He glanced at his mother, still beautiful in her late fifties, in spite of additional lines marking the passage of time on her face each year. No one in his life was getting any younger, including him. Sunday dinner with the family would be a fresh start. It wouldn’t be easy. Someone once said that nothing worth doing ever was, but he looked forward to it.
He took a final swallow of his drink and sank back further into the overstuffed cushions, savoring the comfort of his childhood home and this rare, quiet moment with his mom. Yes, all was all good now that Elizabeth had entered his life. He glanced at the time on his phone. It had been five hours since he kissed her goodbye as she left for work. He could hang on another five hours.
Gigi broke the silence. “I realize I’ve got to trust you kids to know what you’re doing, I mean, you’re all happy and successful. It was just so hard to let go. The more I held on, the more you all balked, and the more I worried.”
“You did your job raising us. We’re all doing great. We’re happy.”
“That’s new for you, the happiness. The book deal’s agreeing with you.”
He nodded, reluctant to divulge his feelings for Elizabeth quite yet, still unsure at this point whether their relationship had a real chance of working out. “My writing is finally paying off and I love it, especially when I hear from the readers.”
She sat forward, her brown eyes warm against her pale skin. “That reminds me; Jack asked if you’d be interested in visiting the twins’ school. I know Maggie and Mitch are still a bit on the young side for your novels, but maybe you could talk about your drawing and do a quick activity with their class about creating characters. Hannah said she’d take off the day from the refinery and join you if you want.”
“Sure.” For the second time in one day, he didn’t hesitate to participate in life. A month ago he’d never have considered entering Starling Central. Too many people there who knew him and his history, but this could be part of his new outlook He could show residents the new and improved Jeremy Engel, a respectable author and decent citizen.
His mother rose from her chair. “That’s wonderful! The twins will be so excited. Do you want me to tell them or will you?” She was already headed toward the back of the house in search of her cell phone.
He trailed her back into the kitchen. As a rule he abhorred talking on the phone, but this was one of those social niceties he’d tolerate for the sake of the people he cared about. “I’ll give them a call. I need to get birthday present ideas for the kids from Hannah, anyway.” He moved to the sink and rinsed out his glass before placing it in the dishwasher. “Thanks for hanging out with me this afternoon. I finished a chapter this morning and this was the perfect way to celebrate.” He hugged her before moving toward the foyer.
“My pleasure, dear.” She beamed, a lightness in her step that had been missing when he’d arrived. “Stop by anytime. Well, except for Tuesdays and Thursdays. Those are my days to take your grandmother to her yoga swim at the Senior Center.”
“Good for her.” He smiled. Grandma Bertie had a bigger social life than him. “Give her a hug and kiss for me. Oh, and tell her to come hungry on Sunday, none of that picking at her food she tends to do because she’s been gobbling cookies and candy beforehand.”
His mother laughed, opening the front door for him. “Will do.” She peered at him. “Are you sure there isn’t something you want to tell me? Something new in your life, aside from the sudden invitation to your home, that is?”
He paused before shaking his head, opting to tell her a little white lie to tide her over until he knew for certain where his relationship with Elizabeth stood. “Jade and Ben’s wedding made me consider how much I’ve missed hanging out with you guys.”
“Oh, listen to me butting into your personal business again. Forgive me. It’s just there’s a sparkle in your eyes I haven’t seen in a very long time.” Her smile let him know she wasn’t buying his story, but she wasn’t going to nag him either. “I’m happy you’re doing well, dear, and I’d love for you to tell us when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He gave her a tight squeeze. He was blessed. He’d put his parents through hell and back and they’d supported him without question. There were bound to be concerns about why he’d kept so much of his life a secret when they all sat around his dinner table this coming weekend, but he would deal with it then. Tonight, he had a hot date with a smart, sexy, caring woman and he wanted the rest of his work out of the way so he could enjoy their night together without the guilt of unfinished copy edits. “Well, I’ve gotta go.” He stepped through the doorway and turned to wave goodbye.
“Oh, will you be planning on traveling with us to Holly Point this year, or going on your own? Your father wants to know because that will help us decide which car to take, the Subaru or the new one that has more space.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He then gave her the details about his appointment with his agent the Monday after the get-together. Again, he left out any mention of Elizabeth. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Elizabeth enough that he thought she’d back out on him, but she did have a new business to run and complications could crop up in spite of the best of intentions.
“Okay. Great! We’re thrilled you can come this year. Always lots of fun, and I hear all the kids will be there this year. Vincenza is beside herself with joy. I imagine she’s already started to prepare the house and food. That reminds me; I should call and ask what I can bake.” With that, she waved goodbye and closed the door, on to her next mission.
A warmth filled his chest as he followed the flowers along the cement path and driveway to his truck parked on the street. Elizabeth and Mom would get along since they both loved to bake. Maybe he should’ve invited her for Sunday. No, there were going to be some tough conversations to get through and he didn’t need her to be witness to that. Besides, he wanted his family to feel comfortable, get everything out in the open and they wouldn’t do that with Elizabeth present. They’d all meet her soon enough at the clambake.
He’d reached the street when his phone chirped. It was her. The heat in his middle spread south. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hello, handsome.”
He opened his door and sank onto the worn leather seat, cranking the window to let some of the summer heat escape. When she didn’t say anything more, his heart lurched. Had the change of heart arrived already? “Something come up?”
She sighed. “I’m really sorry. I have a ton of unexpected paperwork having to do with online orders. There was a snafu with one of our distributors and I have to fix it. One of the pitfalls of being a small business owner, I guess.”
He let out a slow, controlled breath. Work happened. He understood. “Anything I can do?”
“No, but thanks for offering. You’re so sweet.”
“Don’t tell anyone. You’ll ruin my rep.” He switched over to Bluetooth—a present from Jade and Ben—and started the truck to make the short ride back to his house.
She laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me, bad boy.”
His jeans tightened at the sexy vibe in her voice. If he’d met her sooner, he wouldn’t have become an advocate for banishing all small talk from the universe. She could make a how-to manual for a copying machine sound interesting. “Don’t tell anyone I miss you either.”
“Aww. I miss you too, and now you’re making me feel even worse about having to cancel.”
He heard another phone ring in the background.
She groaned. “Hold on a sec, okay?”
“Sure.” He slowed and came to a stop at Starling’s only red light. Mr. Van Salzberg crossed in front of him with the new lady friend the man had met on a recent cruise to Bermuda. At least that was the rumor according to Jade, and she should know, being Mr. V’s social worker and friend. He smiled and waved to the couple. If there was hope for that old, grumpy coot finding love, there had to be hope for Jeremy Engel. He should take advantage of his relative youth.
The light turned gr
een and he resumed the drive through town.
Elizabeth came back on the line. “Sorry about that. Now where were we?” A smile reentered her voice.
As much as he hated to end their conversation, he wanted her to finish her work so they could be together again, ease the ache in his body and mind for her. “Look, I don’t want to hold you up. You want to drop by my place when you finish?”
“Uh, I don’t know. I have an awful feeling it’s going to be a really late night, followed by an obscenely early day tomorrow. I just learned the inventory I’d expected at ten is now set to arrive at six AM.”
He swallowed his disappointment. “Tomorrow then? The salads are ready.”
“That sounds so delicious. I’m looking forward to it.” She hesitated. “I’m looking forward to you.”
The bulge in his pants grew along with a twinge under his ribs. “So, I guess I’ll catch you when you’re finished, unless you want me to help unload the truck tomorrow?”
“No, I have it covered. You don’t need to get up early on my account, especially when I know you said you do your best work early in the morning. How about I call you?”
“Sure. Good luck.”
They said their goodbyes and he hung up, trying to look at the bright side the rest of the ride home. He’d have no problem finishing edits today, well ahead of schedule, and he should have energy left over for new sketches.
*
Elizabeth pressed End on her cell phone, distressed about having to break their dinner date. Since when had she preferred a man’s company over her retail one? Never. Her only consolation was that he’d seemed upset, too, and sounded like he missed her.
He missed her.
She flipped through the hard copies of this month’s online orders, searching for those associated with the distributor that had caused the glitch and sighed. It was going to be a long day working the phones while Shannon handled the customers out front.
If he missed her, did that mean last night had rocked his world, too?
She stopped flipping papers and grinned. He sure as hell had rocked hers. Who knew laughing during foreplay was acceptable, even encouraged? She stifled a laugh, reminded of the racy slogan Tori had uttered this morning in response to her comment about Jeremy’s mad skills: Foreplay’s his forte.
But the man was much more to her than sex and laughs. After they’d completely exhausted each other with pleasure and were cuddling in bed, enjoying a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream together just after midnight, they’d talked about everything and nothing. At one point, she’d asked him which authors inspired his work. He told her about two of his favorite books, children’s stories by Shel Silverstein that had stuck with him since he was little. She remembered Silverstein’s silly poetry and illustrations, but she wasn’t familiar with the titles Jeremy mentioned.
So, before she knew it, Jeremy had jumped up and jogged out of the room, returning a few moments later with a well-worn book titled The Missing Piece. He slid close to her, reading aloud the short yet poignant story to her as she relaxed in his arms, Jeremy’s husky voice catching on the same parts that tugged at her heart. When he finished reading, he’d closed the book and gazed at her with such adoration in his brilliant, blue eyes that his modest underestimation of his true value had made her heart stop for a moment. He may have claimed it didn’t matter to him that they were from very different backgrounds and that they had more in common than they didn’t, but his concern about meeting her parents and asking what her sisters thought about him exposed his fears about their future.
Jeremy was a sensitive, loyal soul and she’d protect him with her entire being because—in spite of her promise to Tory and Claire that she’d take it slow—when he’d finished reading that book to her in the wee hours of the morning and before they made love yet again, she’d realized the truth.
He was her missing piece.
All she had to do was convince him he deserved her, not just for the summer or a year, but for a lifetime of love.
Chapter Twelve
‡
Jeremy looked up from his watercolors to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows in his solarium. The sun was setting, a ball of fire on the rugged horizon. Elizabeth should’ve called by now. Her most recent text had come at lunch. He checked his phone. No new messages or missed calls since the last time he’d checked fifteen minutes ago.
He tossed the phone onto his desk and bit off a curse. Why was he stuck sitting here, waiting for her? Why didn’t he just track her down in Lake Placid, and insist on being there for her?
He rested his head in his hands and released a deep sigh. First she’d been wrapped up in paperwork Monday, then there were inventory problems on Tuesday, and the past two days she’d stayed with her grandmother when she wasn’t at Body Gear Athletics after her grandfather was injured in a fall. When Jeremy asked if she wanted him to help, either by being at the store or joining her at the hospital, she had refused, saying there was plenty of family around and not to be concerned.
But he couldn’t help it. He was worried. He cared about her, wanted to be there for her and help her through the tough times as well as enjoy the good with her. She didn’t seem to need him though, content to have him just sit here twiddling his thumbs while waiting for her next call or text. He leaned back in his chair and stretched before settling in for another round of drawing when his phone chirped. About time. “Hey. How’s it going?”
“Better. All the tests came back negative so that’s great news. Gramps will be allowed to go home as soon as the doctor signs the release papers. I’m so relieved. Gram didn’t sleep for two nights while he was here and she’s beyond exhausted. I’m going to drive them home, get them settled in. My sister, Tory, is on her way up for the weekend so I’ll get to rest then.”
“That’s good. You sure you don’t want me to come over, help out? I have to go into Lake Placid anyway.”
“Oh, I’d love to see you, but I’ll be returning to the store soon. Shannon is there now and will cover the front while I cut the checks. That shouldn’t take long, but I think we’ll have more fun if we wait until I get home.” There was a pause, followed by a long exhale. “This week has been crazy. But I’m back now. Is it too late to invite you to dinner?”
He wasn’t about to play games. Their relationship may be moving at warp speed, but he was all in. “Never too late.”
“Great! How about six?”
“Sounds good. I should be back in plenty of time from the dealership.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re picking up your new car today. Bittersweet?”
He sucked in a deep breath. She knew him so well already. “Yeah, a bit. That old Ford and I had some kickass times together.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She giggled then suddenly went quiet.
He could picture her tapping her finger on that cute bottom lip of hers like she did when pondering a situation.
“That’s what I love about you,” she added, softly. “You’re loyal to a fault.”
He snorted. Loner, yes. Loyal, no.
“No, really. You could’ve bought a new car long before now. You just couldn’t justify it without giving that old truck all the years you felt it had in it.”
She might have a point, but he wasn’t going there. Not when all he wanted to focus on was getting her back into bed and making up for the lost days. “I’ll bring the salads.”
“Are they still good?”
“I ate them and made more, you nut.”
“Oh. Yes, bring the salads. I’ll buy the steaks on my way home. Shannon’s quickly proving her value, eager to get all the hours I can afford, so she’s opening for me tomorrow.” Her voice went soft. “We can spend the night together, if you’d like?”
He could tell by the tone in her voice she was anxious to see him, too. Maybe he should hold back, make her wait like she had him, just to give her a taste of the agony he’d endured all week. But his traitorous body was having none of it and his heart wasn’t
far behind. The most he could do was to make her wait for his happy assent. “I like. See you soon.” He hung up, and clapped his hands down on the table. Yes. A whole night. He glanced at the work beneath his fingers. All he had to do was finish the watercolor and run into Placid for his new wheels, a custom-ordered matte black Lincoln MKX. A beauty.
He wasn’t buying the car to impress her. It was a reward for a job well done after years of toiling to become a published author, ordered shortly after he’d signed the second contract. An expensive vehicle didn’t change who he was on the inside. No matter how flashy a car he drove, he would always be the blue-collar townie, and she would always be rich, city girl visiting for the summer. Well, he’d enjoy their time together and appreciate all the ways she’d helped him to grow, getting out of his rut and opening his world to include those that truly loved him—even if she wouldn’t be one who could stay in his life for always. So what if she was his missing piece. That didn’t mean he was hers.
He plucked at the collar of his black tee shirt and got back to work.
*
Elizabeth’s breath hitched as they walked up the flower-lined cement path to the Engels’ home. It would be okay. She would make a good impression. Between her online and brick-and-mortar she’d raked in $280 thousand so far this quarter and she still had another month to go. She was a skilled business woman. She certainly could sell the Engels on her right to go out with their son.
“Ready?” Jeremy’s hand hovered over the red door’s doorknob.
He was nervous, too. She could tell by how he was wiping his other hand on his denims.
“I should have kept on my work clothes.” She plucked at her fitted button-down blouse and glanced down at her navy pencil skirt and high heels. She felt out of place. People in the tiny village of Starling tended to be more casual, especially on a sticky, summer Saturday afternoon.
His Kiss (Summer in New York Book 2) Page 11
