Following Love (5 page)

“Maybe next time. You two go have a good time. I'll be just fine right here. Today on ‘You Can Do It, Be Handy Around the House,' they're installing a new kitchen sink and I've been considering making a change.” She glanced around the kitchen, smiling.

Dena instantly remembered the gas stove fiasco. “Aunt Ellen, promise not to do anything until we get back,” Dena nearly begged.

Ellen laughed. “Of course not. I can't get the materials that quickly anyway.”

Moments later Dena gathered Dillon and left feeling victorious but still slightly concerned. Leaving her aunt in an empty house with her favorite television show on was dangerous but she decided to have a little faith. After the little arrangement she made with Reggie the fire chief and Pete the owner of the hardware store, she was sure that between the three of them her aunt would be safe and so would the county.

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent with Dillon at the local library, the playground and park, then in the local mall picking out new summer clothes for him and work clothes for her. An exceptional day as usual, Dena was delighted, and forgot all her troubles as the two sat in the food court eating a special treat, chocolate ice cream.

“When is my party?” Dillon asked, swinging his feet.

“In about a month and a half.”

“Why-come I can't have it now?” he asked.

Dena smiled. “How come,” she corrected. “Since it's a birthday party you'll have to wait until your actual birthday and your birthday isn't until another month and a half.”

“Why-come?”

“How come?” she corrected again.

“How come,” he repeated. “How come my birff-day is a month and a half and not now?”

“Because that's when you were born and you can't change it, like ice cream, one per customer.”

“How come?”

“A birthday happens only once, one time only.” She held her finger up to show him.

“Nah-uh,” he immediately rebuffed. “I have a birff-day three times, see.” He held up three fingers to show her.

“Very good,” she said, proud that their numbers and counting games were going so well. “But actually, you only have one birthday, the others celebrate the special day each year after that.”

“Can I invite everybody?” he asked.

“Well, maybe not everybody, but yes, some people. Your very closest friends in the whole world.” She reached over and kissed his forehead. He instantly ducked away and wiped his head.

“Mom,” he complained, “you can't do that here. I'm a big boy and big boys don't get kissed.” He looked around as if to make sure that no one saw them and witnessed the kiss.

“Oh, that's right, I'm sorry. I'll try to remember next time.” Dena smiled and chuckled at the newfound sensitivity of her son. He was growing up so fast. She knew that in the blink of an eye he'd be on his way to college and she'd be left alone. She pushed her dish of ice cream aside. Suddenly she didn't feel like a treat anymore. She looked away as Dillon continued spooning chocolate into his open mouth.

Across the room she saw a man walk by dressed in tight jeans and a white T-shirt. He was built strong and he instantly reminded her of the first time she'd seen Julian. Then as if on cue random thoughts of Julian with the sledgehammer appeared. She smiled. He looked so good. Each muscle in his back tightened and pulled, his triceps and biceps contracted and released. The awesome forceful power of his body in perpetual motion warmed her body all over again.

Then her dream resurfaced and his body hovered over her like before but this time it was more sensual. He leaned down and gently touched his mouth to hers. Their tongues touched and a sweet surrender welcomed them.

They were locked in a heated embrace.

“Can I invite my dad to the party?”

Like a record needle on a vinyl album, the screeching sound was Dena's mind racing to return. “Huh? What?”

“You said not to say huh,” Dillon said. “I'm finished. Can I have some more ice cream, please?”

“No, sweetie,” she said, almost breathless as she looked around guiltily as if she'd gotten caught in her sexy dream and everyone knew about it. “Come on, get your stuff together, we need to go now.”

“Okay,” he said excitedly, knowing that they'd walk past the construction site to get to the parked car. He slid then hopped down off the plastic chair, grabbed his empty dish and his mother's half-full dish and marched them over to the trash can just as she'd taught him.

Dena watched as he went. The pride on her face was undeniable even as the thought of being alone gripped her again. She gathered the shopping bags, took his hand and left.

The phone call came while she was out. Sooner than she anticipated, it was definite, as of Saturday afternoon, then officially Monday morning, she was gainfully employed at least temporarily by Hamilton Development Corporation as the new administrative assistant.

 

Thrilled by the possibility of getting back to work and earning her keep, on Monday morning Dena arrived an hour early. Seeing Julian's car parked in the same spot as it was Friday evening sent her thoughts focusing on him again. She smiled, remembering their last conversation, then blushed remembering her wayward dream.

Talking with him was easy and relaxed, and made her feel good, something she seldom felt even with her late husband. Forester had been so focused on himself, work and his career, then on his family, particularly his mother. She'd always felt that she came in a distant third, fourth or fifth on his list, although it hadn't started out that way.

Their grad school romance had been whirlwind and ended in a Las Vegas chapel officiated by Elvis Presley and witnessed by two Martian aliens. His mother, Adel Graham, had lain in the bed for a month when she found out that her youngest son, her angel, her baby, had been tempted into marriage. Everything from then on went slowly downhill. Forester, once kind and gentle, had become cold and distant. His mother had convinced him that the marriage was a mistake. He'd believed her as twenty-eight-plus years of momma's boy pull and influence far outweighed their budding love. Forester had succumbed and the marriage was all but over.

Julian seemed to be nothing like that. There was something innately exciting about being with him that piqued her interest. Although they'd only had a few conversations and granted their first meeting would be considered more of an altercation than introduction, they had started something and made a connection.

Being with Julian was like being the only woman in the world. He gave his total attention. He listened completely as she'd talked even when she confided in him the pain of her loss, surprising herself. She'd never spoken of the accident outside of her doctor's office. Even with her aunt Ellen, as close as they were, she never opened up completely. Julian seemed patient and kind, and she'd decided while making cookies with her son that he was different. She didn't know him well, obviously, but she got the sense that he was a good man. And she needed to know a good man.

So early Monday morning she packed up a small basket of chocolate-chip cookies and took them into the office. It wasn't until she asked around that she found out that Julian was actually one of the company owners. Then she realized that he must have been instrumental in her securing the position in the company. Deciding to thank him personally she found his office and left a short note along with the small basket of cookies.

Shortly afterward Willamina gave her an abridged tour of the facility then introduced her around to coworkers, including to the other two owners, Jordan and Darius, Julian's two brothers. They were near carbon copies of Julian, the same strong build, the same smooth-chocolate complexion, the same gorgeous eyes and the same jovial smile. Dena couldn't believe it when she heard her first bit of office gossip, that all three brothers were currently unmarried. She was sure that the women in the county must be mad or at the very least crazy.

After the tour and a brief conversation with Darius and Jordan, Willamina took Dena to her new office and gave her detailed records of the company's newest client, the county government. A multimillion-dollar account, they had been awarded a bid to build a new office complex. It was a major undertaking and everyone in the office was excited about it.

So for the next few hours Dena immersed herself in the exact details of the project, including records and files both computer-generated and hard copy. She spent a good bit of time sorting, purging and reorganizing to get a basic handle on what was going on.

The start of the project's files, several months ago, was accurate, concise and detailed, but as of a month ago they'd turned scattered and confusing. And going through the process was like putting together a puzzle without actually knowing what the finished picture looked like. As she dug deeper into the files, she discovered a number of questionable accounting practices. It wasn't until she heard the slight knock on her open door that she realized how late it had gotten.

She looked up from the computer monitor and the mass of papers and files already cluttering her desk and smiled. Her heart jumped as soon as she saw him. “Hi,” she said, removing her reading glasses and pushing back her hair. Dressed casually in slacks and a polo shirt, he looked like a breath of fresh air standing there. His eyes, light in color, focused on her and she nearly fell out of her chair.

“Good afternoon. Welcome aboard,” Julian said as he stood in the doorway. His expression was firm and stoic, which made him that much more sexy. Her stomach quivered as she remembered the last time she'd seen that expression, when he was leaning over her. “May I?” he asked.

“Yes, please come in,” Dena said, standing to greet him.

Julian walked into the office and stood across from her desk. “I see you're already getting acclimated.”

She nodded, looking down at the numerous files in front of her. “Trying. I'm getting there slowly. It's an exciting opportunity. I'm looking forward to being involved.”

“I see.” He nodded while still looking around, avoiding eye contact. “Well, how do you like us so far?”

“I didn't realize that you were one of the owners. Somehow I think you had something to do with me getting this job.”

“Not at all,” he said truthfully. “We needed an experienced administrative assistant with ample knowledge in tax law and tax codes on board, especially for this contract. You applied, Willamina did the hiring. Believe me, I had nothing to do with it.”

She smiled, not really believing him. “Well, thanks anyway, and thanks again for the ride home last Friday.”

“Don't mention it. How's it going so far?”

The businesslike demeanor put her off at first; she hadn't anticipated the drastic change. “There's a lot of information and the previous records are pretty scattered and some of the computer files are incomplete.”

“Unfortunately just before Mattie broke her ankle, Willamina went out on bed rest for a few weeks. With both of them out, we hired a few temps to fill in.”

“No offense, but they didn't do a very good job.”

“Which is why they're no longer employed here. Needless to say Willamina was furious with us when she came back. That's when she suggested we hire someone more suited for the position.”

“Well, I'm no CPA but I'm catching on quickly. I do have a few questions about the contract and several of the subcontractors you hired. My predecessor left quite a few things open. Maybe in the next couple of days, if you have the time, you could sit down with me for a little bit and brief me on some of the particulars. Your brothers told me that you were the point man on this job.”

“Sure, of course,” he said, and took a seat.

“Now?” she said, surprised by his prompt attention and immediate response.

“Yes, I'm all yours. What can I do for you?”

Oh, Lord, don't ask that.
Dena's thoughts veered quickly away from the stack of files on her desk and traveled along a straight line into her bedroom. She literally had to snap her wandering mind back to reality.

“Great,” she muttered, nearly breathless as she opened her notebook and checked the questions she'd written down earlier. She handed him a file and asked him for an update, then prayed she could get through the next few minutes without making a complete and total fool of herself.

She did, barely. For the next half hour they discussed the particulars of the contract, the bid and the job. There were several points of contention that they both agreed could be worked out later. At one point she referred to some figures on the monitor. Julian stood and walked over to stand over her.

He leaned one hand on the desk and the other on the back of her chair. The close proximity was maddening. At one point she turned to say something not realizing just how close they were. Their faces were just inches apart. Suddenly she remembered him hovering over her when she was drenched with lemonade and then again in her dream. She lost her concentration three times and actually needed him to repeat himself. It was embarrassing, yes. Mortifying, definitely. But having him that close was also heaven.