
“Believe me, darling, your plump plain Jane days are long gone. Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, you look like a goddess at any weight.” He paused to offer Maisy an engaging grin. “So case closed. I don’t want to hear any more self put-downs from you, okay? Biscotti?”
“No way. They’ve got a zillion fat grams.”
“These are low fat,” Norman promised.
Maisy took one, crunching into the hazelnut biscotti as she sank into her chair. One sip from the molten brew had her expressing an extended ahhhh of satisfaction.
“Look at you,” Norman observed. “Curves in all the right places, flawless skin, the biggest deep blue eyes I’ve ever seen—well, except for that cute little server at Chowder Bay. Mmmm…what was his name again? Oh yeah, Christopher. Be still my heart.” His eyelids fluttered closed.
Maisy laughed. “Cradle robber,” she said, and Norman snickered.
“Where was I?” he said. “Of course, your physical attributes. Thick, gorgeous honey-blonde hair, peaches-and-cream complexion, big, beautiful, squeezable breasts. What’s not to love?” He gave a nonchalant shrug.
Maisy nearly choked on her espresso. “Norman!” She tugged the cardigan of her heather-gray sweater-set across her chest. “What a thing to say.” She took another sip of her brew, cupped her hand over her mouth and laughed. “And anyway, how would you know they’re beautiful, hmmm? I don’t recall flashing them for you.”
“Don’t argue semantics with me, young lady. I may be gay, but I’m not completely blind to feminine charms. And believe me, sister, you’ve got plenty.” He gave a wolf whistle. “You’ve got the body of a fifties movie queen, darling, a calendar girl, and it’s about time you realized it and stopped trying to hide it.”
Maisy hesitated a moment, feeling her cheeks flush. “Thank you. I appreciate that, Norman. And maybe if I lived in the fifties I’d feel better about myself. But in this day and age, when skeletal is all the rage…” She left the rest unsaid. Why bother dwelling on the fact that she’d never be able to fit society’s standards? At least not in this lifetime.
“If I may be so bold as to bring up Keller’s name again,” Norman said, sporting a sly grin. “I couldn’t help but notice him surreptitiously checking out your cleavage at the restaurant.”
“Oh you big liar. He was not.” Cocking her head, a smile teased at her lips. “Did he, really?”
“May God strip me of my psychic powers forever if I’m lying.” He crossed his finger over his heart.
“Psychic, shmychic,” Maisy grumbled through a laugh and took another sip of espresso.
Norman moved his hand through the air following invisible curves. “Yup, Keller zeroed right in on those big bazooms of yours.” He crunched into his second biscotti, offering another to Maisy, which she declined.
“Gee, Norman, could you be any cruder?”
With a dismissive wave, Norman assured, “Oh sure, lots.”
“Anyway, so what if Keller was eyeing my,” Maisy cleared her throat, “chest. Big deal. If he’s anything like his sister, which is a darned good bet, sex is foremost on the man’s brain. Doesn’t make a darned bit of difference anyway though, Norman, because that is one man I have absolutely no intention of seeing again. Ever.”
“Whatever you say, Maisy darling.” With an impassive shrug, Norman drained the last bit of powerful brew from the demitasse cup.
“You know…” Maisy eyed her boss through narrowed slits. “That seemed just a tad too effortless. It’s not like you to give up so easily.” Pressing the tip of her finger into the biscotti crumbs on her plate, she licked her finger, purring a satisfied little moan.
“What can I say, Maisy? When you’re right, you’re right.” Norman held his cup aloft. “Want another?”
“No thanks, I’m still working on this one. So, you’re just going to let it drop, huh?”
“Hmm? Drop? Let what drop?” Norman offered an innocent smile in response to Maisy’s doubtful look. “Oh you mean Keller? Sure. He’s a closed subject as far as I’m concerned. You know how I hate to butt my two cents in where they’re not wanted.”
“This is me, Norman, remember? Why do I have a sinking feeling that you’ve got something up your sleeve where Keller’s concerned?”
Norman crossed his arms over his chest and rested against the back of his chair. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about Keller…”
Maisy glanced up from her espresso. “I don’t, that’s just the point.”
“You could have fooled me.”
Clearing her throat, Maisy suggested, “Let’s get off the topic of Keller and move on to your favorite subject.”
“Which is?”
“Why, you, of course,” she said.
“Funny. Very funny. But true,” Norman agreed with a shrug. “Go ahead, mesmerize me.” Leaning forward in his chair, he propped his elbow on the desk and rested his chin on his fist.
“I thought you’d like to know that it looks like you’ve lost some weight over the las
t week. Lookin’ good, Mr. Stanley.” Maisy patted her waistline and smiled.
Norman bounced from his chair, proudly sticking his thumbs in the waistband of his pants as he pulled it outward. “Four more pounds.” He looked for all the world like an excited little boy at that moment and Maisy couldn’t help but smile. “That leaves me with only about eleven pounds to go. Look, I can stick both thumbs in and there’s still room. Went down another notch on my belt too. Not too shabby, huh?”
“I’m proud of you, kiddo. Keep up the good work.”
“How about you and the chocolate monster? You still doing okay?”
Maisy nodded. “Yup, binge free. But,” a slow, desirous smile spread across her lips, “I still allow myself a little morsel of chocolate each weekend. All in all, I’m doing okay. I’m really pretty happy with myself right now. It does take awhile for the body image to catch up. I need to remind myself every once in a while that I’m not that three-hundred-pound plain Jane anymore.”
“Atta girl, Maisy…” Norman nodded vigorously. “Now you’re talking.”
Noticing one of the travel agents settling in at her desk, Maisy said, “I thought this was Carol’s day off.”
“It was. I, uh,” Norman cleared his throat, “I called her and asked her to come in today and take tomorrow off instead.”
“Oh. Any particular reason? Seems like a pretty slow day to bring in extra help.”
“Yeah, well, I just had a feeling that we might need Carol this afternoon,” Norman said with an odd giggle as he picked up his ringing phone. “Yes, sure, Linda, give me five minutes and then send him back to my office, will you?”
Looking at Maisy, Norman took a deep breath as he nervously fiddled with his jade-green butterfly print tie. Then he giggled again.
Maisy suddenly felt a knot twisting deep in her stomach. “Norman…?”
“Okay, Maisy, don’t panic on me now…Keller Fitch is here to see you.” Norman raised his hand as soon as Maisy’s jaw dropped. She rose from her chair. “Sit down,” he said in an authoritative voice.
“Closed subject, huh? I should have known better. Norman, you lied to me.”
“I prefer to think of it as gently elasticizing the truth.”
“No…uh-uh, I will not allow you to do this to me.” Maisy gave a determined shake of her head as she wagged a chastising finger at Norman. “I’m getting out of here now.” She took a step toward the door and Norman jumped up from his chair to block the doorway.
“Will you puhleeze stop acting like a stubborn child and sit down? Look, it’s not going to kill you just to hear what the man has to say, is it?”
“Since he’s going to be here in a couple of minutes, I don’t seem to have any choice, do I?”
The picture of innocence, Norman smiled and shrugged in response.
Placing her hand to her throat, Maisy sat back into the chair, swallowing hard. “All right. But I’ll only give him one minute. Then I’m making an excuse to leave.” She jabbed a threatening finger at Norman. “And you damn well better back me up on it. Do you hear me, Norman Stanley?”
Nodding heartily, Norman waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. “Sure, sure, no problem. I’ll go along with whatever you say.” Planting his fingers under his chin, he studied Maisy briefly as he took his seat.
“Flip your marcasite pendant around, it’s backward. Okay, now hike your skirt up a notch and stick your chest out a bit. God, I hope you’re not wearing grandma underwear. You’re not, are you, Maisy?”
Maisy felt a tingle of panic when she thought about her sturdy, white cotton underwear. The old-fashioned utility kind. The kind her grandma probably wore. But that was ridiculous. After all, Keller would never know if she was wearing industrial-strength underwear or a lacy bra and thong, because he was most definitely not getting a peek or copping a feel.
Norman’s face fell. “Crap, you are. I can tell by that clueless doe look on your face. Honey, you’ve got to learn that you can’t feel sexy on the outside unless you’re wearing something naughty inside. Mark your calendar. We’re going shopping at Victoria’s Secret tomorrow.”
He put his finger to his lips as Maisy opened her mouth to protest.
“Shhh, Keller’s coming around the corner, Maisy. Let’s see that winning smile of yours.”
Norman rose to greet Keller Fitch as he entered his office. “Keller, great to see you again,” he said flashing his best salesman’s smile.
“Norman, Maisy.” Keller returned the smile, nodding at each of them. “I was hoping to take you up on your offer to steal away your best travel counselor for an hour. Maybe two.”
He placed his hand on the back of Maisy’s chair, looking down at her with those luscious brown eyes. He was dressed in a deep blue-gray suit, pale gray shirt, and his tie was printed with tiny wine bottles in shades of blue, gray, cream and maroon. It was a tie worthy of Norman’s collection.
“I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but I just flew in from a week-long business trip to California,” Keller explained. “Came right from the airport, actually.” He cleared his throat and looked from Maisy to Norman and back to Maisy again. “I thought it might be nice to have lunch together. How about it, Maisy?” His inviting voice was as smooth and soft as silk.
With a jubilant look, Norman shot to his feet. “Oh she’d be—” He stopped in mid-sentence, fiddled with his tie-tack and glanced at Maisy who flashed him a warning look. “Uh Maisy, what’s your schedule like this afternoon?” he said in a restrained manner entirely unlike him. “Think you can swing it?”
Maisy flashed Norman a smile. She knew how hard it was for him to choke back an exuberant positive reply on her behalf. Taking a moment to enjoy the clean, woodsy fragrance subtly wafting through Norman’s office since Keller entered it, Maisy heaved a sigh. She wished like hell he wasn’t Sharon’s brother and that she could say yes. After one glance into those big, chocolate drop eyes of his, Maisy’s heart hammered.
“Yes,” she flat-out amazed herself by saying. “Yes, lunch today would be lovely, Keller.”
“Great!” Norman said. It was amazing he could speak, considering his shit-eating grin. Briskly rubbing his hands together, he scooted past Keller to the door of his office. Pausing just outside, he popped his head back through the doorway.
“Oh, and Maisy…Carol will be here all afternoon, so you can take the rest of the afternoon off.” He winked with a devilish grin before flying down the corridor and leaving Maisy with her mouth hanging open.
Chapter Six
Keller escorted Maisy to a gleaming black stretch-limousine. The uniformed driver stood at attention as he held the door open for the couple. Maisy was duly impressed. While Keller was busy talking to the driver, she sank back into the soft, cushy maroon leather and took a deep breath.
Careful… Don’t get carried away, Mazel Lynn. Remember, this guy is Sharon’s brother.
A moment later Keller gracefully slid his magnificent body across the smooth leather seat, flashing Maisy a mesmerizing smile as his imposing presence filled her senses.
“Your boss really seems like a great guy,” Keller said.
“He is.” Except when he’s busy sticking his nose in my business and trying to set me up with the henna-haired fornicator’s brother. “Norman’s a terrific boss and a great friend.”
“Friend? So there’s nothing else…I mean, I’m not intruding on a more…serious relationship between you two?”
Keller’s question caught Maisy by surprise. “Me and Norman? Oh good heavens no.” Placing her hand at the base of her throat, she laughed. “Norman is…uh, well, he’s just a very close friend.”
Keller eased into a relaxed smile. “I’m glad to hear that. That’s the impression I got, but I just wanted to clarify things.”
Maisy chuckled softly. “Although Norman does have a rather annoying penchant for meddling.”
“Well, I’m glad he intervened on my behalf. Otherwise, I have a sneaking suspicion that you and I wouldn�
�t be together right now.”
Keller’s smile was so damn mesmerizing, Maisy found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying. A blush filtered across her cheeks. “You’re probably right, because—”
Keller reached over to place his hand over Maisy’s, causing her to completely lose her train of thought. Her mind became oatmeal. All she could focus on was the delicious, tingling current that began at Keller’s touch, zigzagging an agreeable course as it sent a shiver jogging up and down her spine and ended with a significant zing right smack dab in the center of her clit. She found herself shuddering. In a good way.
“Looks like I owe Norman a debt of gratitude.” Keller brushed his thumb across her fingers.
Alarmed by her sudden inability to register a logical thought, Maisy closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath and slipped her hand from Keller’s. Finally regaining some semblance of normal brain matter, she opened her eyes and noticed the driver had turned onto the toll-way.
Clearing her throat, she asked, “So where are we going for lunch?”
“Well,” Keller stretched his long legs out onto the spacious floor of the limo, “seeing as how you have the rest of this beautiful winter day free, I thought it might be nice to partake in a little picnic lunch in the city.”
Lifting her eyebrows in surprise, Maisy said, “A picnic?” Keller nodded as a broad smile overtook his features. She had to hand it to him for innovation. The last thing she’d expected was to spend the afternoon freezing her ass off, chowing down on hot dogs and coleslaw on some brittle, frozen patch of grass. In Chicago—in January.
“Gee, that, um, sounds nice, Keller. Really…nice.” Maisy slanted him a dubious look and smiled. Apparently Sharon Fitch wasn’t the only family member with a few screws loose. And thanks to Norman, she didn’t have an easy out if she needed it. She was stuck with Keller Fitch for the rest of the afternoon.
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