I shrugged. “But I’d like it.”
“Then I’ll arrange it.”
“Are we done?”
He bent close, his voice serious. “We’re here, Sandy. You are family—we all love you. Remember that, and all you have to do is ask. We’ll be there. All right?”
My throat was thick.
I could only nod.
* * *
The rest of the day went quickly. Each of my boys stopped by my desk for a hug, a quiet word, or in Reid’s case, a long visit. He pulled up a chair behind my “throne,” as he called it, opened his laptop, and began to work.
“Problem with your office?” I asked, already knowing why he was there.
“Nope. I just like the view here better. I get to see you.”
I squeezed his hand and let him stay. I adored the youngest member of the BAM family. A lost soul, he needed this place as much as it needed him. His upbringing had been horrendous, and there was something in his expression the day I met him that drew me to him. He lit my maternal instinct ablaze, and it had been I who insisted Aiden give him a chance. The more I got to know Reid, the more he pulled at my heartstrings. I loved all my boys, but Reid was special. Everyone knew it. But they felt much the same toward him. He was the boys’ younger brother, and they looked out for him. We all did. In return, we had his fierce loyalty and affection.
We worked in companionable silence, broken only by the occasional call. My duties had changed when Max got sick. All the day-to-day business like answering the phone, or dealing with mail, and other smaller tasks went to a junior person in the office, but I handled everything that had to do with the partners. That alone kept me very busy.
Becca, Reid’s live-in girlfriend, dropped by the desk. His smile for her was wide, his gaze filled with adoration as he looked at her. “Hey, B. Looking for me?”
She shook her head, ignoring his pout. “I’m looking for Sandy.”
“What can I do for you?” I asked with a fond smile. She was good for Reid, and I liked her a lot. She was strong, capable, and completely infatuated with him. They were a great couple and spent a lot of time with me.
“Are you busy on Saturday?”
“No.”
“Great. We’re calling girls’ time, and Emmy has booked a suite at The Four Seasons. Spa day!” She grinned.
“I see,” I murmured, wondering how much this had to do with the conversation I’d had earlier with Bentley. It wouldn’t surprise me that he asked Emmy to do something to cheer me up. Yet the thought of spending time with all the girls pleased me. And it would be a break from the constant quietness of the house.
“That sounds wonderful,” I told her.
She beamed, her relief evident.
“Awesome. We’ll go from here. Emmy has it all arranged. A driver, lunch, spa treatments, and pampering. Then to their place for dinner and movies afterward. He’s having the meal catered.”
“Wonderful. Thank you for including me.”
She waved her hand. “Of course. You’re one of us!”
She walked away, blowing Reid a kiss over her shoulder. He leaned close. “They want you there, you know.”
“I know,” I agreed. “It’s a lovely thought.”
He chuckled. “I made sure to add some of your favorite red wine to the menu.”
“Does Bentley know you did that?” I asked, one eyebrow raised in question, my theory now confirmed.
He grinned. “I helped choose the menu. We got everyone’s favorites. We’re gonna have a guys’ day at Bentley’s while you girls are busy. Well, us, and Addi.”
I laughed. Addi was doted on by all her uncles. She was a lucky little girl.
“I don’t think Addi is quite ready for pizza and wings.”
He winked. “We got chicken fingers and fries for her. Shake up that ‘bottle only’ diet thing she’s got going. Give her something new to try. I ordered the dipping sauce mild.”
I laughed at his silly comments. “Good luck with that.”
He became serious. “I want you to have a good time. Relax. Enjoy yourself.”
I stood and bent low, kissing his cheek. “I’ll try.”
“Please have a good time,” he whispered. “Max would want you to laugh and enjoy yourself.”
I nodded, unable to speak. He was right. Max and I had talked about his death a lot when we were first together. Given our age difference, it seemed a natural conclusion, one day I would be without him. But back then, it seemed far away and remote. It was easy to laugh and tease. To tell him I would get a younger man next time around. A boy toy.
“We’ll spend all your money on sex and booze,” I swore.
Max had laughed when I made that statement.
“You do that, my girl. Someone who loves an older, sexy woman. Make sure he treats you right while he’s spending my money. Make him earn it.”
I winked at him. “I’ll do that.”
Once he was diagnosed with late-onset MS, the conversations were numerous but not as funny. Even then, I was in denial he would ever leave me. I couldn’t imagine life without him.
Now, I was having trouble remembering life with him. Happiness seemed difficult to find and harder to hold.
Life was harder.
I cupped Reid’s cheek and offered him a tight smile.
“I’ll do my best.”
* * *
The suite rang with laughter. There were three different treatment areas set up, and I had taken advantage of them all. My skin was glowing, my nails buffed, and my toes sparkled with fresh polish. I sighed as I rolled my shoulders, the massage having worked wonders on my sore muscles. Max always teased me that I carried my tension in my shoulders. “Like cement,” he would mumble while trying ineffectually to rub them. While his embraces and soft words were perfection, his massage technique was terrible. After a few bumbling, inept attempts on his behalf to rub my shoulders early on in our relationship, he treated me to a bimonthly massage. After he died, I had stopped going. I stopped doing a lot of things.
I looked around the room, smiling at the girls. Young, happy, and in love, they all made me smile, even as my heart ached to remember that time in my life. I loved that they included me in their girl time. To me, they were all extensions of my family—adopted daughters—and I loved them all.
Becca came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a thick, white terry cloth robe. Her skin glowed—from the facial or the wine she had consumed I wasn’t sure, but she looked radiant. She had been late this morning, blushing as she rushed out to the car, Reid following her and catching her before she stepped in to kiss her long and lovingly. Judging from the smug expression on his face, there was no doubt as to why we waited for her, and it had set the tone for the day with constant teasing and banter.
She flung herself beside me with a grin. “How you doin’?” she winked and deadpanned. “Looking good, Sandy.”
I laughed. “So do you.”
Her phone buzzed and I chuckled. “I think Reid is missing you today.”
She rolled her eyes, but her grin was wide. “I think he is. My phone has been blowing up all day.”
I patted her hand. “That’s a good thing, Becca. Enjoy it.”
She nodded, her eyes on the screen. “I do. I love his silly texts and pictures.”
“He worships you,” I informed her.
Her cheeks flushed, and this time, I knew it wasn’t the wine. “The feeling is mutual.”
“I know.”
Cami and Dee strolled over to the seating area and curled up on the sofa across from us. Like me, they were both relaxed from their pampering. Liv and Emmy were finishing up with their massages and would join us. Bentley had arranged not only a light lunch, but a full afternoon tea to be served in the room. He knew how much I enjoyed a real afternoon tea, and I was touched by his efforts.
We chatted and laughed until the rest of the girls joined us. We sat, sipping our beverages and talking about a multitude of things. Life, houses, work, motherhoo
d, and finally, the conversation turned to men. There was some oversharing, funny stories, and cute moments of the antics of all their men, and Becca turned to me.
“Sandy,” she began.
I shook my head. “I know what you’re about to say, Becca. I’m fine. Honestly, I am. I have bad days, and one in particular last week, but that is to be expected.”
Emmy leaned forward, taking my hand. “What brought it on, Sandy?”
With a sigh, I told them about the storm and my dream. They all had tears in their eyes as I recalled Max’s words.
“Do you think it was real?” Dee asked quietly. “Do you think Max was telling you it’s time to move on?”
I shrugged, unsure how to answer. It had felt real. His words had echoed the sentiments he had expressed so often when we would discuss the future and he would insist I had to accept the thought of one without him. How he wanted me to find happiness and love again.
“You have too much in you to give to spend the rest of your life grieving for me, my girl.”
“I can’t fathom loving anyone else, Max,” I informed him. It was the simple truth.
He had run his fingers over my cheek. “Not the way you love me, but you can love again, Sandy. I want you to. I need to know you will be happy again once I am gone.”
I had promised him I would try, but the truth was, I had no idea how to do so or if I even had it in me to attempt it.
I said so to the girls.
“Colin lectures me all the time to go out and start living again.”
Becca interrupted me. “I still can’t believe that fine specimen is your grandson. You’re too young to have him be your grandkid.”
I chuckled. “Fine specimen. I’ll keep that one to myself. But I’ll take the compliment. One of the perks of marrying an older man, I suppose.” I sighed. “Colin insists it’s time for me to move forward, and he hates to see me wasting away, as he calls it. Aaron agrees with him. He tells me his father would want me to be happy,” I admitted.
“What do you think?” Emmy asked, still holding my hands.
“I don’t know how to move forward,” I stated. “I have no idea how to meet someone or start again. Things have changed since I dated thirty-some-odd years ago. I don’t think people meet at clubs or dances now.”
All the girls laughed.
“No,” Becca agreed. “It’s online most of the time.”
I nodded in resignation. “Colin said the same thing. He says it easier to meet women that way. Seems so impersonal to me.”
The girls laughed.
“Trust me, sometimes there is too much personal.” Cami smirked.
I chuckled. “In my day, you went out. Locked gazes with someone. Talked. Felt that connection. How can you do that with a computer screen?”
Emmy agreed. “I—we—all got lucky we met the men we did and the way we did.”
Cami nodded. “Yes—I tried my share of dating apps. Thank goodness those days are behind me.”
I pursed my lips. “Colin told me he had a date at Tinder last week. He has mentioned that place a couple of times since his girlfriend dumped him. I assumed Tinder was a restaurant he was meeting them at. I suppose I assumed wrong?”
The girls dissolved into laughter. Becca wiped her eyes. “You did. Tinder isn’t a restaurant.”
“It’s one of these dating apps?”
“Well, it’s not for, ah, dating, Sandy. It’s more for, um, hookups,” she explained, trying to hide her amusement.
“Hookups,” I repeated slowly. I widened my eyes in shock. “Hookups? Are you telling me Colin is having casual sex with strange women?”
“Quite possibly.” Emmy smirked. “Not sure how casual, of course.”
“Well, that little…scamp.” I shook my head. “I hope he’s being safe. I’ll have to ask him. Or perhaps I’ll save us both the embarrassment and simply buy him a box of condoms as a reminder.”
This caused more laughter.
“I’m not particularly interested in sex with a stranger, girls.”
“We know that,” Emmy assured me. “But maybe just meeting some nice men? At least trying?”
Becca leaned forward, earnest. “Even if you find someone to be friends with. Go out to dinner with—or a movie. You always loved to dance. Wouldn’t it be nice to go with someone? That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?”
I mulled over her words. “No, I suppose it wouldn’t. But I have no idea how to do that dating app thing.”
Liv pulled her laptop from her bag and handed it to Becca. “But we do.”
I sighed as I watched Becca’s fingers fly over the keys. I wondered what I had just gotten myself in to.
And I knew, without a doubt, this had been their plan all along.
* * *
Dinner at Bentley’s was, as usual, wonderful. I was able to spend time with Addi, feeding her, having cuddles, her little body warm and soft in my arms. I left not long after dinner, insisting I was too tired for their movie marathon. Frank, Bentley’s driver, took me home—all the boys had been drinking, so Bentley had him on standby to take everyone home safely. There were hugs and kisses all around when I left. The girls never mentioned the dating app, for which I was grateful. I wasn’t sure how the boys would react to the news, and I hadn’t yet decided to go ahead with the idea.
Late Sunday afternoon, I sat in front of my laptop, looking over the profile Becca had created for me. She insisted she had done thorough research on the various “apps,” as she called them, and that Mature Matchups had a good reputation, didn’t promote promiscuity, and many of the profiles on the site were people like me—looking for someone to socialize with, a friend to have dinner, see a movie, “hang out,” as she called it.
“No hookups?” I asked, straight-faced.
She bit her lip. “Um…”
I patted her hand with a grin. “Teasing.”
“If romance enters the picture, then it does,” she assured me. “If not, having a friend to go out with isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
I had to admit she was right. When Max became ill, our social life had changed—not that it was ever the same as other couples. We were very close and enjoyed each other’s company. With the huge age difference between us, we were mostly shunned when we were first married so we had relied on each other for everything. Max was my best friend, shopping partner, confidant, and lover—all rolled into one. Over the years, we made some couple friends, but with his busy career and schedule, those times were limited. I was fine with it—I had been a bit of a loner, preferring reading and taking courses over other, more social activities. My husband and grandkids—especially Colin—kept me busy, and my life, once I met the BAM boys and Bentley opened his company, had revolved around them. Now, my nights and weekends once spent with Max, were long and empty at times.
Perhaps a friend wouldn’t be such a bad thing. If I went into this idea seeking companionship instead of a romantic interest, I might find someone whose company I would enjoy. Someone who could help make me feel a little less lonely.
I scanned the profile once again. It was exactly as Becca promised. A simple picture, a brief bio, and the language was correct. Nothing suggesting anything except looking to meet someone my age with similar interests to be friends. It was perfect.
Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to press the “activate” button on the screen.
I shook my head. I was being silly. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the girls had gone to so much effort and assured me unless I gave out the information, the profile was private, and I could delete it at any time. Before I could change my mind, I clicked the button, then shut the lid and hurried away from my desk as if the machine itself were going to start spitting out names of “matches.”
I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine.
As Aiden would often say—I was too old for this shit.
* * *
Monday morning, my phone buzzed with another incoming message.
“You have
a match.”
It had started about an hour after I clicked activate. I hadn’t realized Becca had added the app to my phone as well. I had muted the sound, but it still vibrated every time, and even in the pocket of my suit jacket, it made itself known.
Once again, Bentley’s gaze strayed to my phone as it signaled another message.
“Are you sure you don’t have to get that, Sandy?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
I shook my head. It was rare my phone rang at work these days, but this morning, it was going off constantly.
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “I somehow got on a call list. I’ll handle it when we’re done.”
Aiden spoke up. “I can take care of that for you, Sandy. Give me your phone, and I can get it to stop.”
“No!” I exclaimed, my voice rising a little.
All three partners looked surprised at my reaction. Reid was late this morning, having an appointment outside of the office. I was glad of that fact since Reid knew me so well. Even though the girls had said they wouldn’t say anything about the dating site, now that I had activated my profile, I knew it was going to come out eventually. I was in no hurry for the boys to know what I had done. I had a feeling none of them would approve, and I wasn’t in the mood to handle their objections or worries. They were all very protective of me.
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “I’ll handle it. Now, you were saying, Bentley?”
“Ah, yes.” He frowned but let the subject drop. “I am going to see a couple of places this afternoon with Van that have come up unexpectedly. Can you clear my schedule?”
“Of course.”
“Richard is flying in next week to firm up some new ideas for Phase Two of the towers,” Maddox stated. “You’ll need some extra bagels in the kitchen.”
I smiled as I jotted down the reminder. Richard was one of my favorites, and I looked forward to his trips here. I had a feeling they were more frequent than needed since Becca was here every day, but he had a close bond with Maddox, and the partners respected him immensely and appreciated his personal touch on the account.
Vested Interest Box Set Books 4-7 Page 74
