Return to You (8 page)

“Of course you do,” he said, joining in her laughter. “But I think my mind is just slightly more diabolical than yours, and if you get caught, I am more than willing to take the heat. Or the credit.” He laughed again. “At the end of the day, I believe I will be garnering hugs, handshakes, and thank-yous. They're going to work this out, Miss Lawson. Mark my words.”

“Once again, I wish I had your confidence.”

“I have more than enough for the both of us. Now, here's what you'll need to do…”

* * *

The weekend ended way too quickly for both of them. Jen had to return to work and was getting ready to leave the suite. “I'll check in with you later, after school, and see where you're at.”

“That works for me,” Selena said. “I'm going to work on reunion stuff and I'm having lunch with some of the girls on the committee, so we can go over any last-minute details. I figure we can get takeout tonight if that works for you.” Selena was curled up on the sofa in her pajamas while enjoying a glass of orange juice from the mini fridge, her briefcase on the floor beside her.

“I'm more than okay with that. But with any luck, I'll hear from either James or Mike and get some good news and be able to sleep at home.”

“This place isn't that bad, is it?” Selena teased even though she knew Jen's comment had little to do with the accommodations and more with the fact that she wanted her life to go back to normal.

“It's not that. I just don't like being forced to run away from my own home. As decadent as this place is, I missed my own bed last night. Although I could get used to the twenty-four-hour room service.” Selena could hardly argue that logic. “What else have you got planned for today?”

“Not much. I guess I hadn't really thought about you having to go to work. I'm sure I'll find something to do.”

“You could call James,” Jen suggested. “You know, invite him for coffee or something, and try to talk like civilized adults.” She paused and looked around the room. “Although I might suggest someplace public, you know, without a bed.”

“Not funny.”

“Maybe. But it seems to me like if you two are left alone in a place like this, you'll end up, you know, horizontal.”

Selena refused to take the bait. “I'm not the one who keeps going on the attack,” she said primly as she rose to pour herself more juice.

“No one said you were,” Jen said with a teasing smile. “Think about it this way; you have some time on your hands, and there's no point in prolonging this. If things wrap up with Todd, then you're possibly going to see James again. Wouldn't it be better if you could do that without worrying about who's going to pounce on whom?”

“It's not like that…”

“Right. The two of you keep tripping and locking lips by accident.” Jen's dry tone made Selena laugh. “Look, I can't make you call him; all I can do is encourage you.”

“I'll think about it.”

“I can't promise that I won't prompt him if he calls with an update.”

“Do what you have to do,” Selena challenged.

“Don't tempt me.”

Selena shrugged and sat down on the sofa with her glass of orange juice. “Well, keep me posted on whether you hear anything, and I can be flexible. Wherever you need me to be, that's where I'll be.” She hugged Jen and wished her a good day.

Alone in the suite, Selena realized it was too early to get ready for her lunch plans and decided to check on business back in North Carolina, to make sure all was well there. Her assistant, Kate, was a godsend—an hour later, Selena was completely caught up with everything she needed. There was a certain peace to knowing everything was under control back home, but it also left her with nothing to do.

It was just a little after nine, and she felt restless. Pacing the suite, she thought about going to the gym but didn't have the ambition, then she thought about ordering breakfast but found she wasn't particularly hungry. Her mind wandered to yesterday and seeing James. Maybe Jen was right. Maybe she needed to take that step and try to talk with him.

She'd done it before; she could do it again.

* * *

There
was
no
way
she
was
going
to
wait
weeks
to
see
him
again. After school, Selena took a detour by the house where she and Jen had dropped James off earlier. She had no idea if he'd still be there, but she just knew she had to see him again.

She
slowed
as
she
approached
the
house. As if he could sense that she was there, James stopped what he was doing and turned around. He put his hand above his brow to shade his eyes.

The
car
came
to
a
stop
just
as
he
reached
the
curb.

“Hi,” they both said in unison.

“So, um, I just wanted to stop and say thank you for lunch today,” she said, trying to think of a reason for being there. “I realized that I never said it earlier so…thank you. I'll pay you back. Promise.”

Silence. He just stared at her with a lazy grin. It was then she realized that she must be interrupting his work and decided that stopping by was probably a foolish thing to do. Before she made an even bigger fool of herself, she gave a tight smile. “Well, I don't want to keep you from your work. So—”

“Why aren't you at practice right now?”

“What?”

“Practice. Don't you normally have cheer or dance practice or something after school?”

“Oh, I…um…I didn't feel like it today,” she said honestly.

“Uh-huh.” He continued to watch her with that grin, and she could only hope James didn't notice her squirm in her seat.

“Well, I don't want to keep you from your—”

“You said that already,” he said teasingly.

“You keep interrupting me,” she teased right back.

“Actually, I'm done for the day, so you're not keeping me from anything. I was just looking over what I'd done. Want to come and see it?”

“Sure.” It was no more than a whisper.

“You can pull into the driveway.”

She
pulled
in
where
he
had
indicated
and
was
surprised, again, when he appeared next to her and opened her car door. The look on her face caused him to smile. Without breaking eye contact, he held out a hand to her.

“I won't bite,” he said when she didn't move.

She
couldn't respond; she could only take his hand, climb out, and return his smile. They walked around the yard, still holding hands, as he explained about all of the different plants they had put in and why they were placed where they were and any other interesting facts he could think of.

“What's this one?” she asked as she examined and smelled the fragrant plant. “The purple flowers are beautiful.”

“That's a butterfly bush.”

“No, seriously. What's it called?”

“Seriously, it's called a butterfly bush.” When she still looked at him with disbelief, he caved. “Okay, butterfly bush or
Buddleja davidii
is
a
favorite
shrub
of
mine
because
of
its
colorful
flowers
and
ability
to
attract
a
variety
of
beneficial
insects. It's native to China, but it adapted to most regions of the southeast. It can be killed during a harsh winter, though. We tried to talk the homeowner out of using it, since we get some really extreme winters up here, but they were insistent. The wife saw it while on vacation, and she couldn't be swayed.”

“Won't she be mad when it dies after one winter?”

James
shrugged. “Probably, but we explained the risks. It's a shame it's not sturdier. In the right climate, on a sunny day, it's not unusual to find one of these with dozens of butterflies hovering around.” He pictured Selena surrounded by flowers and butterflies. “Beautiful,” he murmured.

“I'm sure it is,” she said with a wistful sigh. “The yard looks amazing.”

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“Well, thanks for showing me around. It was interesting; I didn't realize that so much went in to landscaping.” She turned to walk away, but he gently placed a hand on her arm.

“Hey, since you're here, could you maybe give me a ride?” James asked. Selena stared at him quizzically. “I, um, I don't have a car. Normally I walk home or my boss picks me up, but it's looking pretty gray right now, and I don't look forward to walking…”

“Oh, yeah. Of course,” she stammered as they headed back toward her car. Selena was secretly thrilled to have some extra time with him. “You'll have to tell me where you live.”

It
wasn't a long drive—far too short for her liking. She had forgotten that he was living with Kent and his family and was embarrassed when she realized she had already known the way there. When they pulled up just a few short minutes later, she searched her brain for something to say to extend their time together. “So, how are you and Kent related?”

“Our moms are cousins.”

She
nodded. “Where is your family?”

“North Carolina.”

“How come you're—”

She
never
got
the
chance
to
finish. Without a word, James reached out and cupped a hand behind her neck and pulled her close to kiss her. His lips were firm yet gentle, giving her time to either accept his kiss or pull away.

She
chose
to
accept. As his lips moved over hers, Selena realized that she had never been kissed like this before. It was so intimate, so intense, she felt as though she would die if he stopped kissing her. Nothing else mattered except getting closer to James and staying there. He seemed completely on board with her way of thinking.

It
could
have
been
minutes, or it could have been hours by the time they reluctantly broke apart. Selena stared up at him, her eyes a little dazed at the intimacy they had just shared. “I probably should have asked you first,” James said softly, his thumb tracing her bottom lip, “but I was afraid you'd say no.”

She
smiled. “I think I wanted you to do that since I first met you.”

His
gaze
turned
from
slumberous
to
heat
in
an
instant. “All you had to do was ask.”

“James?” she whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me.”

He
was
right. All she had to do was ask.

* * *

Before her nerves got the best of her, Selena opened her laptop and Googled the number for James's precinct. Once she had it, not giving herself time to think, Selena picked up her phone and called the number. “James Montgomery, please,” she said as soon as the operator answered. It wasn't long before James picked up.

“Montgomery.”

“James, it's Selena.” Silence. “Are you there?”

“Yeah, I'm here,” he said curtly. “What can I do for you?”

Well, there was a loaded question if she'd ever heard one. “Um, I was wondering if you had time to meet for coffee today or something.”

“You don't drink coffee,” he said.

She was momentarily stunned he remembered that about her. “Well, most places don't serve only coffee,” she said lightly. “I just thought that maybe, considering the events of the last couple of days, we should sit down and…talk.” There. She'd said it and now the ball was in his court.

“I might be able to get away this afternoon for a bit. Where?”

Selena could tell by his tone that he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of getting together with her. “The hotel has a coffee shop. We can meet there if it's convenient for you, or I can meet you someplace closer to the station.”

James rattled off the address of a Starbucks in the area of the precinct. “I can meet you there around three.”

“Okay. Thanks.” When Selena hung up, she felt lighter, more hopeful. Maybe this wouldn't be a bad thing; after all, she'd had ten years to prepare for it. Rising from the sofa, she went about getting ready to meet her friends for lunch. She put a little extra effort into how she looked because she doubted there would be time to come back to the hotel and freshen up.

Finding the balance between casual and professional, she decided on black slacks with a black silk shell, a teal scarf, and a black flyaway sweater. Black leather ankle boots completed the ensemble, and while she wasn't sure at first about all of the black, the teal scarf and dangly earrings accented it perfectly, along with a big teal purse.