A Gentleman's Agreement (9 page)

“Skeptical?” Blake asked
as if he’d never heard this part of the tale. He took a seat beside Eunice at
the counter. “Why skeptical?”

“Your father could have
had any girl in that schoolhouse or the next. They all wanted to be with this tall,
chocolate, handsome man. He was a Farrington. And women—young and old—used to love
those smooth-talking Farrington brothers.”

Eunice glanced at Blake.
Women still did.

Mrs. Farrington
continued, “I couldn’t understand why, of all the women he had to choose from,
he wanted me. I was chubby, shy, wore my sister’s hand-me-downs. So, on our
first date, I asked him.”

Eunice bit at the
corner of her lip, anticipating the response. Blake appeared just as intrigued.
Mrs. Farrington placed her hand over Mr. Farrington’s heart and smiled into the
face of the man she’d loved for four decades.

Eunice and Blake eyed
one another. Something lingered in his eyes. Something tender. Something
fragile. Something that made her desire him more than anything else she could
imagine. Maybe Blake saw that desire because he broke their connection.

“Are you two just going
to keep us in suspense, or what?” Blake asked.

Mr. Farrington brushed
a lock of hair behind one of his wife’s ears and said, “I told your mother that
in those other girls I see a night. But in her I see a lifetime. And that if
she would be mine, I’d spend an eternity making her the happiest woman alive.”

“And you stayed true to
your word,” said Mrs. Farrington.

For a moment, Eunice
wondered if they’d forgotten she and Blake were in the room, because the two
seemed to lose themselves in each other. Blake cleared his throat.

Mr. Farrington took his
wife by the hand. “I need to see you upstairs for a moment.”

They excused themselves
and hurried out the room.

Blake groaned. “Oh, God.
I don’t want to think about my parents having sex, but something tells me that
is exactly what’s about to happen.”

“I think it’s wonderful
that they have such a healthy marriage. That after all of these years, your
father still desires your mother.”

Blake nodded. “Yeah, I
guess you’re right.” He pushed away from the counter. “Grab your coat and take
a walk with me.”

***

Thus far on this trip,
Blake had experienced flickers, throbbing, and tightening. He could now add butterflies
to his list of involuntary reactions that occurred each time he touched Eunice.
But that didn’t stop him from gripping her hand and guiding her out of the
kitchen. Something powerful had captured him and refused to loosen the stranglehold
it had on him. This thing, these feelings, had him drifting in a sea of desire.
And Eunice was the destination.

Dry leaves crunched
under their feet and wind howled through the trees as they moved along the path
behind his parents’ estate. There was nothing more beautiful than the colors of
fall.

Eunice tightened her
knee length coat around her. “Blake, it’s a little too cold for a nature walk,
don’t you think?”

“We’re almost there,”
he said. When Eunice’s teeth started to chatter, he removed his scarf and draped
it around her neck. “Better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The kindhearted look in
her eyes told him she appreciated the gesture. A few feet more and the thatch
of woods opened to a breathtaking waterfall. Water cascaded down a forty foot
drop and flowed over a bed of rocks and along a stream.

“Look familiar?” Blake
asked.

“Your mother’s painting.
This was her inspiration,” she said more to herself than to him.

“Yeah.”

“Wow. You grew up with
this in your backyard.”

“If you think this is
amazing, you should see it in the summer. Colorful flowers everywhere.”

“It’s perfect.”

“Speaking of summer, we’re
having my mother a surprise birthday party in August. You should come.”

Eunice shifted to face
him, appearing confused by his invitation. “I would love to, but do you think
that’s a good idea?”

Blake slid his hands
into his coat pockets. “I guess it would be a bit awkward, huh.”

Especially since their
original plan was to tell his parents they’d broken up, but not until after the
New Year. She studied him for a moment. If she had questions concerning his response,
she didn’t ask them.

Hugging her arms around
her body, she said, “I’m freezing.”

Without giving it much
thought, Blake wrapped his arms around Eunice. Even when awareness of what he’d
done settled in, he didn’t pull away and neither did she. “Better?”

Eunice nodded.

Their bodies lingered
dangerously close. He desperately wanted to feel her lips pressed against his,
capture the heat of her waiting mouth, but he did nothing. Eunice’s lips parted
and he wondered if she, too, wanted the same. A trail of steam escaped from her
mouth, but nothing more. No words, no objections, no sounds.

The line he’d promised
himself he’d not cross blurred in the seconds he held her snug against his
body. This was the perfect setting, with the perfect woman, in an imperfect
situation.
Tell me you want this
, he willed to her. Eunice rested her
hands on his chest, her eyes searching his. For a brief moment, a glint of
desire danced in her brown eyes, but faded.

“We should make it
back. I’m sure your mother is looking for us,” she said, then pushed out of his
embrace.

What the hell was that?
She wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her; he was sure of it. So
why didn’t she? Hell, why didn’t he? He’d never been one to allow opportunity
to simply slip through his fingers.

Eunice tried to move
away, but he captured her hand. “There’s obviously something happening between
us. What?”

Turning to face him,
she stared at him for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe we’re just caught in the
moment. Everything will go back to normal when we’re back in New York. It has
to. There’s no other option.”

She attempted to pull
away, but his hold on her remained. “I don’t think this is just a moment,
Eunice.”

Eunice snatched her
hand away. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to—” She stopped
abruptly. “You’re my boss, Blake. Or have you forgotten that? There are reasons
why we can’t work.” She moved her hands back and forth between them. “Why this
can’t work.” She stormed away.

On her heels, Blake
said, “Tell me you don’t feel something for me. Tell me you don’t want me just
as much as I want you. I can see the desire in your eyes. And I know you can
see it in mine.”

Whipping to face him
again, Eunice said, “I do. With every breath, I want you. But I don’t want to
be a quick rebound screw, Blake. I want more. More that I can’t have with you.”
Then, she was off again.

“Whoa.” He rushed ahead
and blocked her path. Something about her words set him on fire, but not in the
scorching flame of desire type of way he’d experienced moments ago. “You don’t
get to just toss something like that at me and then run off. Is that what you
really think I’m doing? Trying to get a quick rebound screw?”

Eunice folded her arms
across her chest, but remained silent.

“You know me better
than that, Eunice. Or so, I thought you did.” He massaged his jaw as if she’d
socked him in it. Which—in a way—she pretty much had, if he considered her
words. “Do you think I haven’t fought what I’m feeling for you? Do you think
it’s easy for me to lay beside you every night? Do you have any idea how much I
struggle with not snatching you up and kissing the hell out of you every second
we’re together? Don’t think you’re the only one suffering here. Not being able
to have you is killing me, and not softly.”

“Blake—?”

“We should get back,
Eunice,” he said, stepping aside to allow her passage.

Protest sparked in her
eye, but gradually fizzled. Clearly, his words had staggered her. Hell, they’d
staggered him. He’d actually admitted his feelings for her. And out loud.
Wow
.
What he chose not to mention was the fact these feelings hadn’t just started in
Norfolk.

As they moved along the
path in deafening silence, Blake replayed Eunice’s words in his head.
Quick
?
Rebound
? Why did the labels tear at him?

When they reached the
house, Eunice turned to him. “Blake—”

“For the record, I’m
not looking for a rebound screw. And just so you’re a hundred percent clear, if
we would have ever made love, there damn sure wouldn’t have been anything quick
about it.”

Eunice swallowed hard,
shifting her body weight from one foot to the other. Obviously, he’d made her a
little anxious.

He took a step closer to her. “I’d
take my time kissing every inch of you. I’d slowly drag my tongue along every
spot I believed would make you moan. I’d savor the sweet taste of you. And when
you begged me to make love to you, I’d spend however long it took to take your
body to places it’s never been before. I’m not about quick screws, Eunice. I’m
about lasting impressions.”

Things had been tense
between Eunice and Blake since they’d returned from the path three hours ago.
Actually, that wasn’t wholly true. Blake had carried on as if he hadn’t
revealed his feelings, his desires to her. The confession had thundered through
her like a…train. It would take a roll of wallpaper to list the numerous
reasons why she should have packed her suitcase, called a cab, and fled as far
away from Blake as she could get. Yet, here she was.

Refocusing on her
Thanksgiving Day duties, Eunice pulled the peeler over one of the red skinned
potatoes. Of course, it didn’t take long for her thoughts to find their way
back to Blake. Why in the hell did he believe he could say those things to her,
then pretend all would be normal between them?

Things weren’t normal.
Things were far from normal. Hell, they could stand on a thousand foot ladder, gaze
through a high-powered telescope, and still not see normal.

Blake had certainly put
her in her place. And revved up her libido in the process. A vision of him
making unhurried love to her played in her head. Her nipples tightened at the
idea of his warm lips kissing her breasts ever so gently.
Damn you, Blake
Farrington
.

“Eunice, sweetie.
Everything okay?”

Mrs. Farrington’s soft
voice tore into Eunice’s thoughts. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

A smile curled her
lips. “Yes, dear. I asked if you were okay. You’ve scalped that poor potato.”

Eunice glanced down. “Oh,
no. I’m…” She couldn’t exactly say “thinking about making love to your son,” so
instead said, “…just so excited, I guess.”
What kind of explanation was that
?
She blamed Blake. The man had her brain fried.

“Eunice?”

Speak of the devil
and his imps will appear
. Eunice rotated to face Blake. Though he couldn’t
be labeled her favorite person at the moment, the sight of him sent a ripple to
her core. Why in the hell did he have to wear sexiness so well?

Eunice dried her hands
on a dish towel. “Yes?”

“Can I talk to you a
minute?”

“Sure.” Turning to the
other women in the room, she said, “Excuse me.”

Following Blake
upstairs unnerved her. Alone with him—especially in the bedroom—was the last
place she needed to be.

Once inside, Blake
turned to her, his demeanor much more welcoming than it had been hours earlier.
He closed the distance between them until he stood directly in front of her. He
slid his hands in his pockets; she couldn’t help but wonder if it had been done
in an attempt to keep from touching her. Okay, maybe she was over thinking it.

“I think I owe you an
apology.” He closed his eyes briefly. “No, I know I owe you an apology. I
placed you in an awkward situation. I’m sorry. I’ll understand if you want to
leave. I can call you a car. And don’t worry, the office is still yours.”

Did he really believe
she gave a damn about that office? Did he want her to leave? “If that’s what
you want.”

Fine lines crawled
across his forehead. “What?”

“Blake, you don’t have
to use child psychology on me. If you want me to leave, just say that. I’ll
understand.”

His face contorted. “I
don’t want you to leave. I just thought… I mean after what I said… ”

Eunice folded her arms
across her chest and smiled. “Blake Farrington, in the three years I’ve known
you, I don’t believe I’ve ever witnessed you stammer over your words.”

He chuckled. “I guess
there’s a first time for everything.”

Eunice’s eyes lowered
to the floor. “About the things you said—”

“You were right; we
were just caught up in the moment.” He shrugged. “And like you said, I’m your
boss. It could never work between us.”

Talk about throwing her
words in her face. But what she’d wanted to tell him was she felt the same way.
Now, it didn’t seem necessary. Wasn’t this what she wanted? For things to at
least mimic normal until they flew back to New York.

New York
.

How could she not have
considered what it would be like when they returned home? Would their working
relationship be strained as a result of this debacle? A sense of false calm
poured over her. Of course it wouldn’t. Blake was a professional.

“I’m going to tell my
parents the truth about us.”

That was all it took to
snatch Eunice back to reality. Without thinking, she rested her hands on his
solid chest, but snatched them away when a jolt nearly paralyzed her. “What? No.
You can’t do that, Blake. Why would you want to do that?” Yes, she’d toyed with
the idea of telling his parents the truth, but Thanksgiving Day didn’t seem like
the right time to drop such a bomb. “Your mom will simply be upset with you;
she’ll hate me.”

Blake slid his hands
from his pockets and mimicked her crossed arm stance. “My mother could never
hate you.”

“Psshh.” She glanced
away from him. “Easy for you to say.” She eyed him again. “We can’t. Not now.
Please.” Blake ran an open hand over his lips, and she envied his palm.

“Okay. We won’t tell
them.”

“Thank you.”

“Are we good, Eunice?
For some silly reason, I don’t like not talking to you.”

Eunice smiled. “Yeah.
We’re good.” Or as good as they could get under the circumstances. Her eyes
slid to his mouth, and her bottom lip quivered thinking about how close she’d
come to tasting him. “I should probably get back to the kitchen.” Blake nodded
and stepped aside. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll be down in a
bit.”

She could see it in his
eyes. Something still troubled him. Normally, she would have inquired, but she
wasn’t sure she could handle his response. “Okay.”

This whole charade was
supposed to be simple. It was anything but. She tossed a glance over her
shoulder. Blake stood rooted to the floor, his eyes pinned to her. The look on
his face revealed she had company in the land of confused.

A few more days. I
can do this
.

Yes, she could do this.
As long as she figured out how to separate her two selves: The Eunice who
wanted to help a friend, from the Eunice who wanted nothing more than to catapult
into Blake’s arms?

***

Thanksgiving dinner
went off without a hitch. They’d feasted on turkey, ham, and all the fixin’s.
Eunice made sure not to stuff herself as she’d done at The Farm. She definitely
didn’t need a repeat of that. Although, the thought of Blake laying by her side
again almost made the idea of gorging worthwhile.

After dinner, they’d
all gathered in the family room. She observed the Farrington clan. Their love
for one another was evident and refreshing. What she wouldn’t give to experience
this every year.

Her gaze drifted to
Blake. To her surprise, his eyes were already settled on her. She lifted her
glass of homemade apple cider in a mock toast; he reciprocated. Instead of
looking away—as her body urged—she held their connection.

Why did she get the
feeling he was challenging her? After a minute or so, a smirk tilted his lips
and he turned away. She expelled a puff of air.

That was intense
.

“Eunice, sweetie, would
you mind grabbing a bottle of white wine from the kitchen?” Mrs. Farrington
asked.

“Sure.”

After retrieving the
bottle, Eunice caught a glimpse of movement inside the space Mr. Farrington
referred to as the cigar room. Had Casey sneaked away again? That kid had the
energy of a Jack Russell Terrier.

Inside, she searched
the dimly-lit space, but it wasn’t Casey she found lurking. “Aunt Belle?” The
tiny woman jumped at the sound of Eunice’s voice, but didn’t face her. “Aunt
Belle, what are you doing?”

Aunt Belle fumbled with
something. “I’m just… Dang-it.” She finally turned, holding a bottle of
Captain
Morgan
.

“Aunt Belle! You
shouldn’t be drinking that,” Eunice said in a whisper, tossing a glance over her
shoulder to make sure no one was coming.

“I’m seventy-eight
years old. How do you think I made it here?”

To be senile, the woman
sounded pretty lucid right now. “What about your medication? Won’t it interact
with the alcohol?”

Aunt Belle laughed. “Thelma
gives me those pills, and I flush them down the toilet.”

“Flush them…?”

“I don’t need those
stinking pills. One day everybody woke up and was convinced I was senile. And without
even asking me. So, hell, I played along. There are perks to being senile. And
when you’re senile and old...”

Eunice laughed. This
little lady was something else. “But…isn’t that wrong? To pretend you’re senile
when you’re not.”

Aunt Belle shrugged one
shoulder. “I suppose one could say that. But…you keep my secret, I’ll keep
yours.”

This sobered Eunice.
Making an attempt at clueless, she said, “Wh…what secret?”

Aunt Belle wagged a
finger at her. “You two playing boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“How did you—” Eunice
caught herself. Blood whooshed in her ears, the shock of Aunt Belle’s knowledge
raising her blood pressure.

“Chile, Aunt Belle
hears everything. You and my nephew aren’t the only one’s keeping secrets in
this house.” She shook her head as if she’d been offended by her own words.

Of course Eunice wanted
to ask what she meant, but didn’t.

Aunt Belle took a sip
from her red cup. “A bit of advice, dumplin’. If you’re gonna run a ruse such
as this, you should probably be more careful to
not
discuss it at the
kitchen table.

Eunice thought back to
her and Blake’s conversation a few days ago.
Shit
. Had anyone else heard
them?
Nah
. Surely, they would have said something by now.
Right
?
Or were they waiting for her and Blake to confess.
Jesus
. She recognized
the churning in her stomach.

As if reading her
mind—or possibly the mortified expression Eunice was sure displayed on her
face—Aunt Belle put her out of her misery.

“Don’t worry. No one
else was around.”

Eunice blew a sigh of
relief.

“But you gotta be more careful.” Aunt
Belle took another swig from her cup. “Let’s get this party started.” She
brushed past Eunice. “Oh, by the way, my nephew is a fool if he lets you slip
away. I kinda like you.”