Vanessa's Match

by Judy Christenberry

  “She didn’t even try. She was too interested in finding my siblings. When Will saw that she put my happiness above any material things, he realized she was different.”

  “Will mentioned that your brother Jim and someone named Alex work for him. I haven’t met them.”

  “Jim is wonderful, the big brother all little girls dream of,” Vanessa said.

  “Then I definitely need to meet him, so I’ll know what kind of brother I need to be for Lindy.”

  Vanessa continued, “And Alex is my other brother David’s wife. She was a police officer before she joined Will’s firm.”

  “How did she meet your brother?”

  “Oh, she knew David before. They’re cousins.”

  “She married her cousin?”

  “Yes, but they’re not really cousins. I mean, David was adopted by her uncle and his wife. So they were legally cousins, but not blood cousins.”

  “Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “That still seems a little odd to me.”

  Vanessa went on the defensive. “Well, it’s not!”

  “I know, I know. Your family is perfect.” He let a little sarcasm slip into his voice. He knew he shouldn’t, but he was tired of being the bad guy.

  “I didn’t mean that. It’s just—You don’t know them.”

  “You’re right, but I’d like to meet them. Will they be there on Sunday?”

  “I’m not sure. Sometimes they come. And David’s little sister, his adopted sister, and her husband come sometimes, too.”

  “Man, you must have a real crowd on Sundays.”

  “We do. That’s how Mom and I like it. We wish Rachel and J.D. lived closer, but they don’t.” As if suddenly remembering, she added, “Rachel is my sister Rebecca’s twin.”

  “Twin? Are they identical?”

  “They are. But neither of them knew she had a twin. It was amazing when we helped them find each other. And wonderful for me. Suddenly I had two sisters where I’d had none.”

  Rick smiled at her. “It’s a good thing you had a lot of siblings to find—it’s obvious you were meant for a big family.”

  “Yes, I was.”

  “We’re picking them up here,” he said as he pulled into the driveway of the hotel where the Williamses were staying. He regretted that they had to entertain someone else this evening. He realized he’d rather spend the time with Vanessa alone.

  For a lot of reasons.

  “You want to come in with me while I get them or wait here in the car?”

  “I’ll just wait here, if it’s all right.”

  Inside the hotel, he saw the Williamses waiting for him. Again he considered how much better the evening was going to be with Vanessa instead of Sharon as his companion. These people had no idea how lucky they were. If he was right, though, they soon would.

  Chapter Eight

  It didn’t take long for Vanessa to show her value as his date for the evening. As soon as they were all settled in the car and on their way, introductions over, she engaged the couple in conversation. She was well spoken, intelligent, friendly. Simply put, she charmed them.

  When they arrived at the Anatole, they took the elevator up to NaNa’s, and the maître d’showed them to their table, which had a great view of downtown.

  “It’s so good to be back in Dallas,” Hillary said as they were seated.

  “I didn’t realize you’d been to Dallas before,” Rick noted.

  “Oh, yes, I was raised here.”

  “You didn’t care for L.A.?” he asked. The couple had been living there since their marriage.

  “Well, at first it was exciting. I did all the tourist things. But after a while, the excitement died away and I realized it was just a much-too-big town with a lot of smog. It’s true there was a beach nearby and mountains not too far away, but we had children to consider. It was like living with a chain smoker.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Vanessa glanced at Rick, as if waiting for him to comment.

  “That’s an unusual take on L.A.,” he said, and looked at John. “Did you like L.A.?”

  “I did when I went to school out there. But I was young and single then. Now I have two children and Hillary needs some help on the weekends.”

  “You realize this job would involve travel?” Rick asked.

  Hillary answered before John could. “Yes, but my family is here. If I needed help, they’d come. Out there, the only person we could call on was our neighbor and…well, she had the hots for John.”

  “Now, honey, there’s no need to tell Rick all our problems,” John said hurriedly, anxiety obvious under his forced laugh.

  Vanessa immediately stepped in and changed the subject, much to Rick’s relief. “Well, I guess I don’t have to sell you on Dallas, since you’re already from here. It’s a great city, isn’t it?”

  Fortunately, the waiter arrived to take their drink orders and tell them the specials.

  “Everything sounds wonderful,” Hillary said when he left. “With the kids we don’t go out much, and when we do it’s nothing fancy like this.”

  Rick smiled at her obvious delight. “Then I’m glad we’re all out tonight. This restaurant is famous, and rightly so.”

  Vanessa was surprised to find herself appreciating Rick’s easy manner and how quickly he made the Williamses so comfortable. They’d come close to disaster a few minutes earlier. She’d done her best to steer the conversation in the right direction, but it was Rick who set the tone now. In no time they were all relaxing over drinks.

  She was actually enjoying herself, but she’d also warmed to their conversation in the car earlier. And now she was finding more depth to Rick and appreciating his ease in social situations.

  Which made her nervous.

  She began to see him as a danger zone. For one, he was way too handsome. But she’d assumed, as with other good-looking men, that he would be fixated on himself, and much to her surprise, he seemed more interested in other people. And for another, his attention to her was too flattering. An inner voice kept telling her not to be affected but wasn’t sure she was heeding the warning.

  “Honey, have you decided what you’ll have?”

  She looked up in surprise. Was Rick talking to her?

  With his dark eyes gazing into hers, she suddenly lost her train of thought. She swallowed back a gulp and somehow remembered something on the menu. The endearment meant nothing, she told herself. They were playing their roles.

  The foursome chatted during the appetizers, Vanessa telling Hillary how Dallas had changed since she’d moved away. Her occupying the spouse gave Rick an opportunity to speak to John about the Austin Group. From what Vanessa overheard, she thought John had a good grasp of the corporation.

  “How long have you two been dating?”

  She almost choked on a shrimp at Hillary’s question. What was she supposed to answer?

  Fortunately Rick had heard the question and turned to answer. “Not long,” he said. “I just met her a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Really? You two seem so in tune to each other’s needs, it’s amazing it’s been such a short relationship,” Hillary said. “You seem as comfortable together as we are.”

  “I don’t think Rick needs any encouragement, Hillary,” Vanessa hurriedly said. “He knows me for what I am.”

  Both John and Hillary looked at Rick.

  “I can assure you I’m moving as fast as I can,” Rick said with a smile. “But Vanessa is a lady who won’t be rushed, no matter how much I try.” He winked.

  “How true,” Vanessa said smoothly, ignoring the gesture.

  To her relief, the waiter appeared with their meals and the conversation turned to food.

  THEY HAD MOVED ON TO COFFEE and dessert when Rick noticed something different about the evening. This was the part of the meal where Sharon would have been flirting either with him or with John, making their conversation impossible. Instead, Vanessa sat through story after story about Hillary’s children, even e
ndured their baby pictures, all the time looking interested.

  Just as he was counting his blessings, he caught some movement over Hillary’s shoulder.

  It couldn’t be.

  It was.

  Sharon was talking to the maître d’ and pointing at their table.

  He leaned in close to Vanessa, inhaling the smell of her perfume, and whispered, “Sharon.”

  In tune with him, she discreetly glanced over to the front of the restaurant. Without so much as a frown she whispered back, “Intercept her. She’s here to make trouble.”

  In his best business tone, Rick said to everyone at the table, “Excuse me, please.” He got up and crossed the room to where a determined Sharon was zeroing in on her target.

  Vanessa did her best to keep the Williamses’ attention. She wouldn’t allow Sharon to ruin Rick’s business dinner. She turned to the young couple. “So, tell me, does your son get along with the baby?”

  Hillary talked for several minutes, with John adding some interesting anecdotes. Rick was back before they knew it.

  “I beg your pardon,” he said as he sat down, nodding at Vanessa in a secret code that told her everything was under control. “Now, where were we? Yes, I remember. I was just about to offer John the position.”

  Once he accepted, and Hillary discussed her moving plans, they were ready to drive the couple back to their hotel.

  “Nice job this evening,” Rick said as soon as he and Vanessa were alone in the car.

  “Thanks, but I didn’t do much.”

  “Nonsense, you had to endure two hours of baby stories.” He grinned widely.

  Vanessa laughed. “It was a good thing you waylaid Sharon before she got to the table. What did you say to her, anyway?”

  “I paid her off,” he said succinctly. Then he continued. “A pair of diamond earrings is cheap compared to what she would’ve cost me. John’s a great fit for my team.”

  After a few seconds Vanessa said, “It was nice of you to offer John a signing bonus.”

  “I really thought he deserved it. He’ll make it back for me. And a little extra cash is handy when you’re moving.”

  “How do you know that?” Vanessa asked curiously. “You’re still living in the family home, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, just like you. We actually have a lot in common.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh yeah? We both live at home, neither of us is starving to death, are we?”

  “No, but that’s where the similarity ends.”

  He wished he weren’t driving so he could look at her and gauge her expression. Was she offended that he’d said something about her still living at home? Truth be told, she was right—that was where the similarities between them ended. She was warm and gregarious and family-oriented, while he…Well, suffice to say he was none of those things. The only thing he cared about was work.

  But that was changing, he realized. Hadn’t he missed yesterday’s meetings? In ten years that was a first. But he couldn’t tell Vanessa that. So instead, he agreed.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. But I know I owe you for offering such a lovely toast to our business agreement. John was impressed, too. It made for a perfect ending to a long night.”

  “Okay, I’ll agree you owe me for that one.” She sighed. “As much as I enjoyed the meal, I was ready for the evening to end.”

  He knew she meant because of the endless baby stories. “That makes two of us.”

  Typical of Vanessa, she excused Hillary Williams. “Having two babies so close together can shift your emphasis to them and nothing else. I hope I don’t ever get that self-absorbed.”

  “You won’t,” he assured her with a smile. “But I’m not sure how you managed to grow up so unselfcentered as an only child. Didn’t your parents spoil you?”

  “No, not really. Dad didn’t pay me much attention, and Mom believed in encouraging me to use whatever time I had to improve myself.”

  “Do you think she’ll be the same with Danny and the new one?”

  “Of course,” Vanessa said. “Danny has already taken karate and gone on playdates. This year he’s going to prekindergarten.”

  “He’s very young. Don’t you think she’s expecting too much?”

  “Not at all. Mom went through everything I did herself. She watched my gymnastics lessons, my soccer games, my school concerts. She took me out to lunch once a week so I would learn to use good manners. She was a wonderful mother.”

  “I’m not saying she wasn’t. Obviously you’re a living example of how good she is.”

  “Thank you—I think.”

  He could feel her studying him now in the darkness of the car. “It was definitely a compliment.”

  “I told you before, Rick, that compliments aren’t necessary.”

  She was wrong. He wanted to pull the Mercedes over to the side of the road, get out of the car so he could see her face in the moonlight when he gave the compliments she deserved. He had to satisfy himself with a sideways glance.

  “You’ve got it all wrong, Vanessa. You earned compliments the minute you walked into the morning room. You earned more by your charming behavior tonight. You totally won over the Williamses. And me.” What was he saying? He glanced her way again; she didn’t seem to react, so he pressed on. “You look beautiful.”

  When she spoke, her voice sounded thick, as if she hadn’t spoken in a while. “You—looked very nice tonight, too.” She cleared her throat. “But I think I’d like to see you in something other than a suit. It always makes you look a little stuffy.”

  He laughed. “Well, I think I can give you a new look for tomorrow night when we take Lindy out.” That put him in mind of his sister. “I can hardly believe she’s never been to a movie and dinner.”

  “I know. She fits in so well that I forget that she lived such a desperate life.”

  “We’ll start by making it up to her tomorrow night,” Rick said as he parked the car in front of Vanessa’s home. Even though the suggestion had come from Vanessa and he’d invited himself along, he felt good about their plans with Lindy.

  Before she could step out of the car, Rick got out and came around to help her.

  “Really, this isn’t necessary.”

  He smiled at her. “My mother taught me good manners. Always to the door.”

  “I wasn’t sure how much you remembered her. You’ve never mentioned her.”

  “I remember her. She died when I was fifteen years old. Dad remarried when I was sixteen. Somehow my stepmother did not replace my mother in my mind.”

  “No, I think I can see that,” Vanessa said as they walked to her door.

  Anita was one subject he didn’t want to talk about. “Yeah. Well, I checked the time for the movie Lindy wanted to see. I’ll need to pick the two of you up around three, then we’ll go to dinner afterward. Do you have any preferences?”

  “No, as long as it’s not fast food.”

  “I think we can do a little better than that, no matter what Lindy says. She can use her allowance for that.”

  “I’ll tell her you said that.” Vanessa gave a teasing smile.

  He was smiling back at her as Vanessa turned to open the door. But he wasn’t prepared for the evening to end like that.

  He felt that he’d gotten to know her, to sense the warmth that Will had talked about. He’d seen her go out of her way to make things easier for both him and the other couple. And she didn’t expect any kind of a reward, not even compliments, though she’d richly deserved heaps of them.

  He was so amazed with her that he didn’t want to let her go. He knew he had to; however, he didn’t intend to let her escape without something—something that he wanted badly. So he swung her back around, leaned over and kissed her.

  Chapter Nine

  “Vanessa, aren’t you ready yet?” Lindy called as she ran into Vanessa’s bedroom.

  “Calm down, Lindy. It’s only ten to three.”

  “You’re still coming
, aren’t you?”

  “I told you I would,” Vanessa said calmly. She’d tried to talk her way out of the plans, but Lindy would have none of it. She said she’d stay home if Vanessa did. Vanessa couldn’t deny Lindy her pleasure, so she caved in.

  But she’d learned something last night. Not only was Rick dangerous, but he couldn’t be trusted to keep his distance. Her alert level had shot from yellow to blazing red when he kissed her.

  If he wouldn’t keep any distance between them, she would have to. She’d go tonight, because she had Lindy to protect her. After that, she wouldn’t leave the house with the man.

  “He’s here!” Lindy announced so that everyone in the house could hear her.

  Vanessa drew in a deep breath. Of course, he was here early. “Lindy, you must calm down. This is only the first of many outings.”

  “I’ll go down and greet him, okay?”

  Vanessa nodded and watched the teenager run down the stairs. She didn’t have much choice but to follow. She mentally arranged her full body armor and stepped out into the danger zone.

  “WHERE’S VANESSA?” Rick asked as Lindy came into the morning room alone.

  “She’s coming. She said I should calm down, but I’m so excited, Rick!”

  He gave his little sister a hug. “I can see that. After today you may not think going out is so much fun, so I think you should enjoy it.”

  “That’s what I think, too!” She beamed at him.

  He laughed and then glanced at the door. “You’re sure she’s coming?”

  “Yes, she promised me. She said she was tired and didn’t think she’d go, but I told her I wouldn’t go without her.”

  “I see. You mean you would’ve stood me up?”

  “Not really, but Vanessa is—is my strength. She always shows me how I should behave. And I want her to enjoy today, too.”

  “So do I, Lindy. We’ll show her we Austins know how to have fun, won’t we.”

  “Yeah!”

  “What are you agreeing to, Lindy?” Vanessa asked from the doorway.

  “Nothing you would object to,” Rick hurriedly said. “We were saying that we Austins would show you we know how to have fun.”