Awakened (Intimate Relations) (12 page)

“I’m actually excited about seeing Ted again. Do you think he can help you find out more about your mother?”

“I’m sure he can. He’s starting at the beginning, learning what he can about her background, where she was from, her age. I don’t know any of that, but he’s got access to records most of us can’t get into. I can’t approach my father with anything until I have proof. I have to believe Ted will find something.”

“Do you plan to see Alden again?”

“I do. I’m getting little snips of memories. I think I’m going to give it at least a week or so, keep taking notes, and then see him again. I really need to get this settled, Mandy. I have to know what happened to my mother. I keep thinking, all these years and no one has mourned her. She had no family that I know of, no brothers or sisters, her parents were gone. At least that’s what my father told me. I could have cousins, grandparents. I just don’t know.”

Mandy stood and held out her hand. “C’mon. We need to get back to work. Call Jake and tell him we’ll go to Healdsburg and check on caterers and florists and whatever, and tell him about the house. Give him time to get used to the idea before they come home. That’s not something you really want to spring on a couple, ya know?”

He sighed. He could be such an idiot sometimes. “I kind of figured that after I’d already made the offer, but then I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure that the deal was going through. In hindsight, it was pretty presumptuous of me to make a decision like that without consulting all of you.”

“Actually, Marc, it was thoughtful and very generous. You’re truly one of the good guys, ya know?” She hugged his arm close to her body. It took all the willpower he had not to kiss her senseless, right there in the restaurant. Mandy gave affirmation so easily, and yet Marc couldn’t ever recall anyone other than the occasional nanny saying anything positive about him or to him while he was growing up.

Probably why he felt like wallowing in her kindness.

They stopped at the register on the way out and the cashier found his bill. He showed it to Marc—nothing but a large zero with a slash through it. “There’s no charge, sir. Ian, the
maître d’
, said to comp your meals. He feels badly that you were bothered by that man.”

“Let me at least leave a tip, then.” Marc pulled out his wallet while the cashier made out a charge tag. Marc handed over his credit card and took the receipt showing nothing in the total. He signed, and added a thousand dollar tip. “This is for the staff,” he said. “That was handled really well.”

The cashier looked at the tag and then gaped at Marc. “Of course, sir. Whatever you say. And thank you.”

As he and Mandy left the restaurant, he saw the cashier racing over to the
maître d’
. As the door closed behind them, there was a very loud shout. More like a war whoop.

Some days, having all that money was really worth it.

CHAPTER 6

There was a moving van parked in front of his building when they got back from lunch. Mandy paused while a couple of men passed in front of them with a dolly loaded with filing cabinets. “You’re losing a tenant?”

“I am.” Marc laughed. “Two of them, actually. A couple of women opened up a temp agency, providing secretaries and other office workers, and they’ve been so successful they’re moving to a new, larger location. They’ve been in this building longer than I have—I inherited them along with the purchase.”

Mandy stuck her head in the door and sort of checked out the space. “What are you going to do with it now?”

Marc grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. It was probably much too soon, but this was the perfect time to show the place to her. “I’ve had this idea for quite some time, which is why I haven’t advertised the space as available. What do you see when you walk along this stretch of Battery Street?”

“Office buildings, some apartments.” Pausing, she smirked. “No place to park.”

He leaned close and kissed her. He couldn’t help himself. “There is that,” he said. “Unless you own your own parking garage.”

“I imagine that was a selling point with the building, right?”

“It was. Definitely.” Still holding her hand, he walked to the back of the almost empty space. “Now, more specifically, exactly what do you see when you look out this window?”

She stared a moment. “Mostly apartments, I think. Or offices? Can’t tell. Why?”

“It’s what you don’t see that matters. There’s no coffee shop in this area. No restaurants for a couple of blocks. The one we went to is the closest, and it’s pretty pricey. But there are apartments and lots of people. I’ve been thinking of searching for a tenant to either put in a small café-style restaurant, or even a coffee shop, similar to the one you worked in. You know, a place where you can grab a quick breakfast or lunch and coffee or tea?” He shrugged. “When you lost your job, I immediately thought of you, but I wanted to be able to show it to you first. Would you be interested in a partnership? Silent partner for me, though.” He laughed, realized he sounded nervous and bit back the sound.

Glancing away, he said, “I’m not much of a cook, and I doubt I’d make a very good barista. You’d have to be the brains of the operation.” He hoped he’d been subtle enough, that she wouldn’t see this as a way to bind her to him even more, but it was such a perfect idea. Mandy would have her coffee shop—and he would have Mandy. It was the only way he knew to keep her close and happy. He couldn’t tell her how he really felt, that he loved her, not while this mess with his father was hanging out there. Not until he knew where his mother’s body was buried.

It wouldn’t be at all fair to her, tying her to a guy whose life was totally in flux right now. But business? Business was different. Straightforward, with contracts that kept things organized.

Contracts kept people together. Forced them to work things out.

He understood contracts a hell of a lot better than he understood women. Though Mandy wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever known. He glanced her way again. She was beautiful. She was kind, and so smart and funny. She was everything he wanted, but she didn’t look at all happy with his suggestion.

In fact, she looked absolutely furious.

Damn. He was so screwed.

*   *   *

She watched the conflicting emotions flying across Marc’s face and honestly just wanted to slap him. She was not a charity case, nor was she a gold digger. She wanted Marc, not his money. Not what he could give her or make happen for her. Just Marc. So why’d he have to go and screw things up by trying to buy her?

That hurt. She straightened her spine and let go of his hand. “I’m not for sale, Marc. It’s a great idea, but I imagine it’s also an idea you came up with about ten minutes ago, if even that long. You’re better than this, Marc. So am I. Right now? I have work to do.”

Turning away, she ignored Marc’s protest and walked back to the entry that would give her access to either the stairs or the elevator to his third floor offices.

She took the stairs, hoping she’d get a chance to work off that unexpected burst of anger. Her unwanted disappointment in Marc.

It was sort of anticlimactic that she had to knock so Theo could let her in. She stood tapping her foot impatiently, hoping like hell Marc wouldn’t catch her standing in front of the locked door to his offices.

She was still seething when she settled herself at her desk to go through the rest of the mail that Theo had brought in. Marc didn’t come in for another ten minutes, and by then she was deep into work. She didn’t look up.

Until she had to. He stopped in front of her desk and waited. She was pissed, but she couldn’t be rude. It wasn’t in her nature. Hell, she’d even been polite to Lola’s idiot ex when he showed up at their place with a gun. It had worked, too. He’d put the gun down and surrendered even before the police arrived.

She might not be rude, but she wasn’t usually a pushover, either. She raised her head and looked into those dark brown eyes of his and practically melted. He looked horribly sad, but he’d still really blown it.

“We need to talk,” he said. “Will you come into my office for a minute?”

She nodded, saved her work on the computer and followed him into his office. She sat in one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk, expecting Marc to go around to his chair behind it. He didn’t. Instead, he sat on the edge of the big desk in front of her and stared over his shoulder, gazing out the window with its view of Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island just north of it. Then he stood, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked over to the window. He looked terribly lonely standing there, his back to her.

But then, Marc had always appeared to be alone, even when they were together as a group, as if he sat apart from the camaraderie, the connection that came so naturally to the rest of them. That sense had totally disappeared over the past couple of days, but now it was back.

She’d brought him out, watched him come alive, and now it appeared she’d sent him back to that same place in his head. Even so, as much as she thought she needed to say something, anything to make him feel better, she managed to keep her mouth shut. It wasn’t easy.

After a moment, he turned around and faced her, but he was on the opposite side of the room, almost as if he were afraid to come closer. “I want to apologize. And explain.” He shook his head and shrugged. “I really have been thinking about you running a café or coffee shop for me for quite some time, but you already had a job and the space was leased. The tenants just asked if they could break the lease a few days ago when another space opened up that would fit their business better. Of course I said yes. It’s not hard to find a tenant in this economy, but I really did already have the idea I tossed at you today.”

“Marc, I…”

He held up a hand. “No. I need to say this. Please.” He sighed, glanced away, and then focused on her again. “This past couple of months have been the best in my entire life. I’ve had Jake for years, but I never expected the rest of you.” He walked across the office, stopped in front of her chair and squatted down until they were at eye level. “I never expected you, Mandy. The first time I saw you, I was totally blown away, but I had all this crap in my background. I still do, which is why I haven’t been totally honest with you. I love you, Mandy. I think I’ve loved you from the very beginning.”

She sucked in a breath. This wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. Not this at all, but he was slowly shaking his head, looking away now.

He turned back to her, took her hands in his, studied their entwined fingers for a moment before raising his head, looking into her eyes. “I love you so much it just fills me up, but I only realized it after the hypnosis therapy. It was too soon, my mind was a wreck … I couldn’t say anything. I’ve been afraid you didn’t feel the same way, that you wouldn’t want to hang around until I got this crap in my life all straightened out. But I thought that if you had a vested interest in something of mine, in a business here in my building, that you’d at least have to stay until we got all the questions answered. That’s why I brought it up today. I was hoping you’d agree so that you’d have to stay.”

He laughed, but there wasn’t a bit of humor in the sound. “I’d have your name on a contract. I thought that would keep you here even if you didn’t want to stay for me.”

She thought of that little boy in his parents’ bedroom, what he’d witnessed. The lonely, horrible life he’d led, and all of it made perfect sense. Jake had made a similar comment, how Marc had convinced him to invest in the Intimate Winery. It wasn’t because Marc needed the money. He needed to know that Jake had a reason to stick around other than their friendship.

Still hanging on to his hands, Mandy stood, pulling Marc to his feet. “Marc, I love you so much, but I couldn’t understand why you were interested in me at all. I’m just an unemployed barista with nothing to offer. You’re … you’re Marcus Reed—you have everything going for you. I’m…”

“You’re the most important thing I don’t have, Mandy.”

“Marc, you’ve always had me.” She laughed at the look on his face. “When you moved in, I had the feeling everyone was pushing you at me and you weren’t interested, so I backed off. I hated to think they were making you uncomfortable, but you know how it is when couples are all paired up. They want everyone in pairs.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I wondered if that’s what was going on, but you were really good at playing my FWB.”

“FWB?” She laughed. “As much as I wanted it, we were not ‘friends with benefits.’”

He laughed and kissed her. “No, it also means ‘friends without benefits.’ That’s changed, but I wasn’t sure how you felt about me. I really do want you to manage a coffee shop downstairs, Mandy, but now, knowing what I know about my mother, what happened to her, I want to do it a bit differently. The ladies who run the temp service train and hire women from a shelter. I’d like to do that same thing—hire women who need work because they’ve been in a bad situation. I know you and Kaz and Lola have looked into various shelters, researching the memorial for the woman and her child who were killed in Ben and Jake’s accident so long ago. Now that I know what happened to my mother, I have a vested interest in getting even more involved with anyone trying to protect women in danger. I want to lend my support to whatever shelter you choose, but I would also like to have a business that could offer employment to women in an abusive situation. Maybe even childcare here as well. There’s a lot of this building we’re not using. Think about it, please? It really would mean a lot to me.”

“So it’s not an offer you made because you feel sorry for me?”

He shook his head and pulled her close. “Far from it. Why would I ever feel sorry for you? You’re the strongest woman I know. You have everything that’s important. A great attitude, a sister who loves you, friends who love you just as much. You give so much joy to everyone around you, just by being you.”

There was no stopping the tears. Not when he looked at her like that, when his voice sounded so deep and emotional—when his dark eyes glittered as if maybe he was dealing with a few tears himself.