Follow Your Heart--A Novel

by Brenda Jackson

She glanced at him. “Hey, it better not die. This is going to be our dinner tomorrow.”

  Our dinner... He liked that she included him in her dinner plans. He went to stand behind her. Not too close but close enough in case he needed to support her weight. She didn’t need it, although her backside did brush against his crotch a few times. She probably didn’t notice since all her concentration was on the fish...like his should have been.

  “Easy,” he said as he leaned close to her ear. “Be patient. Keep your line tight. You’re doing a great job reeling him to the boat.”

  “Thanks.”

  “If you want, I’ll land it for you.” Moving from behind her, he went to the side of the boat. Leaning over the rail, he grabbed her fishing line and quickly yanked her catch out the water. The fish was a huge, feisty fellow, and using all his strength, Roman swung it onto the boat, making sure it stayed on the hook.

  “And I did it!” Victoria said, jumping up and down with excitement. Roman couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh when she began doing a happy dance around the boat. It did something to him to see her so happy, proud and carefree. It felt good seeing a woman who enjoyed fishing as much as he did and was proud of her catch.

  “Here, Roman,” she said excitedly, her eyes twinkling with merriment as she handed her cell phone to him. I need you to take a picture of me and my fish. My brothers are going to be green with envy and Dad’s going to be so proud. This is the biggest fish I’ve ever caught.”

  After helping her arrange the huge catch to be proudly displayed, he snapped the picture, definitely enjoying seeing her huge smile, which showed those dimples he loved seeing.

  “I have to admit that this is the best-looking red snapper I’ve ever seen,” he said to Victoria as he put the fish on ice in the cooler.

  “And I intend for it to be the best tasting. Of course, you’re invited to dinner tomorrow.”

  He grinned and said, “Thanks.”

  * * *

  LATER THAT NIGHT, Victoria soaked her achy muscles in a hot bath. Although she enjoyed fishing, she had used muscles she hadn’t put to work in a long time. But she had gotten the catch of the day and what a prize it was.

  What she appreciated about Roman was that he hadn’t been upset because she had caught it instead of him. She used to hate going fishing with her brothers. Just because she was a girl, they acted as if she had limitations. Roman hadn’t behaved that way at all. When he’d offered to help, she’d known it was to offer his assistance if she needed it, and not because he thought she couldn’t handle doing it herself. Corbin would have stepped in and tried taking over.

  Sighing deeply, she dried herself off and quickly put on her nightgown. Deciding to have a cup of tea before bed, she went into the kitchen, opened the cabinet and found the canister her father had put there. It contained the Madaris tea. The special combination of herbs and spices was a secret that could only be shared between the men in the Madaris family, and only after they had reached their thirty-fifth birthday. The secrecy was due to one of her great-grand uncle’s ex-wives trying to sell the recipe for profit.

  Moments later, the soothing aroma of the tea filled the room. She sat down at the kitchen table to take her first sip when her phone rang. A number of her relatives had called to congratulate her on her big catch after her father had texted around that photo she had sent him.

  Victoria smiled when she saw the caller was Christy. Other than a text letting Victoria know she’d gotten back to Houston, due to their busy schedules, she and Christy hadn’t communicated since then.

  “Hello,” she greeted Christy.

  “Hello to you, too. I heard you got some fishing time in today. Your dad sent everyone the photo. That fish was a big one.”

  “Yes, and I plan to cook it tomorrow. I can’t wait for Roman to taste it and—”

  “Roman? Roman Malone? My godbrother? RJ?”

  Victoria chuckled. “Yes, that Roman Malone, your godbrother. I ran in to him at the television station when he appeared on one of the morning shows. He barely remembered me, but, of course, he knew my brothers and cousins. Anyway, he mentioned he was taking a month-long vacation in Catalina Cove. I told him that’s where I lived.”

  “The two of you decided to spend some time together while he was there?” Christy asked.

  “No. Even though Catalina Cove is a small town, I hadn’t even thought about running in to him. But I did last night. We were dining at the same restaurant on the pier. It was packed so we shared a table.”

  She took a sip of tea and then said, “I mentioned how much I like to fish and he invited me to go out with him on his boat. He’s living on a yacht while he’s here and it’s a beauty.”

  “Good for him. Mom and Dad have been worried about RJ. He hadn’t slowed down since winning that election in November. I know Dad called him a few times to stress that he needed to take time for himself. I’m glad he’s doing that, and he loves fishing.”

  “I’m the one who caught the big one today, but Roman didn’t do so bad. We had fun,” Victoria said.

  “Sounds like it. Have you heard from Tanner?” Christy asked.

  “No. I’m trying not to think about him, but it’s disappointing that he hasn’t called for that rain check and it’s been well over a week.”

  “Well, I might know the reason. Some of the male cousins dropped by today to watch the preseason football game with Alex. I overheard Blade mention that he believes Tanner is the man Mama Laverne has chosen for you. That got some of them, especially your brothers, pretty pissed off since they all know Tanner’s reputation with women.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. “Like they didn’t have a reputation before they settled down...or still have one now.”

  “Yes,” Christy said, laughing. “Anyway, Blade assured them he had taken care of it.”

  Victoria lifted an eyebrow. “How?”

  “By giving Tanner a heads-up on Mama Laverne’s shenanigans. Tanner isn’t ready to settle down and get married and told Blade that he refuses to be manipulated by anyone and intends to put as much distance between the two of you as possible.”

  Victoria nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. “What does all this mean?”

  “It means the men in our family can be so dense at times. Especially, if they think putting distance between you and Tanner will keep the inevitable from happening. They are dealing with Mama Laverne, who so far has outsmarted them all. I’d like to see how she outsmarts them this time.”

  Victoria took another sip of tea. “What do you suggest I do? I’m not sure I want a guy who’s avoiding me like the plague.”

  “If you recall, Nolan did the same thing to Ivy and look where it got him. In time, Tanner will come to heel. In the meantime, just enjoy life and don’t worry about it. Tanner can only avoid you for so long.”

  Later that night, as Victoria was lying in bed, she thought about her conversation with Christy. Although she didn’t like it, she figured Tanner keeping his distance made sense. She knew she should be patient like her cousin suggested, since it wasn’t like she was in a hurry to give up her freedom and fall in love. It was just the thought of another man disappointing her. Karl had wanted her for all the wrong reasons, and Tanner didn’t want her for all the wrong reasons. Go figure.

  Deciding not to lose any sleep over it, she finally closed her eyes and drifted off.

  * * *

  NOT ABLE TO SLEEP, Roman got out of bed and slid into his jeans. He grabbed a beer from the fridge then went to the top deck. The night air felt cool on his naked chest and the scent of the sea was strong. The one thing he regretted was that the condo where he lived in DC was in Dupont Circle and not close to the water. For a man who’d grown up in a house with a lake in his backyard, that had taken some getting used to. That’s why every chance he got, he would cross the bridge to the National Harbor on the Potomac River,
or take a drive into Maryland and rent a boat to enjoy the Chesapeake Bay. Today he had enjoyed his time in Catalina Cove even more than either of those places.

  All because of Victoria.

  He smiled when he remembered her happy dance around the boat before he’d snapped the picture of her and that fish she’d caught. He had laughed harder than he had in years. Seeing her happiness and excitement had been contagious. And to think, he had arrived in town determined not to be bothered by anyone. Now he was glad she had kept him company today. She had reminded him how it was to have fun.

  He took a slug of his beer and admitted to himself that there was still an attraction between them. It was one he hadn’t been able to keep in check like he’d wanted to, but he figured with her being a beautiful woman such a thing couldn’t be helped. It was what it was, and he was glad she hadn’t brought up the topic of Tanner. For him, the man was out of sight and out of mind. He wondered if it was for her, as well.

  Tomorrow they would dine together at her place. After returning to the pier, they had cleaned the fish together and she’d told him to get ready for an awesome meal. He was looking forward to it.

  Roman had deliberately sent all his phone calls to voice mail as a way to monitor his incoming calls. There had been no calls from Mint since he’d arrived in Catalina Cove, so that was good. His friend was honoring his request not to be disturbed. However, Audria had been blowing up his phone like crazy. He’d finally listened to one of her numerous messages. She wanted to know where he was and why he hadn’t called. Roman wondered what part of the talk they’d had a few months ago she did not understand. There was never an “us” between them. He had made that clear, yet she’d used that word twice in her message.

  Shaking his head, he looked back over the Gulf and thought that he could get used to this. A few days spent in the cove and he was spoiled. He didn’t want to imagine how things would be for him after a month. Then he would have to return to the rat race of politics in DC. He’d checked his news app every morning, and so far, no one was wondering where he’d taken off to. There had been positive comments about his television interview and that was all. It seemed both the tabloids and mainstream press were on good behavior.

  In a way he was grateful. Maybe the press corps had finally accepted that they could leave the politicians they were intent on following, and sometimes harassing, alone. That the public didn’t need to know what they did every waking moment, and that there was nothing wrong with letting them have their privacy every once in a while. Doing so wouldn’t sell any fewer papers.

  He knew the game and had understood it from the day he’d decided to enter politics. But even before that, since his father had been in politics all of Roman’s life. Anyone serious about running for office or choosing a life in politics had to put up with the press whether they wanted to or not. It was the nature of the beast. A beast he knew not to fight, but to tolerate.

  Tossing his beer can in the recycling container, he decided to return to bed. He wouldn’t take the boat out tomorrow. He would do something he rarely did, which was sleep in late. He had something to look forward to when he did wake up.

  Dinner with Victoria.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  VICTORIA GLANCED ACROSS the table at Roman when he took his first bite. After a moment, she couldn’t help herself as she asked, “Well, what do you think?”

  He smiled at her. “This is delicious. Can I assume you attended the Felicia Laverne Madaris cooking school like the rest of your cousins?”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle since it was a known fact that Mama Laverne required all her grands and great-grands to attend her cooking classes. Of course, her male cousins had grumbled about it, but when they’d gotten older and discovered they could impress a woman with their ability to cook, or didn’t have to rely on a woman who could cook, they’d counted those cooking classes as a blessing.

  “I guess you heard about those cooking classes.”

  He laughed. “Yes. That’s when I appreciated living in Austin and not Houston. I used to hear horror stories about those cooking classes from Clayton.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Probably because Clayton preferred using that time chasing girls and not learning how to follow a recipe. Personally, I enjoyed them. I learned a lot from her.”

  “You sure did. Like I said, this delicious. I’ve had fried fish before but this tastes different.”

  “I marinated it overnight in Mama Laverne’s own special blend of herbs and spices. Trust me when I say Colonel Sanders has nothing on my great-grandmother.”

  “Is it a secret recipe like the Madaris tea?”

  She wasn’t surprised he knew about her family’s tea. Clayton probably told him about that, as well. “Not that I know of, so if you want the recipe, I don’t mind sharing.”

  “Great. I can pass it on to Rose.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Rose?”

  He nodded. “Yes, Rose Solomon. She’s been with me for over five years now. She’s my cook and housekeeper, and also considers herself an adopted grandmother. Years ago, she worked for my dad as his secretary when he first went into politics, to help keep his calendar straight.”

  “How did she end up as a cook and housekeeper to you?” Victoria asked, intrigued.

  “Her choice. She had three kids of her own and when they left for college, she felt useless. Since cooking and cleaning was something she was used to doing when she had them around, she offered to follow me to Washington to cook and clean for me.”

  He took a sip of his iced tea, then added, “She will be the first to tell me I’m not a slob. In fact, I’m a rather tidy person. Nor am I picky when it comes to food. She cooks it and I’ll eat it, so I make her job easy. In fact, several of my colleagues have tried enticing her to leave me with the offer of higher pay, but she won’t budge.”

  Victoria had gotten the distinct impression yesterday just how tidy he was. Everything on the yacht was in place, up top and down below. “I’m sure you can appreciate such loyalty.”

  “I do.”

  They finished off their meal of fried fish, rice pilaf and sautéed spinach. For dessert she had prepared baked cinnamon apples garnished with pecans, which she served with ice cream. She told him she had picked the apples from the grove out back.

  He helped her clear off the table and volunteered to help with the dishes. “You don’t have to do that, Roman. I’ll load them in the dishwasher.”

  “And I’ll help you do that.”

  He did, and she appreciated his help. He also disassembled and helped clean the huge fryer she had set up outside, where she’d cooked the fish. Once that was finished, he glanced over at her. “Do you want to take a walk?”

  “A walk?”

  “Yes. I think I might have overdone things at dinner and need to walk it off. In DC I have a membership at a gym, so while I’m here I try to walk every morning to stay fit. I didn’t do so today because I felt lazy and decided to sleep in.”

  She smiled at him. “There’s nothing wrong with feeling lazy and sleeping in every once in a while.”

  He chuckled. “I’m taking your word for it.”

  As she watched him store the fryer in a closet off her back porch, she said, “What about taking a walk around the apple grove so you can see how pretty it is?”

  He looked down at her and smiled. “I’d love that, Victoria.”

  * * *

  ROMAN KNEW THE moment he stepped on her back porch that he could see why she liked it so much. The apple grove was beautiful and the scent of fresh apples filled the air. The porch was screened in and when he saw the daybed, he wondered if she ever slept out here at night.

  They left the porch and walked side by side toward the apple grove. Roman had suggested a walk because he’d wanted more time with her. He shouldn’t want that, but he did. He didn’t fully understand it, either, but a
t the moment that didn’t matter. He had a little over three weeks to sort out what in the hell was happening to him where she was concerned.

  He had enjoyed the food and he had enjoyed sitting across from her while sharing the meal. When he ate at home it was usually alone, except for those times Mint would drop by on the pretense of talking business to get a free meal. He didn’t mind because he liked the company...not enjoyed the company. This evening he discovered there was a difference.

  He had gotten little sleep last night, but had made up for it when he’d slept late. But even then, Victoria had been on his mind. Not only had he thought about her, but he’d also thought about that Tanner guy, the man she said she was promised to. He should be the one here, walking beside her in the apple grove, instead of Roman. But he wasn’t. As far as Roman was concerned, the man had missed an opportunity that he should not have. Same thing about dinner.

  She had gone fishing with him yesterday as a friend, but it should have been someone special who’d shared that meal with her today, and shared in her success yesterday. He wasn’t complaining that he’d been her companion both times, he just found it odd that the man she was waiting to make his move...hadn’t.

  “What do you think, Roman? Isn’t this beautiful?”

  He slid his gaze first to her and then to where they were. They had walked a good hundred feet and she was right—the place was beautiful, but then so was she. He’d known he was in trouble the moment she’d opened the door wearing a pair of leggings and an oversize top that looked cute on her. She had pinned her hair up and back from her face. “Yes, it’s beautiful.”

  She seemed pleased with his answer. “I thought so, too. It’s one of the things that sold me on this place. It’s different.”

  He nodded. “How often do you come out here?”

  “Because of work, I don’t come here during the week. However, I try coming on the weekends, mostly Saturday mornings. It’s quiet, peaceful and I love the smell of apples. If I wasn’t such a scaredy-cat, I would camp out here one night, but I haven’t found the nerve to do so.”