“I think I can,” she said. “And I can also see why she would view someone like me as a threat to everything she’s wanted for your family. She wants Tom to marry someone who can make his life easier, not someone he might need to defend at every turn, someone who doesn’t fit into his world.”
He seemed surprised. “It’s generous of you to try to see her point of view, especially after how badly I’ve behaved today,” he said. “I’m truly sorry for that.”
Jeanette believed him. “Have you ever told Tom any of this?”
“No. When he and his sisters were young, we didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. We wanted them to have the happy, normal childhood to which they were entitled as McDonalds.”
“It might help if he understood what happened back then.”
“You’re probably right. Clarisse and I like to think we’ve put that time behind us, but obviously it’s not as deeply buried as we’d hoped. It still has the capacity to influence the way we react to certain things today.”
“Tell him,” Jeanette urged.
“I’ll do that if you’ll do one thing for me,” he bargained.
“I won’t break things off with your son,” she warned. He smiled. “Of course not. Just please give my wife some time to get used to the idea. I think once she gets to know you, she’ll appreciate that you’re exactly the right woman for our son. You have real integrity and that’s something she treasures.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
He regarded her hopefully. “Can we forget all about this visit?”
“I don’t think I want to forget all of it,” she said. “You’ve given me a perspective I really needed to have.”
“Then some good came out of it?”
She smiled. “Some.”
“Fair enough. Will you come with him to the dinner party? It’s important that he be there, and my wife is under the impression that he won’t come without you.”
She didn’t want to admit that Tom hadn’t mentioned anything about a dinner party, so she merely nodded. “If he wants me to.”
He shook his head at her response, a faint smile on his lips. “You remind me of someone.”
“Oh?”
“It’s ironic, really, but you’re a lot like my wife.”
She frowned. “And here we were getting along so well,” she said.
He laughed. “No, it’s true. You’re both stubborn and willful. And when you love, you’re going to do it with everything in you and damn the consequences. No wonder my son’s infatuated with you. I almost feel sorry for him.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Take it from a man who’s been married to a woman like that for forty years. It keeps life interesting. Challenging, but interesting.”
He walked past her then and left her with her mouth open. The encounter had been eye-opening. If someone had predicted an hour ago that she could actually like a man who’d just tried to buy her off, she would have laughed. Somehow, though, with his candor, Mr. McDonald had won her over. And she thought maybe she’d earned his respect as well. All that remained was to see if that made any difference whatsoever in how things went from here on out.
21
Tom had been calling Jeanette on her cell phone for hours, but she hadn’t been picking up. Frustrated, he walked over to the spa and saw a light still shining in her office. He knocked on the front door. When no one responded, he walked around and tapped on her office window. She had a ten-pound weight in her hand and was holding it up threateningly when she lifted the shade to peer out.
“You!” she exclaimed, lowering the weight and setting it on a chair. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”
He gestured toward the front of the building. “Let me in.”
She frowned at the request. “I’m busy.”
“Five minutes,” he argued. “We need to talk.”
“I need to work,” she countered. “Maddie needs these reports on her desk in the morning and I have supplies to order. Everything piled up while I was spending time with my dad.”
“None of that is as important as us needing to talk.”
“Okay,” she finally said. “I can spare five minutes. I’ll meet you on the porch.”
Since the last time he’d seen her she’d been in a far more receptive mood, he had to wonder what had happened in the interim. Whatever it was couldn’t have been good.
She unlocked the front door and stood just inside, blocking his way. “What’s on your mind?”
“That seems to be evolving,” he replied. “I came over here to discuss one thing, but now it appears we should be talking about whatever put you into this snit you’re in.”
She regarded him indignantly. “I am not in a snit.”
“Really?”
She scraped her hand through her hair, leaving it in spikes that only made her look younger and more alluring. He really, really wanted to end this ridiculous argument they seemed to be having and kiss her, but in her current mood that might get him slugged. Since she was no longer holding that weight, it might be worth the risk.
“Look, I really am busy,” she said. “Let’s do this another time.”
He ignored the request and tried to get a fix on the situation. “Have you had dinner?” he asked. Maybe low blood sugar had sent her into this dark mood.
“No. I’ll grab something when I get home.”
Just as he’d thought. That might not be the total explanation, but it was something he could grab on to. He shook his head. “Nope, dinner can’t wait. You need food now. Let’s go.”
“Speaking of moods,” she grumbled, “when did you turn all dictatorial?”
“About two minutes after I got here,” he replied. “If you’ll just close up, we can go to Sullivan’s for dinner and then maybe we can have a rational conversation. After that, if you need to work, I’ll bring you back here.”
She scowled at him. “Rational? What are you implying?”
“Jeanette, would you just let me in on why you’re so annoyed?
You’re obviously determined to pick a fight with me.”
“So what if I am? I certainly do not want to do it at Sullivan’s where Dana Sue will be poking into our business.”
“Okay, then,” he said with exaggerated patience. “We’ll stop by there and pick up something to go. We can eat at your place. If that still doesn’t suit you, we can order a pizza.”
“Why are you so intent on feeding me?”
Tom was rapidly losing his fragile hold on his own temper, but he did it because he didn’t want this silly argument to escalate. Even so, he didn’t choose his next words as carefully as he should have. “I’m hoping it will improve your mood before I ask you what I originally came over here to ask you.”
Her gaze narrowed. “My mood is just fine or it would be, if you’d stop nagging me about it. Is this about the dinner party at your parents’ house?”
Tom regarded her with dismay. Pieces suddenly slid into place, giving him a clearer picture of what was going on. He could think of only one way she could have known about that dinner party. And that would have put her into this mood in a heartbeat.
“Has my mother been in touch with you? What did she say? Did she upset you? Tell you to turn me down? Is that why you’re acting like this?”
She flushed guiltily. “I haven’t spoken to your mother.”
“Then how the hell do you know about the dinner party?” he asked, then was struck by the obvious. He knew exactly how his mother operated. When she couldn’t interfere without stirring Tom’s ire, she would delegate the task to his father. Of course.
He turned away and started to pace. Now his temper was about to skyrocket out of control. When he thought he had a grip on it, he paused in front of her, determined to get to the bottom of what had happened. “She sent my father over here, didn’t she? Please tell me that my father did not come barging in here and give you a rough time.”
“Tom, it’s okay. Leave it alone,” she said, a pleading note in her voice.
Tom took that for a confirmation. “How can I leave it alone? I won’t have them interfering in my life or trying to intimidate you. It’s past time for us to have this out.”
“I handled your father,” she said with a touch of pride.
“In fact, I think he and I totally understand each other now.”
He shuddered just imagining how that had played out.
“Was it anything like the way you handled my mother?”
For the first time since his arrival, she grinned. “I was a tiny bit more diplomatic. So was he—in the end, anyway.”
“What did he say to you?”
“It doesn’t matter. And your reaction just now is exactly why I promised him I wouldn’t say anything to you about the visit.” She looked flustered. “I thought I’d have more time to figure out how to avoid slipping up. Now I’ve gone and broken my word to him.”
“You should never have given him your word in the first place,” Tom said, yanking his cell phone out of his pocket and punching in a number.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling him, of course.”
She snatched the phone out of his hand. “No, you can’t do that. He and I made peace, more or less. If you call, it will blow the truce to smithereens. He’ll never trust me again.”
He could see her rationale, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one damn bit.
“Okay, fine,” he conceded reluctantly. “But obviously we can’t go to that dinner party now.”
“Yes, we can,” she said quietly. “I gave him my word about that, too. I want to make peace with your parents, Tom. I really do. Today was a big step toward doing that.”
He regarded her in confusion. Where had this conciliatory attitude come from. “My mother, too?”
She nodded. “I understand her a lot better now.”
“You do? How?”
“Your father and I really talked. There’s a lot you don’t know.”
“About my own family?” he said incredulously.
“Yes. You need to sit down with them, have a real heartto-heart. It’s long overdue. I think it would make a huge difference in how you get along.”
“Why don’t you just fill me in?”
“It’s not up to me. The three of you need to deal with this.”
“This is quite a change of heart,” he commented, not sure how he felt about it. Could achieving peace be as simple as she was suggesting? He doubted it, but he was willing to give it a shot. “You’re sure about this?”
“I am.” She regarded him solemnly. “I won’t get between you and your parents, Tom. I know what it’s like to have your family split apart by hard feelings and I won’t be the cause of it in yours. If anything’s going to happen with you and me, we have to try to get along with your parents.” She reached up and rested a hand against his cheek. “Besides, you promised.”
With that simple touch he pretty much forgot what they were discussing, much less something he’d apparently promised some time ago. “What did I promise?”
“That the holidays would be different this year, that you’d really try with the whole ‘peace and good will toward all men’ philosophy.”
“I didn’t anticipate anything quite like this,” he grumbled.
“Sure you did. After all, these are your parents we’re talking about. You had to know it wouldn’t be easy. If I can give them a chance, surely you can.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if you’re insane or a saint.”
“Neither one.” She smiled. “But I am starved, so let’s go to Rosalina’s and have that pizza there.”
Her willingness to put the whole incident with his father behind her was baffling. Too baffling to deal with on an empty stomach. “And all that paperwork you were so worried about when I got here?”
She shrugged. “It can wait.”
He looked into her eyes. “Can I make a suggestion then?”
“Sure.”
“If we have the pizza delivered to your place, I could light a fire and open a bottle of wine,” he suggested hopefully. “How does that sound?”
She hesitated, though she looked tempted. “Romantic,”
she admitted finally, a hitch in her voice.
“And?”
“You’re still not moving in.”
“Of course not.” He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his, lingering until she uttered a sigh. “But maybe we could discuss a sleepover, just for tonight.”
Her lips curved slightly under his. “We’re not twelve.”
He laughed. “Believe me, I know.”
“Oh, you want to have that kind of sleepover,” she teased.
He brushed his thumb along her lower lip. “What do you think?”
“I think we’re wasting time talking about it when we could be on our way to my place.”
Tom grinned. “As your town manager, I must tell you how much I appreciate your desire for efficiency.”
“I knew that trait would serve me well one of these days,” she said, making a quick dash to her office for her purse and keys. When she’d locked the door behind them, she held his gaze and asked, “Are we walking? It’s a nice night.”
Lost in the depths of her dark brown eyes, he murmured,
“My car’s faster.”
“Then by all means, let’s take that,” she said, sounding vaguely breathless. She studied him warily. “You’re not going to change your mind on me, are you?”
“No. I try never to repeat my mistakes.”
She looked relieved. “Good to know.”
Jeanette ordered the pizza as they drove the few blocks to her house. She must have sounded vaguely desperate, because it arrived within minutes after they did. Usually Rosalina’s operated at a slower pace.
At any rate, by the time it arrived, Tom had already lit a fire and all the candles in her living room and popped the cork on a bottle of red zinfandel she’d been saving for a special occasion. This definitely qualified, she thought with anticipation. He’d also piled all the cushions from the sofa on the floor in front of the fireplace. Clearly he’d had some experience at this whole romantic seduction thing. Another time she might question that, but not now. Now she would go with the flow.
“It looks cozy,” she said as she brought the food, plates and napkins over to join him.
“I was going for romantic,” he said as he drew her down beside him.
She trembled under the intensity of his gaze. “That, too.”
“Jeanette…” His voice trailed off as if he’d lost his train of thought.
“What?” she murmured as he cupped one hand behind her neck and leaned in to kiss her. The slow, simmering kiss drove all thoughts of food and everything else right out of her head.
When he pulled back, he looked as dazed as she felt. Still, he reached for the wine and poured two glasses, though she noticed that his hand was shaking. He held out one. She accepted it, took a sip, then set it aside.
“Tom…” she began, her gaze locked on his lips. He studied her intently as if not entirely certain of the signal she was sending. “I thought you were starving.”
“My priorities have changed.”
He looked more hopeful. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Then dinner can wait?”
She nodded. She could eat anytime, but she’d waited way too long for this moment. “I think it should. I mean, the pizza smells great, but I’m pretty sure you could distract me if you put your mind to it.”
His lips curved into a slow smile that was all male. “I’ll certainly give it my best shot.” he said, sealing his mouth over hers again.
Jeanette let herself drift into the kiss. For the first time, she let go of all her doubts about the future and her memories of the past and allowed herself to live entirely in the moment. It was quite a moment, too. Heat swept through her, followed by a yearning so intense it nearly overwhelmed her. She’d known he was an excellent kisser, but she’d had no idea how inventive he could be when he threw himself into the task, no idea how many nuances there could be to that one simple act between a man and a woman.
One minute his lips were soft and gently persuasive, the next he seemed to be devouring her, his tongue plundering in a way that turned her insides to molten lava. Even when he scattered tender little kisses across her brow, along the curve of her neck, it made her knees go weak. Why in heaven’s name had she been denying herself this? she wondered as his fingers got into the act, reaching for the buttons of her blouse, skimming along bare flesh. As he touched and explored—a gentle caress here, a more intimate stroke there, he kept his gaze on her as if assessing what she wanted, what she needed, then accommodating her. Sometimes he made her wait, made her long for something more—a deeper kiss, a more intimate touch, something. Eventually, when she was about to push his hands aside and undo the last of the buttons herself, he flicked open the final one, then pressed a soft kiss to the skin he’d revealed. He did the same to every inch of flesh exposed as her blouse drifted down her shoulders. Completely bare except for the lace of her bra, she trembled under his dark gaze. He leaned forward then and took the tip of her breast in his mouth, teasing the nipple through the lace until she could feel moisture gathering and her hips rose off the floor, seeking him. This moment, so long coming, now couldn’t happen fast enough. She wanted it all, wanted him buried inside her, wanted to experience that astounding instant when they became one.
Tom, unfortunately, was in no rush. He seemed determined to savor every second, to draw it out until she was quivering beneath his touch.
“You are so beautiful with the firelight dancing across your skin,” he murmured, his fingers following the light, dipping into the shadows until she thought she would come apart just from the reverence of his gaze and the exquisiteness of his touch. He seemed just as eager to give her that satisfaction, but now she was the one who wanted to savor.