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Lorna sighed.
Not exactly the best way to begin. Not the best way at all.
Nick never got home Friday night. He worked straight through until Saturday morning when they finally got back on schedule. He was exhausted and was sure Cal Lopez, his production manager, who’d also worked a twenty-four-hour stretch, was equally exhausted.
That was the trouble with running at full production capacity. There was no wiggle room, no way to make up downtime from equipment problems. As it was, each of the ninety nonoffice personnel put in anywhere from fifty to sixty hour workweeks. For months now, they’d been running three shifts a day, ten hours per shift.
So when they had a serious problem on the line, they lost money, because some orders could not be filled.
Nick knew it was time to expand the plant, and he was pretty sure Bryce Hathaway knew it, too. Soon they would have to discuss the pros and cons, and Nick imagined Lorna Hathaway would have to be included in the discussions.
But that was a problem for another day.
Today, after getting at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, the most complicated decision he intended to make was where to take his date for dinner tonight.
Lorna tried on ten different outfits before she decided on slim black pants and a sheer rose-colored blouse worn over a deeper rose tube top. She wished she hadn’t agreed to go on this date. She’d never yet had a blind date that was more than bearable. Why had she allowed Claudia to pressure her into saying yes?
Staring at herself in the mirror, she wondered what this Jonah person would think when he saw her. She knew she was too tall and too skinny. And she had no boobs. Well, not enough to speak of, anyway.
“I’m not sexy,” she muttered aloud.
Tonight’s date probably imagined she looked like Claudia, who was sexy. Well, he was bound to be disappointed, and then the evening wouldn’t even be bearable.
It would be miserable.
I’ll call Claudia and tell her I’m sick.
Lorna was halfway to the phone when she knew she couldn’t do it. First of all, Claudia wouldn’t believe her. And then she and John would be put in the really impossible position of having to lie to John’s friend.
Lorna sighed heavily and headed into the bathroom to put on her makeup. As she tried to decide whether to tie her hair back loosely or leave it down, she told herself that no matter what happened tonight, this was the absolute last time she’d ever allow anyone to talk her into a blind date.
Yes, she wanted to meet men.
And yes, she knew she’d have to go through the dating ritual no matter how much she hated the entire scenario.
But she would do so on her own terms. She’d join a church that had a singles group and she’d sign up for some classes in things that interested her and she’d get involved in some community activities.
That was the way to meet people and get to know them gradually. Not on a blind date.
Jonah Whitfield turned out to be a pretty nice guy, and Lorna found herself relaxing once she realized he wasn’t a smart-ass or one of those guys who think they’re God’s gift to women. In fact, by the time they reached Burney’s, the restaurant Claudia had mentioned, and were seated over drinks, Lorna was actually enjoying herself. And the zydeco band was great, especially the fiddle player. Lorna got a kick out of watching the people do some kind of line dance that looked like lots of fun.
“Want to try it?” Jonah said, turning to her.
“I’m a terrible dancer.”
“Oh, you are not!” Claudia said. “C’mon, we’ll all go out there and try it.”
The dance turned out to be as much fun as Lorna had imagined, and she didn’t screw up too badly. At any rate, by the time it was over, she was managing to follow fairly easily. It was only as she and Jonah were walking back to their table that she saw Nick DeSanto. Her mouth dropped open. Their gazes locked, and she knew he was as startled to see her as she was to see him. For a second, she wasn’t sure he was going to acknowledge her, but then he raised his hand in a salute. She gave him a little wave in return and quickly turned her attention back to Jonah. She felt awkward until they reached their table, certain Nick was watching her.
She couldn’t believe it. Why, with all the places there were in Houston, did Nick DeSanto have to turn up here?
“Somebody you know?” Jonah asked, looking in Nick’s direction.
“Just someone from work.” Surreptitiously she tried to see who Nick’s date was. Oh, of course. She should have known. He was with a busty redhead who wore a short, tight white skirt and skimpy green top that hugged her breasts and bared her midriff. The band was now playing a romantic ballad and as Lorna watched, the two of them got up to dance.
“You want to dance to this?” Jonah said.
Lorna shook her head. All the couples on the floor, including Claudia and John, who were still out there, looked glued together. Nick and his redhead were no exception. Lorna quickly averted her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her watching him.
The remainder of the evening was excruciating, although she did her best not to show it. After all, it wasn’t Jonah’s fault Nick DeSanto was here. But she couldn’t help wishing Jonah were different, that he didn’t wear his long hair in a ponytail, and that he didn’t look as if he were ten years younger than she. Why what Nick thought about her or her date was important to her, she didn’t know. She only knew she wished she were with someone older and more sophisticated.
And then, just when Lorna thought she couldn’t stand another minute of pretending to be having a wonderful time, Nick and his date left. Lorna hadn’t realized just how tense she was until they walked out the door.
Even so, the evening had been ruined for her, and she couldn’t wait until it was time to go home. When Claudia yawned and looked at her watch, saying, “It’s almost midnight, and I’m tired. Do you mind if we go?” Lorna couldn’t agree fast enough.
There was another awkward moment when Jonah walked her to her door, when she was afraid he’d want to kiss her good-night, but all he did was grin and say he’d had fun and hoped to see her again.
“Thank you,” Lorna said, knowing she’d make an excuse if he called her.
And then he was gone, and she was blessedly alone. Finally she was free to think about the evening—especially about seeing Nick. She wished it hadn’t happened. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t help feeling having Nick see her at the restaurant with Jonah had put her at a disadvantage.
And yet there was a part of her that wondered if he’d thought she looked attractive tonight. Why she cared, she couldn’t have said. She certainly wasn’t interested in Nick. Not only would she never date someone she worked with, but Nick DeSanto was not her type.
Not by a long shot.
Forget about him, she told herself as she climbed into bed. What he thinks is not important.
“Want to come in?” Cherry said in her low, sexy drawl. There was subtext written into every word.
Nick shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m driving over to Lake Charles in the morning, and I need to get an early start.” That was true, but in the past it wouldn’t have stopped him from the spending the night with a sexy number like Cherry.
“Are you sure?” She moved closer, putting her arms around his neck.
“It’s tempting,” he said gallantly, “but I can’t.” For some reason, he just wasn’t in the mood tonight.
Cherry pouted. “You’re no fun.” She continued to wheedle, but he remained firm, and finally she stopped trying to get him to change his mind.
Later, as he drove home, he thought about how he hadn’t been in the mood for a long time now. He never would have confessed it to his mother or his sister, but Nick was tired of the dating scene. He was ready for a committed relationship, but some days he wondered if he’d ever find the right kind of woman.
What he wanted was the kind of woman who would not only fit in with his family, but who was smart and interesting and sexy. Someone who was a match for him, who would give as good as she got. Someone he could respect.
For some reason, his thoughts turned to Lorna Hathaway. Not that she was his kind of woman. Not even close. Still, he had to admit she’d surprised him tonight. He never would have imagined the ice queen could look so…hot. He’d noticed her long before she’d seen him. Watching her dance with that young guy, he’d been amazed. She’d shown a side of herself Nick hadn’t known existed.
Nick fell asleep wondering how he could use what he’d learned about Lorna Hathaway tonight to his advantage.
Chapter Three
FROM: Coach1012@bayoucity.net
TO: SweetStuff@jamboree.net
DATE: 30 August
SUBJECT: Home Yet?
Hey, girl, it’s been a week since I’ve heard from you or seen you online. Thought you were only going to be gone a few days? Hate to admit it, but I’ve been a little worried. Hope nothing’s wrong. Everything here’s about the same, except the Little League season is finally over for our team. You know I love coaching, but I’m always glad when I get a break, especially when I have a season like this one has been. Those poor kids. They only won two games, came in last in their division. But I told them they’d be better next year and even better after that, so I don’t think they were too bummed.
Since the season ended, I’ve been working like a dog. We’ve had all kinds of problems here, but things seem to be okay for now. Anyway, if you’re back from your business trip and can make it online tonight, I’ll try to be there by eight. If not, I guess I’ll just have to wait until I hear from you.
Your buddy,
C.
Lorna felt a pang of guilt. She’d been so busy the past week, she hadn’t logged on to WordMaker since the night she’d told Coach she had to go away on business, nor had she e-mailed him. She decided to zap him a quick reply.
FROM: SweetStuff@jamboree.net
TO: Coach1012@bayoucity.net DATE: 30 August
SUBJECT: Re: Home Yet?
Hi, Coach. Sorry I’ve been gone so long. Things got hectic here and I’ve been so tired at night, I haven’t had the energy to read, let alone play WordMaker. This is the first time I’ve been on Jamboree in days. But I’ve got my life under control again—as under control as life can ever be! <g> Anyway, I’ll log on at eight tonight. Send me an IM and let me know which room you’re in.
See you later!
SS
She smiled to think he’d been worrying about her. Once again, she felt bad about not telling him she had relocated to Houston. He seemed like such a nice guy. Maybe she should tell him.
But even as she considered it, she knew she’d made the right decision. At least for now. Maybe one of these days, she’d take the plunge. But she was afraid once he knew they were in the same city, he’d suggest getting together. Even the thought of meeting him gave her a case of butterflies. She knew it was cowardly, but she wanted to hang on to her fantasy of him as a certain kind of person, and once they met, she’d finally have to face reality.
What if she couldn’t stand him? That would be awful because right now she treasured their friendship, and she’d hate to lose it.
Talking to Coach was like having a shrink. He was a safe place to vent or discuss things that bothered her because he didn’t know who she was and the things she said couldn’t come back to haunt her.
But if they knew each other—really knew each other—that would all change. Their relationship might end up being better, but it could end up being much worse. In fact, she could lose him altogether.
And that was what scared Lorna.
Right now Coach was important to her. Meeting him at night to play WordMaker and talk was something she could look forward to, especially when she was having a bad day. She didn’t want to lose that.
You really are a coward.
She bit her lip. How could she ever expect to fulfill her dreams and desires if she was afraid to take a chance? The question disturbed her, because she had never thought of herself that way. In fact, until Keith had left her, she’d never been a coward. She’d been adventurous and brave. She remembered how she’d bucked her entire family and followed her first serious boyfriend to Florida State, where he had a football scholarship, instead of going to an Ivy League school, as her mother had wanted, or the University of Texas, as her grandmother had wanted.
Unfortunately, when Keith walked out on her, he had taken a big chunk of her self-confidence with him. Suddenly, she’d questioned her entire self-worth. But she was getting better. She’d taken a big chance by moving to Houston, and soon maybe she’d be ready to take a chance on Coach, too.
She hoped so, because she knew it was time.
Later, over brunch with Claudia and John, Claudia said, “You’re awfully quiet today.”
Lorna blinked. She’d been thinking about Coach again and wondering if she should tell Claudia and John about him, maybe get their opinion of the situation. “Sorry. Guess I was daydreaming.”
John smiled. “Claudia does that a lot. Must be a female thing.”
“Excuse me?” Claudia said, jabbing him in the arm with her finger. “That sounds like a sexist remark.”
“Sexist? Did that sound sexist to you?” John asked Lorna with an innocent look.
Lorna grinned. Their playful teasing always amused her. “Well, since you asked…”
“Don’t tell me you agree with her?” he said.
In answer, Lorna only laughed.
“What’d you think about last night?” Claudia said, ignoring John, who was shaking his head in feigned disbelief.
“Except for seeing Nick DeSanto, it was a pretty nice evening,” Lorna said.
Claudia made a face. “Did you see that babe he was with?”
“I noticed her,” John said.
Claudia rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you did. I’m sure every man in the place did. How could they help it?” Turning back to Lorna, she said, “Nick DeSanto sure wasn’t very friendly.”
“Well, we didn’t exactly act overjoyed to see him.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Lorna wondered why she’d defended him.
“No, I guess not.” Brightening, Claudia said, “Enough about him. What’d you think of Jonah?”
“He’s nice.”
“Just nice?”
“He liked you a lot,” John said, chiming in. He reached for a roll and broke it in two.
Lorna sighed. “Look. The thing is, he’s too young for me.”
“He’s only two years younger than you are,” John pointed out.
“And he’s really cute,” Claudia added.
Lorna shrugged.
“He told me he’d like to see you again,” John said.
“Please don’t encourage him to ask me out. I’m sorry, but he’s just not my type.”
Now it was Claudia’s turn to sigh. “Lorna…”
