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With his hands jammed into his pockets, Cliff faced his partner. “Look, are you going to help me, or what?”
Noah pulled his mind from Darcy’s long legs and bountiful curves. He’d rather spend Friday night with her than with a “nice” girl. “Can’t you find someone else?”
“There isn’t anyone else! I wouldn’t have asked you if someone else was available.”
With a frown, Noah scooped the legal pad off the desk. He scanned the page-long list of scratched-off names. “You asked Fred, the mail guy?”
“I told you I was desperate.”
Noah tapped the pad. “My name isn’t even on here.”
Cliff glared at him. “Okay, what will it take? How much?”
“What? You’re bribing me now?” A chuckle rose from Noah’s throat. “No go. You couldn’t pay me enough.”
“Darcy!” Cliff’s eyes widened. He moved toward Noah. “That’s it. You take Sabrina to dinner, then get her to the party. I’ll put in a good word for you with Darcy. I’ll even invite her to the party.”
Visions of Darcy’s full bosom and rounded backside flashed through Noah’s mind. Anticipation raced through him. How bad could one dinner with Cliff’s sister be? Besides, he had lost most of his client base with the move, and Cliff was giving him a chance to rebuild his career. He owed his old roommate.
After another moment’s hesitation, Noah thrust out his hand. “Deal.”
Relief flowed over Cliff’s face. Even his hair seemed to relax. He clasped Noah’s hand. “Deal. You take Sabrina to dinner, then bring her by the house. My flight gets in around ten, but Mona wants you two there at nine sharp. I’ll tell Sabrina Mona’s going to Boca with me and we won’t be back until Sunday. You can say you’re feeding the dog.”
“Dog?” Noah narrowed his gaze. “That German shepherd wannabe who hates men?”
Cliff blinked. “Opal is part shepherd, and she doesn’t hate all men. She’s gotten used to me. She’s just protective of Mona. Anyway, you won’t have to deal with her.”
“Right.” With a nod, Noah moved toward the door.
“Wait.”
Noah stopped, then turned back toward his partner. Cliff paused, staring hard at him. “There’s something else you need to know about Sabrina. She isn’t the kind of woman you’re accustomed to.”
“Right. You already told me. She’s the romantic type. Don’t worry, I’ll take her someplace nice.”
“Good.” Cliff’s jaw bunched. “But that isn’t what I’m getting at.”
Noah drew an impatient breath. “So what are you saying?”
A cool warning slipped into Cliff’s gaze. “I’m saying…she’s a virgin. And I want her to stay that way.”
SABRINA WALKER GROANED. She yanked the wall calendar from its place beside an old fuse box and stared at the big squares representing the days of the week, zeroing in on the upcoming Friday. The thirteenth. This Friday was the thirteenth. What kind of day was that to have a birthday?
“This is a bad omen, Walker,” she murmured to herself. “A very bad omen.” The depression that had hovered over her for months descended. Everyone she knew was engaged or married and working on the second or third child.
Everyone but her.
She plopped into the rickety desk chair she’d picked up secondhand to go with the metal desk she’d inherited when she bought this bookstore four years ago. After a minute of searching through the pile of catalogs and order sheets on her desk, she unearthed the phone. She punched in a number, then waited through three rings.
“Hello?” Bess Anderson, her best friend, answered.
“Life is passing me by, Bess.”
“Sabrina?”
“I know I vowed at sixteen to wait for The One, but I thought I’d find love by now.” Sabrina twisted the phone cord around her finger. “I’m in a rut. I’m sitting here and nothing is going on in my life. There’s no one to greet me at the end of the day.” She swallowed. “No hope of having a child.”
“Aw, Bree…you can borrow one of mine, or how about all three?” One of Bess’s daughters shrieked in the background. “Excuse me a minute.” The phone made a clunking sound, then Bess yelled for her offspring to quiet. “Sorry,” she said as she came back on the line.
Sabrina’s finger purpled. “All I need is a jump start.”
“Tom has this new guy working for him—”
“I’m seriously thinking of going for it—”
“Really? Great, we’ll have you both over—”
“Popping the cork, losing the old cherry—”
“What?”
“Maybe it’s time I lost my virginity. Had a fling. Walked on the wild side.” Sabrina squared her jaw. Saying the words out loud sent a wave of satisfaction coursing through her. She pulled her finger free, shaking the blood back into it.
“Now, hon, who is he? You’re not going to do anything hasty, are you?”
Sabrina laughed. “I’ve been celibate for nearly twenty-five years. What’s hasty about that?”
“You know what I mean. Who is he? Do you love him? Why haven’t—”
“I don’t know who he is, or will be. The way I feel, the next available male I come across might get lucky.”
“Sabrina?” Toby Baxter, a high school student she’d hired to work afternoons, poked his head around the office door. “Could you cover the front? I’ve got to take a leak.”
“Sure, Toby. Just a minute.”
He smiled his thanks, then withdrew.
Grimacing, Sabrina turned back to the phone. “Okay, well, maybe the next available male.”
“Look, Sabri—”
“I’ve gotta go. Thanks for helping sort this out, Bess.”
“Wait, don’t—”
She hung up. Nothing Bess could say would change her mind. Besides, Bess was no paragon of knowledge. Look at the mess she’d made of her own life. Sabrina sighed and shook her head.
Poor Bess. At sixteen, they’d cried together when she discovered she’d gotten pregnant by Tommy Anderson, her first “real” boyfriend. To Sabrina’s horror, Bess, with her runway model looks, tossed aside her future in high couture to marry Tom and have his baby.
Nine years and three children later, Bess was still stuck in Atlanta, still stuck with Tom. Sabrina’s heart twisted. Sure Bess loved her kids, but what a life she could have had. How many nights had they stayed up planning her career as a high fashion model, her New York apartment and her picture on the cover of Vogue?
Sabrina stood. For herself, all she’d ever wanted was a career, a husband who loved and appreciated her, and children. Professionally, she was doing exactly what she wanted, but her personal life was lacking. Sure, she’d dated, always on the search for The One. Bess’s tragedy had taught her not to settle for less. Unfortunately, it never took long to realize when a man wasn’t The One, so her relationships tended to fizzle before developing into anything serious.
With one last glare at the calendar, she pushed away from her desk. Friday the thirteenth! Of all the days to have a birthday!
She paused at her office door. She needed to do something to get out of her funk. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself basking in the sun along crystal-white sand. That was it! She’d go to her favorite resort in Destin, Florida, and treat herself to her own birthday celebration.
As she pushed through into the shop, her mind raced with the list of things she had to do to prepare for the trip—make sure the store was covered, call the resort and schedule her flight. With luck, she’d have everything set by the end of the day.
The resolve firm in her mind, she went to relieve Toby. The front door of the shop stood open, catching the May breeze. Sunlight flooded the row of floor-to-ceiling windows that graced the shop’s front. Plants hung in baskets near the windows, and topped the many bookcases, lending a cool touch of green. The brassy strains of jazz drifted from overhead speakers.
With a sound of relief, Toby raced for the back room, leaving the small bookstore empty, except for Sabrina and Libby Conrad, one of their regulars. A flowered scarf held Libby’s dyed red curls back from her face. She stretched to reach a high shelf in one of the many bookcases.
“Need help?” Sabrina asked.
With a wave of her hand, the older woman dismissed her. “Don’t mind me, dear. I’m fine. I know you’ve got work to do.”
Sabrina smiled a small smile. She was so distracted right now, she’d hate to inadvertently snap at the dear woman. Picking up a watering can from behind the counter, Sabrina went to work on a basket of Creeping Charley. Caring for her plants usually calmed her.
Libby seldom bought or traded books. Mostly she browsed and chatted with other customers. Though Sabrina had grown fond of the elderly woman, she sometimes wondered if Libby was becoming senile. She often talked non-stop, wavering in and out of a long-ago past.
Done watering, Sabrina pulled out her customer request notebook to check it against her recent book shipment. She still carried a generous assortment of new product, though with all the mega-booksellers moving into the area, she’d expanded her used section. She needed an edge that allowed her to compete. Cliff had been appalled when she’d told him she was veering in that direction, but otherwise, she wouldn’t last long against that kind of competition. So far, her strategy had paid off.
Toby emerged from the back, heading for a carton of used books on the counter. “I’ve logged these already,” he said, scooping up an armload. “Some of this old stuff is rad.” He hummed something Sabrina didn’t recognize as he disappeared down a book-lined aisle.
Libby made a sudden beeline for the counter.
Sabrina braced herself.
“Has Henry called for me?”
Sighing, Sabrina mustered a smile. “No, Libby. I’m sorry, but no one’s called for you.”
The woman’s hopeful expression sagged. “Well, he will. He promised,” she said in her usual raspy voice.
Sabrina squeezed the woman’s hand. Without fail, they played out this scenario whenever she came to the shop. Normally, Sabrina controlled the inevitable tug on her emotions. Today, however, her heart lurched and her eyes stung. What had happened to Libby’s Henry?
“Yes,” her voice caught. “He will.” She blinked back embarrassing tears. This ridiculous birthday disaster had her tied up in knots.
Libby shook her gnarled finger. “He’s an incredible lover, you know.”
Sabrina straightened. This wasn’t part of the routine. “I’m…I’m sure he is.”
“Has all the right moves.”
“How…how nice for you.”
“He plays his harmonica,” she rasped, “and I do this dance. I’ll show you.”
“That’s not necessary.” Sabrina glanced around. No other customers had come in and Toby was probably lost in the bowels of the sci-fi area. “I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble.”
“Oh, yes, dear. You must learn, so you can try it on your own young man.” She threw her hands in the air and swiveled in what she must have meant to be a seductive motion. The music curled around them. “Gets ’em in the mood, you know.”
Not sure how to handle her, Sabrina cleared her throat, then came around the counter, and reached futilely toward the woman. “I don’t…I don’t have a young man.”
“No? Maybe…that’s…because…you…don’t do…the dance.” The older woman’s rasp intensified and her breathing became labored. “Gets the…blood pumping.”
“Libby…please, why don’t you sit down and rest a minute? I think I get the gist of it.”
“No…no…you must!”
Sabrina frowned. The woman looked ready to have a stroke and seemed determined enough to keep at it until Sabrina joined in. “Okay,” she said, raising her arms and swaying. “Just for a minute.” She glanced around again to ensure no one saw.
“More…hip.” Libby’s hips pivoted in exaggerated circles.
Sabrina chewed her lip in concentration. After a few moments, her muscles warmed and she smiled. The music flowed over her. Her body moved in tune with the sax’s sultry strains. “There. I think I’ve got it.”
“Oh, you’ve got it all right,” a deep masculine voice sounded from behind her. “The question is, are you giving any of it away?”
Embarrassment flooded Sabrina as she swung around to face a tall stranger. He stood a few feet inside the shop’s door. The light breeze ruffled his dark hair. His eyes, as black as coal, shone with undisguised admiration. His gaze ran over her hips, then up, pausing a long moment at her breasts, before rising to meet her eyes.
A shiver ran through her. Men had noticed her before—more often than she’d cared for—but their attentions normally had little effect on her. This man’s gaze sent butterflies flurrying in her stomach. His lazy smile showed he hadn’t been fooled by her simple cotton dress.
“See, you caught one.” Libby nodded in the newcomer’s direction. “Not bad for your first time out.”
The man chuckled and headed toward them.
Heat spread up Sabrina’s neck and across her cheeks. She’d never been more mortified.
He moved with the grace and precision of a panther. Sleek. Sensual. His gray suit draped him as if it were tailor-made, his broad shoulders and tapered hips filling its precise lines.
“So, are you?” His voice rumbled through her.
Another shiver struck her, this one in the pit of her stomach. The dancing must have made her dizzy. “Excuse me?”
“You go on!” Libby swatted his arm. “Sabrina doesn’t give a thing away.” She eyed Sabrina. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
Sabrina stared at Libby. Words refused to form on her tongue.
The man in turn stopped short. He drew up straight. “Sabrina?” He stared at her with disbelieving eyes.
“Yes.” She offered her hand, grateful to have found her voice, though it held a strange, breathless quality. “Sabrina Walker. Was there something I could help you find?”
“Well, actually…” He sandwiched her hand between his big palms. “I came to find you.”
“Me?” She blinked. Her heart beat triple time, as the warmth of his hands melted into hers. A little tremor ran from her fingers up her arm. She fought the alarming urge to lean into him. What could a gorgeous man like this want with her?
“That’s right.” Releasing her, he spread his arms wide. “I’m Noah Banks. I work with your brother.”
