Love in San Francisco ; Unconditionally

by Shirley Hailstock

  Desiree looked horrified. “Even those Louboutins you owned that I wanted to steal?”

  “No, they’re in the bottom of the carry-on,” Petra informed her.

  Desiree breathed a sigh of relief. “Your values are still intact, then.”

  Petra laughed, “Just kidding. I gave those away, too.”

  “I may faint,” Desiree said, looking bug-eyed at Petra.

  “Then you’d better let me drive home,” Meghan joked, holding her hand out for the keys to Desiree’s car.

  “I’m driving,” Desiree said, then turned her attention back to Petra. “I can’t believe you gave away those beautiful shoes!”

  “They were no use to me in the jungle,” Petra said with a chuckle. “They were nothing but something to haul around, and my backpack was heavy enough with my research equipment.”

  Desiree opened her mouth to say something else but Meghan cut her off with, “The shoes are gone, sis. And they’re not going to miraculously reappear because you’re upset about it.”

  Her cell phone rang and she dug it out of her shoulder bag. It was their mother. Meghan answered with, “Hi, Mom, what’s up?”

  “Marjorie and I were wondering if you’ve made up your mind about Duke yet. It’s been weeks now.”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Meghan said. “I promise, as soon as I make up my mind, I’ll phone Auntie Marjie.”

  “Don’t wait too long,” her mother warned her. “Opportunities like this don’t come along every day.”

  “I won’t,” Meghan promised. “Bye, now. Have a good evening.”

  “You, too, sweetheart,” Virginia said.

  When Meghan hung up, she looked at her sisters with a panicked expression on her face. “Do you think she suspects?”

  For years they had been trying to surprise their mother on her special days—birthdays, Mother’s Day and anniversaries—but she always found out about the surprise party before it occurred and enjoyed having one-upped them. She would crow about it for weeks.

  “No way,” Desiree said confidently. “We’ve sworn everybody we invited to secrecy. She isn’t going to win this time.”

  “It isn’t a matter of winning,” Meghan said.

  “Oh, hell, yes, it is,” Petra said stubbornly. “We’ve put up with her bragging for too many years. She’s going down this time!”

  Meghan took Petra by the arm. “Let’s go get you something to eat. You get mean when you’re hungry.”

  * * *

  Leo had guests. Newlyweds Jake and Mina had come over for a meal while they were in town for Mina’s parents’ anniversary party.

  He hadn’t seen them since the wedding, although he spoke with both on a fairly regular basis. Jake was in the kitchen with him while Mina was on the living room floor playing with Malcolm, whom she’d fallen in love with the moment she saw him.

  Jake couldn’t help stealing glances at his beautiful wife, smiling happily while Malcolm jumped all over her.

  “I can see that three months of marriage hasn’t cooled your ardor one bit,” Leo said.

  “Huh?” Jake said, eyebrows raised in confusion. “Would you translate that into normal, everyday language for those of us who don’t have a doctorate in English?”

  “You know what I said,” Leo returned. He now had a full head of dark brown hair, which was sheared close to his head, the waves in it following their natural pattern. His goatee was as neat and luxuriant as ever.

  Jake’s hair was the same color, but a bit longer, and his moustache and full beard were sculpted to frame his strong jawline. He continued to admire Mina. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. And, if anything, I’ve fallen even more in love with my wife in the last three months. I can’t keep my eyes, or my hands, off her. Of course, as the next few months go by, I’ll probably be in protective mode, knowing I have two people to protect now.”

  Leo set down the knife he’d been using to chop onions and turned around to face Jake. “Mina’s pregnant?” he asked excitedly.

  Grinning, Jake nodded. “I wanted you to be the first to know, bro.”

  Leo burst out laughing and hugged his brother tightly. “You two didn’t waste any time! Congratulations. I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Good,” Jake said as they parted. He looked Leo in the eye. “We’re going to announce it at the party tomorrow night, but Mina and I thought you should hear it privately.”

  Leo smiled, realizing his brother’s meaning. Knowing Leo’s particular situation, he and Mina had wanted to break the news gently. It wasn’t that Jake thought Leo would be jealous or anything as trite as that. They just wanted him to have time to process the news and not have it be a shock to the system.

  “I’m going to be an uncle,” Leo said, his voice awe filled.

  “The best damn uncle ever!” Jake said and hugged his brother again.

  * * *

  The next night, the party was in full swing when Leo arrived at the downtown luxury hotel in Raleigh and entered the ballroom with Shari on his arm. Shari looked lovely in a sophisticated white sheath dress with a scoop neck and a hem that fell just above her ankles. She reminded Leo of one of those black actresses from the fifties, like Dorothy Dandridge, who were always so well put together when they were photographed at Hollywood events.

  He was wearing a tailored black tuxedo, his black dress shoes shined to a high gloss.

  “I’m a little nervous,” Shari whispered.

  “You have nothing to be nervous about,” Leo assured her. “These people are down-to-earth. They’re going to make you feel welcome.”

  Sure enough, Meghan spotted them and came over to say hello. Leo’s heart started its normal rat-a-tat in his chest at the sight of her. She looked gorgeous. She was wearing a black sleeveless dress, the neckline of which both accentuated her full breasts and displayed the lovely curve of her neck. The hem fell about two inches above her well-shaped knees. Her legs went on for days.

  He was so mesmerized by her that he failed to notice the giant crossing the room at her side until they were almost upon them. But Shari didn’t. “Who is that? Dwayne Johnson’s younger, finer brother?”

  Who is that, indeed? Leo thought, trying his best to beat down the green-eyed monster. “We’re going to find out soon,” he told Shari. “That’s Meghan.”

  “Hi, Leo,” Meghan said enthusiastically. “I’m so glad you could come. This is my date, Andre Hanks. Andre, this is Leo Wolfe. His brother, Jake, is married to my sister Mina.”

  “Oh, yeah,” the giant said, grinning. “The other twin.” Then he proceeded to shake Leo’s hand off.

  Leo had to rub the feeling back into his hand when Andre released it. “Hello, Andre. Nice grip.”

  Then he politely introduced Meghan to Shari. “Meghan Gaines, this is Shari Dunbar. Shari teaches English literature at Duke. Shari, this is my friend Meghan.”

  “Oh, yes,” Shari said with a friendly smile. She placed her hand on Leo’s arm. “The history instructor who looks more like a student than an instructor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Meghan.”

  There might have been something evil in Meghan’s eyes for a split second. Leo wasn’t sure, because she quickly schooled her expression and smiled at Shari. “Welcome, Shari. I hope you enjoy yourself this evening.” Then, suddenly, she said, “Excuse me, won’t you? I think my sister’s trying to get my attention.”

  Leo noticed Desiree was beckoning her from across the ballroom.

  The couples smiled at each other and then Meghan and Andre departed. Leo looked at Shari and said, “Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark.”

  Shari laughed, “You can always rely on Shakespeare to have a pithy remark for any occasion.” She glanced in the direction Meghan and Andre had gone. “That girl’s in love with you, by the way.”

  Leo stared at her. “Why do you say that? She did
nothing that would convince me she’s in love with me.”

  Shari laughed, “Sometimes men can be so dense. For a second there, I feared for my eyes. I thought she might scratch them out. But, that aside, she’s a lovely woman. I’m not holding that fierce territorial streak she has against her. I’m like that when a woman gets too close to John, too.”

  Before Leo could comment, he heard Jake call, “Hey, Leo, over here.”

  Leo escorted Shari across the ballroom. Jake was alone at his table. After Leo introduced Shari and they sat down, Jake said, “Mina’s with her sisters. Apparently, Momma Virginia found out about the surprise party beforehand. No one knows who talked, but the girls are furious. But they have one more card up their sleeves and I think they’re about to play it.”

  Her interest piqued, Shari asked Jake, “Did you say Virginia? Are you talking about Dr. Virginia Gaines?”

  “That’s right,” Jake said. “Why, do you know her?”

  “My kids went to her school,” Shari exclaimed. She looked accusingly at Leo. “You never said Meghan was Virginia Gaines’s daughter.”

  “I didn’t think to mention it,” Leo said, surprised by the intensity with which Shari was expressing her respect for Meghan’s mother.

  “That woman is awesome,” Shari informed Leo and Jake. “When she became principal at my kids’ school, it had the worst scores in the state. Inside a year, she’d turned that place around. I had even been considering sending the kids to a private school, but John was against it. He felt they should be in the public school system where, by God, they should be able to get as good an education as in an expensive private school. We argued about that for a while. But I let them stay and they graduated with honors from her school. And John was right—they got an excellent education. Virginia Gaines fights for her students!”

  “She’s a fighter, all right,” Jake had to admit.

  Leo, who up to that point hadn’t had much personal experience with Meghan’s mother, now recognized some of her mother’s spirit in Meghan. Apparently, neither of them gave up when they were faced with adversity. Maybe Meghan wouldn’t give up on him yet.

  “There they are,” Jake announced while Leo was ruminating about Meghan.

  Leo looked up to see Meghan and three of her sisters climbing the steps to the stage that had been set up for the night’s festivities.

  For the next few minutes, the Gaines girls entertained the audience with tales of what it was like to grow up with Alphonse and Virginia as parents. Their father had been the pushover and their mother the disciplinarian. But they allowed that it was because their father had often been stationed overseas and felt guilty for not being with them year-round that he tended to spoil them. Their mother, on the other hand, saw them day in and day out and knew they needed order and discipline in their lives. They said that, for this, their mother was often accused of being too strict with them. However, they loved her for encouraging them to work hard and push themselves beyond their comfort zones.

  Then they asked their parents to join them onstage, and that was when they started talking about their fifth sister, Petra, who was reportedly in Central Africa doing research on the great apes. Mina stepped up to the mic. “In Petra’s honor, Momma and Daddy, we thought we’d play a song to remind you of her.”

  The DJ, hearing his cue, played “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” As soon as the music began, the double doors leading into the ballroom were shoved open and a beautiful petite woman in full African dress strode into the room to a collective sigh from those in attendance. Leo assumed she was the absent Petra, about whom the sisters had spoken so glowingly.

  “My baby girl!” Virginia screamed and ran down the steps of the stage to throw herself into Petra’s arms.

  “I thought I was your baby,” Meghan, who was the youngest, cried, at which everyone started laughing, Leo included.

  For the next few minutes, it was pandemonium, with the Gaines family hugging each other and their guests applauding, getting out of their seats and joining the Gaineses to congratulate them.

  Eventually everyone returned to their tables and dinner was served by the waitstaff amid constant excited chatter from the guests. The rest of the family joined Leo, Jake and Shari at the big round table in the center of the room, and lively conversation ensued.

  Virginia had to point out that although her daughters did, indeed, surprise her with Petra’s appearance, she had bested them yet again by uncovering the details about the surprise party.

  “Okay, you got me,” she said. “But next year you won’t be so lucky, I assure you.”

  “Mom,” Mina said cheerfully. “This time next year you’re going to be a grandmother twice over.”

  The whole family cheered and Virginia got up, ran around the table and hugged Mina.

  Congratulations were given, and Mina and Jake were soundly hugged and kissed by everyone.

  When it quieted down, Leo whispered to Shari, who seemed to be having a wonderful time, “Please excuse me for a few minutes.”

  Shari smiled at him. “Of course.”

  Leo got up and walked outside the ballroom into the wide corridor. People milled about, coming from and going to the nearby restrooms or sitting on the comfortable-looking upholstered benches that lined the walls.

  He just needed a quiet moment. Things certainly hadn’t gone as he’d imagined. He’d been hoping to get the chance to speak with Meghan alone. All evening he’d wondered what Andre Hanks meant to her. Leo hoped he meant nothing because she certainly didn’t mean anything to Hanks. He’d been eyeing attractive women all night long.

  Leo went to the men’s room, and when he came back out, he walked from one end of the long corridor to the other. Just walking and thinking. Was Meghan actually dating this joker, or was he only a friend who’d agreed to be her escort, as Shari had agreed to be his plus-one?

  He wasn’t jealous. He had no right whatsoever to be jealous. Meghan was not his woman. Meghan could be his, if only he would be honest with her. That was a possibility. A real possibility. Or so he tried to convince himself. There were only two possibilities. She would accept him as he was, or she would react like Natalie had.

  “I’m going to do it,” he muttered. “To hell with the consequences.”

  A tall man in a dark suit gave him a funny look as he walked past him in the corridor. Leo figured the guy must have overheard him talking to himself.

  He turned around and started walking back down the corridor toward the ballroom. Then he heard a soft voice say, “How’s your evening going?” It was Meghan.

  Leo spun toward her voice. They were, luckily, alone at this end of the corridor. He went up to her and grasped her by the upper arms. “Meghan, what are you doing with a guy like that? He’s been checking out other women all night long. You deserve better!”

  “Andre and I aren’t exclusive,” Meghan said dismissively. “I know he plays the field.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” Leo asked, shocked by her attitude.

  “I’m young, remember? I’m not mature enough for a serious relationship,” Meghan taunted him.

  * * *

  Meghan didn’t know why she was saying what she was saying. Why didn’t she tell him Andre was only a friend? Because she was angry at him and wanted to lash out? For over five months she’d been trying to figure out what made Leo Wolfe tick, and she’d failed miserably.

  “You know that’s not what I meant when I said we shouldn’t date each other,” Leo accused her, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry.

  “It doesn’t matter what you meant,” Meghan said ferociously. “The bottom line is, I want you, but you don’t want me.”

  Her anger confused him. He started talking about her age compared to his. How she’d still be beautiful when he was a doddering old man. He couldn’t believe the nonsense issuing from his mouth when all he really wante
d to say was that he wanted to be with her.

  “I don’t care about tomorrow,” Meghan cried. “What about now? Tell me once and for all you’re not attracted to me and that’s why you won’t date me. Say the words so I can hear and understand, Leo. The way you look at me, it’s so hot it makes my skin burn. It drives me crazy! Does that woman mean anything to you?” She took a deep breath and waited for his answer.

  He looked at her in shock, as if he’d never expected those words to come out of her mouth. “Shari is just a friend, an acquaintance, a colleague. What the hell? She’s a married woman who loves her husband. I’m not having an illicit affair. Who is he to you?”

  It was her turn to look flustered. “Andre is a friend who I dated a long time ago, and figured out we should be friends only. And I mean only. We’ve never been intimate.”

  “I’ve got a congenital heart defect that could kill me without warning,” Leo blurted out. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and when he opened them again, he saw that the news had floored her.

  * * *

  Meghan went weak in the knees, and if he hadn’t grabbed her just in time, she would have fallen. He held her until he thought she felt steadier on her feet. In the safety of his arms, Meghan peered up at him. Her eyes were so sad it tugged at his emotions. He’d done exactly what he’d been avoiding doing for five months. He’d hurt her, and he’d probably ruined his chances with her forever.

  “Now you see why people keep secrets,” he said softly. “Some things are better left unsaid.”

  He yearned to kiss her, just once. This could be his only opportunity. The way she was looking at him, he might as well already be dead.

  Meghan stood on her own. She felt her strength returning to her. She wasn’t Virginia Gaines’s daughter for nothing. She looked Leo in the eye, her gaze determined.

  “It’s too late for dire warnings, Leo Wolfe, because I’m totally into you.”