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But I’d loved him once. I could love him again.
“Vanessa?” Lewis said, reminding me that I hadn’t greeted him. “You there?”
“Hey, Lewis.”
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Then why do you sound stressed out?”
“I do?”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s been a long day,” I said. “I’m getting a bit of a headache, that’s all.”
“Maybe I need to come by and give you a nice back rub.”
I smiled and said, “Nice try, Lewis. But I’ll be fine.”
“It would just be a back rub. Right in your office. With the door open if you want. So everyone will know there’s no monkey business going on.”
After realizing that I couldn’t exactly turn Lewis’s proposal down, I’d told him two things: that I wanted a long engagement, and that I wanted to wait until we were married to have sex.
Total stall tactic. I admit it.
“I’ll pass on that, thank you.”
“Damn,” Lewis muttered. “You’re being tough on a brother. But I get it, so I’m not complaining.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Any word from Tassie Johnson’s lawyer?” he suddenly asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” I said. “I got off the phone with him a few minutes ago.”
“And?”
“And he’s proposing a meeting. Next week.”
“Good.”
I drew in a shuddery breath. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
“You’ve got to do this sooner or later, babe.”
“I know.”
“Did you tell the lawyer that you definitely have the cash and offer to buy out Tassie’s share again?”
Lewis had advised me to do that, but I hadn’t. “I didn’t bother to call him back, because it’s clear Tassie is playing games. I kinda hoped they’d just go away.”
“Now you know he’s not going away, so the meeting’s a good thing. I’ll go with you, we’ll bring a check. Tassie’s gonna be there?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make it a cashier’s check. When Tassie sees it, I bet she’ll happily accept it and disappear.”
I found myself smiling. Lewis was definitely being super-supportive, and I was extremely grateful for that. The idea of him being with me at the meeting set my mind at ease. Perhaps with Lewis by my side and a fat check in his hands, Tassie would give up on her latest plan. After all, I knew she was a greedy little witch, using her lawyer to push me around. The bitch was probably laughing her head off in her Atlanta mansion right now.
But she’d see who would have the last laugh.
“Not that you should buy her out,” Lewis went on. “Now that we’re engaged, we’re gonna find our own place to live.”
“You know why this is important to me.”
“On principle, yes, I get it. It’s just kind of a shame, since you’re going to sell the place anyway.”
“Not really, since we’re going to have a long engagement,” I pointed out. “As we discussed.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean we can’t live together.”
“Yes, it does, because living together will compromise the no-sex rule,” I said sweetly.
“Baby, I hear you. And I get it.” Lewis paused. “When I was with you, I messed up. Big-time. That’s why I’m willing to do anything I have to to prove to you that you’re the only woman for me. I know you love me. But you can’t trust me. And I’m going to change that.”
Lewis was saying all the right things. I had loved him. Loved that he made me feel sexy and desirable with just one look. Loved that he made me laugh. I could have married Lewis and lived happily ever after if he hadn’t been such a player.
But lately, my outlook on love had changed. I wanted the fantasy…but it had eluded me. Maybe I was far better off marrying someone I liked a lot and got along with as a friend—and that was definitely Lewis. Even after he’d cheated on me, we’d remained friends. Maybe that was a sign that we’d be able to have a successful marriage.
“Mostly, I’m thinking about Rayna,” I said, which wasn’t a lie. “Her little heart’s been broken over Eli, and now Chaz is suddenly gone…She’s the reason I want to make sure I keep our home, so there’s some sense of stability for her.”
“I think it’ll help if she starts seeing me again. We should do some fun things together—”
“No,” I said, cutting Lewis off. “I’m not ready for that.”
I’d trusted Eli, and he’d hurt me. Now Rayna was without the father she’d known. She hadn’t known Chaz long, but she’d taken to him immediately. Until I was certain that I’d be marrying Lewis, I didn’t want my daughter forming an attachment to him, because the last thing I wanted to do was put her little heart at risk again.
“It’ll happen,” I quickly said, not wanting to offend Lewis. “Just…give it some time.”
“What about dinner tonight?” Lewis suggested. “We can go over strategy regarding your meeting with Tassie and her lawyer.”
I was about to say no, but stopped myself. Lewis was going to give me the cash I needed to take care of my Tassie problem. And I was engaged to him—officially, if not wholeheartedly. I couldn’t avoid him.
“Actually, that’s a good idea.” I could take Rayna to feed the ducks after dinner with Lewis. “Why don’t I call my babysitter, and if it’s okay with her, you can meet me on Ocean Drive and we can have an early dinner? That way I won’t be out too late, and I can spend some quality time with Rayna before she goes to bed.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I’ll call you back to confirm.”
“All right, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart.
I swallowed at the term of endearment as I hung up the phone. If only when Lewis said that, I felt warm and fuzzy inside.
But I didn’t, and I wasn’t sure I ever would again.
5
Lewis and I made plans to meet at The Clevelander, a spot that had a lot of history for us. Sexual history. I could have protested when I called Lewis back and he suggested the spot, but I didn’t. I knew that Lewis was hoping I’d cave to the emotional history the place represented for us. And for that reason, I knew I needed to go there as a test of my own feelings for him as well as a test of my own resolve to keep our relationship platonic.
As I waited for Lewis at a table on the patio, I gazed at the palm trees that lined the South Beach strip. The scent of the ocean filled the air, and I could hear the sounds of calypso, reggae and hip-hop coming from the surrounding clubs. At night, the strip lit up in an array of neon colors, highlighting the beauty of the art deco buildings. On South Beach you had the beach, the swanky clubs, architectural history and natural beauty. As far as I was concerned, South Beach was one of the most beautiful places in the world, and very likely the hippest.
I loved living here. It offered fun for the kids, excitement for the adults. Being on South Beach was like living in paradise. As I took in everything I loved about the place, I was more convinced than ever that I wouldn’t lose my home.
At least not to a greedy, conniving, self-serving bitch.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
At the sound of Lewis’s voice, I looked over my shoulder. He looked sexy as hell in a tailored, pin-striped navy suit. Honestly, Lewis Carter looked like a top-paid model, or even a movie star. I had no doubt that his smile had gotten many a woman hot and bothered—me included.
Yes, Lewis’s great looks had attracted me to him, but it was his ability to make me laugh that had made me fall in love with him.
As I stood to meet Lewis, I sensed eyes on us. A quick glance around and I saw that women in The Clevelander and those strolling the street were checking Lewis out. He had the kind of sex appeal that drew women’s attention like white on rice.
Not seeming to notice the women, Lewis slipped an arm around my waist, drew me close and kissed me full on the mouth. It was the kind of kiss that at one time would have had me smoldering, but I didn’t feel much more than a tingle now.
I was kind of hoping I would. Anything to show the feelings I’d had for Lewis once could return.
I broke the kiss and smiled up at Lewis. “As usual, all eyes are on you.”
“But I only have eyes for you, baby.”
Lewis gestured for me to sit, so I did, and he helped me ease my chair back under the table. Then he took a seat opposite me.
His eyes zoomed in on my left hand, then narrowed. I knew what he was thinking before he spoke the question.
“Where’s your ring?”
“Oh.” I drew my purse onto my lap, reached into it and opened the engagement ring box. Beneath the cover of the table, I slipped the engagement ring onto my finger. “I noticed someone following me when I left my office building,” I lied. “I slipped it off my finger…in case the guy wanted to cut my finger off to get the ring.”
Lewis’s eyes widened. “You were followed?”
“I think so,” I hedged. “I’m not sure. But, I wanted to be safe. Just in case.” I placed my left hand flat on the table, showcasing the amazing engagement ring. “It’s a big rock.”
Lewis took my hand into his. “And no less than you deserve.”
Smiling somewhat uncomfortably, I pulled my hand back and linked my fingers together, then rested my chin on my joined hands. “I want to thank you for offering to go with me to the meeting with Tassie and her lawyer next week.”
“Of course I’m going with you. You’re my girl.”
“I think your being there is going to help a lot. But I have a couple other ideas I want to run by you.”
“Shoot.”
“First of all, I was thinking that it’d be really stupid for me to go to that meeting without a lawyer. I looked through the phone book for some, but I don’t know who’s good. I need someone who’s tough. Someone who will push back when Tassie pushes. For the most part, she’s been running the show with her demands, treating me as though I have to deal with her terms. That crap’s got to stop.”
“That’s a great idea.”
The waitress arrived, a pretty Latina whose eyes lit up when they landed on Lewis. Normally, Lewis might give a woman like her a sexy smile. But he looked her way only to order a half-carafe of white zinfandel for the table.
When the waitress was gone, I asked Lewis, “Do you know someone? Someone tough? In your business dealings, you must have a lawyer. If your lawyer isn’t appropriate, hopefully they’ll know someone who can help me out. I don’t know what kind of attorney would be good in this situation—divorce, civil?—but I do know that I need a bull.”
“I know a couple lawyers who’ll be perfect for the job. Sharp, tough. Bruce Barnes. Neil Gorman. Neil’s a shark.”
“Perfect,” I said, relieved. “You think you can put me in touch with him tomorrow? I need to get on this fast. I don’t even know how I’ll pay someone, but—”
“Don’t worry about that,” Lewis said. “You’re my fiancée. I’ll take care of you.”
Nodding, I didn’t meet Lewis’s eyes. I was aware that with each step I was taking toward resolving my situation with Tassie, I was owing more and more to Lewis. Not that he would ever expect me to repay him—at least not monetarily. And yet I felt I owed him, so much so that I couldn’t confess that I wasn’t altogether sure about this marriage thing. I would far prefer to continue being friends with him and see how things went, but I just didn’t know how to tell Lewis that.
“Vanessa?”
The sound of Lewis’s voice jolted me from my thoughts. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“It’s gonna be all right,” he said. “Trust me.”
“I hope so.” I gestured to the South Beach strip. “I can’t lose my home, Lewis. Not to Tassie Johnson.”
“You’re not going to.”
“What I don’t get about her is that she’s a mother. As a mother—one who’s living in a multimillion-dollar mansion—how can she be so cold and callous as to take away my home? She doesn’t have to like me, but where’s her concern for my daughter?”
“You know this is about Eli,” Lewis said. “This is Tassie’s way of hurting you for hurting her.”
“That’s the thing. I didn’t hurt her. She and Eli were married in name only by the time we got involved.”
“She still wants to make you pay.”
“Tell me about it,” I agreed. Which was exactly the reason I would do whatever it took to get the bitch off my back.
When I saw the waitress coming, I lifted the menu and perused it. “How do you feel about an order of calamari?” I asked. “Maybe that and some bruschetta?”
“Add an order of beef fajitas to that and I’ll be good to go.”
The waitress placed the wine and two glasses on the table. “Are you ready to order?”
