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“DCWC?”
“The Dade County Women’s Club.”
“Tess, this is not like you. You can’t walk by a homeless person without giving food or money. Are you telling me you sat there and said nothing while those women turned him down?”
“It wasn’t my place to say anything. Terry Whatsit, the membership chair, never showed up, so I haven’t even officially joined. How could I possibly speak for a group I’m not yet a member of?”
“For pity’s sake, those kinds of details have never stopped you before. And since when are you keeping your opinion to yourself?” Nikki asked.
“I just expressed my opinion. It’s a worthwhile cause.”
“I’m not the one you need to be saying that to. I really cannot believe you didn’t give the club an earful.”
Frustration swelled in Tess. She hated Nikki’s lectures, even when they were justified. “Maybe they know something about him that I don’t. Maybe they have a solid motivation. There was definitely something off between him and April.”
“For all you know they were having some kind of lovers’ quarrel, and what in the world has that got to do with the fund-raiser?”
“Nothing. You’re right. I should have spoken up, but…”
“But what?”
“They were women, okay? I’m used to women hating me. You know how it’s always been. Why would they have listened to me, of all people? I’m an outsider. For once I just wanted to be…accepted.” Even as she said the words, Tess cringed.
How pathetic was she?
Nikki crossed her arms and stared at her, eyebrows raised. “I hear that, Tess, but you know what you have to do.”
Tess stared at her sister. Nikki had women friends. Did she understand that if Tess took on this project, she could kiss her plan to make her own friends goodbye?
“Okay…I’ll go talk to this guy. At least check out this project in a little more detail.” Tess shrugged. “No promises, but we’ll see.”
“YOU KNOW WHO’S USING and who isn’t.” Mason took a deep breath as he faced Rafe Black, one of the teens he’d recently met through the clinic. They stood in an open area around a fountain in the park near Mason’s office. “You need to surround yourself with friends who aren’t.”
Rafe ran one finger along his eyebrow, where he had once worn a double stripe shaved at one end, a mark Mason feared showed the young man’s allegiance to a gang, though he denied it. “But these are my boys, you know? Maybe I can help them. Maybe if they hang with me, then they won’t use anymore.”
“Or you could be tempted to use again.”
“No way.” Rafe stepped back in disgust. “I’ve seen what that shit did to my old man. No way is that going to happen to me.” He thumped his chest. “I’m going to make something of my life, and if I can help some of my boys, then it’s all straight.”
“Will any of them come for the beach cleanup next Saturday?”
He shrugged. “I told them about it.”
“Will you come? I’m happy to pick you up, if you need a ride.”
“I can find my own ride.”
He hadn’t said he’d come. Even if he had, the odds were against Rafe sticking with the program. Mason felt a flicker of disappointment. “Well, let me know if not. It’s no trouble to swing by to get you on my way.”
“It’s all good. We’ll see what’s going down.” Rafe stood, stretching his six feet two inches of lanky muscle, the lines of the man he’d become already evident. “I’ve got to head out.”
Mason nodded. “We still on for some Hurricanes football?”
A wide smile spread across the young man’s face. For just a moment the premature aging around his eyes faded and he appeared the carefree youth he should have been. He spiked an imaginary football. “Orange Bowl? You know I wouldn’t miss it.”
Hope filled Mason as Rafe sauntered down the path through the park. Maybe there was a chance he’d beat the odds, after all.
“He’s lucky to have you.”
Mason started at the feminine voice behind him. He turned, surprised to see the unforgettable redhead from the DCWC meeting.
“Hello.” She extended her hand and smiled. “I’m Tess McClellan.”
Inexplicable heat suffused him. His pulse raced. He stared at her, caught in the beauty of her smile until he belatedly grabbed her hand and pumped with more exuberance than necessary.
Pink rose in her cheeks. “I was at the Dade County Women’s Club luncheon for your talk the other day.”
“Yes, of course, I remember you.”
Why was she here? He willed his pulse to calm and stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent further spastic behavior. At twenty-nine he’d somehow become an awkward teen again.
“I hope you don’t mind that I tracked you down. Cassie Aikens gave me your office number, and when I called, your receptionist told me I could find you here.”
Muffled musical notes sounded from inside her purse. She dug a cell phone from it. “Excuse me a moment.”
Turning aside she spoke in quiet tones to the caller. “Hi, Evan… I’m not sure… I’ll be back later this afternoon… Ramon has dinner covered… I have to go… Okay, bye.” She stowed the phone back in her purse. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No problem. So, Tess, I assume you want to hear more about the project.”
Up close, she was even more compelling than she’d been from a distance. Not exactly pretty—though the blue of her eyes was stunning—she was entrancing in an uncommon way. When was the last time he’d been this excited, this pleased, to see a woman—and one he didn’t even know at that?
She smiled, revealing a small dimple in her left cheek, as she nodded. “I wanted to see for myself what it was all about.” She pulled on her fingers—her ringless fingers. “I didn’t want to disturb you, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
“Rafe has had a difficult time, like so many of these kids. They each have a story—some born addicted to crack, some who’ve lost a parent to an overdose, some with HIV-infected parents, more times than not from needles they found in the trash.” He shook his head. “It’s hard to believe they don’t know better. It’s a pity to see people unable to care, especially with kids like Rafe counting on them.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
Memories of his own childhood flashed through Mason’s mind: the morning his mother took off without saying goodbye; his father drinking himself to death shortly afterward; being passed from uncle to uncle until he emancipated himself at sixteen. “Well, I never had it as hard as Rafe, but I can imagine.”
Her gaze softened, and for a moment warmth seemed to flow from her, blanketing him in a sense of well-being. Unbidden, his feet moved him a step closer to her.
“So, you arrange activities for these kids to keep them off the streets?”
“That’s part of it. We have regular workshops to educate them on drug abuse, HIV and other issues that affect them. Try to counsel them on school and careers and help them get jobs in the interim.”
“Are most of them teens like that guy?” A breeze swept up behind her, bringing a whiff of her perfume.
His gaze fell to the fullness of her lips. Her scent teased him and he struggled to focus on their conversation. “We get them in all shapes and sizes. The teens are the ones we worry about the most, though. They’re the most damaged. You can see it in the way they’re closed off, distrustful of everything and everybody. Usually they’re so close to falling off the edge, we’re lucky to get any response from them.”
“That’s so…sad.”
Something in her eyes pulled him in, held him spellbound for a moment, until he blinked and detached himself, inhaling a deep breath to clear his head. “Occasionally we get some of the more fortunate ones, latchkey kids being raised by single parents struggling with poverty and stressful lives. That’s all part of the problem.
“Right now we’re tapping all our resources to help the kids, but then we send them home to their parents, who are still saddled with all their issues. They can undo our efforts in the space of a day. If we can get this center going, we’re hoping to start some new programs for parents and families as well.”
Again she nodded, her forehead furrowed in thought. “And you think one big fund-raiser will be enough?”
“To be totally honest, I’d like this one event to help get us up and running. Then we’ll need something similar at least annually to keep the center operating.”
Her cell phone chimed again and she excused herself to answer it. “Josh, I’m so sorry I missed you… Can we do Sunday?… Great… Okay, I’m with someone, I have to go… See you then.” After putting her phone away, she smiled at Mason. “I’m so sorry. Have you looked into getting grants and foundation money?”
“We’re working on that, and hopefully our efforts will pay off. It’s not a quick process, though.”
“I’m sure.” She remained silent a long moment and he waited as she paced around the area in front of the fountain.
Indulging himself, he drank his fill of the sight of her while she lost herself in thought. She was of medium height and weight, not too busty, not too flat. Hips that flared nicely and a decent ass. An average description for an extraordinary woman. What was it about her that made her so…appealing? It was more her presence—no, her essence—that drew him.
Just when he thought he could stand the silence no more, she stopped in front of him. “So,” he couldn’t keep from asking, “will you help us—help me?”
Her blue gaze locked with his and time seemed to suspend as something—a soul-deep recognition—settled over him. “Yes, Mason, I will rally the DCWC to help you. If they fail me, then I’ll call on my own resources and do it myself.”
A mixture of relief and excitement filled him. He pressed her hands in his. “Thank you, Tess. This means so much to me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”
“I’m happy to help.”
Tess cocked her head. Until this moment she hadn’t been sure she was ready for another lover so soon—had thought she needed a little break—but she couldn’t deny the proof standing before her. She could feel all that he felt, his gratitude, his excitement and, below that, growing stronger with their hands joined, the same heat sweeping through her. Something was different—she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what. Certainly it was much more intense this time.
Still, this was how it always began.
This empathic rush was nothing new. She always knew what her guys felt. Not until recently, when Aunt Sophie had told her and her sisters about their gift, had Tess understood that her ability to feel others’ emotions was part and parcel of her family heritage. Where Nikki had been able to tune into anyone around her, Tess’s empathic nature worked only with her men.
Desire flowed off Mason in waves. There was no use in fighting it. His need, his pain, already called to her, buried deep inside him. She could no more turn away from him than she could stop breathing. She was a healer.
She would help him in so many more ways than he realized. First, though, she needed time with him, time to get to know him and gauge what troubles he harbored. She let her gaze travel up his arms and chest, over his strong features to his compelling eyes. Had she at first thought him nondescript?
No, this man had eyes that saw into the depths of her soul. A shiver passed through her. What could she deny him when he looked at her that way?
“So, how do you feel about coffee?” he asked. “I have some time before my afternoon appointments. Unless you need to be somewhere?”
“No, the nursery’s covered. Coffee sounds great, though I can’t stay too long. I like to be there when the shipment comes.” She turned with him to head across the park to a nearby coffee shop.
“You work at a nursery?”
“Actually, I own it. I always liked plants and I have a green thumb. It made sense to buy the nursery when one of my great-aunts left me a small inheritance.”
“Do you sell anything besides trees and flowers?” His lips curved into a smile.
She was going to enjoy kissing him.
“I have a nice assortment of stone statuary. And my sister is an interior designer so I am always special-ordering her something. Believe me, I can get you practically anything you want.”
His eyebrows arched. His gaze dropped to her mouth and the desire simmering in him flared. “Anything?”
“That’s right.” She stopped walking and faced him. “Anything.”
Heat arced between them. The intensity in his eyes held her breathless. She leaned toward him as he moved forward. A bird cawed overhead and suddenly he pulled away.
“You don’t say?” he said, falling back into step. “I’ll have to come by and see what you have. I’ve been meaning to do something with my front entrance, but haven’t gotten around to it.”
“I’m sure we can find something.” She frowned as they crossed a small stretch of parking lot. Evidently, the man needed a little coaxing. “Maybe I should come see your front entrance sometime, so I can have a better idea of what you might need.”
“Sure.” He smiled again, and his pleasure, though guarded, reached out to her. “I think I’d like to have you over.”
She threaded her arm through his and they entered the shop. The aroma of strong coffee drifted in the air. “It smells heavenly in here.”
They ordered their drinks and Tess pulled her wallet from her bag. Mason raised his hand in protest. “I invited you. This is my treat.”
“Thank you, but you’ll have to let me treat the next time.”
He pursed his lips as he held a chair for her. “We’ll have to see about that. I believe a gentleman should always take care of a lady.”
“You’re kidding.” She slipped into the seat and stared at him as he settled opposite her. “I didn’t know they still made them like you.”
“They probably don’t. I was raised kind of old school.”
Once more, her cell phone summoned her. With a shake of her head, she pulled it again from her bag. “It’s Max. I’ll call him back.”
She sipped her coffee, then smiled at Mason. “So, a man of convention.”
He stared out the window overlooking the park. “I like the old values. If you could see half the trouble I’ve seen in some of the kids of today…” He shook his head and rolled his cup between his hands. “Just makes you wonder if the new ways of parenting are doing any good.”
“I think it’s hard to make generalizations.”
“Perhaps.”
His mood darkened and a short silence fell. She again sipped the rich brew. She’d have to ease him into meeting her family…or maybe avoid it altogether. “So I told you about my nursery. How about you? What sort of doctor are you?”
“I’m an internist. I specialize in the internal organs.”
“You have a regular practice as well as the free clinic you mentioned?”
“That’s right. We have a volunteer staff and we rotate the schedule, so I work only one day a week downtown and I’m on call for the free clinic one night. We have a couple of great general practitioners on staff, but the rest of us tend to specialize in one area or another. It means we consult back and forth a lot, so that adds in more hours. We’re fortunate to have such a variety in our staff. It definitely strengthens the clinic.”
“And you’re able to juggle that with Project Mentor and your regular patients?”
“I have a couple of partners with my practice, who pick up my slack when I need them to. Of course, I’ve talked one of them into volunteering at the clinic and I’m working on the other. As far as the project goes, well, I try to make that a priority and fit it in as best I can.”
“Sounds like you’re always working.”
