Lucky Charm (4 page)

She pulled to a stop and placed her finger over her mouth, silently asking Sharon to keep quiet.

Gabrielle had tiptoed toward him and realized he was talking to the inquisitive young girl she'd met in the library. A child, she realized now that she saw the two side by side, who was clearly his. Her hair and eyes might be a different color, but her mouth, those white teeth and full lips were all her dad's.

Derek's daughter.

Gabrielle's stomach dropped as she faced the little girl who could have been theirs if…

She gave herself a mental shake. There were no ifs. Only the here and now. She had to face the fact that while her life had gone on, so had his. Until now she'd never let herself think about how. True, Sharon had told her he had a child, but hearing about it and facing it were two different things. She knew now she'd pushed the child out of her mind, unwilling to deal with what the little girl meant—that he had fallen in love with another woman not long after saying goodbye to Gabrielle.

She placed her hand around her stomach. God, it hurt badly. And that's when she knew that the old feelings were still there, as strong as ever.

“Go get your coffee machine,” Gabrielle whispered to Sharon.

“But—”

“I'll fill you in later. I don't want any witnesses,” she said.

Sharon hesitated, so Gabrielle gave her a gentle shove. “I'll be fine. Go.” She waited until her friend was on her way to the kitchen department before she walked over to where the father and daughter stood, in time to hear the preteen extol the virtues of Gabrielle's shoes.

She hadn't even seen the girl checking her out.

“They aren't Manolos, they're Christian Louboutins,” Gabrielle heard herself say.

Two sets of eyes glanced up at her. One in awe. The other in recognition.

“Christian Louboutins,” the young girl said, shaking her head. “My mom doesn't even own a pair of those.”

“I'm sure that will change while she's in Paris with her new husband,” Derek said, his stunned gaze still firmly on Gabrielle's face.

He cleared his throat. “I heard you two met at the library,” he said a little awkwardly.

“Not officially. Just long enough for me to tell her we had the same taste in books when I was her age.” Gabrielle never tore her gaze from his.

“Hey! Aren't you going to introduce us?” Derek's daughter asked as she dropped her armful of pillows onto the nearest counter and tugged on her father's sleeve.

He unloaded the items in his arms, too. “Holly, this is an old high-school friend of mine, Gabrielle Donovan. Gabrielle, meet my daughter, Holly.” He gestured between the two.

“You two knew each other in high school? Wow!”

Derek met Gabrielle's gaze.

And as his daughter spoke, about what Gabrielle couldn't focus on, Gabrielle's shallow breathing eased. The heat simmering between her and Derek did not.

“And you have the coolest clothes on the planet,” Holly added.

“Or at least in Stewart.” Derek laughed.

Gabrielle remembered that smile too well. She recalled what he could get her to do with that charm of his even better.

“How old did you say you were, Holly?” Gabrielle asked.

“I'm eleven and three-quarters,” she said proudly.

“When is your birthday?”

“August 15,” she said.

“I think that makes you more than eleven and three-quarters,” she said to the bright-eyed girl.

Derek nodded. “Someone has a birthday coming up next month.”

Holly grew more animated. “Ooh, I do. I need to think of a gift, don't I?”

He laughed. “Yes, you do.”

“Clothes,” she said, drawing out the word.

“That means more shopping?” Derek asked, a mock grimace on his face.

Gabrielle met his tortured expression with a grin of her own. “What's your favorite store?” she asked Holly.

“Different places. I got these flip-flops today at Abercrombie.” She waved her foot in the air.

“Ever hear of Isaac Mizrahi?” Gabrielle wondered if she sounded as silly as she felt, talking to a child about fashion.

Holly shook her head. “Who is he?”

“He's a designer,” Gabrielle said. “If you love these bright-colored things,” she said, pointing to her choice in bedding, “I think you'd love the line he does for Target.”

“Now I know why the name rings a bell,” Derek said. “The guy began designing for Target around 2003. Their stock skyrocketed when he launched his line of affordable clothes with designer flair.” Derek folded his arms across his chest, looking like a man pleased to be finally participating in the conversation.

Holly rolled her eyes. “Dad,” she said with a groan.

Gabrielle chuckled at both father and daughter, but somehow kept her focus on Holly. “Maybe your father would let me take you to Target one afternoon and show you.” As soon as she spoke, Gabrielle couldn't believe the words that had escaped her mouth.

She and Derek hadn't said more than hello. She had barely gotten over meeting his daughter, yet she'd already invited her shopping.

“Oh, wow, Dad. She's amazing!”

“Yes, yes, she is,” Derek said, his gaze never leaving Gabrielle's.

Her body warmed beneath his stare. The sexual undercurrent between them was as strong as ever, but thankfully his daughter didn't seem to notice.

“Can I, Dad? Please?” Holly tugged on his sleeve, bouncing with the enthusiasm of a soon-to-be teenager.

He smiled at her, the love and indulgence in his eyes doing crazy things to Gabrielle's heart. He'd once looked at her with that intensity and devotion.

“We'll see,” Derek said, wanting to spare his daughter any hurt. For all he knew, Gabrielle was just being nice to Holly for the moment, having been caught off guard by their sudden meeting.

He was still trying to get over the shock. She'd changed. And she hadn't. Her chestnut-colored hair no longer hung long and straight down her back but instead brushed her shoulders in a sexy sweep. Long side-swept bangs dangled enticingly over one eye, and he'd noticed she often tucked her hair behind her ear as she spoke. Though her features were more defined, her makeup more seductive and professional, her beauty was still evident, inside and out.

“When did you get back to town?” Derek asked. He'd seen the flier, but there hadn't been any whispers of her return, at least none that he'd heard.

She inclined her head, and the ends of her hair brushed at her shoulders, reminding him of the times he'd kissed her bare skin. Their encounters had usually been rushed, due to their inexperience and the fear of getting caught. If Derek had his way with her now, two adults with plenty of time on their hands, he'd take things slowly, savoring every sensual touch and taste….

“Derek? Did you hear me?” Gabrielle's voice along with her hand on his shoulder brought him out of his daydream.

He shook his head. “Sorry,” he muttered, embarrassed.

“That's okay. As I was saying, I drove in today to visit with Sharon. I'm giving a lecture at the local library tonight as a favor.”

“I heard about your talk.”

“Really? People are discussing it?” she asked hopefully.

“You could say that,” Derek said.

“My grandpa pulled out his old shotgun!” Holly joined in on the conversation again with exactly the point Derek had been hoping to avoid.

Gabrielle's cheeks flushed red. “He what?”

“He wouldn't really use it,” Holly said. “At least, I don't think he would.” She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Dad?”

Derek groaned. “Why don't you start moving all this stuff up to the register,” he said, pointing to the far wall where there was a small line.

It would take Holly a couple of trips, giving him a few minutes to talk to Gabrielle alone.

“Okay. I can take a hint. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do.” She winked at him.

It was his turn to flush. “Hey! Just how old are you, anyway?”

“I've been around Mom and John long enough to learn a few things”

He waved his hand toward the register. “Go! If you behave, I'll take you for lunch afterward.”

“Okay. Can Gabrielle come with us? Please?”

His daughter's request took him off guard. It was one thing to see Gabrielle again, to realize she still had that punch-in-the-gut impact on him. It was another to get to know her. To let his daughter get to know her.

To hear Gabrielle laugh and let the old feelings and yearnings resurface…knowing he'd have to let her go again.

D
EREK LOOKED AT HIS
daughter's pleading expression and cleared his throat. “I'm sure Gabrielle has to get ready for her talk tonight,” he said to Holly. “She probably doesn't have time for lunch.”

Gabrielle met his gaze and folded her arms across her chest. “Actually I'm well prepared.”

He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans, hoping his discomfort wasn't obvious. “But you can't very well leave your friend stranded.” He knew he was grasping at straws, but he really didn't want to navigate a three-way lunch that included his daughter. Holly was obviously smitten with Gabrielle.

Not that he blamed her. She'd been surrounded by men the past few weeks and Gabrielle's warmth was contagious.

Even Derek was finding Gabrielle hard to resist. Though he knew all the reasons he shouldn't get involved, he felt drawn to her. As if he were seventeen all over again.

“Right?” he asked, seeking confirmation that Gabrielle knew better than to accept the invitation.

But instead of agreeing, Gabrielle straightened her shoulders and frowned.

Uh-oh. Derek recognized that stubborn look and immediately realized his error. The girl he'd known didn't take well to being told what to do.

Gabrielle shook her hair, let it sway in defiance. “Actually, Sharon's having lunch with her fiancé. She won't mind if I don't join them. Besides, since I'll be around for a while, she and I can catch up anytime.” Gabrielle's fiery gaze met his, as if daring him to come up with another reason she should opt out.

He swallowed hard. “Then I'm guessing you're free for lunch?”

“I'd love to join you,” she said, speaking past him to his daughter.

“Excellent!” Now certain she wasn't going to lose out on time with her new idol, Holly turned her attention to the packages of sheets and pillows, grabbed as many as she could carry and headed for the register.

Derek turned to face Gabrielle, but before he could think of what to say now that they were alone, she spoke.

“You don't want me to come for lunch.” Her glossed lips turned downward in a luscious pout.

“I'm not sure it's such a good idea,” he admitted.

She stepped closer. A sensual whiff of what smelled like chocolate assaulted his senses, giving him a craving for so much more than food.

“Is there something wrong with two old friends catching up?” Her mouth hovered close to his cheek.

He clenched his hands into tight fists. “Is that all we are?” he asked her, his body stiff from her nearness, his defenses against her nonexistent.

“Isn't that what you told Holly?”

“What did you want me to tell her?” he asked, his jaw tight. “That we were lovers?” The word, the thought, the reminder set him on fire.

A slow smile spread across her face. “She's too young for the truth. I just wanted to see if
you
remembered,” she said in a husky voice.

His heart slammed harder inside his chest. “I never forgot.”

She inclined her head, a pleased expression on her face. “That's all I needed to know. I really should get back to Sharon and tell her about the change of plans. Where and when should I meet you for lunch?”

He felt as if he'd been sucker-punched by the past. By her. He needed time to regroup before seeing her again. He glanced at his watch. “There's a restaurant upstairs. How about we meet there at noon. Does that give you enough time?”

She nodded. “That's perfect. But I'm afraid I'll need a ride back. I left my car at Sharon's place.”

“Not a problem. I'll drive you wherever you have to go when we're finished.”

“Thank you.”

Holly ran between them. “The lady started to ring up my things. I just have to grab these, too.” She swept the rest of the pile into her arms. “Are you coming, Dad?”

“In two seconds.”

“Okay. See you at lunch, right?” Holly asked Gabrielle.

“I wouldn't miss it,” she assured his daughter, her gaze warm and friendly.

Holly darted back toward the cash register and Gabrielle laughed. “She's a whirlwind.”

“That she is,” he said proudly.

Derek had never envisioned these two females meeting face-to-face, but now that they had, he should be amazed at the instant connection between them. But Holly was his daughter and his connection with Gabrielle had also been instant and intense.

After their breakup, he'd moved on with his life, one day at a time. He'd had no choice. But now that he was with Gabrielle again, his throat grew full with emotions too complex to separate, though he recognized a mix of desire, regrets and hope.

He took the moment to study her. From the tips of those high-heeled shoes his daughter loved, up her long, lean legs, over her hips and waist, she was really something. His gaze lingered on the cleavage peaking above her lacey, sexy top. She was better than the chocolate she'd always loved, he thought.

He reached out and touched her cheek. “You look good, Gabby.”

A visible tremor rippled through her at his touch. “You do, too,” she said.

“Dad! I need money,” Holly called to him.

“You should go to her. I need to tell Sharon about my lunch plans.”

He nodded. “I'll see you in about an hour.”

She inclined her head and turned to walk away, then pivoted back. “Derek?”

“Yes?”

“You owe me a proper hello,” she said, then turned, her high heels clicking as she walked.

He closed his eyes and exhaled hard, trying to let himself think. But only short spurts of thought penetrated the haze of surprise and desire clouding his head.

Gabrielle was back.

And she definitely wasn't ready to leave the past where it belonged.

 

G
ABRIELLE CAUGHT UP WITH
Sharon, who had cornered a salesman into demonstrating various coffeemakers. She found Gabrielle and quickly turned back to the salesman. “I'll take that one,” she said.

“Are you sure?”

Sharon nodded.

“I'll go get it from the back,” the man said.

“Thank you,” she said, then whirled on Gabrielle. “Well?”

“Well.” Usually not at a loss for words, Gabrielle splayed her hands in front of her, unable to express what had just occurred. She needed time to digest it herself.

“Are you okay?” Sharon asked, her voice filled with concern.

“He called me Gabby,” she said, admitting what had sent her into an emotional tailspin.

Nobody but Derek had ever shortened her name. Hearing it again on his lips had brought back a flood of memories, some good, some bad. Like the late-night phone calls, whispering so she wouldn't wake her parents, and the long nights tossing and turning afterward, fighting the urge to call him just to hear his voice or the sound of his breathing while she fell asleep.

Whenever she had good news, Derek was the first person she'd tell. And when something went wrong in her life, he was the one she'd turn to for a shoulder to cry on. She didn't always do as he suggested, and she recalled his frequent frustration at her single-minded determination to do what she wanted. But he'd always supported her.

She'd loved him for that.

She'd loved him. Period.

Sharon placed a hand on her shoulder. “I'm here if you want to talk.”

Gabrielle smiled. “And I appreciate that so much. Listen, they invited me to stay and have lunch with them. Derek said he'd drive me back later to pick up my car.”

The salesman strode through a set of double doors with a large box in his hands.

“Did you pick that one in a rush? Because I don't want you to have to come back and return it later,” Gabrielle said.

Sharon unzipped her purse and pulled out her wallet. “I was killing time waiting for you, so I made him earn his commission,” she whispered.

Gabrielle laughed. “You are too much.”

With a shrug, Sharon followed the salesman to the register nearby. While he rang up her sale, she focused on Gabrielle.

“Are you sure spending time with Derek and his daughter is a good idea?”

“I'm sure. Holly invited me and she seems like a great kid. One minute she's rambling like an eleven-year-old and the next we're talking about designers,” she said, laughing. “Besides, Derek and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Do I need to remind you how badly he hurt you? It might have happened a long time ago, but from the look in your eyes, it might just as well have been yesterday.”

Gabrielle shook her head. “No, you don't need to remind me.” She remembered it all too well.

The morning after their senior prom, he'd taken her off guard by announcing their relationship was over for good, breaking her heart. “A lot has happened since then. Maybe he's over the curse thing.” She wondered who she was trying to convince, Sharon or herself.

“I'll take that to mean I'm right and you aren't over him.”

“Exactly.” Why argue the point? Her friend knew her too well.

Gabrielle came from a family of females who were academics on the surface but passionate romantics at heart. Even at seventeen, she'd had a deep appreciation for things that made her feel good. Sex and chocolate had been two of those things. Sex with Derek had been even better.

“Oh, sweetie, listen, you can't let yourself go back there. From what I've seen over the years, not much has changed with the Corwin men,” Sharon said as she handed the salesman her charge card.

“Maybe not, but you haven't kept up with Derek personally, right? He could have decided the curse was nothing more than an old family story. I mean, he did get married.” Much as she hated to think of him with another woman.

She'd been with other people, too, but she hadn't fallen in love with any of them. She hadn't had their child. She swallowed over the painful lump in her throat.

“A lot has gone on in his life,” Sharon reminded her as if reading her mind.

“True.” But he still looked at her with that intense expression that said he only had eyes for her. His feelings were still there. Whether he'd allow himself to act on them was the question.

Gabrielle was determined to push him hard enough to find out. “I have to get to know him again. I need to know if there's hope.”

“Okay,” Sharon said, but her tone implied she clearly didn't agree with her friend's choice. “You know where to find me.” She signed the credit-card slip, accepted the receipt and put both it and her wallet back in her handbag.

Then she picked up the large box holding the coffee machine.

“Need help getting it to the car?” Gabrielle asked.

“I'll be fine. Will
you?
”

Gabrielle smiled. “Yes. I will. Because this time I know the worst-case scenario ahead of time. I dealt with it once and I survived. Besides, I'm older and wiser now.”

Sharon frowned. “Then why are you going back to hit your head against the same brick wall?”

“Because some walls can be moved with the right kind of force. Quit worrying. I'll see you tonight.” She turned and started to walk away. She'd just do some browsing before she had to meet up with Derek and Holly for lunch.

“Richard has some nice friends he can introduce you to,” Sharon called out.

Gabrielle merely laughed and waved, ignoring the suggestion. She had spent the past dozen years trying to find a man who compared to Derek, one who could fill her emotionally and physically the way he had. None had even come close.

If she was being offered a second chance with Derek, she had to take it.

 

D
EREK NEEDN'T HAVE WORRIED
about lunch being awkward. Not when his daughter and his childhood sweetheart had bonded over hamburgers and french fries. How Holly had talked Gabrielle into trying her favorite food, he still couldn't figure out.

They had more in common than he'd ever have believed. From books Gabrielle had read as a child to current shows on TV, Gabrielle could relate to his daughter. Derek was so drawn by the animated way his daughter spoke to Gabrielle and fascinated by the serious way Gabrielle listened to Holly, he barely tasted his burger.

Holly, who'd been living with Derek for a few weeks without a female in sight, suddenly blossomed in front of him.

Although his father had introduced her to a few kids in town, the one girl Holly had hit it off with had gone on vacation with her parents almost immediately. She'd be back soon and he hoped then Holly would have someone to hang out with. But until today he hadn't realized how starved his daughter must have been for female attention.

A short while later, Derek drove them back. Gabrielle's car was at Sharon's parents' house at the far end of town. He turned onto Main Street as he, Holly and Gabrielle talked about the newest hit song on the radio.