A Very Merry Romance

by Brenda Jackson

  Marilyn knew what her answer would be. “Yes, Jonathan. I’d be happy to go out with you.”

  * * * *

  Jonathan resisted the urge to do a jig around his kitchen. But he couldn’t get ahead of himself. Even though she had agreed to a date tomorrow, he had to make sure she knew what she was getting into, that she wouldn’t consider it just one and done. She might as well know now that he didn’t go away easily.

  “That’s great. Think you can be ready at noon?”

  “Noon?”

  “Yes. I think you need a day of fun.”

  “A day of fun? Why?” she asked.

  “You said it best yourself. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and your social life has suffered for it. I want to change that.” If only she knew how badly he wanted to change that.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  He knew she was oblivious to the flirtatious nature of her question, so he didn’t tease her about it...this time. “I thought we could start off by going roller skating. There’s a great adult rink on the outskirts of town. That way, we won’t have to compete against the kids for space.” Not only that, he didn’t want to run into any of his students. Weekends were his time to relax and refresh his mind.

  “An adult skating rink?”

  “Yes. You’ll love it. And then after skating, we could grab something to eat before taking in a movie.”

  “My goodness, you want to make a full day of it, don’t you?”

  He chuckled. “Just a half day. If I’d wanted to make it a full day, I’d have started off by picking you up for breakfast and taking you home to enjoy some of my famous beef sausage and waffles, with a cold glass of milk from my family’s dairy.”

  “Sounds delicious.”

  He smiled. “It is. One day, I’ll invite you to try it.” There, he’d issued the invitation. Sometime soon, he’d make sure she accepted it.

  “I will be ready at noon, Jonathan. For now, let’s just go roller skating and then have dinner. We can decide then if we want to do a movie later.”

  “Sure. But I have to give you fair warning. You’re going to enjoy my company so much, you won’t want to go home.”

  13

  Jonathan arrived at Marilyn’s home to pick her up exactly at noon. He found her ready and waiting for him, wearing jeans, a pretty blue blouse and a pair of loafers on her feet.

  The moment she opened the door, he had been tempted to pull her into his arms and show her just how much he had missed her. But he knew that wouldn’t be a good move. He had to take things slowly with her. She had to get to know him first. And he was looking forward to getting to know her.

  She moved aside to let him enter. “Come in. I just need to grab my purse.”

  “Okay.” He closed the door behind him as she scurried off in the direction of her bedroom. Jonathan swallowed hard. She looked good and smelled good as well.

  She quickly returned. “I’m ready.”

  He was ready too--ready to make sure she had a Saturday to remember.

  He reached out his hand to her. “Then, let’s go.”

  She glanced down for a second. Then she took it.

  * * * *

  Marilyn tried not to stare at the man sitting beside her, but found it impossible. His car had manual transmission and she was engrossed with how smoothly he changed gears. Although her father had taught her to drive using a stick shift, she much preferred an automatic.

  His radio was on a soul station and the Supremes’ melodic voices floated around them. It was a beautiful day in late October, however, with the dipping temperatures, she figured she’d soon need a heavy jacket.

  He was softly humming along with the music and she sat back in her seat, enjoying the sound of his deep throaty voice. It had a soothing effect and she was tempted to close her eyes and just rest. But for some reason, she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t let her guard down with this man. If she did, she was sure Jonathan would find a way to wiggle his way into her heart. She didn’t know a lot about him, but what she knew, she liked. Still, she was having a hard time forgetting he used to be her boss.

  He glanced at her and smiled. “Comfortable?”

  She couldn’t help smiling back. “Yes, although I think I need to keep an eye on your speedometer. How fast does this thing go?”

  A huge grin spread across his lips. “Not fast enough to suit me.”

  She chuckled. “I can imagine. How was the leadership conference?” She figured if she got him talking about work, it would eliminate the atmosphere of intimacy filling the car. They had driven through traffic and were now headed to a section of town she hadn’t visited in a while. It was one of the upscale areas of Houston. And, not for the first time, she noticed that his sporty red two-seater Mustang was getting a lot of attention. Or was it the man driving it?

  “It was a good conference. Informative. And a great way to network.” She listened while he told her about the workshops he’d sat in on, and the principals he’d met from other states. Not surprisingly, he was the youngest. She asked how he’d felt about that.

  “Honored. But at the same time, I see it as a challenge. No matter what I accomplish, there are people who feel I shouldn’t have my position because I didn’t put in the time. To them, I’m just a young whippersnapper who’s trying to show them up.”

  “That has to be annoying,” she said, seeing what he faced. When she’d been in school, all of her principals had been older men. For them, it had been the final career shift before retirement. She wondered what was next for Jonathan.

  “So where do you see yourself in the next few years, Jonathan?”

  He had every right to tell her it was none of her business, but he didn’t. “I have a five-year plan. I would like to be a high school principal for a few years. During that time, I’d want to work on my doctorate degree. In the end, I’m eyeing a job as a college professor with one of the local universities. But if a good offer came along, I’d have no problem moving away from Houston, if I had to. But I’d prefer not to do that, since the majority of my family lives around here. Still, when opportunity knocks…”

  “You answer the door,” she finished for him. “I understand fully. If anyone had told me I wouldn’t be returning to San Antonio after college, I would not have believed them.”

  She paused for a moment, wondering if she should share some of her dreams with him. Then she thought, why not? “It’s funny that you’ve thought about becoming a college professor.”

  He glanced over at her. “Why?”

  “Because I have too, although for me, it’s more like a twenty-year plan. At some point, I’ll want to settle down and have a family.”

  A woman could only concentrate on her career for so long before society demanded that she marry. Not that there weren’t women who chose a career over a family. But Marilyn wasn’t ready to be that much of a rebel. Her parents wanted her to have what they had, and she didn’t intend to disappoint them. She could only hope that she married a man who would support her goals as much as she’d support his.

  “Here we are.”

  She glanced out the windshield at the roller-skating rink. “It’s huge!”

  “You’re going to like it,” he said, parking the car and turning off the ignition. “Did I tell you how nice you look today?”

  She wished he wouldn’t look at her like that, letting those penetrating dark eyes of his roam over her, and making it difficult for her to breathe. “Thanks.”

  He smiled before opening his door, then he came around the car to open hers. He offered her his hand and she took it. Immediately a zing of heat flashed through her. She wanted to pull her hand away, but he tucked it under his arm.

  “I never asked if you could skate, Marilyn. Can you?”

  “I can skate probably as well as you can ride a horse, Jonathan. So in other words…”

  “You’re good.”

  She smiled. “You better believe it.”

  * * * *

&nbs
p; As far as Jonathan was concerned, Marilyn’s skating was a lot better than good. She’d finally admitted that she’d been captain of her roller skating team in high school. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her.

  He enjoyed skating himself. Like horseback riding, roller skating relaxed him and he’d often come here when life got stressful. And being here with Marilyn was even more enjoyable. Not only was she obviously having fun--something that increased his pleasure--but she was also easy to talk to. Other than his family and close friends, he hadn’t shared his five-year-plan with anyone. Some people would think his goals were too ambitious, but he believed a person could achieve anything, if they set their mind to it.

  Their afternoon of skating had done exactly what he’d hoped it would—it had allowed her to relax around him. When he’d finally asked who Traci was, because he might want to thank her for telling Marilyn to go out with him, she’d told him that Traci had been her best friend forever. She lived in San Antonio, managed a branch bank there and had a three-year-old-daughter name Erika. Marilyn smiled with pride when she admitted that Erika was her goddaughter, and had been named after her.

  They hung out at the skating rink for a couple of hours more, then decided to grab something to eat at Loggie’s. Loggie’s, a popular café located not far from the skating rink, was known for their mouthwatering soup and sandwiches and was owned by his brother’s in-laws.

  When they arrived, the place had been packed. But Loggie Emerson, whose sister Carrie had married Jonathan’s brother Lucas, had greeted them and motioned for them to follow him to the back where the private rooms were located. The room Loggie led them into was perfect. Not only was it private, but the large window offered a great view of the lake.

  Loggie had never been the talkative type, so after asking about the well-being of the Madaris family and offering them menus, he’d left them alone.

  “Thanks for taking me skating, Jonathan. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed being on a pair of roller skates. I had a wonderful time.”

  “You’re welcome. I had fun as well.”

  A waitress came to the table with glasses of water, and took their orders. Jonathan had told her she couldn’t go wrong with a bowl of Loggie’s vegetable soup and a toasted turkey sandwich, and Marilyn took his word for it.

  Once the waitress left, he asked, “So what do you think about a movie? Do you want to go?”

  She smiled at him. “Umm, that would be nice. I enjoyed your company so much today that I can’t resist spending a little more time with you.”

  A smile spread across his lips. Mission accomplished. “What would you like to see? There are three new movies showing at the cinema. Or we could wait, and go to a drive-in.”

  She seemed to consider her options. “The cinema sounds good. And I’m not picky. We can see whatever you’d like to watch.”

  His smile widened as he leaned back in his chair. “Afraid to be alone in a dark car with me, Marilyn?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “Why would I be afraid of you, Jonathan? You’ve been the perfect gentleman. Somehow, I doubt that if you got me alone in your car, you’d become a marauder.”

  She was right. He wouldn’t. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try his best to seduce her. Maybe she was right in choosing to go to the cinema after all. It had been hard to keep his eyes off her while they’d skated. And he was aware that other men had been watching her as well. Marilyn Bannister was a beautiful woman and he felt lucky that she had agreed to spend the day with him.

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t. What about the new James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever?” he asked her. “It was released a month early in certain cities and Houston was one of them.”

  Her face lit up. “That’s wonderful. I’m a big fan of Sean Connery.”

  He wouldn’t say Connery did anything for him, but he enjoyed watching action-packed movies. “Then a Bond film, it is.”

  Moments later, the waitress came back with their soup and sandwiches. Because Loggie knew how much Jonathan enjoyed his soup, he’d instructed the waitress to bring a full ceramic pot filled with it to the table, as well as two bowls and a ladle. There were perks to being a Madaris.

  Wanting to return to the easy conversation they’d shared this afternoon, Jonathan asked, “Your friend Traci, is she married?”

  Oh-oh. Jonathan could tell by the flash of sharpness that suddenly appeared in Marilyn’s eyes that his question hadn’t been a good one.

  “What makes you think she’s married?” Marilyn asked, picking up her glass and taking a sip of water.

  “You mentioned she had a little girl.”

  “Yes, but she’s not married.”

  Jonathan watched her play with her glass. She was obviously trying to decide just how much to tell him. “Sorry, if I upset you by asking.

  “You didn’t.”

  But he had, and he wondered why.

  After a few moments, she started talking. “After high school, Traci and I went our separate ways. She’d always wanted to live in Florida, so she’d applied for a university there. I got a scholarship to Texas Southern and moved to Houston. During her first year in college, Traci met this guy who convinced her that he loved her. But when she got pregnant, he showed his true colors by telling her to get an abortion. His parents backed him, since Traci was not the girl they wanted their son to marry, anyway. So Traci left Florida and returned to San Antonio. Soon after, she had a beautiful little girl. Because she hasn’t finished school--and she is a single parent--Traci works during the day and is pursuing her degree at night with her parents’ help. She graduates in the spring and I’m proud of her.”

  Jonathan nodded. “I can see why. Did the guy or his parents ever come around and want to see Erika?”

  “No. They know Traci didn’t get an abortion, but they have never reached out to her. Traci is raising a smart, adorable little girl without any help from her daughter’s father.”

  “His loss,” Jonathan said, not understanding how any man could not want to be a part of his child’s life.

  He bit into his sandwich and watched Marilyn take a deep breath, before taking a bite of hers. What had happened to her best friend still bothered her. That much was evident in her voice. He hoped Marilyn hadn’t let what had happened to Traci color her opinion of men.

  He was nothing like the low-life Traci had found. He was a man, a good man...and the man Marilyn needed. And he intended to prove it to her.

  * * * *

  It was close to ten o’clock when Jonathan finally walked Marilyn to her door. She had to admit, she had enjoyed the day. It had been years since she’d gone skating and thanks to Jonathan, she felt revitalized. She’d had fun, a word that had become foreign to her.

  “Did you enjoy the movie?”

  She glanced up at Jonathan. “How can you not enjoy a movie that has Sean in it?”

  “The two of you are on a first name basis, huh?” he asked chuckling.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “For as much money as I’ve thrown his way over the years, we should be.”

  He just laughed under his breath, then added, “The Newmans seem to be nice people.”

  Upon leaving the movies, they’d run into a couple she knew from church who’d stopped and spoken with them. “Yes, they are. They started coming to services around the same time I did.”

  They had reached her front door and she pulled her key out of her purse. The decent thing to do would be to invite him in. He’d gone out of his way to make sure she had a good time today. The least she could do was offer him a cup of tea. Only she had a feeling that once he was inside, he would want to kiss her. Still, would that be such a bad thing?

  Marilyn remembered their last kiss. She had been caught off guard, and hadn’t known how to respond. So she had stood there, letting him take possession of her mouth in a masterful way. Her entire body had tingled for a week. In fact, it was still tingling.

  “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea
before you leave, Jonathan?” she asked as calmly as she could.

  A huge smile spread across his lips. “I’d love to, Marilyn.”

  14

  “It will only take me a minute,” Marilyn said, heading for the kitchen, and leaving Jonathan standing in her living room. She was going to tell him to make himself at home, but she didn’t want to sound too forward. She was still trying to get the hang of this dating thing.

  A few minutes later, she returned, carrying a tray with a steeping pot of tea and two cups. He was sitting on the sofa and quickly stood to help her. “Thanks, Jonathan.”

  He sat back down and she took the seat across from him, then poured herbal tea into each cup and handed him one. “Ahh, this is delicious,” he said, quickly taking a sip. “But I’m not going to claim it tastes better than Madaris tea.”

  She lifted a brow. “Madaris tea?”

  “Yes. Whispering Pines’ own special blend. It’s a secret tea recipe that’s been in my family for years.”

  She smiled over the rim of her teacup. “A secret recipe?”

  “Yes. In fact, its special ingredients of herbs and spices can only be shared with the men in my family, and then, only after they reach the age of thirty-five. That’s when they’re deemed trustworthy.”

  “And the women were never deemed trustworthy?” she asked, wondering if what he was telling her was fact or fiction.

  “I guess not. I think women are overly inclined to share. In any case, somebody in the family found out the hard way, so they came up with the rule. I don’t know the ingredients yet, but my older brothers do. One day, I’ll have one of them fix you a cup.”