“No reason,” he muttered, looking down at his watch. He then glanced around the restaurant. “What time will the Madarises get here?”
“Soon enough. They had to swing by the airport and pick up Justin, which is just as well since it gives us time to talk.”
Mitch allowed himself a minute before reluctantly looking at Trevor. He had an idea just what Trevor wanted to talk to him about but decided to play dumb. “Talk about what?”
“Gina.”
Mitch leaned forward and placed his hand on the table. “What about Gina?”
“I want to know what your intentions are, Mitch.”
Mitch shrugged. “What makes you think I have any?”
“Mainly because I know the two of you went out to dinner last night and just a few minutes ago you had that same stupid-looking smile on your face that I sometimes get on mine when I’m thinking about Corinthians.”
Mitch angled his head. “And you assume my thoughts were on Gina?”
“Weren’t they?”
Mitch pulled his gaze away from Trevor knowing the truth was in his eyes. Feeling agitated that he was under cross-examination, he answered, “Yes.”
“Then I want to know what your intentions are.”
Mitch frowned as he tossed down the scotch, flinching slightly as it burned his throat, and then signaled for a refill. “You’re not her father, Trevor,” he said angrily after he’d gotten his second drink.
Trevor’s expression hardened. “No, I’m her brother, but if you’d prefer I could get my father to ask the question.”
Mitch tossed down another mouthful of scotch. That was the last thing he needed, he thought grimly, feeling the hot liquid settle firmly in his stomach. Maurice Grant was a hard man to deal with when it came to his daughter. Mitch still remembered the day he had asked for Gina’s hand in marriage. It had been like asking for a piece of the Red Sea. He had to all but prove his worthiness. Both Mr. and Mrs. Grant had felt he and Gina were rushing things and should wait at least another year before considering marriage. But Mitch wouldn’t hear of it. He had wanted Gina and since she had been determined to remain a virgin until marriage, he’d had no intentions of waiting another year. There were only so many cold showers a body could take.
Mitch leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temple. Dear heavens, he didn’t need this. Especially not now. “Why are you giving me grief, Trevor?”
“Because I don’t want to see Gina get hurt again, dammit.”
Mitch opened his eyes and met the hard, cold-steel ones of Trevor Grant. He stared at his ex-brother-in-law without flinching, something most men wouldn’t be able to do. “I made a mistake, man. I love Gina. I always have and I always will.”
“Then why did you let her go?”
Mitch winced at the hardness he heard in Trevor’s voice. He couldn’t help but remember how he had lost his parents before his sixth birthday, and how after that he had gone to live with the grandmother he’d adored, until she had died when he’d turned ten. The three people he had loved the most had left him. After that, for two solid years he had been tossed from one relative to another, never fitting in with any of them and never feeling completely loved. From the age of twelve until he had graduated from high school, he had lived in the worst kind of poverty, having been sent to live with an alcoholic uncle. The man used the money the state gave him each month for his nephew’s care on booze and women. There had been many nights that Mitch had gone to bed hungry, and many days he had gone to school wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before. He had made a solemn vow then never to depend on anyone being there for him, and to do whatever he could to never live in poverty again.
“I let her go mainly because I was too stupid to appreciate what I had and too afraid to completely give my heart to anyone again,” he said softly.
Trevor leaned toward him; from the look in his eyes Mitch knew the explanation he’d just given hadn’t been good enough. But Mitch refused to be more specific. He owed Gina an explanation before giving it to anyone else.
“I always liked you, Mitch,” Trevor said in a tone of voice that indicated he was not taking the conversation lightly. “Mainly because deep down in my gut I felt you loved my sister senseless, although things didn’t work out between the two of you for whatever reason. She got her life back together after you left and I don’t particularly relish the thought of you returning to town messing it back up again. I’d rather you conclude this business with the Madarises as quickly as possible, and go back to California.”
Mitch kept his anger in check. After all, Trevor was only trying to protect Gina. “I won’t hurt her, Trevor.”
“You did once,” Trevor accused.
“Yes, but everyone is entitled to make mistakes—just like everyone is entitled to a second chance.” He met Trevor’s stare. “And I’m asking that you give me that. Both Gina and I made mistakes in our marriage, and we both gave in to the divorce too easily. When push came to shove we forgot about the vows we’d made that said for better or for worse. We should have stayed together and worked things out, but we didn’t.”
“And now?”
The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Mitch finally said in a throaty whisper as something sharp and blunt swirled around his heart, “And now the main reason I’ve moved back to Houston is to get my wife back. I love her, Trevor, and I hope I can convince her that I’ve changed and to give me another chance. These two years without her have shown me just how wrong my priorities were. She was the best thing to ever happen to me and in my own selfish and self-centered way, I put my wants and needs before hers. I’m ready to do whatever I have to do to regain her love.” Mitch saw belief, then acceptance, in Trevor’s dark eyes.
“So,” Trevor said as he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his drink. “I imagine you must have a plan, because you’re definitely going to need one.”
Mitch nodded. “Yes, I got a plan.”
“And you think it’s going to work?”
Mitch nodded again. “I pray to God that it does.”
Trevor gave him a slow smile and said, “I pray to God that it does, too.”
Six days after Mitch made his offer Gina still hadn’t made a decision. She had spent most of that time collecting all the recent articles about him she could. Most of them had been sketchy, including the one that had appeared in Newsweek four months ago, when Mitch had made news as the first Democratic African-American appointed by a Republican governor to serve on a national committee for land acquisition and development in Washington, D.C., to work with the present administration.
She was proud of all the accomplishments Mitch had made in his life. A part of her knew she and Mitch had wanted different things while they had been married: he had wanted his career, and she had wanted his baby. And neither had been willing to compromise. The only place they had compromised had been in the bedroom, giving in to each other’s demands, wants, and desires.
She stood and walked over to the window. She had converted an empty bedroom into an office where she did most of her writing. Presently, she was working on a piece for Ebony magazine for Black History Month.
Without realizing she was doing it, Gina gently touched the windowpane. She remembered a day that was very similar to this one, when she had stood by a window and watched as Mitch had loaded the last of his things into the car. It had been the last day they had spent together under the same roof as man and wife.
She would never forget the day she had asked Mitch for a divorce. She slowly removed her hand from the window and placed it on her waist as her mind relived that day.
“What do you mean you want a divorce?” Mitch paused from placing the folders in his briefcase long enough to ask.
“I mean just what I said, Mitch. I’m going to file for a divorce. We no longer have a marriage. You spend more time at the office than you do here. We never spend any time together and I’m tired of it.”
He
slammed his briefcase shut. “You’re tired of it! How in the hell are we supposed to eat around here? How are the bills supposed to be paid? Most women would want their husbands working hard each and every day to take care of those things. They sure as hell wouldn’t be standing around whining about it.”
She shook her head. “You just don’t see it, do you?”
“All I see is a woman used to being pampered by her father and brother who now wants to be pampered by her husband. Well, I think there are more important things to do than spend my time pampering you, like putting food on the table and making sure that we keep a roof over our heads. That’s why I work as hard as I do, Gina, so we can have those things we want. I want you taken care of.”
“No, that’s not it, Mitch. And it’s not like I don’t have a job, because I do. You work as hard as you do for your own satisfaction. I want a husband who will spend time with me; a person who is my friend as well as my lover. I don’t have to have a husband with a prestigious career and a well-thought-of position, or someone making over a hundred thousand a year. All I want is someone I can talk to, someone I can see and spend time with.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You don’t love me, Mitch. You love whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. We have different goals in life; different needs and different dreams. I don’t need the huge mansion on the hill, the Mercedes in the driveway, or the bank account that’s overflowing with money. All I need is a husband who loves me.”
“I do love you, Gina.”
“No, you don’t, Mitch. At least you don’t love me as much as I love you, and I can’t take it any longer. Just give me a divorce so I can get on with my life and you can get on with yours. And I hope that the two of us can remain friends.”
She had waited, had hoped and prayed that he would cross the room and take her into his arms and tell her that he did love her as much as she loved him, and that he didn’t want a divorce…but he never did. Instead he just stood there looking at her for a long moment before walking over to the closet to begin packing his things. An hour later he had walked out the door without looking back.
Gina blinked when the sound of a car horn broke into her thoughts. She drew a deep, shuddering breath and slowly went back to her desk. Anything and everything that she and Mitch had ever shared was now in the past. They had been divorced for two years and the only thing they now shared was friendship…and possibly a business deal if she agreed to it. He had asked that she give him an answer within a week and time was running out. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since that night but knew he was still in town, and could only assume he was staying out at his ranch. She gazed at the piece of paper he had given her at dinner that night, which contained the phone number where he could be reached. Before she could change her mind she picked up the phone and began dialing.
“Hello.”
Gina felt every muscle in her stomach constrict at the sound of Mitch’s voice. She thought it was everything a male voice should be—deep, throaty, and seductive. She couldn’t help remembering that same voice whispering sensuous and sexy words in her ears while he made love to her. She closed her eyes briefly as the impact of those memories swept over her like a warm silken caress.
“Hello.”
She blinked her eyes, coming back into awareness when she realized she hadn’t responded to his first greeting. “Hello, Mitch. This is Gina.”
Mitch silently sighed and allowed himself a moment of profound thanks. At least she had called. When days had passed and he hadn’t heard from her, he had gotten worried that maybe she would not accept his offer. Even now he still wasn’t sure that she would. “Yes, Gina?” he asked softly.
“About your offer for me to do the interview.”
He swallowed hard and tried not to sound too anxious. “Yes, what about it? Are you interested?”
Mitch’s gut twisted at the brief pause…and then she said, “Yes, I’m interested. I would love to do it and want to thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
Mitch felt the tension in his shoulders ease and let out a deep, ragged breath of relief…and of thanks. “It’s my pleasure, Gina,” he said huskily. And, he thought, I can guarantee you that in the end it will be your pleasure as well. You can count on it.
Three
Gina was still having misgivings about accepting Mitch’s offer when she drove down the long driveway leading to his ranch house. A frown marred her features when just ahead she saw what she thought to be the most dilapidated-looking structure she had ever seen. It resembled an old worn-down farmhouse more than a ranch house.
She blinked twice, thinking she must be seeing things. Surely this building wasn’t the ranch house Mitch had purchased. Apparently so, she thought a few seconds later when he got out of a black Durango SUV in front of the house when she brought her car to a stop. She blinked again. He was wearing jeans. Other than that calendar he had posed for last year, she could count on her right hand the number of times she had seen him in something other than business attire. He’d always stressed that a person should always dress for success, so even while lounging around the house he’d worn casual designer slacks and shirts, a totally different look from the well-worn jeans he was sporting now. She couldn’t help but appreciate the well-put-together male body, a definite eye-catching look. It was the kind of look that could distract a woman something awful. She shifted her attention to his face and caught her breath at the same time that her heart stuttered. The dark shadow covering his chin, along with the well-worn jeans, made him look like a desperado from yesteryear.
A very handsome desperado at that.
“Good morning, Gina.” He greeted her with warm brown eyes and a heart-stopping smile as he opened the car door for her.
“Good morning, Mitch. Are you sure today is a good time to start?” she asked, trying not to concentrate on the deep huskiness she heard in his voice.
“Yeah, I’m sure. We can get started just as soon as I get your opinion of the place.”
Gina walked around the side of the car and took a good look at the building that was supposed to be a ranch house. Up close it was worse than she’d thought.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked, coming to stand next to her.
She tried to focus on his question and not on him standing so close beside her. Once again it was beginning to bother her that after two years, he still had the ability to stir her physically. “Well, I guess it has potential,” she finally responded. “But it depends on what you plan to do with it.”
He smiled. Gina had always been blatantly honest; almost too much at times. “I plan to live here,” he said softly.
“You’re going to tear it down and rebuild?”
Mitch chuckled. “No, I plan to remodel.”
Gina glanced back at the huge house that was barely standing. He had to be kidding. And she told him so.
“No, I’m not kidding. Believe it or not the structure of this place is still good. I’ve hired a really good team of professionals to assist me in restoring it to how it used to look.”
She couldn’t help but find that idea amusing. “Back in the eighteen hundreds?”
Mitch shook his head, grinning. “No, not quite that far back, but I have plans for this place. It will take me awhile but I hope to have it livable within a year.”
“That will take a lot of time and work.”
“I have the time and will enjoy doing the work.”
Surprise showed in Gina’s face. “You won’t be working?” she asked, then clarified by saying, “Your regular job as CEO of your corporation?”
“Yes, I’ll still be working. In fact I’m meeting with the Madarises again later today. But I no longer spend all my time working my regular job, Gina. I have a couple of young executives for that. That gives me the time to do some of the things that I enjoy doing.”
“Well, that’s a switch,” she said before she could stop herself. “I remember a time when all you did was work.” And never made time for you
rself or for me, she thought bitterly.
“Yes, I know. And I hate that I did that when I think of all that I lost in trying to be successful.”
Gina actually heard regret in his voice but a part of her hardened. Too bad he hadn’t realized that two years ago. It would have spared her a lot of heartache and pain. He’d been so quick and eager to make a marriage commitment with her, but hadn’t been so quick and eager to do what it took to make their marriage work. In the beginning a part of her had understood his need to do what was necessary to make it to the top. But she could not understand nor accept the degree in which he had done so. First there had been the countless hours of overtime that would extend into the weekends. Then, when he had made operations manager and later operations vice president, there were the business trips that carried him from one part of the country to another. He literally thrived on the hustle and bustle of the business world, and more times than not he was packed and ready to fly out, destination unknown, at a moment’s notice. It became a norm for her to come home from work and find a note letting her know he was gone again.
Gina sighed. There was no reason to waste time thinking about their past. The only reason she was here was to talk to him about the interview. But still, she couldn’t help glancing around and asking, “So, where are you staying? At a hotel in town?”
“No, I’m staying in that trailer over there through the trees.”
Gina looked where his fingers pointed and saw a trailer very much like one of those usually stationed on a construction site, only it was a tad larger. “You’re staying in that?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Sure. It has a bath, bed, and a small kitchen. Everything I need.”
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