Dating A Silver Fox (Never Too Late) (13 page)

“Jane? No she doesn’t,” Lydia said sharply. “Jane is the most level headed business woman I’ve ever met. I mean―next to my own daughter.” She thought of Regina Logan. “Well, and maybe Lauren’s friends. The point is that there are a lot of good business women in Falls Church, and Jane is certainly one of them.”

“Listen to yourself making all those compliments. Don’t look now, grape, but you’re already oozing juice,” Morrie teased with a smile, knuckling her chin before striding off to look for his daughter.

When he’d gone, Lydia let loose a giant sigh of relief, followed by a wave of sympathy for Jane. “With a man like that for a father, it’s a wonder Jane ever married at all.”

Lauren bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh I don’t know. He seems nice, maybe a little boisterous in his enthusiasm. I like him, Mother.”

Over the years, she had seen Lydia McCarthy decimate the richest, the smartest, and the most handsome men in Falls Church for daring to say much less than Morrison Fox had said in his first breath this evening. And Lauren couldn’t remember ever seeing a man kiss her mother—not even her father—not even on the cheek.

“His brother-in-law died recently,” Lydia said, thinking about the worried tone of Morrison’s voice when he talked about his sibling. “His sister was staying with him while she took care of the final arrangements. That’s why I had to finish the project by myself.”

Lauren exchanged a look with her husband again. Sympathy was another rare show for her mother. Now she was really wondering about the man. It was simply hard to imagine any friendly, flirty man voluntarily pursuing a standoffish woman like her mother without some higher motive to tolerate her sharp tongue.

Maybe they should run a background check on him just in case he was a con of some sort.

“I think I’m reading your mind,” Jim leaned into his wife to whisper. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow. Casey’s doing those for me now.”

Lauren nodded, not surprised her very smart husband was keeping up with her thoughts.

“You did a great job with the seating area, Mother. Some of this looks very familiar. What did you do? Talk the country club into donating?” Lauren asked, noticing it was taking her mother quite a while to pull her attention away from Morrison Fox, who was still working his way across the room.

“Yes. They weren’t using them. I talked them into donating half their old stock,” Lydia said, forcing herself to look at the seating arrangements again, where people were now resting comfortably and chatting.

“Well I think that’s great,” Lauren said sincerely. “You’re a decorating natural. Why don’t you blog about re-purposing used furniture and accessories? I bet you could offer some great tips.”

“Blog?” Lydia said. “Like online? Write for the internet?”

Lauren nodded, trying not to laugh. “You use your e-reader all the time. That computer of yours is just gathering dust. Put it to good use.”

Lydia shook her head. “I don’t know why you would think I’d do that.”

“Mother, I think you are capable of doing anything. And I mean
anything
,” Lauren emphasized.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re starting to remind me of Morrison Fox. Excuse me while I go check on the kitchen. The caterer isn’t restocking the trays fast enough and Jane is too busy to see to it,” she said, walking away and glad to have a reprieve from Lauren’s innuendoes.

After her mother left, Lauren rubbed her sleeping son’s back before passing him to his father. “Here. Your turn to hold your son. He’s not even two and already I can’t carry him anymore.”

Jim laughed. “We’ll just have to make you a smaller version. I’ll take the boy. I’ll be glad when he’s big enough for one of those baby leash things.”

“Baby leash? You’d put your son on a leash like a dog?” Lauren demanded.

“In a heartbeat,” Jim replied, favoring his wife with a grin. “I’d put your son in one too, especially when he’s in one of his mother’s temper-tantrum-every-two-seconds moods when he doesn’t get his way.”

Lauren sighed. “You seriously think a second child is going to calm the first one down?”

“It’s a theory,” Jim said. “I’m a positive thinker these days.”

Lauren laughed. “I’ve already agreed to having one more child. You don’t have to talk me into it.”

“I know. I love you, Lauren,” Jim said, smiling into her eyes.

“I love you too,” she answered, leaning into him for a quick kiss. “Hey—you’re Mr. Intuitive Businessman. Use your mojo and tell me what’s up with Morrison Fox and my mother.”

“I thought that was pretty obvious,” Jim remarked. “Fox wants what most men attracted to a woman want. He wants in her pants.”

“He does not,” Lauren denied hotly on a laugh. “Been spending time alone with Casey this week?”

Jim grinned. Casey’s slang was highly contagious. “So what do you think is going on?”

Lauren shook her head as she looked across the room. “I have no idea, but I hope he doesn’t give up. I like seeing her off-balance. First JD did it. Now Morrison Fox. I’m starting to see a very different side of my mother.”

“Too bad you couldn’t talk her into therapy. It might have done her some good,” Jim said kindly.

“Are you crazy? Can you see my mother answering personal questions without verbally blasting the questioner? No doctor deserves that torture,” Lauren said. “When I told my mother I was in therapy, she said hell would freeze over before she would pay good money to spill her guts to someone who would only put her on medication.”

“Well, if she’d gotten a good one like Regina, she might have been surprised,” Jim said.

“True,” Lauren agreed easily. “But there’s only one Dr. Logan, and my mother doesn’t like her. She thinks Regina is a quack.”

“Honey, your mother doesn’t like anyone. I still say Regina could whip your mother into shape if she could keep herself from killing her first,” Jim teased, enjoying the weight of his son on him. “This place is a lot like where Cassandra and Sam live. Most are living here because they lost a spouse and have chosen to simplify their material life. I know this is everyone’s potential future, but holding JD—it’s easy to believe things will always be as good as they are right now.”

“Well, I think all these lonely people ought to be out looking for someone. There’s no reason anyone should spend the last of their years alone. I mean, I know it’s not likely to happen for my mother, but it’s her decision not to let anyone into her life,” Lauren said.

“Does she have a good reason for that?” Jim asked, noting the flash of pain in Lauren’s eyes as she shrugged.

“Yes, she probably does. I don’t know if I ever told you, but my mother was never happy with my father. I loved him, and he was good to me, but he was like my ex. He kept other women, so I don’t even blame my mother. I just could never understand why mother never let herself be happy with anyone after him,” Lauren said.

“Well, maybe she will one day. I see the elderly Mr. Graham, who’s lots older than her, over there chatting up all the females stopping by to speak to him. He’s got to be a hundred if he’s a day,” Jim said, trying to change the subject to something other than Lydia’s love life. “That’s admirable, don’t you think?”

“Harrison is eighty-something. He and mother are good friends,” Lauren said.

“So are your mother and your ex,” Jim said, the fact still irritating as hell. “Maybe she just has an eye for cheating men.”

“Jared and Mother aren’t real friends. They just belong to the same organizations and run into each other a lot. Mother hasn’t had a private lunch with Jared since you and I married,” Lauren said, surprised to hear herself defending her mother.

“Hmmm…well Lydia needs better lunch companions. Though I admit it’s hard to imagine Lydia ever dating like a normal person,” Jim said. “She’s not friendly enough.”

“Well if she doesn’t want to date, then why bother spending money on hair appointments and gym memberships? Who is she trying to impress? She should just eat all the pasta she wants and be happy with the high fat, totally amazing ice cream tucked away in her freezer,” Lauren declared.

Jim laughed. “So what are you saying? If I go first, would you replace me or just eat to ease the pain?”

“I’d have to replace you,” Lauren answered firmly without hesitating. “Alexa is promising to will me her ‘good-in-bed’ list. I’ll start there before using the trial and error method.”

“Fine,” Jim said, trying to keep the annoyance from his tone. Lauren could have at least pretended not to have given it any thought. “Bet you’ll never find another man who knows how to use cannoli in bed as well as I do. Well, not unless you murder Regina and steal Ben.”

Lauren waved her hand. “I had my chance with Ben. I wasn’t interested.”

“What do you mean you had your chance with Ben?” Jim demanded. “Ben didn’t say anything about that.”

“Because Ben had no idea what I was thinking at the time, and you can never tell him,” Lauren explained patiently, liking the concern in her husband’s tone a little too much. “Ben was widowed, lonely, and vulnerable. Any woman could have seduced him with a little work.”

Jim snorted. “I don’t think so. Kaiser said he pursued Regina, not the other way around.”

Lauren flicked a hand back at his denial. “Okay. Fine. Believe what you want. You’re just lucky I wasn’t interested.”

Jim narrowed his eyes. “Why are you teasing me about the one man you know I envy?”

“I’m trying to churn you up. It’s been a while and I thought tonight we could practice making JD a brother or sister,” Lauren said.

“Where’s Lydia?” Jim demanded. “When she comes back, she can watch her grandson again for a few minutes. Now if you don’t mind entertaining yourself, JD and I are going to walk around and look for a broom closet with a lockable door.”

Jim took off walking, smiling at his wife’s shoulders shaking with laughter.

Chapter 10

Walter fidgeted with the plastic cup of punch in his hand, making popping sounds by squeezing the sides.

“Cut it out,” Harrison ordered. “Hell, you even look guilty. Stop thinking about it and you won’t be so anxious.”

“Why aren’t you worried?” Walter asked.

“Experience. Plus I have a hunch we’re going to be the top bid,” Harrison said.

“How can you be so sure?” Walter demanded.

“Watch and learn, boy. Now here she comes. Quit scowling and smile at her,” Harrison ordered.

“If you don’t stop telling me what to do, I’m going to wrap that cane around your—
Hello, Jane
,” Walter said in greeting, standing up and drawing her gaze up the length of him when she got within hearing distance.

Her mesmerized gaze was a reaction Walter had learned to cause every time he saw Jane Fox. And it never got old or boring hearing Jane finish her perusal of his body with a wistful sigh. The more often he heard that little exhalation of breath from her, the more determined he was to satisfy the longing in it. In fact, it had pretty much replaced all his other fantasies.

“How’s the sale going?” Walter asked as casually as he could.

“The silent bids are still better than those from the people showing up to look,” Jane said. “That’s how it goes at these things. You two enjoying yourselves?” Her gaze swung to include Harrison who was watching her and not saying a word. “You feeling okay, Harrison? I’ve never seen you so subdued.”

“I’m fine, honey. I missed my nap this afternoon, that’s all. How are you holding up? This thing going the way you hoped?” Harrison asked.

Jane lifted a hand and made the so-so gesture. “Meh—could be better. I’m going to miss you when this place sells you know.”

“So stay,” Harrison ordered. “I’ll miss you too. No one else’s legs are half as nice to look at as yours. Well, maybe Lydia’s, but hers end in a frown.”

Jane laughed and shook her head. “Sorry. I can’t stay merely to be your smiling girly entertainment. I’m bored with the work, Harrison. I need another challenge. Dad keeps suggesting I start up a dating service. Want to be my first customer?”

“At eighty-four?” Harrison asked, delighted with her joking. “Are you going to be that desperate for customers?”

“Not me. I’m handling a different group. Dad’s going to be running the over sixty segment,” Jane teased. “Be sure and write ‘nice legs’ on your application.”

“Right, like I’d trust Morrison Fox to find me a female. Have you seen his taste in women?” Harrison demanded, delighted again when Jane’s laughter echoed around them.

He noticed he wasn’t the only one delighted when he saw Walter shifting his weight as he looked at her. The boy was in heat, no doubt about that.

“Men my age must be realists. Finding a woman through a dating service is not bloody likely,” Harrison said with an unrepentant laugh. “But if I wanted, I could date a twenty-year-old easier than young Walter here. He has the looks—but I have the money.”

Walter shook his head and rolled his eyes, making Jane smile and bite the inside of her jaw to keep from defending Walter’s many appeals, though looks were definitely near the top.

“That’s a pretty jaded view, Harrison. Not as many women are gold diggers these days,” Jane said with a laugh. “I can tell you I’m not interested in money at all. I don’t need money. I need other things.”