Passion Never Dies (10 page)

“It was the most romantic date I’ve ever been on.”

Natalie’s eyebrows rose.

“Do tell and don’t leave any details out, please.”

Diana proceeded to tell her best friend everything she wanted to know except for the minor detail that she suspected that her heart was in danger.

~

“But, I don’t understand,” said a pretty older woman in her mid-fifties. She sat across from Diana at a kitchen table covered in a red and white gingham tablecloth.

“Mom, Richard and I were at a dead end in our relationship,” said Diana as she looked across at her mother. “I suspected early on that I couldn’t fall in love with him but I thought that over time, perhaps I could. We were just never meant to be.”

She had left right after work to visit her mother and stepfather. It had been over two weeks since she had last seen them and her mother had invited her over for dinner.

“But, darling, I thought he was perfect for you. Sweet, attentive, patient and God knows you kept him dangling long enough.”

Diana took a sip of her green tea to keep herself from saying anything she might regret later.

“Mom, I didn’t dangle him,” she said a bit peevishly. “He was never really right for me. I probably shouldn’t have dated him for as long as I did, but I did like him very much and he was a great
friend
.” She emphasized the word “friend” and hoped her mom understood.

Trina Mulroney Vincent shook her head. Then she stood up and walked over to the oven to check on the vegetables she was currently sautéing in olive oil. She was a pretty woman, whose dark brown hair had streaks of grey in it, but she had kept her figure and took long walks with her husband, Murray, every morning to keep fit.

“Who is this Jake that you’ve been talking about? Natalie said that he works closely with Max. Why don’t you invite him over so that Murray and I can meet him?” asked Trina as she walked back to the table and sat down.

“Natalie mentioned him to you?” asked Diana in surprise.

“She called the other day for my banana bread recipe and mentioned that you were dating a new man. She wasn’t gossiping or anything.”

Diana shook her head and sighed. Her mother and best friend were close and she knew that neither one of them was ever going to stop delving into her love life.

“As far as I know, Natalie has only met him once,” Diana said as she looked up to see her stepfather Murray walk into the yellow and white cheerful kitchen filled with rabbit decor. Her mother loved rabbits.

“Hi, darlin’,” he said to his wife and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. In his early sixties, Murray had been a widower when he met Trina six years ago at a mutual friend’s party. His dark hair was now more white than black, yet he still retained his youthful energy and loved to laugh a great deal.

Murray smiled warmly at his stepdaughter. Diana smiled back and stood up to give him a hug.

“How are you, Murray?” she asked and he patted her on the cheek gently.

“Fine, your mother keeps me healthy and fit. We’ve missed you around here, cutie-pie,” he said affectionately to Diana.

Murray began using the endearment for her soon after his wedding to Trina five years ago. She loved her stepfather from the moment she had met him. Kind and loving, he treated her mom like a queen. Trina had bloomed under his love and attention and Diana was grateful to him for making her so happy.

“I know - I wanted to visit sooner, but I’ve been so tired after work and lately my weekends have been kind of full,” apologized Diana as she watched Murray pour himself a cup of tea and sat down next to her mother.

“You need to invite him over, sweetheart,” said Trina insistently.

“Invite whom?” asked Murray, taking a sip of his tea.

“Her new boyfriend,” his wife answered. Murray’s eyebrows shot up and Diana rolled her eyes.

“You have a new boyfriend?” asked Murray.

“No, actually I’m not sure what we are at the moment,” Diana answered hesitantly.

Murray and Trina exchanged glances and then looked at Diana, a touch of concern on their faces.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” asked her mother carefully.

“Mom, I’ve only known him a short time.”

“But you’ve been seeing him a lot, right, cutie-pie?” asked Murray, his brown eyes warm and understanding.

“Yes, I have,” Diana said slowly, “but we’re not rushing into anything.”

Suddenly, the oven’s timer went off and Trina stood to grab some oven mitts and take out the Cornish game hens. The delicious aroma emitting from the hens made Diana’s mouth water.

“By golly, that looks and smells wonderful, darlin’,” laughed Murray as he stood behind his wife and peered over her shoulder.

Grateful for the interruption, Diana stood and opened the pantry to take out several plates.

“Thanks again for dinner, Mom and Murray. I’m starving,” said Diana as her stepfather put the hens on a large platter and placed it on the dining table.

Trina laughed. “Just remember to bring your young man over, so he can have a taste of my cooking.”

Diana smiled, “Sure, Mom. We’ll see.”

Chapter Five

“Now, please be careful when you handle Chauncy,” Diana said as she held a chubby, little, grey, dwarf hamster in the palms of her hands.

She sat cross-legged on the rug of her floor in the center of her classroom while her students sat in a circle in front of her, all looking very excited to touch the much beloved classroom pet. Diana loved hamsters and when one of the children had asked her several months ago if he could bring his pet hamster in, she had readily agreed. When that student had had to move, he had left Chauncy behind and now several of the children took turns taking care of the little hamster.

“Madison, be gentle,” reminded Diana as the golden-haired little girl took Chauncy in her chubby little hands.

“He’s so cwute, Miss Diana,” said Madison as she crooned to the hamster, which patiently allowed the girl to stroke his ears.

“Does he like candy, Miss Diana?” asked Shane, who sat next to Madison.

“No, candy isn’t good for hamsters, Shane,” answered Diana, smiling.

“My turn, my turn!” said Jacob insistently.

“Not yet,” admonished Diana gently. “We’re all going to take turns.”

“Me, too?” asked Nathan, his green eyes glued to Chauncy.

“Yes, you, too,” replied Diana as she looked at Nathan warmly.

Nathan was a miniature version of his uncle Jake and just seeing him every day made her think of his uncle all the time. But even without Nathan’s presence in her classroom she knew that Jake would still be in her thoughts constantly.

“Miss Diana, I wuv Chauncy,” said Tommy as Madison gently handed him over to him.

Diana watched Tommy pet Chauncy carefully. Nathan was sitting next to Tommy and he bent his head to watch the hamster closely. The two little boys had become fast friends and it was rare not to see one without the other in the classroom and in the playground.

“My turn, my turn!” piped up Jacob, growing more impatient by the second.

“Jacob, come here and sit on my lap,” said Diana, knowing that her most challenging student was about to throw a tantrum if Chauncy wasn’t placed in his hands soon.

Jacob immediately came forward and sat on her lap with a big plop and contentedly sat back against her chest as Diana picked up a children’s storybook lying nearby and began reading to him. She kept one eye on the hamster and the other children while she read to Jacob.

~

Standing at the open doorway, Jake watched Diana. He felt something inside him melt at the lovely sight of her surrounded by adorable children. Nathan’s nanny, Liz, had called him earlier and said that her car had broken down. She was stuck at the repair shop, so he had had to leave a business meeting early to pick up Nathan.

Jake observed the way Diana gently instructed the children to be careful with the hamster and had seen how she had calmed down one of her students. It was clear how much she cared about them and that she had a special way with all of them. He had missed her these past few days. After they had come back from San Diego, he had been thrown into a series of long meetings and had been heavily immersed with work duties. He had called Diana each night this week usually around midnight and she was an early sleeper, so they barely had an opportunity to talk for more than ten minutes.

“Now, Jacob, hold Chauncy gently and don’t squeeze him,” she instructed as Nathan handed Chauncy over to Jacob.

Jacob cupped his hands and cooed at the hamster.

“Good boy,” she said as she watched him carefully handle the little bundle of fur.

A few strands of Diana’s wavy, brown hair had escaped her ponytail and Jake watched as she tucked the strands behind her ears. Her short-sleeved, pink blouse looked wrinkled, but she looked unconcerned about the state of her dress. All the women Jake had previously dated had been meticulous about their looks and clothing. Most had only cared about their appearances and would never have been caught dead in public looking anything less than perfect.

As Jake continued to watch her, he smiled as he realized that Diana cared more about her students than she cared about her appearance. She looked perfectly happy interacting with them and answering their questions calmly and all with a warm smile. Suddenly, he frowned because it was at that moment that he realized that Diana had the potential to deeply impact his life and he wasn’t sure if he liked it.

“Uncle Jake!”

Nathan’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He watched as his nephew stood up and came running toward him. The little boy leaped into Jake’s open arms and laughed as Jake tickled and hugged him back.

~

Diana was startled to see Jake at the doorway of her classroom. She hadn’t known that he was going to pick Nathan up today and it was still early yet. None of the other children’s parents had arrived to pick up their children. With a brief word to Jacob to continue to handle Chauncy gently, she stood up and walked over to Jake, her heart beating rapidly as usual at the sight of his tall, masculine body and chiseled good looks.

“Good afternoon, Diana,” he said politely, still holding Nathan in his arms. “Liz was unable to pick up Nathan today.”

The look that Jake gave her was unreadable, his green eyes intense as they studied her. Uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she dragged her eyes away from his and focused on Nathan.

“Looks like today is your lucky day,” she told a smiling Nathan. “Your uncle is here to pick you up.”

“Can I bring Chauncy home, Miss Diana?” asked Nathan eagerly.

“No, sweetie, it’s Madison’s turn to bring him home this week, remember? Next time it’ll be yours.”

“Okay,” said Nathan a little glumly.

“Diana,” said Jake, bringing her attention back to him. “Are you free this Friday night?”

Diana was more than just a little pleased by his question. She had missed him sorely these past few days. Their nightly conversations had been brief due to his late work nights and her early evening schedule. She caught herself thinking about him almost every minute of the day and he haunted her dreams at night.

“I am. What do you have in mind?”

“I’d like to take you out for the evening.”

Diana nodded, happily agreeing to anything he proposed.

“I’ll pick you up at eight,” he said, his eyes inscrutable.

Diana didn’t know why his demeanor had suddenly turned serious, but her heart squeezed painfully at the ugly thought that maybe he was trying to end their relationship - if relationship is what you could call what they had.

Just then a parent arrived and Diana became distracted. Jake put Nathan down and then smiled warmly at Diana. His smile put her at ease and she found herself breathing easier again.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said and then led Nathan down the hallway. Diana stared after him, wondering why suddenly she was feeling more than a little anxious at his changed persona.

~

Three days later, Diana waited nervously in front of her apartment complex for Jake to pick her up. The evening was very warm, so she opted to wear something strapless, black, and sexy for their date. She bit her lip wondering if the last few conversations she had had with Jake over the phone lately were a prelude to what was going to happen tonight. He had been distracted and his mind had seemed somewhere else. Their conversations had become increasingly short and she sometimes became aware that he wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying.

She believed in karma and if what she had done to Richard, breaking ties with him abruptly, was going to happen to her, she preferred to be mentally prepared for it. Thus, the sexy outfit. She had to exude confidence no matter what the outcome of tonight’s date was. She refused to be the clingy woman who would not and could not accept that a man was no longer interested in her. If Jake had lost interest in her, then so be it. He had already turned her world upside down and she didn’t think she was ready to fall farther into the proverbial rabbit hole. At least that’s what her mind told her. Her heart was another matter entirely.

~

The throbbing beat of the music was causing her eardrums to explode. Diana held back the urge to cover her ears as Jake held her hand and led her into the MGM Grand’s Studio 54 nightclub. He had been allowed to cut in front of the long line with just a nod at the imposing bouncers. Diana had never been inside Studio 54 before and she was impressed by the size of the nightclub, but not by all the scantily clad women eyeing Jake up and down hungrily. Jake wore black slacks and a grey shirt, but the clothes couldn’t hide his hard, masculine body. Suddenly, she was glad to have caught Jake giving her a sizzling look earlier as they had walked into the hotel together.

“You look beautiful,” he said, looking at her tight, silky, black dress. His eyes flared in heat as he stared at her breasts pushing up against the tight bodice.

“Thank you,” she said, as he turned her before him and caressed her arms gently, his fingers stroking her soft skin. She felt goose bumps explode all over her arms.

They watched a dancer sway to the hip-hop music on a podium on the dance floor. Her enticing moves captivated a few of the men around them.