When I’m With You (Indigo) (3 page)

“I see.”

“Have you considered getting a new car?”

“No!” She fumbled with the zipper on her purse before she looked up at him again. “Besides, I can’t afford it right now, even if I wanted to. At least this one’s paid for.”

Marcel urged her to sit in one of the two chairs at the table while he took the other. “Listen, I’m no genius, but it doesn’t take one to know that you’re awfully edgy.”

She nervously chuckled. “Why would you think that?”

“For one thing, you jump every time someone comes near you. And second, getting any information from you requires the skill of a surgeon, which obviously I’m not.” He relaxed his long frame and touched his left index finger to his head. “Now tell me, if you were me, what would you think?”

Long, black lashes swept across her high cheekbones. “It has nothing to do with you, honestly.” After a pregnant pause, she stared at the carpeted floor, her voice a mere whisper. “I-I just try to keep a low profile, that’s all.”

“You don’t have anything to fear from me, okay? If I can help you, I will.” He pulled a business card from his shirt pocket, picked up a Cross pen and wrote on the back. He slid it to her. “Just in case.”

Picking up the card, she smiled. “All your digits, huh?” He’d even given her his home address. She slipped the card inside her purse. “Thanks, but I’m okay.”

It took a bit of persuasion, but Marcel finally convinced Caitlyn to grab a bite to eat with him at the restaurant across the street. It looked like a hole-in-the-wall, but they served the best burgers and fries in town. Marcel noticed during lunch that the uneasiness and nervousness she’d shown earlier had disappeared. Afterward, they enjoyed a couple of café mochas.

He placed his cup on the table and looked across at her. “Do I detect a slight East Coast accent?”

Her smile was soft, warm. “Darn it, I thought I’d lost it.”

Shaking his head, he smiled back. “No such luck. So, where’re you from?”

“Newark.”

“Certainly not Newark, California.”

She arched her brow. “There’s a Newark, California?”

“You got it. About twenty miles or so from Oakland.”

“Really? Well, my Newark is in New Jersey.”

“So, what brings you to California?”

She shrugged. “A lot of things.”

“I see.” There was that evasiveness again. He decided to try a different approach. “So, what do you do?”

“I run a youth center.”

“Here in Oakland?”

She nodded.

“Which one?”

“The East Oakland Youth Center.”

Startled, Marcel felt his chest collide with the table edge. “The one on Webster Street?” He needed to confirm it was the same one he’d received the funding request from three weeks ago.

“Yes. Do you know about us?”

He nodded. “In a manner of speaking, I do.”

Inclining her head sideways, her brow rose. “How?”

His response was temporarily trapped in his throat as he observed her striking beauty. Her gorgeous ebony skin without a single blemish and the same shade as dark chocolate was alluring. It was so striking she looked like a priceless piece of onyx. His gaze drifted to her pointed nose and the lushness of her mouth. Forget attractive. She was absolutely exquisite.

“I’ve worked with a lot of community programs over the years.” He propped his elbows on the table. “So, tell me more about the center.” Not only did he hope to find out firsthand about the center’s programs, hopefully he’d learn more about the beauty seated across from him.

Placing her cup down, Caitlyn’s passion for her job burst forth, along with a smile as bright as the lights in Times Square. “We have a reading and literacy club for our elementary and middle school kids. Oh, and our investment club has taught the kids a lot about how to manage their money.” She clapped, threw her head back and laughed. “I think I’ll hire a couple of the kids as my personal investors soon. Anyway, we offer conflict resolution, and I’d love to add a mentoring program.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“Funding—or lack of, I should say.”

“You enjoy what you do, don’t you?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I really do.”

“How did you get into this?”

“I grew up in the inner city and spent a lot of time at the local youth center in my neighborhood. I saw firsthand the struggles that come from a lack of economic development in poor communities.”

“So you decided to do something about it, huh?”

“I didn’t initially start out doing this, but I’m happy with it.”

“So, what did you do before this?”

“Corporate philanthropy.”

“Really? Why did you quit?”

She sucked in a deep breath and released it. “Personal reasons.” Glancing at her watch, she reached for her purse. “I really do need to get back to the center.”

Marcel didn’t want the time they had shared to end so soon, and his mind raced to think of a way to prevent it from happening. He inconspicuously inched his hand across the table until the glass of water in front of her tumbled over. “Oh, God—” He grabbed a handful of napkins from the holder. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I’m showing off my clumsiness today.”

“It’s okay.” Caitlyn quickly rose to her feet and scooped her purse off the table to avoid the spreading pool of liquid. She glanced down at the water dripping on the floor. “Here, let me have a few of those.”

“There you go.” Marcel placed several napkins in her hand and nodded at her purse. “Here, let’s put your purse over here so it doesn’t get wet.” He placed it in his seat as she bent to mop the floor. While Caitlyn’s attention was diverted, he stopped long enough to unzip her bag and tuck the envelope of money she’d given him earlier inside. He straightened quickly as she stood.

Once they settled down again, he smiled. “We’ve known each other for almost twenty-four hours, and I still don’t know your first name.”

She chuckled. “I’m sorry. It’s Caitlyn.” She extended her hand across the table. “Caitlyn Thompson.”

Well, well, well. This was the Caitlyn Thompson who’d written the funding proposal and the one he’d known only by name for the last three weeks. He made a mental note to be sure to get to mass early on Sunday and light a candle for this blessing. Marcel took back what he’d told himself three days earlier about wanting to meet the grant writer. Meeting her wasn’t enough. Now he wanted to get to know Caitlyn on a personal level.

“Marcel Baptiste.” He slipped his hand from hers. “Any luck with that funding?”

“No. I was supposed to meet with a potential funder yesterday, but the meeting was cancelled.” She lifted her chin high with determination. “But don’t worry, I’ll get another meeting.”

Marcel gazed her intently. The confidence in her eyes was just as impressive as the challenge in her voice. “Have dinner with me, Caitlyn.”

“I don’t think—”

“I’ll meet you wherever you say. Just say yes.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple. Say yes.”

“No.”

He hitched his brow. “No?”

She chuckled. “Must be an echo in here, huh?”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t know you.”

He smiled again. “Well, that’s the whole purpose for dinner, so we can get to know each other.” Driven by the need to know this woman better, he leaned forward slightly, his words a hushed whisper. “Say yes, Caitlyn.”

“I appreciate the invitation, but I think I’ll pass.”

He mockingly clutched his hands to his heart. “I’m mortally wounded by your words.”

A grin worked at her jaw. “Are you always this persistent?”

With his face void of any expression, he answered easily. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t accept the word
no
.”

“My instincts tell me very few people say that word to you.”

His compelling gaze bore into her hesitant one. “Always trust your instincts.”

With her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, she contemplated the offer. “Anywhere I say, right?”

He nodded. “Anywhere you say.”

“And you promise—”

“To be on my best behavior.” He finished off her sentence and lifted his left hand, flashing the Boy Scout salute.

She conceded with a nod. “All right, I’ll meet you at the dealership around seven.”

Caitlyn adamantly shook her head when Marcel reached over to grab the dinner check the waitress had placed in the center of their table. She slipped several bills inside the leather folder.

“It’s the least I can do, since I just mysteriously found an envelope of money in my purse.”

He chuckled. “All right, I’m busted. Your car is on the house.”

“Listen, Marcel, I really do appreciate the gesture.” She released a long sigh and shook her head at the same time. “But I can’t accept it.”

“Why not?”

“Let’s just say I learned a hard lesson about accepting a person’s generosity a while ago.”

He cocked his head. “I’m not following you.”

“My last relationship…” Her voice trembled and she dropped her head. Finally, she glanced up at Marcel and saw his puzzled expression, the kind marked, “Explain this to me.” How did she reveal she had been on the run for almost three years from an ex-boyfriend who had flat out stalked her? And how could she tell Marcel, or any man for that matter, what Cole had done to her the last time he found her? She briefly shut her eyes, trying to block out the pain. Revealing that hurt to him was out of the question. Her trust in the male species had disappeared three years earlier. She quickly shifted gears to another topic. “So, tell me about you.”

He settled himself comfortably in his chair, but wasn’t at all oblivious to the fact that she hadn’t finished her statement about her past. “There’s really not a lot to tell. I have a twin sister, and we have two brothers and two sisters who are younger.” He smiled. “And then there’s Mama Z. She’s my maternal grandmother and helped my dad raise our rowdy crew after my mother died.”

She smiled sadly. “I always wanted a big family.”

He paused and lifted his glass to his lips. “Do you have family back in New Jersey?”

“No. I’m an only child. I lost my mother a long time ago, and I never knew my father.”

“I’m sorry.” Marcel spoke sincerely. He leaned forward and cleared his throat. “You need to know something.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not him.”

She stared, stunned at the boldness of his statement, but decided asking what he meant would make her look like a complete idiot since in her heart she knew exactly what he was referring to. “I never said you were.”

“But you’re determined to keep your distance from me, right?”

“At this point in my life, from anyone, so don’t feel like the Lone Ranger here.”

“Remember, Caitlyn, I don’t accept the word
no
very well.”

She looked down and toyed with the edge of a napkin. “There’s a first time for everything, Marcel.” Her breathing almost stopped at his assessing gaze. “Is something stuck on my face?”

His eyes never left hers. “It wouldn’t matter if it was. They’re beautiful.”

“What?” She’d never considered herself to be a stunning beauty when she was younger, and at thirty-seven, she didn’t stand a chance. She looked at the enamel gems on her antique gold charm bracelet. “My bracelet?”

“No. Your eyes. They’re beautiful.”

She placed her hands in her lap and slowly lifted her head. “Thank you.” She glanced around at the back of her chair and grabbed her purse. “I better head home.”

“Have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

“No.”

He gave her a sexy smile. “You’re saying the “n
”
word again.”

She chuckled this time. “Since you don’t like hearing the word, how’s this?” She pointed her right thumb downward.

“Was everything to your satisfaction?” Their waitress walked up and asked the question when she picked up the leather folder containing the money.

They both nodded.

The waitress smiled. “That’s good. You two have a great evening.”

After the waitress left, Marcel’s devastatingly sexy grin returned. “I don’t give up easily.”

Caitlyn braced both hands beneath her chin. “Somehow, I get the feeling you’re telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

* * *

Marcel saw Caitlyn safely to her car. After she drove off, he stood in the parking lot at a total loss to explain the feelings bombarding him. What was it about this woman that had him tied up in knots? She’d captivated him from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

It wasn’t until her taillights disappeared that Marcel released the pent-up emotions he’d held in check most of the evening. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but whatever it was, it was too strong to ignore. He had to find a way to maneuver around Caitlyn’s reluctance to get to know him, and at the same time, convince her he was nothing like the man who’d obviously caused her pain. He also had to find a way to tell her he’d known about her and her center for the past three weeks.