“I won’t be able to stay. I’ve got to get to the station early if I’m going to stop this from happening.”
“I’ll brown bag it for you.”
“You don’t have to go to any trouble.”
Mrs. Lawson was insistent. “No trouble, Lil. Aaron wouldn’t have made it out of high school without you. If you won’t marry him and make me happy, the least you can do is let me feed you.”
“You know we don’t feel like that about each other.”
The older woman sighed. “I know, but a mother can dream.”
Mrs. Lawson knew Lil well enough to sense her real distress. She made a sympathetic sound and said, “It’ll work out, Lil. You just get yourself together and come on over early. You’ve got a big day head of you.”
Lil agreed, hung up and carried Colby to the bedroom with her. She tied her hair up in what she hoped was a serious looking bun. Her confidence increased as she layered on the armor of her business attire.
A stranger stared back at her in the mirror. What did people say? “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” In this case, she was dressing for the person she wanted to be. If the shoes were too tight and the skirt felt restrictive, well it was something she was determined to learn to love.
She gathered Colby’s supplies.
She slung a diaper bag over her shoulder and secured Colby into her portable car seat.
Chapter Two
Making it to the car wasn’t as bad as Lil had anticipated. With a hand shielding Colby from the flashes of cameras, Lil had rushed through the press, refusing to respond to the questions they’d thrown at her.
“How much did they pay you for the interview, Lil?”
“What’s your big confession?”
“Are you doing this because you’re jealous of your sister’s recent publicity?”
After securing Colby in the back seat, Lil hastily slid into the driver’s seat of her little, red Ford Focus and breathed with relief. Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to get anywhere very fast with those reporters blocking her driveway. She considered simply backing up and forcing them to scramble. That’s what the old her would have done in a heartbeat and she wouldn’t have given a thought to possible consequences.
The new her was trying to figure out how not to give them another reason to feature her on the news tonight.
Her cell phone rang.
Jake.
When she didn’t answer, he merely rang again.
Impatiently swiping her phone to connect, she said, “What do you want, Jake? I’m a little busy right now.” She’d given up trying to impress him.
“Where are you going?”
The hair on the back of her neck rose. “How do you know I’m going anywhere?”
“I’m parked across the street.”
A quick turn confirmed his claim.
“Shit.” Lil quickly checked her daughter in the mirror. “Don’t worry, Colby, Mommy is going to stop swearing after today. Don’t remember any of this.”
“Are you talking to me?” Jake asked.
“No,” Lil shook her head. “Sorry. I was-.” Lil stopped herself from sharing what would only make her sound crazier than she already felt. “What are you doing here, Jake?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“You mean Dominic sent you.”
“Does it matter?”
It shouldn’t, but it did. There could never be anything between them; he’d said so himself. Those words still stung even all these weeks later.
“Not at all.”
“Why did you give the interview, Lil?”
“I didn’t-” Once again, she stopped herself. She didn’t owe him an explanation. “You can tell Dominic that I have the situation under control. The interview won’t be airing.”
“Did you have a change of heart?”
“Think what you want, Jake, but think it in New York. I’m having a bad enough day.”
Jake hung up.
Lil watched him exit his silver BMW, every bit as immaculately groomed as the last time she’d seen him. He towered a good foot above the reporters, but Lil was sure that wasn’t what made them take a step back as he approached them. Jake wore wealth and influence like some people wore an old coat, with comfortable indifference. He didn’t doubt for a moment that people should respect him and wasn’t surprised when they did.
Whatever he said to the reporters was tempered with a smooth smile. The combination worked, they responded by reorganizing their cameras on the opposite side of the road with seemingly no complaint.
No one should be that good looking and that powerful.
Life should bestow one.
Getting both was just plain unfair.
She fought the impulse to drive off while he was otherwise occupied.
He strode toward her car and she caught her breath.
She’d almost convinced herself that she’d exaggerated his attractiveness in her memories. No, it was all there- the classically square jaw, perfectly styled dark brown hair, expertly tailored clothing that accentuated his muscular frame and golden brown eyes that sent shivers of excitement down her spine as they seared through the distance between them.
Could any woman be blamed for wanting to believe that lightening could strike twice in one family? Her sister had gotten her own fairy-tale ending, why couldn’t the universe have sent Lil one?
In retrospect, the possibility lacked precedent.
Even the Grimms knew- one Prince Charming per village.
That made Jake the wolf?
More like a crappy narrator who breaks in to remind you that none of it is real.
He yanked the door open and slid into the passenger seat. The subtle scent of his cologne teased and tempted.
She gripped the steering wheel and focused on the dashboard.
To fill the silence she said, “Thank you for whatever you just said to the press. Now I really have to go. I’m already late.”
