by Judy Kentrus
The sun was just a slice on the horizon, and thousands of stars winked in arrival when she just happened to notice the lights were on in the Blue Casbah. Her heart filled with lighthearted happiness.
“I think it’s time to have a little fun.” A cunning smile slowly formed. “You’re not going to get away scot-free with breaking my heart. You’re going to have to work to get me back.”
Chapter 3
The following morning, Nancy half expected to see a friendly face when she did her morning run, but seabirds were her only company. As was her habit, she took a shower as soon as she got home. After drying off, she wrapped her hair in a towel and applied moisturizer over her entire body. Having spent so much time on the beach during the summer months as a teenager, she’d listened when her mother told her to never neglect her skin. Breakfast would be fruit and yogurt. Then she planned to go into Naples to do some shopping.
She was just about to head into the bedroom to get dressed when there was a knock on the sliding door off the patio. She hesitated at the sight of Sean standing outside her door holding some type of plant wrapped in cellophane. His hair was a lot shorter than he’d worn it during their college years. Back then, he hadn’t wanted to spend the money on haircuts, so she’d became very good at cutting his hair for him. The Tommy Bahama marlin logo was prominent on his blue knit shirt that he’d paired with tan walking shorts. His left wrist was adorned with a gold Rolex watch. Apparently, he’d done very well for himself.
He was shifting from foot to foot in a nervous gesture, like a boy would act when he called at a girl’s home for the first time. What happened to the suave, confident male who’d presented her with a glass of terrible-tasting wine at a frat party and declared he’d just found the girl of his dreams? She’d laughed in his face, but her heart had melted at his smile.
She glanced down at the white towel she’d secured around her body and decided her bikini was much more revealing. He also had carnal knowledge of what was under said towel. She slid the door open and smiled.
“Little early for paying a call.” She gave him credit for not lowering his eyes in a lingering inspection of her body.
“Not as far as I’m concerned. You look just fine to me. If I remember, we both had a thing about towels.”
“Yeah, you would walk out of the bathroom with a towel loosely knotted about your waist—”
“And,” he interrupted, “you took pleasure in relieving me of said towel because you liked to look at my ass. That was usually followed by a quick bout of lovemaking.”
No one had to remind her how quickly they could end up in bed. She folded her arms around her waist and leaned a hip against the doorframe. This time, his eyes lowered to appreciate the mounds of her breasts at the edge of the towel. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit on this fine day?”
“Can I come in? I’d like to talk to you. When I’m done, I’ll leave, unless you tell me otherwise.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is.”
Stop busting his chops, Nancy Jean. If you’re reading him right, he’s holding more than a plant in his hand. Could it be his heart? She slid the door wider and stepped to the side. “Fair enough.”
“This is for you. Consider it a replacement for the one I killed when you had to go home for your cousin’s wedding.”
“Thank you,” she said and set the plant on the kitchen table. The dark green leaves sought freedom the moment she relieved them of their confined wrapping. A number of the spiny leaves sported pink, trumpet-like flowers.
“A Christmas cactus. You remembered my favorite flower. When I asked you to water my plants, you went overboard. My plant was as limp as a wet noodle from being overwatered.”
“Sorry I couldn’t replace it at the time, but back then my pockets were light and we were lucky we had food on the table.”
“Speaking of food, I haven’t eaten breakfast. Can I interest you in fruit, yogurt and herbal tea?”
“No, thanks, I ate earlier.”
“Let me get dressed, and then we can talk. I usually eat outside on the patio.”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
“How am I going to make him pay when he is being so nice?” she muttered and reached for her mint-green sundress with the short-sleeve jacket. She had second thoughts about making him work to get back in her good graces. The serious look on his face said he had something important to say, and you didn’t kick a man when he’s down. As a defense attorney, Nelson had taught her to be patient and assess a situation after she’d heard all the facts. Something told her this would be the most important case she’d ever have to judge. And this time, she couldn’t be totally neutral. Even after all this time, her heart was leaning in his favor.
She ran a brush through her hair and made sure the center part was straight. The trimmed layers would fall neatly into place as they dried. Her white wedge sandals would bring her almost eye to eye with Sean at six feet. She added a quick spritz of perfume to her wrists and behind her ears before putting on her twisted, silver hoop earrings, a Christmas gift from Kaitlyn. She didn’t bother with lip gloss because it would be gone by the time she finished breakfast. Sean had always said she didn’t need anything extra on her face because she had a natural beauty.
When she returned to the kitchen, he was already sitting outside on the patio. He’d poured two glasses of orange juice and set her yogurt and container of sliced fruit on the table. He’d remembered a napkin, a fork and a spoon.
“This is a surprise,” she said and joined him at the table.
“You mentioned herbal tea, but I didn’t want to go through your cabinets.”
“Juice is fine.” Nancy opened the container of peach-flavored yogurt. “Before we start, I’m going to ask you to remove your sunglasses.”
“Why?”
“Because I could always tell if you were lying.”
“I should have remembered, not that I made a habit of lying to you.” He set his glasses on the round tabletop.
“No, you just kept everything inside and dropped the bomb at the last minute.” Nancy was already annoyed with herself for being bitchy. The small amount of yogurt she’d eaten felt like a lead weight in her stomach. “Sorry, that was uncalled for. You came here to tell me something.”
Sweat coated his palms and he couldn’t play it off as moisture from the glass of orange juice he held. Time had been her friend, and she was more beautiful than ever. She’d liked to wear her hair in a ponytail, and when it got too long, she’d trim it herself to save money. Now, flowing layers of silver, white and deep gold added to the beauty of her tanned skin. She was no longer that unsure-of-herself girl, but exuded confidence, a woman who wouldn’t take any bullshit.
He wasn’t this nervous presenting his clients with an investment potentially worth millions of dollars. Where to start? This would be the most important proposal he’d ever had to present.
“Are you okay?” Nancy asked. “At times, you took yourself too seriously because you had a fear of failing, but you were never at a loss for words.”
He raised his eyes from the rim of his glass. “There is so much I want to say, and you’re right about my fear of failing. That’s something I don’t want to do. It’s too important. I don’t know where to begin.”
“Okay, let’s play a game. I’m the lawyer, and you’re my client who’s here to confess to a crime. When you’re comfortable, just talk about anything you want.”
“Leave it to you to try and cheer me up. Nothing has changed in that respect. If I was wearing a towel, you’d whip it off my hips, spin it around and crack me on the butt.”
“It’s apparent you’re still fixated on wearing a towel,” she added with a small laugh.
“Let’s begin. Mr. Harrigan, why have you come here today?”
“I need to confess to a crime.”
“And what crime is that?”
“I walked away from the woman I love.”
; His frank statement was jolting and took her totally by surprise, but she showed no reaction. “Why did you do that?”
“I was seduced by the idea of making lots of money through influential connections. My father also envisioned I had a future in politics.”
A knot tightened in her throat when she asked the next question. “Why didn’t you ask her to go with you? She might have surprised you with her answer.”
“Her dream was to become a criminal defense attorney in Beacon Pointe, her hometown. I had more confidence in her than she did in herself and knew she would make a great lawyer.” Sean paused before asking, “Would you have given up your dream and come with me?”
“If you had asked me twenty-four years ago, I would have gone with you. Thinking about it now, I might have wound up resenting you because I gave up my dream, and that would have destroyed us in the end.”
“It was blind ambition on my part. A person doesn’t realize how rich they are or recognize what they have until it’s gone. Leaving you was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I’d like to be a part of your life again.”
“As a lawyer, I’m naturally skeptical, so I question how you’ve come up with these gut-wrenching conclusions so quickly. You saw me for the first time in twenty-four years coming out of a mini-mart two days ago.” Nancy chuckled lightly. “I feel like a simple-minded heroine in a romance novel. The hero is on his knees in front of his one true love, pleading for forgiveness and expects her to forgive him so they can ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?”
Over the years, he’d developed the ability to sense whether he’d “reached” a client, but this time, it wasn’t working. She’d turned into the woman he’d always envisioned and a very worthy opponent.
“You’re a hard woman, Nancy Jean. I didn’t see that coming. Spoken like a true lawyer.” Sean pushed his empty glass aside. “I’ve been completely honest and regret what I did to you. I’m sorry.”
“Are you expecting me to give you absolution and my trust and welcome you back into my life just because of an impassioned speech? I never hated you and don’t blame you for wanting to follow your dreams. We landed on our feet, have separate lives and successful careers, but we can never pick up where we left off.”
His plea was going downhill fast, and she had every right to throw up a wall of mistrust. So how did he breach her defenses? “Does that mean you’re not giving me a chance to make everything up to you?” He didn’t bother to hide the hurt in his voice.
“I didn’t say that.” Nancy reached across the table and intertwined her fingers with his. “The two years we lived together, I trusted you with my heart. We can’t go back to who and what we were, but maybe we can start again. You’ll have to re-earn my trust.”
Her words of encouragement dissolved some of the guilt and regret he’d carried in his heart, and he squeezed their hands together. “You must be a great lawyer. I really thought you weren’t going to take my case.”
“I had to know you’re sincere in your feelings.”
“I can assure you I am.” Sean exhaled a deep sigh of relief. “What are your plans for the day?”
“I’m going into Naples to do some shopping.”
“Funny you should say that. I’ve decided to take a much-needed vacation and need more clothes.” His eyes dropped to her partially eaten breakfast. “I’ll treat you to lunch.”
“I accept.” She stood up, but hesitated before walking into the house. “Sean, I don’t expect to be entertained. I’ve plans of my own, and you have business to handle. Let’s not rush into things.”
They enjoyed lunch at a sidewalk café, but Nancy insisted they go their separate ways to shop. The only person she was comfortable shopping with was Kaitlyn, not that she found much time to browse the stores and purchase what she liked. She loved the new handbag and two pairs of shoes she didn’t need, as well as three pairs of shorts, three tops, a sleeveless romper, three sundresses and a sarong-style dress in pale gold that complemented her deepening tan.
They’d agreed to meet at four in the small parking lot just off Fifth Avenue. Sean was already in the car. The windows were open, and he was talking on the phone and flipping through screens on his iPad. She didn’t consider it eavesdropping as she waited until he finished talking.
“I’m very much aware of cost overruns and have built in hiccup line items in our proposal. I assure you, everyone will capitalize a great deal on their investment.” There was a slight pause. “Yes, my father and I have invested heavily in this venture. Have your lawyer get in touch with me if you have any more questions.”
Once he’d finished his call, she tapped lightly on the car frame. “No rest for the conscientious businessman. Viva for technology.”
“Hey,” he said. When he got out of the car he frowned. “How long have you been standing there?”
“A few minutes. Why? Is there a problem?”
“No. If I’d known, I would have finished my business sooner. This is one client my firm could do without.” He glanced down, expecting to help her with her packages. “You’ve been gone for almost two hours, and all you’re holding is your purse. Did you have a problem finding something that you like?”
“I found too much. The stores are delivering my purchases to the resort.” She looked in the backseat of his car at the three bags from Maus & Hoffman, an exclusive men’s store. “That didn’t take you two hours.”
“No, I managed that in thirty minutes, walked around a little and made the mistake of checking the messages on my phone. I’ve been working ever since.”
“You’re a workaholic, Sean.”
“Yes, and you know why?”
Nancy shook her head lightly. “No.”
Her body froze when he lowered his head and slowly slid a hand around the side of her neck. He had to feel her rapid pulse against his palm.
“Because there isn’t a beautiful woman in my life to make me realize there are more important things than constantly working. I’m hoping that’s about to change.”
The sexy drawl in his voice and the persuasive invitation in his eyes was a lethal combination that seduced her common sense. She’d been putty in his hands years ago, and it appeared that part of her hadn’t changed.
She lifted his warm hand from her neck and stepped away. “Like I said this morning, let’s not rush things. I think it’s time we were getting back.”
“Before we do, I have something for you. You’ll find it on the passenger seat.”
He’d always been a gentleman and walked her around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. Sitting on the seat was a white bag tied with a yellow ribbon. The name on the front read Sweets and Things.
“What did you do?” she asked, picking up the bag before getting into the car.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he said, pressing the start button on the car.
Her hand wasn’t quite steady when she removed the cellophane bag of candy. “Swedish Fish!” The red jelly-like candy had been her favorite since she was a little girl. She’d take them over chocolate any day.
Her heart swelled with delight from his thoughtfulness. She leaned over the center console and put her hand to the back of his neck to draw him closer. She needed to control this and brushed his lips with a soft kiss, then pulled back just before he applied more pressure to her mouth.
“Thank you, Sean. That was so thoughtful of you. Whenever I had to study hard for a test or exam, you kept me well supplied.”
“See? I haven’t forgotten your favorite flower or candy.”
“When we were living together, you knew me better than I knew myself. When I lost confidence, you always assured me I’d make a great lawyer.”
“That’s because we loved each other and only wanted each other’s happiness. You coaxed me out of my black moments, only you used teasing, laughter and love.”
The surety in his voice cut right through her w
hen he spoke of the love they’d shared. She wanted to shout, Yes, you succumbed to your father’s wishes and didn’t care about my love and happiness.
They’d spent one day together, and she was already confused about the renewal of their friendship and the haunting feelings from their past. They’d held hands walking down the street. He sought any excuse to put his arm around her waist. For lunch, they ate Italian, and the waiter had set a basket of warm, sliced bread on the table. Sean had chosen the rounded end that she loved and buttered it before passing it to her. They’d had antipasto, and she’d given him all of the salami and provolone, knowing he liked the meat and cheese. They’d both ignored the olives. Being with him was like stepping into her favorite, comfortable slippers.
They spoke very little on the way back to the resort, each in their own thoughts. She wondered about his business discussion and how he’d appeared apprehensive when he asked if she’d overheard his conversation. If he didn’t want me to hear what he was talking about, he should have shut the damn window and turned on the air conditioning.
“Do you have any plans for this evening? Dinner?” Sean asked just as they approached the entrance to the resort.
“I’m still full from lunch, but I’ve a date.”
“A date?”
“Oh.” She laughed. “A cyberdate with Blue.”
“What about us?”
“What about us? He’s still my friend, a very dear, close friend. Just because we’ve never met face-to-face doesn’t mean that I don’t care for him.”
Sean parked the car, but left the motor running to keep the air conditioning flowing through the car. “Wait a minute. How did you meet this guy?”
“Through an online dating site.”
His eyes widened, and his anger-filled voice filled the entire car when he said, “Are you out of your mind? I thought you were a lot smarter. You’re a lawyer, for Christ’s sake. He could be a stalker!”
“I’m not stupid, and Christ has nothing to do with it. My daughter, the cop, had the same reaction. He doesn’t even know my real name.”
