Her mother had wanted to be a designer, but had done little more than hem and sew clothes from patterns for her few customers. Surry hated to think it, but she was coming to the conclusion that her mother’s unhappiness stemmed from her own failed dreams. Sylvia’s lack of success caused her to turn a blind eye to the fact that her husband’s business was obviously growing. Willy McDaniel had finally found the business he could succeed in.
That knowledge had caused Surry to feel proud that her father had kept on striving, trying out one business venture after another until he found the one that fit him. Why couldn’t her mother see what was right in front of her?
A woman came out of the dressing room and rushed over to the cash register. “I love it. I’ve got to have it.”
She put the dress down on the counter. Willy smiled as he picked up the dress and began ringing it up. “Once again, you picked the best dress in the house.”
He told her the price. She pulled out her credit card with a smirk on her face. “So I guess you’re going to tell me that your daughter made this dress, too?”
“You know it,” Willy said as he winked at Surry.
“I’d like to meet this daughter of yours one day. I hope she knows how much you brag on her,” the woman said as she finalized her sale.
Surry was too stunned to move. As her father walked the woman and his assistant out, tears streamed down Surry’s face. She had made her father an enemy instead of realizing that fear was her true nemesis. Her mother’s constant belittling of her choices and her father’s numerous business ventures had caused her to be afraid of failure. But now Surry knew that she didn’t have to take her fears out on her father. She could pray and turn those fears over to God and keep moving toward success.
Her father locked up and then walked back over to Surry. He lifted his hand and wiped the tears from her face. “Why are you crying?”
“I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you, Dad. You’ve never done anything but love me, and I pushed you away.” As each word fell out of her mouth, more tears flowed down her face. This reality was hard to take, because Surry was also coming to terms with the fact that she had pushed Ian away without giving him a chance to see his dreams flourish. Maybe politics wasn’t his thing.... Maybe the next venture he tried would be for him and he’d be able to succeed at it.
“I’m not upset with you, Surry, and I don’t want you to be upset with yourself, either.”
“How can you say that, Dad? I am your daughter and I have dismissed you for ten years. You should be mad at me. I don’t deserve your kindness.” Surry closed her eyes, trying to block out the shame she was feeling.
Willy pulled her into his arms and held her tight as he said, “Don’t you tell me how to feel or who to bestow kindness to, Surry McDaniel.” He released her, looked her in the eye and said, “You’re my girl and I love you.”
This time Surry wiped her own tears away. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Now that that’s settled, let’s go get something to eat.” Willy went to the back and grabbed his jacket.
When her father came back to the front of the store, Surry said, “It looks like you’re making a success of the store. What turned it around for you?”
Willy smiled. “About two years ago a distributor came into the store and showed me some of your designs. He had no idea that I knew you, but I recognized your handiwork immediately and started purchasing them for the store. Word began to spread about the fabulous and sleek designs I was carrying, and business has started turning around.”
“Is that why you’re thinking about expanding?”
“Gotta strike while the iron is hot,” Willy said as he opened the door and they walked out.
An idea hit her and she turned to her father and said, “My store in Houston is doing pretty well. I’d like to expand also, but I’m going to be busy with a new deal I’m working on. So I’m wondering if maybe my father would be interested in going into business with his daughter.”
“Oh, I couldn’t afford to pay for a franchise at this point.”
“Dad...” Surry gave him an are-you-serious look. “You wouldn’t have to pay to franchise. You’ll bring the years of expertise and the time to work the business and make it a success. I’ll put up the capital.” She stuck out her hand. “What do you say? Do I have a partner?”
“Do you really need me?”
“I’ve needed you for a long time. I was just too stubborn to know it.”
* * *
Ian’s meeting with Juan Manuel was going better than he’d expected. Juan hadn’t found a campaign manager yet and was ready to get started. The special election for the mayor’s office would be held in six months.
“This campaign means everything to me,” Juan tried to explain.
Ian nodded. “I know how committed you are to the people in this community. They would be blessed to have someone like you running the city. That’s why I want to help you pull your campaign together.”
Juan wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table. “This is important to me because I want to do more for the community I’ve been serving as state senator for the last six years. I also plan to run for governor in the next election.”
“You’ll not only run, but with me as your campaign manager, you will win and be ready for a presidential campaign.” Ian’s confidence was on full display. “Trust me, Juan. I see your future, and one day the world will be calling you Mr. President.”
Juan smiled. “How do you know whether or not I’m even interested in the presidency?”
“If I’m wrong, please correct me. I need to know whether I’m dealing with a future governor or a president, because that will determine the way I manage each of your campaigns.”
“Let me put all my cards on the table.” As Juan leaned back in his seat, he held the guise of a man destined for greatness. “I was skinny as a rail when I was a little kid, and do you know why?”
Juan was fit and athletic. Ian knew for a fact he was a runner, so he had a lean frame, but he wouldn’t consider him to be skinny as a rail. Ian hadn’t heard the story of Juan’s super lean days. He put his elbow on the table and his fist underneath his chin. “Do tell.”
“My family was so poor that other poor people looked down on us. We even qualified for food stamps, but not enough to feed us for the entire month. So, my brothers and I went hungry a lot.” Juan hesitated a moment and looked as if he was trying to shake off an unwanted memory. “Anyway, you asked if I wanted to become president. And the answer is yes, but not for myself. I want to become president of the United States because I want to help lift up the poor. Politicians seem to be more concerned with the middle class or the rich, and they fail to see that the poor need more than food stamps and a medical card.... They need a hand up so that they can get a piece of the American Dream themselves.”
Ian was impressed. He knew that Juan had a heart for the poor, because his platform in the state senate centered on them. But hearing the man speak about the issue allowed Ian to see the passion in his eyes. “I’m here to help in any way I can. I look forward to the day when you are seated in the Oval Office making decisions that will lift up the poor.”
“Well then, let’s go do it,” Juan said as he held out a hand to Ian.
Ian shook Juan’s hand as he nodded. “I’m ready.” Ian handed Juan a folder. “We’ll get started on the campaign for the special election right away. But I will also be working on an eight-year strategy to get you into the White House.”
They talked for about another hour, finalizing details as Juan asked Ian to work with him on this campaign and the future ones to come. Ian felt as if he were walking on water when he left the meeting with Juan. The man had it and would shine like the sun on the campaign trail. Ian had hit the jackpot, and he hadn’t needed his father’s interference to make anything happ
en.
He got in his car and started the engine. Then as a thought hit him, Ian checked his cell phone for text messages or missed phone calls, hoping that Surry had finally returned his calls. There was no message from Surry, text or otherwise. He sighed as he threw his phone back in the passenger seat. He wasn’t going to let this ruin his day. He would accept Surry’s decision. She obviously didn’t want to be in his life, so it was time to move on.
He made it back to his office building at about three in the afternoon. Ian had tons of paperwork he needed to go over and he needed to start building a team to work on Juan’s campaign—and all of it needed to be done yesterday. But Ian enjoyed his job the most when it seemed as if he’d been thrown into the fire.
He opened the door to his building, and as he began walking down the hall to his office, he caught a glimpse of a woman in his waiting area. His heart dropped because he could recognize her silhouette anywhere, anytime. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.
Surry stood and walked over to him as if no daylight had passed between them. “Can I speak with you for a moment, Ian?”
He nodded and turned and started walking toward his office again. As Surry followed him, Ian knew in his heart that the fire was about to get ten times hotter.
Chapter 14
Surry couldn’t read Ian’s expression as she laid her heart open for him to stomp on it. He was sitting in his chair behind his desk, keeping as much distance from her as possible. “Believe me, Ian, leaving you in Charlotte was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “It didn’t seem to be too hard for you. You didn’t bother to return any of my calls. That told me right then that you didn’t want to be bothered with me.”
She walked around the desk, got on bended knee in front of him and prepared herself to beg if she had to. “I left because I was afraid of what loving you meant.”
“How come you didn’t answer any of my calls? Why couldn’t you just tell me that you thought we were moving too fast or something like that?”
She grabbed his hand and looked him in the face, hoping that her eyes displayed all that her heart wanted to say. “We’re not moving too fast, Ian. I really care about you. I believe I’m falling for you.”
Ian stood and strutted over to the window and looked out at the activity in the parking lot. He wasn’t prepared to be all in, not if it meant getting his heart trampled on again. “What do you want from me, Surry?”
“I want you to give us a chance.”
Ian didn’t respond. He just kept looking out the window.
She sauntered over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. As he turned to face her, she said, “Remember when you told me that having love and success was the best of both worlds?”
He nodded.
“Well, I’m starting to believe that.” She pointed at his chest. “You made me believe it. So, don’t walk away from me now. Give us a chance to see where this can go.”
Stepping away from her again, Ian sat down on his sofa. “I don’t know, Surry. What if I get back with you and you pull that running stunt again...with no explanation...no phone call or nothing.”
She sat down next to him. “I handled the whole situation wrong. I know that now. But I got scared when you started talking about switching careers. You sounded like you didn’t have any direction, and I can’t be with a man who bounces from one thing to the next.”
Ian stared at her incredulously. “You mean to tell me that you left because I was having a moment of indecision?”
“Well, yes. I have been raised to believe that a man should know what he wants.” She raised her pointer finger, mimicking her mother.
“So you think I’m just some fly-by-night kind of dude, with no direction for my life?”
The look in Ian’s eyes told her she’d better choose her next words carefully. “I would never think that, Ian. I’ve seen you in action, so I know that you are good at what you do. But that night, it seemed as if you let your father get you off focus...and I have to admit, it scared me.”
“Well, just so you know, I am very much back. I’m focused on my career, and I’ve even found a new client.”
Surry jumped in her seat. “Oh, Ian, that’s wonderful. Tell me about him.”
With an air of pride, Ian said, “His name is Juan Manuel.”
“I know Juan,” Surry said. “He’s our state senator, isn’t he?”
Nodding, Ian said, “He’s going to be our mayor in a few months. Then it’s off to the governor’s mansion.”
“Well all right, Juan. He always seemed ambitious to me.”
“You have no idea.” Ian sat up straighter as he continued, “I think his future is very bright. The demographics are changing in Texas, and he makes an impression on everyone he meets.”
“That’s true. You see that I remembered who he was. And I’ve only seen him twice, I think.”
Ian slapped his hands together, got up and stood behind his desk again. “I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, so I need to get down to it.”
He was dismissing her. She couldn’t let that happen. She had to remind him about what he felt for her—that is, if he still felt the same way. “Ian, you asked me to marry you just last week. You can’t expect me to believe that you no longer care about me.” Please say you care...please say you love me.
“You left me, Surry.” He shrugged. “I just don’t know what you want from me.”
“Your heart, you fool!” She was just about ready to pick up something and throw it at his head. “I’ve never asked that of any other man, so if you let me walk out of here, I’ll be crushed, but I won’t come crawling back.” Her chest heaved with emotion as she stood there waiting for his response. She quickly said a silent prayer, but when Ian didn’t say anything, she turned and started walking out of his life.
Ian had called her four times since she left him in Charlotte last week. She knew she should have returned one of those calls, but she had been busy trying to sort things out in her world. After seeing how much her father enjoyed working in his small dress shop yesterday, and realizing that he had found a way to succeed, Surry knew then that she could love Ian no matter what path in life he chose.
She’d come here to tell him that today, but he wasn’t listening. And she couldn’t continue to beg a man who already had his mind made up. But the hardest part about walking away from Ian was that she knew he cared. She could see it in his eyes. But if he was going to allow his stubborn pride to get in the way of their happiness, then she didn’t want him.
She put her hand on the doorknob, turned it and took a step forward, preparing to walk out of his life.
Ian ran his hands down his face and let out a long-suffering sigh. “Wait!”
Surry sucked in her breath. She closed her eyes, said another silent prayer and then turned back to face the man she wanted to be hers. Calmly, she asked, “Do you have something else you want to say to me?”
“Yes,” he said as he stepped from around his desk and walked over to her. He took her hand off the doorknob and closed the door. He stepped forward and she stepped back. Now her back was against the wall, and Ian put his hands on the wall and leaned into her as he said, “I’m not ready to let you go.”
“Well, why didn’t you say that before? You almost let me walk out the door.”
“Shut up and kiss me.” Ian lowered his head and claimed her as his own as he devoured her with his mouth.
This felt so right and so good to Surry. She and Ian belonged together, and she would never, ever leave this man again. She wrapped her arms around him and intensified the kiss until she was weak in the knees.
He pulled away from her then banged his head against the wall.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, thinking he was regretting his
decision to get back with her.
He groaned. “I would love to stand here and do this all day long, but the truth is, I’ve got to get back to work.”
Surry took her arms from around his neck. “Get back to work, baby. You and I can get together later.”
He looked over at the pile of work on his desk. “Let me get a few things off my desk and then I’ll take you to dinner or something.”
“Dinner sounds good.” She was trying to keep the grin off her face, but failing miserably. After thinking that she would not be able to have the man of her dreams, here he was offering to take her to dinner.
“Okay, Ms. McDaniel.” He bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Figure out where you want to eat tonight, and I’ll call you as soon as I’m done here.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“So, does this mean that you’ll answer my calls from now on?”
“On the first ring,” she said as she opened the door, giddy at what had transpired. “Now get back to work.”
“I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Surry was smiling from ear to ear as she made her way back to her car. Things were changing in her world, and Surry wasn’t a bit nervous about it. She and Ian belonged together.
* * *
“What just happened?” Ian asked himself. Did Surry really just come to his office and confess to be falling in love with him? He’d thought it was over between them, and now suddenly he had another chance.
His phone rang. It was his office manager, and Ian was thankful for the call, because he needed to get his head back in the game. He answered the phone and said, “Ian speaking.” That was his first mistake. His next mistake was listening to his assistant, and from there the day just got worse.
Before meeting with Juan, Ian had put together a list of venues and press junkets to get Juan out and about in the community. His assistant had been working on the package. The folder he’d handed to Juan this morning had his new schedule in it, which was one of the things that had impressed Juan. And now it seemed as though everything was falling apart.
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