A Little New Year's Romance (7 page)

All this was beginning to give her a headache. She shut down the laptop and turned it off. Moving to the sofa, she reclined and decided to watch TV until she felt sleepy enough to go to bed. Alas, there was nothing of interest to entertain her. She wondered for the millionth time why she even bothered to have a television.

Hmm… That was a coincidental word to float across her mind. It only brought thoughts of Daniel zooming back to the surface.

Nope. Not going back there again. Her head was hurting bad enough. She didn’t need to give it a reason to embark on a mission that would keep her awake all night.

A couple ibuprofen tablets would relieve the pounding. Then she’d climb into bed and try not to think about anything until morning. She felt sure Daniel would give her the answers she was seeking when he came to get her.

~~*~~

Morning arrived too soon for her—like always. This one seemed different, though. For one thing, she got out of bed in a good mood. If that wasn’t odd enough, she seemed to feel lighter somehow, as if a load of some sort had dissolved along with the previous night’s headache. Maybe she should take those pain relievers every night. It was worth a try.

She had an inkling, however, that the pills had only a little to do with how she felt. Her revelation the day before was a more likely candidate for this morning’s state of mind. Odd how she should think that.

A glance at the clock let her know she didn’t have much time before Daniel would be there. She’d have to get dressed in a flash if she wanted a cup of coffee, too.

The kitchen was the first stop. Once the brown ambrosia liquid was brewing, it was a rapid stop in the bathroom, followed by slipping into her comfortable jeans and a tee shirt.

Now she had a few minutes to pause and let that sweet nectar get her blood pumping. She’d need it if she was going to be delivering those food boxes.

Speaking of that, she checked her watch. He’d be here in a few minutes. The last swallow of coffee went down without a hitch as she reached for her coat. She set the mug in the sink while slipping her arms into the sleeves.

Out the door she went, ensuring it was locked, only to find Daniel leaning against his car, waiting for her. She peeked at her watch again.

“I’m sorry. Have you been waiting long?” She didn’t know why she apologized. He was early.

“No.” His smile could rival the sun this morning. “Only about ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes! Why didn’t you blow your horn?”

“I don’t like to do that. It just seems rude to me. Besides, I told you I’d be here at eight. Not your fault I like to be early.” His grin went wide enough to threaten the corners of his mouth with a meeting at the back of his head.

 She landed a playful swat on his upper arm, walked around the front of the car, and got in. Cozy warmth enveloped her before she was fully settled and buckled in.

“I would’ve called, but I don’t have your number,” he said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “Hand me your cell.”

“Why?” Not realizing what he was going to do, she found herself handing it to him.

He took her phone and dialed his number. When his ringtone sounded, he stored her number in his calling list.

“That’s why. Now I have your number and you have mine.” He pressed the button on her phone to end the call, and handed it back to her.

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s okay.”

He simply grinned again, buckled his seat belt, and got the car underway toward their destination.

She was uncertain now whether she should ask him about why he withheld information from her the previous night. After all, she’d told him everything. Well, except the part about her mother marrying a preacher barely a year after Dad died.

Her silence must have unsettled him.

“Are you okay? You’ve been rather quiet since dinner last night.” He glanced at her.

“Well, there is something I was confused about then, and I’m more confused now.”

“I’ll be glad to help, if I can.” Another peek at her. She could read the sincerity in his eyes.

“Don’t be upset with me, but I did an online search for you last night.” Taking a shallow breath, she braved a fleeting glimpse at him. He appeared to be holding his breath. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a wealthy businessman?”

He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s just that most people—when I tell them up front—well… they tend to view me differently. I prefer that others see me for who I am, not how much money I may or may not have.”

“It wouldn’t have made
me
think any different about you.”

He’d stopped at a redlight while she spoke, and gazed directly into her eyes. “No offence, but that’s what almost everyone says when they find out.”

Okay. That stung a little. No, it didn’t. It stung
a lot
. “
Never
in my life have I
ever
made those kinds of assumptions about people, and I don’t appreciate it when they’re made about me!”

Appearing as though he were a scolded puppy, Daniel simply stared at the stoplight until it turned green. A minute later, he spoke.

“I didn’t know, Allison. I apologize.”

Now she felt like a bully, but she couldn’t help adding in a little jab. “Yeah. Me, too. I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. Just be sure not to provoke me again.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

She’d caught him off guard with that last sentence, and Daniel almost missed a turn he needed to make to get to the church. Allison was proving to be an interesting woman. One he’d like to get to know a lot better.

He’d wanted to kiss her the previous night before she got out of the car, but she seemed lost in deep thought. Now the desire returned, though for a different reason. Maybe their paths had crossed for the reason he’d dared to hope for. Surely God didn’t want him to be alone for the rest of his life, but he was willing to live that way if it was what the Lord truly desired for him. Maybe… but then he realized she was asking him a question.

“Say that again. I’m not sure I heard all of it.” Traffic was a bit noisier than usual this morning.

“I was just asking why none of the articles I read mentioned your work for the food drive? I mean, if you’re doing this to improve your image as a caring businessman—,”

“What?” He hadn’t intended the volume of his voice to rise to such a deafening level. “How could you ask me that? After all we talked about, that’s all you can think of me?”

She’d moved as close to the passenger’s door as she could. “Daniel, I didn’t mean it like that.” Her voice sounded too apologetic.

He tried to control his anger, and lowered his volume. “I can’t believe you’re so cynical.” That’s the part that affected him the most.

Why did this bother him so much? He hadn’t even known this woman for two full days, and yet her words cut into his flesh and left him to bleed. It didn’t make sense.

He forced himself to calm down as Allison relaxed and stared out the window. “I told you last night why I do this. The media knows nothing about it because that’s the way I want it. It’s difficult to have any kind of privacy when all the news crews follow me around like I owe them something. This is one thing I’d like to keep
out
of the papers.”

Now she was the one resembling a chastised child. He couldn’t explain why, but that fact bothered him. The one thing he didn’t want was to push her away. No. What he wanted more than anything was to draw her close, press his mouth onto hers, and feel her melt into him. He wanted to… Better to stop right there before his imagination got hold of him, causing thoughts he shouldn’t be having. Or worse, causing him to wreck the car and seriously injure one—or both—of them.

Risking a glance at her, he saw she was still turned away from him, staring out the window. He’d calmed down to his normal demeanor by now, and mentally smacked himself in the head for treating her like he had. She did nothing to deserve it—she’d only asked a simple question. One that most any other person might have asked if they’d found out about him the way she had.

A total of five more blocks with two more turns and they’d be at the church. Mere minutes away, yet not close enough—or far enough, if he decided to apologize. The fact was, he knew he should, but his tongue seemed to be made of lead. He was having trouble getting it to move in order to form the words he wanted to say to her.

Then he made the final turn. Up ahead, directly in front of the church, was a throng of local news media. All the local TV stations, and every imaginable newspaper—from the legitimate to the gossip rags—had sent someone to the scene.

For several seconds, he wondered why they were there. Had something happened overnight or early that morning? What was all the commotion about?

Realization settled in, and he turned to Allison.

“You did this!” His voice boomed in the confined space once again. “How dare you set this up? Is this why you asked me that question?”

“I’m as shocked and surprised as you are, Daniel! I swear!”

Her jaw was slack, but the astonishment seemed feigned. Why didn’t he believe her? Then the answer came to him. Of course! It had to be!

“No. You did this! Tell me… how much did they pay you for the story? Which one of them did you sell it to first?”

Allison’s eyes opened as wide as any manhole in the city’s streets. “How could you accuse me… I didn’t… Why would I—?”

“Because you’re out of work and you need the money. That’s why you would.” With this statement, he pulled up to the curb in front of the mad circus.

~~*~~

The car hadn’t come to a full stop before Allison undid her seatbelt and jumped out. Of all the men in this city, she had to bump into the most ungrateful, egocentric, handsome, millionaire bachelor. Oh, for goodness sake—strike those last two off the list. She didn’t care how good looking or how wealthy he was. It didn't make him any less of an insensitive, inconsiderate moron.

She stormed away from the car—back in the direction from which they’d come—and didn’t slow down until she turned the corner. The fact that he hadn’t tried to stop her did not go unnoticed.

Leaning her back against the side of the corner store, she pulled out her phone and the card for the cabbie. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be bothering him at this hour of the morning.

“Hello?” Oh, no. He sounded as though her call had awakened him.

“Hi, James. It’s Allison from Greenwich Village.”

“Oh! Hi there!” She knew he was awake now.

“I hope I’m not bothering you, but I could really use a ride.”

“No bother at all. Are you at home? Where do you need to go?”

“Actually, I’m in the Bronx.” She looked up at the storefront and gave him the address. “It’s right down on the corner from where you dropped me yesterday. I just need to get home.”

“Sure. I know right where you are. I’ll be there in ten or fifteen minutes, okay?”

“Thanks, James. I’ll probably be inside. I hope they have coffee in there.”

“Okay. See ya in a few.”

He ended the call, and she slipped her phone back into her purse.

Not wanting Daniel to see her—although it made no sense why she even cared—she peeked around the corner to see if he was still outside the church. Thankfully, he wasn’t. She stepped around and went into the store in search of a cup of hot coffee.

“Good morning, little lady.” An elderly gentleman sat behind the counter. “How can I help you?”

She felt a small smile form. “Do you have coffee, by any chance?”

“Sure do.” He pointed to the far corner. “Right over there. Got a special on the thirty-ounce size. Only fifty cents.”

“Thank you so much. I think that’s what I’ll have.”

Heading toward the coffee, Allison took the chance to give the place a good once over. For a little store, this one seemed to be well stocked with almost anything a person could need. Nice and clean, too. That was a definite bonus.

She found the Styrofoam cups in the larger size, filled one with what smelled like freshly brewed nectar, and added sugar and cream until it was just the way she liked it. A good sip and all her cares seemed small and trivial, melting away into nothingness. At least for a moment, anyway.

Placing a lid on her cup, she brought it to the gentleman at the counter.

“What’s all the hubbub down the street?” His curiosity bubbled over as he rang up her purchase. “Some big movie star down there, or something?”

“Dunno,” she lied. “Probably somebody like that.” She dug the change from her purse and paid for her coffee.

“We don’t get many of them folks on the streets around here, ya know.”

“Yeah. I know. Real shame, isn’t it?” She hoped she sounded sincere.

“Got that right.” He finished counting the coins, smiled, and nodded at her.

She glanced around the place, noting that she was the only customer, and decided to lean against the counter to continue her conversation with the nice older man.

“Do you mind if I wait in here for my cab?”

He grinned. “Not at all. It’s a bit nippy out there this morning.”

“A little too chilly for my liking.” She was thinking not only of the weather.

“I know what you mean. But it won’t be long before Spring comes to warm us up a little.”

“Mmm…” She sipped her coffee. “That’s my favorite time of the year.”

“My Marion loved it, too.” His voice held a melancholy tone. “May she rest peacefully.”

She turned to face him, searching his eyes. “How long were you married?”

“Fifty wonder filled years,” he replied without hesitation. “Only been six months since she passed, but it feels like eternity.”

Would she find someone to spend that many years with? Or had she already found him? No. Can’t go there. He’d already shown her what he was really like. How could he honestly think she’d called the media and took money from them?

A cab pulled up to the curb outside.

“Oh! There’s my ride. Thank you for your hospitality, sir.” She headed toward the door.

“Any time, Miss.” His face held a big smile as he waved.