Authors: Brenda Jackson
Fifteen
F
or Shiloh, the time had flown by this past week, and Saturday was here before she knew it. She had been so busy getting things organized for her grand opening that she hadn’t noticed the passing of the days. She’d also found time to meet with Nannette about the charity ball and had agreed to handle the entertainment aspect of the event. That shouldn’t be hard. Nannette had even given her a list of local talent she could choose from.
One good thing was that Caden hadn’t dropped by, and she wondered whether telling him she had a date had finally made him realize things were over between them. She doubted that she would forget the look on his face when she’d told him. She had tried not to let it bother her, but she found herself turning the moment over in her mind anyway. And to make matters worse, she had been tempted more than once to call Sedrick and cancel tonight’s double date. But each time, she had talked herself out of it, refusing to let Caden’s visits and those flowers weaken her resolve. Her relationship with Caden had ended, so there was no reason she should feel guilty about going out with another man. He hadn’t thought of her when he’d slept with those other women. Regardless of the fact that he had unwittingly been played by her father, he should have trusted her more.
She had just finished fixing her hair when the buzzer sounded. Wallace was a few minutes early. “Who is it?” she asked, after hitting the intercom.
“Wallace.”
“Take the elevator up to the third floor and then come to the first door.” She took a deep breath, thinking,
Okay, this is it.
This was her initial step in moving on, something she should have done years ago. After hearing his knock, she opened the door and had to stare up at the man standing there. He was tall. Almost as tall as Caden. Now, why had she made that comparison?
He was handsome. Any woman would agree with that assessment. He had a nice smile and looked good in his brown slacks and mint-green dress shirt. And, according to Sedrick, he was a nice guy. So why wasn’t she feeling a little excitement? Why wasn’t there an increase in her pulse? An extra beat from her heart? “Wallace, please come in while I get my purse.”
“Thanks,” he said, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him while glancing around. “Nice place.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m looking forward to tonight,” he said, smiling over at her.
She again thought he had a nice smile. But then, so did Caden. Growing annoyed with herself, she said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
She quickly rounded the corner and grabbed her purse off the breakfast counter. Why was her mind constantly going back into the past? Some things you couldn’t change. And the history between her and Caden was one of them. Her goal was to move forward and not look back. She believed if she gave him the chance, Wallace could be the man to help her take those steps.
When she returned, he was standing in the spot where she’d left him. “I’m ready.” And she inwardly told herself that she was ready not just for dinner but to get on with her life.
He nodded, smiling. “I’m ready, as well. Ready to start getting to know you better.”
She returned his smile. “I’d like that.”
* * *
“Sheppard, that’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. After I saw Jace and Shana walk in together and how into each other they seemed, I figured there was a reason he was bringing her here to meet me,” Sheppard said, shifting the phone to his other ear. “His announcement that they were getting married didn’t come as a shock. But for them to tell me about the baby... Wow! It was incredible.”
He paused a moment and then said, “And then I got to thinking, Carson. The baby will have a grandfather in prison. A grandfather he or she won’t be able to spend any time with except during visits. I don’t want my grandchild seeing me here, unable to understand that I’m not a criminal. And do you know that by the time I’m released from jail, he or she might be the same age Jace was when I went in?”
Carson didn’t say anything. Sheppard Granger rarely held a pity party, so as far as she was concerned, he deserved this one. The one thing she admired about him more than anything was his integrity and his fierce desire to protect those he loved.
“You’ll be up for parole in a couple of years, Sheppard.” She paused and then added, “And if you would let me arrange for your case to be reevaluated, I’m sure—”
“No. You saw that email. You read it. I can’t lose my sons, and if you get too involved, I could lose you, too. That would destroy me, Carson. Just let things be. Please.”
She heard the plea in his voice and decided to do as he’d asked and let things be. And she would. For now.
* * *
“Welcome to the Matador,” the maître d’ greeted Dalton.
“Thanks,” Dalton said. “We have reservations for a party of four. The Grangers.”
“Certainly, Mr. Granger. Your table is ready. Right this way.”
Dalton had been looking forward to tonight. Although he’d initially been shocked by Jace’s marriage announcement and hearing about the baby had almost made him lose his cool, he was okay now, and the more he was around Jace and Shana, the more he saw how right they were for each other. And tonight he and Caden planned to officially welcome her to the family, Granger style.
They had invited Hannah to join them because she was considered part of the family, but she had made plans to visit her daughter, who was in New York on business. They intended to take in a Broadway show.
Jace and Shana had decided to marry in a private ceremony with only close family and friends next month at Sutton Hills. All the arrangements were being made, and Hannah was so excited that she had volunteered to cater the entire affair. It would be her gift to the bridal couple.
They were seated and menus given to them when Dalton inquired, “So how did the fathers handle the news?”
Jace and Shana told Dalton and Caden how they had shared the news with Ben and Sheppard and how joyously both men had reacted. After visiting Sheppard, the couple had gone straight to a jewelry store, where Jace had purchased Shana an engagement ring. Dalton would admit it was a mighty nice-looking rock, but then, he hadn’t expected anything less from his older brother.
“I understand you have a sister, Shana. You could have invited her to join us,” Dalton said.
Shana smiled. “She would have liked that, but she works out of town on occasion and won’t be back for a few weeks or so.”
Dalton was just about to ask Shana what kind of work her sister did when the arrival of a group across the room caught his attention.
Damn.
Eventually Caden would see them, he thought, so he might as well mention it. “It seems this is a popular place tonight,” he said to everyone seated at the table. “Shiloh Timmons and her brother, Sedrick, just walked in...with their dates.”
Caden’s head snapped up, and he gazed across the room at the same time a sharp pain ripped through his heart. Shiloh had told him she had a date tonight, but he hadn’t wanted to believe her. And seeing her with another man froze him solid.
Shiloh must have felt his gaze on her, because at that moment, she glanced in their direction. From the sudden look that appeared on her face, it was obvious that she was as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
“Caden?”
Jace said his name. He heard the concern in his brother’s voice. Without breaking eye contact with Shiloh, he said, “I can deal with it.”
But even as he said the words, deep down he truly knew that he couldn’t.
* * *
The moment Shiloh was seated, she felt a blast of cold air come her way. Glancing across the room, her gaze caught Caden’s. For a moment she went still because she read everything in his expression and the icy-cold eyes staring at her. Telling him she intended to move on without him and that she had a date tonight was one thing, but actually seeing her with someone else was another. And, at that moment, she felt both his anger and his pain. The intensity of both almost closed her throat.
“Shiloh? Are you all right?” Wallace asked, getting the attention of the others seated at their table.
She met Sedrick’s gaze, and she saw concern in her brother’s eyes. She could see the wheels turning in his head, wondering what was wrong with her. Obviously, he hadn’t seen the Grangers yet, and she had no intention of pointing them out.
Shiloh knew she had to pull herself together and do so quickly. Forcing a smile at Wallace, she said, “Yes, I’m fine. I was trying to remember if I unplugged my curling iron. I don’t like leaving it plugged in.”
Okay, what she’d said sounded lame, and she wasn’t surprised when Sedrick looked at her strangely. And bless Cassie’s heart, she tried coming to her rescue by saying, “You never want to leave them plugged into an outlet if you can avoid it. Small fires are known to happen.”
Cassie had gone a little overboard with that statement, and from the expression on both Wallace’s and Sedrick’s faces, they probably knew it.
Wallace leaned close to her and said, “If you like, I’d be glad to take you back home to make sure you did unplug it.”
It was a kind offer, and it would be so easy to tell him, yes, she wanted him to take her back home, because deep down she didn’t know how she could enjoy her meal knowing Caden was in the same building and sitting at a table where he could see her every move. But she knew leaving was the coward’s way out, and Sedrick would be upset when he discovered the real reason. He had warned her not to get involved with Wallace if she wasn’t ready to move on. She had assured him she was.
“Thanks for the offer, but now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I unplugged it. No big deal.”
“You sure? A few minutes ago, you had an expression on your face as if you were really bothered.”
“No, I’m fine now.” She drew in a deep breath, wishing that were true.
* * *
“Caden, how are you managing to balance your work at Granger and your music?” Shana asked.
Caden smiled, understanding her ploy. The sight of Shiloh with a date had rendered him speechless, and he’d had little to say during most of the meal, leaving Dalton to keep things lively for the engaged couple. Every so often, he would glance across the room at Shiloh. She had refused to look at him again after that initial eye contact. Although she smiled occasionally at her dinner date, he could tell she was nervous. Only someone who had once been as close to Shiloh as he had could detect her nerves from across the room. She kept her hands so busy while she talked that she barely had time to eat and she kept brushing her hair back from her face.
Knowing Shana was waiting on his response, he said, “Luckily, this time of year is our downtime. The guys like being home for the fall since it leads into the holidays, and they enjoy the time they get to spend with their families.”
“No females in the band? I recall there was one on your last album.”
There had been, he thought. Rita Crews. She had been his bass guitarist, and she’d been a damned good one. She’d also been his lover at one time. Although she’d accepted his sex-only rule in the beginning, after a few months she hadn’t wanted to play by the rules. He’d told her the same thing he told all the others—he didn’t intend to get involved in a serious relationship. They would be lovers and nothing more
.
Rita’s possessiveness had become obsessive, and he made the decision to let her go from the band after several altercations with fans when her jealousy got the best of her.
“We did have a female bass player once, but she moved on.” He didn’t add that she didn’t have a choice and hadn’t been happy about doing so.
“I’m glad everything worked out in your favor with your tour schedule.”
He was glad, too. He was also glad Shana hadn’t inquired about what he intended to do in January, when it was time for him and the guys to begin touring again. He felt committed to his band but, at the same time, he was committed to Granger Aeronautics. A promise was a promise, and he and his brothers had given their grandfather their word on his deathbed. They all intended to keep that promise.
Luckily for Caden, Dalton steered the conversation to another topic by asking Jace and Shana where they would live after getting married. It was then that Caden realized what Jace’s marriage would mean to him personally. If Jace and Shana decided to make their home at Sutton Hills, that meant he would need to find somewhere else to stay. Moving to his parents’ home was out of the question, and moving into the boathouse was unthinkable.
“We haven’t decided where we’ll live yet,” Jace responded.
Caden wondered what there was to think about. As the oldest, Jace would inherit their grandfather’s house...until their father was released from prison, and then it would be up to Sheppard as to what he wanted to do with it.
The waiter returned to suggest dessert, and everyone declined. The food had been delicious, although how the food had tasted was the last thing on Caden’s mind. They sat there a few minutes longer, talking over coffee, and then it was time to leave, which meant they would have to walk by Shiloh’s table.
Dalton saw his dilemma and said, “I can always ask the manager to let us sneak out the back door if you’d rather not encounter Shiloh.”
“Go to hell, Dalton.”
His baby brother only gave him a wide grin as he stood. “Well, since you’re being a meanie, I think I’ll mosey over and say hello to the Timmonses.”
Before Caden could stop him, Dalton walked toward the table where Shiloh was sitting. Damn him.
Sixteen
“W
ell, if it isn’t Shiloh and Sedrick Timmons. Fancy running into you here,” Dalton began.
Sedrick was talking, and the table went quiet when Dalton Granger approached, his presence causing a momentary lull in their conversation. Shiloh had been hoping that the Granger party would ignore them on their way out. It seemed that would not be the case.
Not only had Dalton stopped by their table, but the others in his group did so, too. She forced herself not to look at Caden as Sedrick introduced everyone.
When Jace introduced Shana as his fiancée and indicated they would be getting married in a few weeks, congratulations were offered to the engaged couple. While growing up, Shiloh had always liked Jace, mainly because he’d been older and so sure of himself. Whereas Dalton, the youngest of the three, had mostly been the pain that only younger brothers could be.
“Wait a minute,” she heard Wallace exclaim, grinning all over after being introduced to Caden. “You’re Caden Granger?
The
Caden Granger—the Grammy Award–winning saxophone player? The Caden Granger who doesn’t put out a CD that I don’t run out and buy?”
Before Caden could say anything, Dalton spoke up and said, “Yes, he’s
that
Caden Granger. For a minute there, I thought you were going to ask if he was the same Caden Granger who was once engaged to marry Shiloh, because, yes, he’s that one, as well.”
“Oh,” Wallace said. His surprised expression indicated he definitely hadn’t known that piece of information.
He looked at Shiloh, who quickly added, “That was a
long
time ago.”
She then sent Dalton a frosty look, but he only smiled at her. He’d done that on purpose, and she didn’t appreciate it. A quick glance at Caden and his annoyed expression indicated he hadn’t appreciated his brother’s statement, either. At least she was grateful for that.
“Well, we’d better get going,” Jace said quickly, trying to smooth things over. “It was very nice meeting you. I hope you enjoy your meal.” He then all but shoved Dalton toward the exit.
Caden hung back somewhat, and Shiloh held her breath, wondering what he would say. As far as she was concerned, Dalton had said enough. Too damned much.
He glanced her way, but instead he looked past her to Wallace and said, “Thanks for supporting my music. I appreciate it.” Then to the rest of the table he said, “Please, enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Shiloh watched as Caden left the dining room.
“He seems like a nice guy,” said Wallace.
Shiloh swung her gaze back to Wallace. “Who?”
“Caden Granger. I’m glad I got to meet him. I should have asked for his autograph.”
She nodded and then drew in a deep breath, avoiding her brother’s gaze that she knew was not missing a thing. “Yes,” she said to Wallace. “You should have gotten his autograph.”
* * *
Dalton, to Caden’s surprise, was waiting for him beside his car in the parking lot. And he had the nerve to be smiling. “Jace told me I was crazy to wait for you, because you would probably kick my ass,” Dalton said. “But I assured him you wouldn’t since I helped you out.”
Caden narrowed his gaze at his brother. “You think you helped me out?”
“Sure. Now Dr. Aiken has been given fair warning that there used to be something between you and Shiloh. So he won’t be surprised when you get her back.”
Caden drew in a deep breath. “Dr. Aiken is not my concern in terms of getting Shiloh back.”
“So you do intend to get her back?”
“Yes.”
“At least you’re admitting to that. And I hope you don’t plan to be a Mr. Nice Guy about it. I studied Wallace Aiken at dinner. He likes her, and I take it that Sedrick is pushing the relationship. If I were you, I—”
“Damn it, Dalton, you aren’t me. You handle your business your way, and I’ll handle my business my way. Now, move out of my way before I do kick your ass.”
Without another word to his brother, Caden got into his car, slamming the door behind him, and drove off. He wished he could say something for Dalton to mull over but knew that would never happen. His brother would never fully understand the emotions he was feeling until he fell in love, and Caden didn’t see that happening anytime soon, if ever. Dalton thought he should be worried that Wallace Aiken was his competition. However, as far as Caden was concerned, Aiken wasn’t even in the picture. It was all about Shiloh and making sure she understood a few things. If she thought all the history they shared could be tossed aside, she was wrong, and he intended to prove it to her.
He knew Jace would be spending the night at Shana’s place, especially now that they were engaged and expecting a baby. And with Hannah being away for the weekend, it meant he had Sutton Hills to himself. Whoop-dee-doo.
He headed for home, knowing that he definitely wouldn’t do things Dalton’s way, but he fully intended to get the woman he loved back—the Caden Granger way.
* * *
“Oh, Ben. You’re going to be a grandfather. That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.”
Benjamin Bradford couldn’t help but smile as he glanced across the candlelit table at someone he thought was a very beautiful woman. He and Mona Underwood had met months ago in the produce section of the neighborhood grocery store. He had been a cop on the streets of Boston and had worked for a while as a detective, so he could read people pretty well.
She had been getting around the store with minimal use of her cane, but he immediately knew she was blind. But that hadn’t stopped him from admiring her beauty or striking up a conversation with her.
Now several months later, they’d had a number of dates, and she’d met both of his daughters, Shana and Jules—short for Juliet. They liked her, although they wanted him to take things at a reasonable pace. They were protective of him since he hadn’t been involved in a serious relationship since their mother Sharon’s death of pancreatic cancer thirteen years ago. At the time the girls had been in their early teens and they’d needed their dad.
Ben liked everything about Mona. She had a quiet manner and appreciated life, although one would think life had given her a bad rap. A car accident had rendered her legally blind. Then her husband had left her, married someone else and had given his young bride the child he had denied Mona for years.
Yet Mona never felt sorry for herself. Instead, she became independent and self-sufficient. She didn’t see her blindness as a handicap. Instead, she saw it as a challenge—a way of life for now, since her doctors felt there was a possibility her sight could return.
However, it mattered not at all to Ben whether Mona ever regained her sight because, in his heart, he’d already fallen in love with her and intended to make her a part of his life. For always. He’d told her as much, and she was trying to get used to him and his bold assumption that their lives would always be entwined. He was okay with that, because he didn’t intend to go anywhere. He had plenty of time on his hands and couldn’t see using it any other way than spending it with her whenever he could.
“Thanks, Mona. I’m excited about it. I must admit my girls had me worried for a while. It’s okay to build a career and work hard at it, but at the end of the day, it’s always nice to have someone to come home to.”
She nodded slowly, hoping he was hinting at their situation.
Mona was a political-science professor at the University of Virginia and Ben smiled at the thought. He’d always done his duty by voting, but until he had met Mona, he had never discussed politics with anyone. She was well versed in the issues at all levels of government and she had a wealth of knowledge. He loved her intellectual mind and, as far as he was concerned, Mona was still a beauty at fifty-three. He was nine years older at sixty-two and he thought the age difference was perfect.
He reached across the table and captured her hand in his. “So, did you enjoy dinner tonight?”
“Yes. I enjoyed it very much.”
He watched as her features lit up. With her creamy brown skin, expressive dark brown eyes, full glossy lips and cute perky nose, all framed by a mass of short curls that cascaded around her face, he thought she was simply beautiful, totally desirable. The latter was what he’d been fighting now for a few months. Her desirability.
“I prepared dinner for Shana and Jace the other night and plan to do so again when Jules returns home. Will you come?” he asked.
She smiled. “It sounds like a family gathering.”
“It will be. I want to get to know my future son-in-law better. He’s captured my daughter’s heart, that’s for sure. And from the time I spent with him the other night, I can tell he’s what she needs. He’s solid, strong, a man of distinction.”
“All the qualities you possess.”
He chuckled, appreciating her compliment. “Thank you. So, getting back to my invitation to dinner. Will you come to dinner?”
“And you’re sure that your girls won’t mind?”
He smiled. “Positive. They like you.” And besides that, he thought further, he’d made it clear to his daughters that they had their lives and he had his. They knew he’d loved Sharon, but now it was time for him to enjoy his life with the woman he wanted.
“If you’re sure...”
His hand tightened on hers. “Positive. I’ll give you sufficient notice in terms of the date. I’m just waiting for Jules to come back to town. You never know with her and those cases she works,” he said of his daughter, who owned a private-investigation firm.
“Where is she now?” Mona asked.
“Last we talked, she was skipping through Montana.” He paused a moment, then said, “There is another matter I’d like to talk to you about.”
She lifted an arched brow. “Oh? What?”
“A trip. How would you like to go with me to New York to see a Broadway play? We can stay a few days and enjoy ourselves and the city.”
She didn’t say anything as he watched her features, knowing what he was asking of her. Taking her away from Charlottesville meant removing her from her comfort zone. He knew she had very particular ways to deal with her blindness. Her clothes were coded for easy identification, and she used what she called her “magic wand” to get around so as not to bump into anything. And whenever they went out, he would arrange her plated food so that she knew where everything was. If she were to accept the offer, it would mean her total dependency on him for the entire time they were gone.
“New York?” she asked softly.
“Yes, New York. I figured we could stay for a few days.” He was letting her know this trip wouldn’t be a day trip like the time he’d taken her to the beach or driven her into D.C. He was talking about them staying overnight. Together.
He watched her features, saw the indecisiveness and knew she was thinking of all the reasons she shouldn’t go. He gently tightened his hand on hers. “Trust me to take care of you, Mona. Trust me to never hurt you.”
He watched her beautiful, strong, dark brown eyes fill with tears as she asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Positive,” he replied quickly. He reached up and wiped a tear that tracked down her cheek. “It will be okay, baby. You’ll see. Just trust me,” he whispered.
She nodded slowly and then said, “I do trust you. Okay, I will go to New York with you.”
Ben let out the breath he’d been holding, doubting that Mona had any idea about just how happy she had made him at that moment.