What a Woman Wants

by Brenda Jackson

  “I’ve made a decision.”

  His father lifted a brow. “And?”

  “And I’ve decided to throw my hat into the ring next year and run for senator, but only on one very important condition.”

  His father offered him a smile while his mother’s expression gave nothing away. He knew it had been their shared dream that he would one day go into public office, but they had never tried to coerce him in any way, preferring to let it be his decision. “And what condition is that?” his father asked, meeting his gaze.

  Zach took a deep breath. He didn’t think his statement would come as a surprise to his parents, since they knew him so well, but...

  “Yes, what is this condition, Zach?” his mother chimed in, repeating his father’s question.

  He was watching his parents’ reactions when he said, “Anna. My decision to run for office will depend on how Anna feels about it.”

  His parents contemplated what he’d just said. But he knew them. They would want him to be more specific, and he would be. “Why are Anna’s feelings about your decision important, Zach?” his father finally asked.

  Zach wasn’t surprised by the question. He had expected it. They were forcing him to admit something that he’d been harboring in his heart long enough, but seeing her a few months ago had really brought it home. At the little party her grandmother, Julia Fuller, had given for her, he’d made a decision to act on his feelings. It was a party to celebrate the first year of Anna’s being a part of their lives.

  “The reason it’s important is that I’m in love with Anna. She doesn’t know it, and in fact I’m certain she doesn’t have a clue, but I intend to make my feelings known to her.”

  He watched his mother’s brow rise. “Just like that?”

  He shook his head, grinning. “No, Mom, not just like that. I have more charm and sophistication than that. After all, I am your son. But to answer your question, I plan to take things slow when I visit her in Hilton Head.”

  “You’re going to Hilton Head?” his father asked.

  “I intend to spend some time with her. I’m sure she assumes, like a few others, that I’m not over losing Shaun. I admit Shaun will always hold a special place in my heart, but I truly do love Anna. I didn’t realize how much until I noticed her grandmother introducing her to so many eligible bachelors at that party four months ago.”

  Leigh’s eyes lit up. “Oh, so you noticed that, did you?”

  “I couldn’t help but notice,” he said with an edge in his tone. “I decided then it was time for me to make my move, and what I do in the future and how she feels about it are important. She may not want to live a life that will constantly throw her in the limelight.”

  His parents understood completely. It was no big secret that the reason Anna had sought refuge on Hilton Head Island was to maintain her privacy. She’d also inherited a huge tract of land on the island from her great-grandmother, Mattie Murphy. Her family had once owned most of the property on the island before they had given in and sold it to developers. Mattie’s share had been split between her grandsons, Ross and Randolph. Upon Ross’s death, Anna had inherited her father’s portion as well as his share of a private island across the Intracostal Waterway called Glendale Shores.

  Upon her family urgings, Anna resigned from her job at the hospital in San Diego and moved to D.C. But there she was constantly hounded by the media, who’d found her story fascinating: HEIRESS FOUND AFTER 34-YEAR SEARCH.

  While living in the nation’s capital those three months, she hadn’t known a moment of peace and eventually transferred to the trauma center on Hilton Head. She had a beautiful beach house built on the property she had inherited there. For Zach to make his feelings known would also mean asking her to be a part of his life and his future. He had to be sure she would feel comfortable being a politician’s wife.

  “And if she wants no part of that type of life?” his mother asked softly.

  “Then I won’t have a part of it either. She is more important to me than anything.”

  His father said, “Then I wish you all the best, son. I think you know how we feel about Anna.”

  “Yes, Dad, I know, and I want to do the right thing. I will do the right thing, and I wanted you and Mom to know it. I also plan to visit Uncle Randolph as well.” Randolph Fuller had always been such a part of his life growing up that Zach considered him an adopted uncle.

  “When are you going to Virginia to see Randolph?”

  “First thing in the morning. And then later this month I’m going to Hilton Head, where I plan to spend the next month or so.”

  “Month?” his parents said simultaneously.

  “I’ll take even more time if I have to. I’m putting in a leave at work—a much-deserved one, I might add—and that’s where I’ll be for a while if anyone needs me for anything.”

  “Will you and Anna will be attending the Fourth of July celebration on Glendale Shores?”

  Zach smiled. She was asking about the huge gathering the Fuller and Wainwright families held every July Fourth. “We do plan to be there. And I prefer that you not mention what I’ve discussed today with Noelle. She has a tendency of trying to play matchmaker, and I prefer doing things my way.”

  “Okay, we won’t, but you know your sister. I think she has an idea already about how you might feel.”

  Zach laughed before conceding, “Yes, she might, but I still want to do things my way.” He checked his watch. “Well, I’d better get going if I’m to leave for Virginia in the morning.”

  His parents stood and his mother crossed the room and gave him a hug. “I wish you the best of luck where Anna is concerned. I knew from the first time I saw the two of you together that one day this would happen, and I’m happy for you.”

  “Same here, son,” his father said, also giving him a big, strong hug. “Anna is a very special young woman.”

  “I know. And that’s the reason I fell in love with her.”

  6

  “If he was that hot, I’m surprised you didn’t jump his bones when you had the chance,” Faith said, grinning after Shannon told her about the guy she’d met at the auto repair shop.

  Shannon, sitting on the sofa, crossed her legs, at the very thought. She smiled. “The idea did cross my mind, but I decided to make this an adventure, work up my level of expertise before I go in for the kill. Besides that, I have to make sure the guy clearly understands this will be a summer fling and nothing more than that. I don’t want him to get any ideas.”

  “Oh, and what kind of ideas are you talking about, Shannon?” Monique asked, coming to sit in one of the chairs in the room to join them. They had eaten dinner, each doing their own thing. Now Monique wished she’d had a salad like the one Faith had prepared instead of the hot dogs and fries she’d grabbed on the way back from town. She needed to purchase a few new jogging suits. She and Lyle had been meeting each morning, going jogging for almost a week, and if she was going to continue to do so, the least she could do was look good while getting all hot and sweaty.

  “Several ideas,” Shannon answered.

  “And of course the main one being that there’s no way Dr. Shannon Carmichael can even think about getting serious with a blue-collar worker. She only involves herself in relationships of intellectual compatibility,” Monique recited.

  Shannon frowned, not liking the way Monique had talked to her but then having to admit that what she’d said was true. “So what’s wrong with that?”

  “For you, nothing.”

  Her eyebrows rose in obvious displeasure. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  Monique glanced over at Faith, who gave her an eye that said, Please, let’s not go there tonight, but Monique ignored that look because she wanted to go there. Maybe it would be hopeless to try to make Shannon see just what a snob she could be when it came to dating, but still, it wasn’t a topic they hadn’t tangled with before. No one had been more passionate about it than Cely, but no matter what they’d said t
o Shannon, she refused even to consider that when it came to men, their annual income didn’t matter. Shannon’s defense had always been that her parents raised her in such a way as to eventually marry well, and falling for a guy—no matter how decent, honest, and attractive he might be—who didn’t make at least twice as much as what she made was not a good match, definitely a step down.

  “It means, Shannon, that you still have a lot of growing up to do.”

  “Why, because I’m selective when it comes to men?”

  “No, I think we’re all selective. You just take the selection process to a whole other level. You have this stubborn assumption that a woman has to become seriously involved only with someone she considers her professional equal—or better yet, her superior. Knowing your parents, I’m sure from the time you could talk they drilled it into your mind to marry a doctor, a lawyer, or definitely someone who could keep you in all those name brands you like. I’d bet the money I have in my bank account that qualities like honesty, loyalty, integrity, and sensitivity in a man were never discussed. All I’m saying is that you should consider all options. Blue-collar working men should be given equal respect and not looked down upon.”

  Monique could tell Shannon just didn’t get it, and she wondered if her friend ever would.

  “I hear what you’re saying, Monique, but I have my own taste in men and you have yours—and I doubt my taste will change.”

  “So what about this mechanic?” Faith butted in to ask, the look in her eyes expressing that she was more into making a point rather than indulging in idle curiosity.

  “Like I said, he’ll be just a summer fling. When I leave here, it will be out of sight and out of mind.”

  “And do you think it’s fair to him to be used that way?”

  Shannon shook her head, smiling with audacious confidence. The hot mechanic would be a perfect summer lover. “Trust me, he’ll get his time’s worth as well. Don’t get me wrong, I believe this guy has some level of social skills and he can communicate well enough but his social and communication skills aren’t what I’m interested in.”

  Neither Faith nor Monique had to ask just what she was interested in. Faith then turned to Monique. “I saw you jogging when I went to that shop on the beach to get my nails done early this morning. And the guy you were with looked good. Who is he?”

  Shannon turned and stared at Monique, and before Monique could answer Faith’s question, Shannon asked, almost shocked, “You were with a man?”

  Monique shook her head, smiling with the knowledge that with a man to Shannon meant an entirely different thing. “No, I wasn’t ‘with’ a man. I was merely jogging with him. He’s someone I’ve known for awhile who I ran into a week ago, and we decided to jog together every morning.”

  Faith couldn’t help but wonder why Monique hadn’t mentioned it if it was so innocent. “Who is he?”

  “Lyle Montgomery.” Monique then watched both Shannon and Faith as they tried to recall where they’d heard that name before.

  Of course it was Shannon who remembered. “Isn’t he the guy who was your brother’s roommate while in medical school?”

  “Yes.”

  A glitter of a smile touched Shannon lips. “I remember him coming to stay with your family one summer. When we saw you those two weeks, he was all you could talk about. You kept going on and on about how good-looking he was and stuff.”

  Monique laughed. It was both warm and spontaneous. “Yes, I remember, and he’s still good-looking.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Faith asked curiously. “Does he live on Hilton Head?”

  “No, he’s a doctor and is here teaching a medical symposium. He’s into jogging and plans to compete in the triathlon as well. Since we’re both competing, we’ve decided to work out every day together.”

  “Umm, that sounds interesting,” Shannon said.

  “Please get your mind out of the gutter, Shannon. Unlike you, I don’t lust after every man I see.”

  Shannon grinned. “And neither do I. I’m a very selective bitch, remember?”

  Monique couldn’t help but smile. “There’s no way we can forget.”

  Shannon had decided to call it an early night, which left Faith and Monique up chatting. Faith could tell Monique was excited about seeing Lyle Montgomery again.

  “Why didn’t you tell us you’d run into him and that the two of you were jogging together every morning, Monique?” Faith asked, studying her friend.

  Monique shrugged. “Because I didn’t want a big deal made out of it.”

  Faith nodded and then said, “I recall you had a crush on him.”

  Monique drew in a full breath. “Yes, but just for that summer. The next summer I had a crush on Charles Moore.”

  “Yeah, and let’s not forget Morris Potter.” Faith grinned.

  Monique covered her face with her hands, wishing there was a way she could forget. “You have a long memory, Faith, and speaking of Morris, I ran into him a few years ago at an insurance convention—and he’s gay.”

  “Umm, maybe I should try and get him and Virgil together.”

  Monique glanced over at Faith and couldn’t help but laugh. Faith soon began laughing with her. “I’m glad you’ve put that ugly ordeal behind you and can finally laugh about it.”

  “Well, yeah—what else can I do?” Faith said, smoothing her silk bathrobe across her knees. “I cried myself out when it happened,” she said. “I’m just so glad I had you, Cely, and Shannon to unload on. The three of you helped me to see it wasn’t about me but was about him.”

  “Yes, it was and still is. I’m amazed that the two of you can still be friends.”

  Faith could believe that. “Well, you’re not the only one,” she said. “My parents are amazed as well. If Dad had anything to do with it, Virgil would be a dead man. He fooled everyone, including me. Especially me.”

  “Yeah, and the sad thing is that he’s not the only man doing it,” Monique interjected. “When I first heard about it I thought this down-low brothers thing was a guy’s vivid imagination whose aim was to sell books on Oprah. Now every way you turn you hear more and more about men having affairs on their wives with other men. The next man I become involved with I’m going to come right out and ask him.”

  Faith couldn’t stop from rolling her eyes. “And you really expect him to tell you the truth?”

  “No, but I bet I could learn a lot from his shocked expression,” Monique said, leaning back against the couch.

  “Umm, speaking of learning a lot, I finally got around to meeting my parents’ neighbor today. I had promised Mom that I would go over and introduce myself while I was here. It seems the woman made a lasting impression on my parents when they came to sign the papers to buy this house.”

  Monique raised a curious brow. “Who is she?”

  “She’s an Amerasian who’s about our age and is a doctor at the trauma center at the hospital. Her name is Adrianna Ross-Fuller. I forgot to mention that I invited her to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Monique couldn’t suppress her surprise. “Someone’s fixing dinner? I thought we all agreed it was a free-for-all while we’re here.”

  “I know, but I like cooking every now and then and decided to spend some time in the kitchen tomorrow.”

  “Hey, it’s plenty big enough, so knock yourself out. I plan to get up early for my jog with Lyle, and then later just hang out at the beach and do nothing.”

  “Just be back by five.”

  “Oh, I will. And you better let Shannon know about dinner tomorrow. I have a feeling she’s going to go after her mechanic then.”

  Faith wasn’t sure she liked hearing that. “You think so?”

  “Yeah. I think she’s been planning her strategy and is about ready to go in for the kill.”

  Part

  two

  What has been will be again, what has

  been done will be done again; there is

  nothing new under the sun.

  —ECCLE
STASTES 1:9

  7

  “It’s going to be another beautiful day.”

  Monique whirled around at the sound of the deep, masculine voice. She’d been doing her stretch exercises and hadn’t heard Lyle come up. He was leaning against a wooden post on the boardwalk and wearing a pair of running shorts. Usually he wore a T-shirt, but this particular morning his chest was bare.

  She recalled the first time she’d seen his chest, back when he and Arnie had left to go swimming at the park. At sixteen she’d been dazzled by that bare chest; now at thirty-three she felt it razzling her mind. She appreciated a man who kept himself in shape, and Lyle was one who definitely did. She’d noticed that much from the first morning they had jogged together, although she kept trying not to stare. But there had always been something about his dark and hairy chest that had totally fascinated her. It was muscular, definitely well defined, and whereas before it had only been dusted with dark hair, now there was quite an abundance of it. His stomach was flat and lean, and the drawstring to his shorts clearly emphasized the path of hair that led to the waistband.

  “Yes, I’m going to agree, Dr. Montgomery,” she said, moving her gaze from his chest to his face, forcing her mind to concentrate on their conversation and not on his body. “The weatherman said it’s going to be a great day on the beach, and I intend to spend my time on it.”

  She forced herself to look out toward the Atlantic Ocean. “I love the ocean. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  He followed her gaze. “Sure is.” He looked back at her face. “Have you had your coffee yet?”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t like dealing with caffeine in the morning. I’m an herbal tea person. It’s better for you.”

  He chuckled. “Hey, you’re not going to get an argument out of me. It’s definitely better for your heart.” He then added, “Natural fruit juices aren’t so bad either.”