"No need to wait until you get home since Lena walks every day after dinner anyway. I"m sure she wouldn"t mind the company."
Lena quickly gazed over at her mother, studying the older woman"s innocent features. She couldn"t help but wonder if her mother had hatched some crazy idea about her and Morgan getting together. First dinner and now a walk-just the two of them. "I"m sure Morgan has had enough of our company for one day, Mom, and wants to call it a day."
Morgan glanced over at her. "Quite the contrary. I enjoyed both of your company and I"d love going for a walk."
Think! Think! Lena tried unscrambling her mind to come up with a reason she couldn"t go walking with him. All through dinner her naughty twin had tried to surface by putting all kinds of thoughts into her head. "It"s kind of windy out. It will mess up my hair," she said, saying the first thing that popped into her head, although it sounded rather lame. Lena tried unscrambling her mind to come up with a reason she couldn"t go walking with him. All through dinner her naughty twin had tried to surface by putting all kinds of thoughts into her head. "It"s kind of windy out. It will mess up my hair," she said, saying the first thing that popped into her head, although it sounded rather lame.
"Of course it"s windy, Lena. It"s March," her mother said, waving off her excuse with her hand.
"And there"s a cap in my jacket you can borrow," Morgan tacked on.
Lena sighed. Both her mother and Morgan were looking at her expectantly, as if waiting for her to come up with another excuse. She smiled over at her mother but inwardly narrowed her eyes at Morgan. Why was he going along with Odessa on this? Just wait until they got outside. There was a lot she had to say to him.
"Fine," she said, standing. "Let me change into something more appropriate for walking."
Ten minutes later she returned to find Morgan had helped her mother clear the table. She found them in the kitchen, again sharing another joke. "I"m ready." At the sound of her voice they both turned and smiled, and from the sparkle in her mother"s eyes Lena could tell she was in high spirits.
"Here"s the cap I was telling you about," Morgan said, moving away from her mother to come stand in front of her. Instinctively, she reached out to take it from him, but instead of handing it to her he placed it on her head. He stepped back and then tipped his head to the side as if to admire his handiwork. "It will work. Looks good on you."
Lena decided she needed to see for herself. She walked a couple of steps out of the kitchen to look into the huge mirror that hung on the dining room wall. He was right. It work would and it looked good...if blue, black and silver were your colors and you supported the Carolina Panthers.
She turned around and saw that Morgan had followed her out of the kitchen and was leaning against the door fame. His muscular shoulders came close to filling the doorway. "You do know I"m not a Carolina native and that I was born and raised in New York. Buffalo in fact," she said, meeting his gaze, and a warm oozy feeling flowed through her bloodstream. That seemed to happen each and every time she looked into his eyes.
He smiled. "Is that a cute way of telling me that you prefer rooting for the Buffalo Bills?"
"Not necessarily. Lucky for you I quickly converted when the Panthers came to town."
"We native Carolinians do appreciate that," he said in a voice that was warm and engaging. He straightened his stance. "Are you ready for our walk?"
"Yes." Ready but not looking forward to it, Ready but not looking forward to it, she thought further. she thought further.
Instead of jogging or fast walking, they eased into a nice leisurely walk. Neither said anything for a long while, but Morgan was prepared for Lena to have a lot to say. He knew she hadn"t liked the way her mother, with his help, had orchestrated this stroll.
Although it was windy, the sun was peeking through the clouds, making it a beautiful day the week before the first day of spring. Not that it mattered in Charlotte. Spring came when spring came. Last year it snowed on the first day of spring. Occasionally, they were visited by the snowstorm the locals called the Beast from the East. Last one had hit a couple of years ago, snowing everyone in the mountains, and surrounding areas, in for a few days.
Deciding they had walked long enough without conversation he decided to start one. "Nice day, isn"t it?"
He watched Lena s.n.a.t.c.h her head around as if she"d forgotten he was there. It was his opinion that she looked downright cute, dressed in a green jogging suit and well-worn sneakers and wearing his cap. "Yes." She then resumed looking straight ahead, up the road, with her mouth shut.
His lips crinkled at the corners. If she thought he was going to let her get away with one-word responses, she had another thought coming. "Tell me in twenty-five words, but not less than ten, just what do you think is nice about it?"
She turned her head slightly, and he knew it was taking a lot of her willpower to keep her features expressionless. He could just imagine what she was thinking. When she didn"t say anything he decided to coax her on. "Come on, Lena, you can do it. You"re a Realtor so you have to be full of nice, descriptive words. Try it. I double-dare you."
Lena couldn"t help the smile that spread across her features. For some strange reason she found Morgan"s antics endearing. "Okay, let me tell you what"s so nice about it...from a Realtor"s viewpoint."
Smiling, he tilted his head downward to hers. "I"m listening."
"Well, there"s the scent of spring in the air," she said, dimpling, then breathing in deeply. "That"s always nice. Not to mention the brisk breeze that"s not too cold. One of the reasons I bought a home in this area was for that lake over there," she said, pointing to the huge body of water that ran through the subdivision.
"I love walking around it, smelling all the dogwoods and seeing them bloom. But then, I need to be honest about something. Spring is nice but I like winter better mainly because I love snow."
He arched a brow, and a smile touched the corners of his lips. "You like snow?"
She returned his smile. "Yes. I love watching the snowflakes fall to the ground and cover everything. I like drinking a mug full of hot chocolate while standing at the window looking at the snow fall and wishing I could just go out there and play in it. At least that wasn"t one of the things I had to give up moving from New York. Although I got to see snow more often while living in Buffalo, at least I still get to see it."
She glanced up in the sky and blinked against the sun"s brightness and then back at him. "So, how did I do?"
"You went over your word count."
She stopped, tipped her head back and laughed; really laughed. Moments later she stuck her hands in her pockets and continued walking, shaking her head. "I would hate working for you."
He chuckled. "You already do."
Her head shot up and she stared at him with all amus.e.m.e.nt gone, wondering if he was trying to remind her of their relationship. "Sorry, I forgot."
This time it was Morgan who stopped walking. When she stopped as well, he reached out and lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. "I didn"t say that to make you remember."
She shrugged. "That"s okay."
Morgan felt the spell that had surrounded them for the past few moments trying to break, but a part of him refused to let it. She had started to relax around him and her mood had been light, almost carefree. He liked that.
"So what made you decide to leave New York to move to North Carolina?" he asked, wanting to get her talking again, as they resumed their walk. And he relaxed.
She didn"t say anything for a while, and for a moment he wondered if she was going to answer. Then she said, "My dad. In my senior year of high school his health began failing and the doctors thought a change in climate would help him. So we moved here right after my graduation and I began attending the University of North Carolina. Dad died a month after my graduation from college."
"I"m sorry."
A small smile touched her lips. "So was I. He was a wonderful man and I loved him deeply."
She got quiet for a brief moment and then she continued by saying, "It was really hard for Mama. They had been together so long. There were too many memories in the house where we lived, so we eventually put it up for sale and bought this one. That helped some, but for a while I thought I was going to lose another parent when Mom went into a state of depression from all her grief."
He nodded. "How long did it last?"
She t.i.tled her head to look up at him. "Who says it has stopped? She has good days and bad days, and trust me when I say today was one of her good days, and I have to thank you for it. This is the happiest I"ve seen her in a long time. She actually cooked all of the dinner herself. I can"t tell you the last time she went into a kitchen other than to eat or to get a drink of water."
"I can"t accept your thanks because I don"t know what I did. Your mother is a nice person and like I told you earlier, I like her. I can"t imagine her getting depressed."
"Well, she does. And then there"s her obsession with grandchildren. Did she mention anything about that to you?"
He smiled. "It just so happened that she did, briefly today while you were changing clothes and we were clearing the table. But that"s okay. Like I said the other day, I think all mothers believe it"s their duty to prod their children into parenthood."
Lena stopped walking. "So you think it"s a phase that will pa.s.s?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. If not, then you might have to do some serious thinking as to what you want as well. And if you want a baby, too, then you"re going to have to find a man who"d be more than willing to get you pregnant."
His voice was so low it could almost be defined as a whisper, and his words had sounded too serious. And the eyes staring down at her were more intense than ever.
Lena took a deep breath, inwardly forcing her naughty twin to behave when she felt her fingers itching to reach out and wrap her arms around his neck, bring his mouth down to hers and kiss him in all the ways she"d always dreamed about.
"Maybe we should head back now, Lena."
Morgan"s words gave her the strength she needed to regain full control. But for one fleeting moment she felt something had changed, shifted, gotten altered. As they began walking back toward her house she tried not to put too much emphasis on her surprise when he took her hand in his, making her aware of his touch, making her feel a little squeeze in her chest.
Today she would take this, the casual versus professional rapport they were sharing. When they saw each other again it would be business as usual. But today was nice and she planned on making today"s pleasantries, as well as Morgan"s own special blend of kindness, a very special memory.
Chapter 6.
"We"ll be able to finish up things once Morgan brings his attention back to the meeting."
Morgan snapped his head up to look into his older brother"s intense dark eyes. He glanced around the room and saw that Bas, Donovan and Vanessa were staring at him as well. So okay. He"d been caught daydreaming. No big deal. But with the smirk he saw on Donovan"s face he knew that his younger brother would make it a big deal. And Morgan didn"t have long to wait.
"In defense of Morgan, he can"t help that he has a lot on his mind. The woman of his dreams, his perfect perfect woman, still can"t seem to notice that he"s alive." woman, still can"t seem to notice that he"s alive."
"Go to h.e.l.l, Donovan," Morgan said, glaring over at his youngest brother.
"Okay, you two, knock it off. If you want to go at each other, save it for the next Sat.u.r.day we"re on the court," Chance said.
Morgan nodded. It was a family tradition that he and his three brothers got together every Sat.u.r.day to play basketball, mainly to get rid of any compet.i.tive frustrations they might get from working together. Depending on the depth of their frustrations, the game could get downright mean and ugly. "My pleasure," he said, giving Donovan a look that clearly said...next time we"re on the court, your a.s.s is gra.s.s.
"Who"s his perfect woman?" Of course Vanessa had to ask. At twenty-six she was the oldest of the three girl cousins and headed the PR department. It had been challenging for the Steele Brothers to keep an eye out for their younger female cousins while growing up, especially when Vanessa and her best friend from high school, Sienna Davis Bradford, were always getting into trouble.
"Lena Spears is his perfect woman," Donovan was more than happy to say.
A smile touched Vanessa"s lips. "Lena Spears? I know her and she"s a jewel. We"ve worked together on several community projects. Now, why doesn"t she notice that Morgan is alive?"
"Can we get back to the meeting?" Morgan asked, deciding he didn"t want his personal business discussed, especially if everyone had to hear Donovan"s take on things.
"You mean you want to get back to the meeting that wasn"t holding your attention anyway?" Bas said, rolling his eyes.
When Vanessa laughed, Morgan glared over at her. "Did I happen to mention that I was in Atlanta with Cameron a couple of weekends ago and he asked about you, Van?"
Morgan watched the amus.e.m.e.nt die on his cousin"s face, knowing he"d said something that would shut her up for a while. All it took was the mere mention of Cameron Cody"s name. Vanessa couldn"t stand the man.
"Okay, knock it off, all of you," Chance said, taking the role as leader. "Let"s get back down to business. We have important things to discuss."
An hour later when the meeting ended Morgan was the first to stand and head for the door. "Where"s the fire?" Bas called after him.
Morgan smiled as he kept walking. Oddly enough, he felt there was a fire. Every time he thought about Lena a part of him would erupt into a smoldering blaze. It didn"t take much effort to recall their walk on Sunday. Even though there had been other people around walking and jogging, there had been something pleasingly intimate about strolling beside Lena, talking to her, listening to her talk. And on those occasions when their arms would occasionally brush, he"d felt a sharp sensation all the way to his toes.
He checked his watch as he stepped onto the elevator. His smile widened. Lena would be receiving a package from him in about an hour and he hoped that she liked her gift.
...If you want a baby, too, then you"re going to have to find a man who"d be more than willing to get you pregnant....
Morgan"s words from yesterday still weighed heavily in Lena"s thoughts as she walked into her office. She would even admit that at one time she"d had thoughts of visiting a sperm bank. From a recent article she"d read in a magazine, more and more single professional women who were feeling the ticking of their biological clock were considering just that option. But of course being the ultra-traditional person she was, she had dissed the idea. She"d grown up in a home with both a loving father and mother and couldn"t see cheating a child out of a chance to have that as well. That reasoning always put her back at square one.
"Good afternoon, Lena."
She smiled over at her secretary as she grabbed the mail off the table and began flipping through it. "And a good afternoon to you, Wendy. Did I get any calls?"
The woman, who was only a few years older, smiled back and said, "Not since the last time you checked earlier, but you did get a package. I put it on your desk."
"Thanks, it"s probably those brochures I ordered last week," Lena said, tossing the junk mail in a basket to get shredded while keeping hold of anything she considered important. "I"ll be in the back if you need me."
Entering her office, Lena removed her jacket and then took the time to hang it in the closet before taking a seat behind her desk. She eyed the box sitting in the middle of it, immediately thinking it definitely wasn"t the brochures she had ordered. It was a beautiful gift box, wrapped in red satin-looking paper with a huge white bow.
She immediately pushed the b.u.t.ton for Wendy.
"Yes, Lena?"
"Where did this box come from?"
"It was delivered to you today by a private courier."
Lena lifted a brow as she studied the box. There wasn"t a card on the outside. "There"s not a card."
"It"s probably inside the box. You know, one of those ploys to keep nosy secretaries from reading it. Not that I would do such a thing," Wendy said, chuckling.
"So, you have no idea who sent it?" Lena asked.
"Don"t you?" was Wendy"s quick response. "It"s your box."
Lena shook her head. "I don"t have a clue, but there"s only one way to find out."
"Wait! You want me to call for the bomb squad?"
"Real cute, Wendy." Lena chuckled as she hung up the phone thinking that her secretary was forever the comic, and Wendy"s comment made Lena see just how paranoid she was being about the box.
Deciding she had wasted enough time as it was, she reached out and began opening it, not surprised when Wendy came into the room. "If there"s an explosion we blow up together," her faithful secretary said. "But trust me, it"s probably safe. The guy who delivered it was too cute to be on the wrong side of the law."
It was on Lena"s tongue to say "whatever," but when she removed the tissue paper her heart caught as she pulled out a beautiful handcrafted snow globe. Inside was a miniature replica of Charlotte"s skyline, and with a push of a small b.u.t.ton, that skyline became covered as snowflakes seemed to drift from the sky over the city. Amazing.
A part of Lena"s heart suddenly felt tight in her chest. She knew who had sent the package. Morgan. He had remembered her comments about the snow.
"Umm, it doesn"t look like one of those explosive devices, so I guess we"re safe," Wendy said, reclaiming her attention but only briefly.