“I see.” More than he realized. Her own ticket to the Up-and-Comers Banquet was tucked inside her purse. She’d bought it as part of her Brett Somers surveillance plan. But he didn’t need to know that.
“So how about it? I know it’s late notice, but you’d be doing me a big favor.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll spill wine on your tux?”
He grinned. “It’s not quite that fancy. I’m wearing jeans and a T-shirt.”
“You are not.”
“Suit and tie. So what do you say?”
Dani bit her lip and considered. Another chance to spend time with Brett. Another chance to humiliate herself by saying the wrong thing or doing something stupid.
But if she didn’t go with him, she couldn’t go at all. If he saw her, what excuse could she give for being there? Besides, it’d give her a chance to meet his cousin and the lucky fiancée. Maybe even find out why Brett was at the hospital.
“Why not?” Her cheery voice momentarily squashed the strident misgivings warring inside her. This might be a bad idea, but at least she had a lovely black dress to wear after yesterday’s trek to practically every consignment shop in Columbus.
“Great.” Brett sounded genuinely relieved. “You don’t know how much kidding I’d have to endure if I showed up without a date.”
So that was his motive. The gleeful misgivings roared. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“You can’t imagine.”
Yeah. I can.
She shoved the painful voices into the deep place where she locked up all her hurts. More important matters needed her attention. Brett wouldn’t be disgraced at tomorrow night’s banquet, but before long she’d figure out the best way to teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
“I need your phone number and address.” He tapped his phone. “D-A-N . . .” He looked at her expectantly.
“D-A-N-I.”
He focused on the screen as he entered the letters. “Last name?”
“Prescott.”
“Address?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“So,” he said, drawing out the syllable, “I can pick you up tomorrow.”
“That’s not necessary. I can meet you there.”
“Where?”
Dani bit the inside of her lip. She’d almost slipped up with that one. “Wherever the banquet is.”
“Would Peter Joshua let Regina Lampert drive herself to an important dinner? Besides, parking will be a nightmare. Trust me.”
He had trapped her again. First into being his date to the banquet, and now she’d have to tell him where she was staying.
“You were right earlier. I’m not from around here.”
“Aha! I knew it.”
“I don’t have an apartment yet, so I’m staying at this other place. But it’s only temporary. Until I can find somewhere permanent.” Great. Now she was babbling.
“Makes sense. Where is it?”
“Baines Lodging. One of those pay-by-the-week places near the interstate. West of here, I think.”
“That’s not a great area.” Furrowed lines appeared at the edges of his eyes. “Some of those places don’t have a very good reputation.”
“I wouldn’t know about that.” She feigned a careless shrug.
“I can recommend safer places.”
Which would undoubtedly cost two or three times what she was paying. “I’m careful.”
“Sometimes being careful isn’t enough.”
“Somehow I’ve managed my entire life without your help.” She met his gaze, steeling herself not to waver under his intense expression. “I don’t need it now.”
Surprisingly, he looked away first, and her confidence level inched upward. Maybe she had what it took to handle a too-handsome guy after all.
He stared at his phone, then back at her. In that few seconds, something had changed about his demeanor.
“May I please have the honor of picking you up tomorrow night?” he asked. “I’d rather not take a chance that you’ll stand me up too.”
“I’m sorry your sister did.”
“Amy does what Amy does.”
“So this isn’t the first time?”
“I don’t want to talk about her.” He held up his phone so she could see the Create Contact screen. “Address? Please?”
“I’d have to look it up.”
“I’ll do that. How about your number?”
She hesitated, and he pretended to glare at her. “After tomorrow night, I’ll delete it. I promise.”
“Okay, don’t get testy.” As she recited the number, he tapped his screen. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed.
“I sent you a text so you’d have my number. Just don’t call and cancel on me.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Good.” He pocketed the phone and lightly touched her arm. “Shall we go?”
Outside the theater, the sidewalk glistened beneath the black iron streetlamps. Dani shivered against the damp chill, a souvenir of the storm that had raged during the movie.
“Looks like we missed a downpour,” Brett said. “How about a cup of coffee to warm you up? There’s a diner down the next block. Famous around here for its homemade pies.”
“Kind of late for coffee, isn’t it?”
“It’s the weekend. Stay up late, sleep late.”
“Nice thought, but I better not.”
“You got another date after this?”
Her cheeks warmed as she barely shook her head. “It’s just . . . it’s been a long day.”
“Then I won’t insist.”
“Thank you.” She headed toward her car, digging the key from her purse. Brett slipped it from her hand and unlocked the door.
“Do you know how to get to your place from here?”
“I have a navigation app.”
“Good.” He gingerly squeezed her shoulder, then pulled her into a casual hug. “Thanks again for coming with me. I wasn’t looking forward to an evening alone in my apartment.”
She awkwardly circled her arms around his waist. “Surely you have lots of friends you can go out with.”
“Yeah, I guess I do. But none as appealing as you.”
“You’re teasing me.”
“No, I’m not.” His eyes captured hers. “Till tomorrow, Regina.”
Unsure of what to say, she merely smiled and slid inside the driver’s seat.
Brett leaned into the car. “Be safe.”
“I will.”
He nodded, then shut her door. After returning his wave, she drove away.
Somehow she’d survived the evening. But would she survive tomorrow’s?
At least the movie had given them something to do. At the banquet, she’d have to engage in conversation not only with him but also his cousin and the fiancée. Brett hadn’t even told her their names.
That alone was proof that, despite his flirting, he wasn’t interested in her. Neither had he asked what she was doing in Columbus. Nor anything about her family or her career—not that she had much to say about either of those topics.
Maybe if she’d gone with him to the diner, they’d have had that awkward conversation. Now it might happen at the banquet.
And she’d have to be very careful how she walked the line between truth and falsehood.
– 4 –
Brett jammed his hands into his pockets as the taillights on Dani’s car disappeared around the corner. Walking to his Lexus, he checked his phone. A few emails that could wait till he was back in the office on Monday. No missed calls. No texts.
No one missing him on a Friday night.
He might as well go home, though he was too wound up to sleep. Besides, just because Dani wanted to end their evening together didn’t mean it was over. Beyond the Lexus, the diner’s neon sign beckoned the departing theatergoers to drop in.
The hole-in-the-wall was a local favorite serving a limited menu of sa
ndwiches and salads. But like he told Dani, it was best known for its sumptuous pies.
He perched on a stool and folded his arms on the counter. Though she had to be nearing forty, the waitress gave him a flirtatious smile. “What’s your pleasure, handsome?”
“Apple pie a la mode.”
“Coffee?”
“Why not?”
“Decaf?”
“No. Give me the good stuff.”
“One cup of the good stuff coming up.” She swished her hips, then pulled a mug from a shelf and poured his coffee. “What are you doing out alone on a Friday night?”
“My date and I were at the Ohio Theater. But she needed to go home.”
“Honey, if that had been me, I wouldn’t have let you out of my sight.”
He politely chuckled. “Maybe I should have taken you to the movies instead.”
“Anytime, honey, anytime. Now let me get you that apple pie.”
“Thanks.” He tested the coffee and almost burned his tongue. Strong and black. Just what he needed when he was already feeling out of sorts. What had happened to the days when he controlled his life? When he decided the beginning and ending of a relationship? When money seemed to solve any problem?
He didn’t have to think hard to come up with that answer. Shelby had happened. Though he hadn’t fallen in love with her, she had changed him. And then Meghan had come back into his life.
How could anything be the same after that?
He nodded appreciation as the waitress put the dessert plate in front of him. She watched as he took a bite. The warm pie oozed with tart apples and cinnamon. “Delicious.”
“You need anything else, honey?”
He ignored the double meaning evident in her tone. “This is fine, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She placed the check beside his plate. “Just let me know if you change your mind.” The sashaying hips headed toward other customers.
Usually he was immune to harmless flirting, but tonight he almost needed the reassurance that he still had the famous Somers charm. Dani sure hadn’t done anything to stroke his ego. All she did was blush. Kind of cute, really. But definitely a change from the self-assured women he usually dated.
Like Tracie. His former receptionist had been overly confident that an affair with the boss would open the door to a lifetime of wealth and privilege. As far as he knew, she’d done a fairly good job of spending his money in the few weeks she had his credit card. She could keep the stuff but not his heart. After all, she’d only been the last in a game that he and his buddies had perfected.
From their first kiss, Brett had known what Tracie had not. She would never be Mrs. Brett Somers. Self-absorbed women with their gorgeous bodies and beautiful faces were for showing off. Not for marrying.
Several weeks had passed since he’d arranged for the building concierge to remove Tracie’s belongings from his apartment and change the lock. Tired of The Game, this time he’d hired an efficient, no-nonsense woman for the office.
His business associates, used to heady perfume surrounding them when Tracie handed them a cup of coffee and the occasional peek into her lace-adorned cleavage, had expressed their disappointment in his choice of a replacement.
But he didn’t care.
Things had changed. He had changed. They’d have to get used to finding their not-so-innocent peeks somewhere else.
Which led his thoughts back to the enigmatic girl who had accompanied him to the movies.
Dani Prescott. Photographer of hospital lights. Classic movie aficionado. And somehow immune to the Somers charisma. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much trouble getting a woman’s phone number.
Usually they offered their contact info without waiting to be asked. Then he entertained himself with imagining how many times his chosen victim looked at her phone, making sure it was on. Making sure she hadn’t missed a message from him. Debated with herself whether to call him.
Always a game, and a game he always won.
Because he never called first.
Because the one who called first cared most.
And he never cared most.
Meghan Jensen McCurry plopped on the sofa and threw her arm over her head. She used to love Fridays. Without school the next day, Jonah could stay up later than his usual bedtime. On a rainy night like this one, they’d have made hot chocolate and snickerdoodles together before sprawling on their hand-me-down couch to watch a movie. Cozy nights that usually ended with the little boy falling asleep, his bare feet pressed against her legs.
She’d give anything to have those evenings back again.
Perhaps she should have stayed later at the hospital. But the sudden thunderstorm had sent her scurrying to the bakery before the weather got worse. The white box sitting on the counter held a dozen chocolate cupcakes. Jonah’s favorite. A candle in the shape of the number 8 nestled inside. She wouldn’t light the candle in the hospital, of course, but she’d put it in one of the cupcakes before singing “Happy Birthday.”
Jonah would never remember, but she’d take photos so someday he could see what he missed.
Someday.
Let it be soon. Tomorrow even.
There could be no better birthday present.
A pastel green scrapbook lay on the sofa beside her. She picked it up and slowly opened the cover. Three photos of a red and wrinkly newborn adorned the first page. The pertinent information—date, time, weight—had been written in gold ink with a calligraphy pen.
The date a month earlier than expected. The weight an anxious, adorable five pounds, three ounces.
She turned the page and smiled at the first photo ever taken of her cradling the swaddled infant in her arms. His tiny face was barely visible between the blue cap and the striped blanket. Despite the overwhelming exhaustion, her own expression was one of awe and wonder. After several hours of intense labor, she’d given birth to the most beautiful boy who ever lived.
Love took on a whole new meaning.
Since no one else had been there to do the honors, the nursing staff took the photos. One of them went the extra mile by purchasing the scrapbook kit and placing the prints inside. They’d been kind to her at a time in her life when she desperately needed kindness. What would they think if they knew where Jonah was now?
If they knew why.
Unable to stop the tears, Meghan closed the baby book and clutched it to her chest. So many mistakes. So many stupid, stupid mistakes.
If only she hadn’t gone to the Christmas party with AJ. Hadn’t met Brett. Hadn’t fallen for his deceitful charm.
She leaned her head back and let the tears run down her cheeks.
If she hadn’t done any of that, she wouldn’t have Jonah.
After leaving the diner, Brett meant to drive home. But several minutes later, he found himself turning into the complex where Meghan lived. He pulled into an empty space near her building and peered out the windshield at the third floor. A faint light shone behind the blinds.
Guess this was his night for staring at windows.
Not that Meghan gave him much choice.
At least his secretive plan to get her out of the hospital had worked. His pal Dr. Marc Nesmith had told Brett about a local megachurch that provided a few apartments for patients’ families. They didn’t have a vacancy but happily accepted Brett’s offer to sponsor another one. Anonymously, of course.
His thoughts circled the same unending whirlpool. If only Meghan had told him the truth all those years ago. Had trusted him.
He shook his head, and the whirlpool swirled.
Back then it wouldn’t have mattered. He knew it, and she knew it. That’s why she had lied. Why she’d told AJ he, not Brett, was the baby’s father.
But AJ hadn’t been able to help her either.
Not when Anderson “Sully” Sullivan had other plans for his two grandsons. Plans that didn’t include a social-climbing art student or her illegitimate child.
Brett shook
his head again while biting the inside of his lip. Meghan wasn’t a social climber. Just a naïve college coed who got caught up in a rivalry she didn’t know existed. If she hadn’t been AJ’s date to their grandparents’ annual Christmas gala, Brett would never have given her a second glance.
In a way, Dani reminded him of Meghan. The same nice-girl innocence. The same overeagerness to be viewed as sophisticated and worldly. It never worked.
He smiled remembering how awkward she had been when they first met. He’d have known Regina Lampert wasn’t her name even if he hadn’t been familiar with the movie.
Then, during the showing of Notorious, she scarcely took her eyes from the screen. Her contagious excitement and rapt attention enhanced his own enjoyment of the familiar film. Lucky break he’d remembered it was showing. And that she’d agreed to go with him.
Though if the situation with Meghan had taught him anything, it was that young women with stars in their eyes should be avoided. Somehow or another, they always trailed trouble behind them.
He probably shouldn’t have asked Dani to tomorrow night’s banquet. So much for his dating sabbatical. It had lasted all of two months.
A shadow moved past the apartment window, then the light went out. “Good night, Meghan,” he whispered in the darkness. “Sleep well.”
He backed his car out of the space and headed toward home. He lived in a ritzier part of the city than Meghan. Not that he didn’t want her to have the best—he just knew anything that smacked of too much luxury would arouse her suspicions. He’d done the best he could to balance economy with safety. At least he didn’t have to worry about her coming home late from the hospital.
Again, his thoughts slid to Dani. He wished he could say the same for her. But over the years, that area around the interstate had been featured in numerous news articles and reports. No one in their right mind would choose to stay there. Unless that was all they could afford. Was that the situation with Dani?
What was she doing in town, anyway? As he thought back over their conversations, both before and after the movie, he realized she’d never given him a reason. She never even told him what she did for a living.
Not that he had asked.
Perhaps he should have. But the truth was, he hadn’t been that interested. He hadn’t expected to see her again, to be involved with her in any way. No reason to care.
When Love Arrives Page 3
