Man at Work (12 page)

Maybe this is my fault. I should have never
told anyone how good Gabe made me feel. I should have never shared
the fact that he made my toes curl.

No, she had the right to share her
happiness. If she hadn’t, she’d never have known the lengths Toye
would go to in order to get what she wanted. Well, it hardly
mattered now. She didn’t have Gabe anymore. For whatever reason,
he’d walked out. She had to learn to move on with her life and
forget about him, no matter how hard it was. And she had to try to
forgive her cousin. If she didn’t, this incident would no doubt eat
her alive.

“
I need time to think,
Toye. I’m not ready to talk to you right now.”

Candace closed the door, but not before
glancing at the morning sky. Storm clouds sprouted against an eerie
patchwork of blues and grays. The weather matched her mood
perfectly. It seemed there was a storm brewing everywhere.

Her cell phone chimed, and she rushed to
retrieve it. The caller ID showed Zion Realty. Her heart leapt.
Good! They were probably calling to tell her to pick up her copy of
the contract.

“
Hello,” she answered. Her
heart kicked. Her palms were sweating.

“
Miss Jones?” a feminine
voice on the other end of the line confirmed.

“
Speaking.”

“
This is Vonda Smith. I’m
the Director of Operations for Zion Realty.”

This was even better than talking to Roland.
Finally, one thing was going right in her life. “Thank you for
calling, Ms. Smith. As you probably know, I signed the contract
last night.”

“
Yes, Roland informed me.
Uh, he also relayed what happened in the restaurant. As a result,
Leap of Faith Industries has rescinded their offer to
you.”

“
What?” Candace sputtered.
“Why? What’s happened?”

“
I’m afraid they can’t be
involved with questionable people. Their projects are faith-based.
It doesn’t look good for them or for us to collaborate with
partners who don’t promote good Christian values.”

Candace wanted to scream, but instead kept
her composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ms. Smith.
My reputation is beyond reproach.”

“
That may well be, but in
light of what happened last night, we don’t have warm and fuzzy
feelings about this relationship. The contract you signed also has
a morality clause indicating it can be declared null and void at
the slightest sign of impropriety. Roland is our client. If he has
reason for concern, then so do we.”

“
But…you
can’t…just...”

“
Good luck in your future
endeavors, Ms. Jones.”

Dumfounded, Candace stared at the phone. No,
it wasn’t a dream. Yes, the woman had hung up on her. Well, she’d
said goodbye, but she’d effectively shut the door on everything
Candace had accomplished. All that hard work gone down the drain.
The opportunity of a lifetime had just slipped through her fingers.
She’d lost her deal, her man, and her family member.

Lord, can my life get any worse?

She forced back the tears that threatened to
steal her joy. She’d cried enough yesterday. And it hadn’t resolved
a damn thing. New day. Same problems.

She dialed Ronnie’s number. Her big sister
always had the power to make her feel better. Ronnie never let
circumstances keep her down. She’d survived the death of her
husband and her mother, and she was handling single-motherhood like
a pro.

“
That girl has some
explaining to do!” Ronnie declared when Candace told her about Toye
and what had happened last night. “I’m calling her ass right
now.”

“
She just came by and
apologized.”

“
And what did you tell
her?”

“
The truth. It’s going to
take time to get over this. I really liked Gabe. I thought I had
found my Mr. Right.”

“
Well, I’ve heard the best
way to get over your old man is to get a new man.”

“
I don’t think I can
handle another man right now. I just want to bury my head in the
sand and forget this whole thing ever happened.”

Fat chance! There was no way she’d ever be
able to forget Gabe Hunt. The man left a lasting impression on her
mind and body.

“
Sister, the best thing to
do is to jump back into your work. Don’t let this setback deter you
from your dream. If Zion Realty doesn’t have the good sense to keep
your contract, start lining up another client. I can talk to my
boss. He represents a property management group. They may have some
ideas too.”

“
Thanks, sis.”

Candace felt her mood lift
a little, but she still felt her carefully crafted dream slipping
from her grasp. She glanced out the window again. The sky was
ominous. It looked as if Miami would get some much-needed rain.
She’d better go check on the house and put the
For Sale
sign back up.

# # #

Gabe drove his truck through the pouring
rain. Relentless needles of water pelted his windshield. High winds
rocked his vehicle. He gripped the steering wheel, trying to keep
the truck from hydroplaning on the slick, rain-soaked streets.
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go for a drive after all.
Normally, driving was the one thing that soothed his mind. After a
sleepless night, he’d found himself traveling along I-95 this
morning with no planned destination. He hadn’t even bothered to
turn on the radio. He must have driven over a hundred miles. Just
thinking about nothing in particular. His life. Candace. Finally,
when he was sick of listening to his own thoughts, he turned
back.

Now, for some inexplicable reason, he found
himself headed for the neighborhood where Candace’s rental property
sat. Maybe he wanted to see it one last time—the place where they’d
first made love.

Dammit, man! Why are you torturing
yourself?

He should have headed home instead of
battling the elements. The weather had taken a turn for the worse.
The sky was an eerie shade of pink with wisps of purple. This was
no ordinary storm. He flicked the knob on the truck’s radio.

“…
everybody to seek
shelter immediately. This is not a time to be outdoors. Once again,
we are under a severe hurricane warning. Everyone is advised to get
indoors.”

Gabe skidded around the corner a little too
fast, fishtailing in the process. He’d just replaced all four tires
on the truck two months ago, but the heavy tread was no match for
this flooding. He mashed the accelerator, and hauled ass down the
street. The truck slid, almost colliding with a curb. He had to get
inside, fast!

Finally, Candace’s
property came into view. The renovated house stood out like a shiny
new penny. A
For Sale
sign jutted from the manicured lawn. Gabe spotted Candace’s
car parked in the driveway. He hopped out of the truck and was
drenched before he made it to the porch. He banged on the front
door.

Candace opened the door at the same time a
loud crack of thunder boomed overhead.

Gabe pushed his way
inside. “What the hell happened?” he demanded. “Why is there
a
For Sale
sign
up?”

Candace’s dark eyes roamed his frame from
head to toe before finally meeting his eyes again. “I lost the
contract.”

“
What? I don’t understand.
Why?”

Everything was up to code. All the
inspections had been passed. There was no reason for Candace not to
have won the contract.

Her eyes narrowed. “Do you really have to
ask, Gabe? After last night, Leap of Faith Industries said they
could not deal with clients who had questionable morals. After all,
it is a faith-based organization. They made a call to Zion Realty.
I’m no longer in the running.”

“
That’s bullshit!” he
exploded. “Just because you had a public disagreement doesn’t mean
you’re a floosy or something.”

She pursed her lips. “Yet you accused me of
being one last night.”

His stomach clenched. Yeah, he sure did.
That was last night. He’d come to his senses today. What the hell
had possessed him to say those things?

“
I’m sorry, Candace. I had
no right to talk to you like that.” He caressed her cheeks with his
wet palms. “I just got so upset when I saw you with that guy. I was
jealous. I finally find the woman I’ve been looking for all these
years and to see you with someone else…”

The loud peal of her cell phone pierced the
air with an alert. It was the same kind reserved for Amber Alerts.
Candace rushed to her phone to read the message. All the color
drained from her face. “Oh my God. It’s a hurricane alert. It says
to seek shelter now!”

Candace felt the reassuring tug of Gabe’s
hand as he grabbed hers and raced to the bathroom. Good thing it
was an interior room with no windows. He stepped into the new
porcelain tub and pulled her in with him. He sat down and placed
her securely in his lap. Her backside pressed firmly against his
manhood. She tried to ignore the delicious thrill that ran through
her body. She leaned against his chest. Her hands trembled in
his.

“
It’s okay,” he cooed.
“We’re going to be all right. We’re safe in here.”

“
What if the house is
ruined? All the hard work we put into it will be for
nothing.”

He glanced at the upgraded bathroom with its
black tile floor and chrome fixtures. “It’s only material things.
All of this can be replaced. Your life can’t.”

“
What if we don’t make it
through this?” Her mind was concocting all sorts of scenarios. The
sound of the howling wind raging outside was deafening. She wanted
to burrow beneath Gabe’s button-down Henley. Breathe in his manly
scent. Be transported to happier times with him. Thank God, he was
here with her. She didn’t want to go through this alone.

“
The bathtub is the safest
place to be,” he told her. “I know from experience.”

“
You’ve been in a
hurricane before?”

“
No. But I grew up in
Oklahoma. We had tornado drills all the time. It’s pretty much the
same drill for all natural disasters. Seek shelter in an interior
room with no windows.”

She realized this was the first time he’d
talked about his home. There was so much she still didn’t know
about him. Would she ever get the chance to find out?

“
I’m sorry about last
night,” he told her. “I was wrong, Candace. I treated you so bad,
when all I really wanted to do was take you in my arms and hold
you.”

She nodded, warmed by his embrace. “I never
used you, Gabe. I was attracted to you from the moment I met you. I
should have told you I knew about your true identity.”

“
No.” He rubbed her
shoulders. “I should have told you who I really was. Then, none of
this mess would have happened.”

“
I figured you had your
reasons.”

“
Yeah, but none of them
were good reasons. I just wanted to make sure you wanted me for me.
The man I am.”

“
You had every right to be
cautious. Sometimes, past experience will drive us to do certain
things.”

“
I was a jerk about
it.”

Candace smiled. “Your intuition was right
about me. Initially, I was very judgmental. But then I realized
what a nice guy you really were.”

“
Ugh. Why do I have to be
labeled a nice guy?”

She laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that.
You made quite an impression on me. I couldn’t believe my luck
finding this great guy who treated me like a queen. Good looking.
Wealthy. Nice. I guess that’s why I never prompted you about your
identity. I didn’t want to rock the boat.” She was glad Gabe
couldn’t see her face. This was like going to confessional.

“
I want you to know your
remark about my integrity cut deep. I was hurt after what Toye told
me. And for the record, nothing happened between us. She came onto
me and I rejected her. She invited me to Area 31 last night knowing
we’d run into you. I guess she had no idea things would turn out so
badly.”

Candace nodded. “She told me.”

Gabe wrapped his arms around Candace and
held tight. He nuzzled her neck. Warmth flooded straight to the
spot between her thighs. “I want you, Candace. Like no other woman.
I’ve been driving aimlessly, wondering what my next step should be.
I’d be lying if I said I could walk away and forget you. It’s
impossible. But if you don’t wanna have anything to do with me, I
understand. I’ll give you whatever space you need.”

She turned to face him. A reproachful smirk
lingered on her lips. “Oh, no you don’t, Gabe Hunt. You’ve gotten
under my skin. You aren’t getting rid of me now.”

Gabe chuckled as he gazed into Candace’s
captivating eyes. “That’s the Candy I know.”

A loud, howling noise ripped through the
room, setting his teeth on edge.

Candace shrieked as she
clung to him. Gabe held her tightly against his chest. He said a
silent prayer.
Lord, keep watch over us
and keep us safe. And Lord, if we make it outta here, I’m going to
tell Candace what I really want to say. I love her.

The two of them huddled together as the
tempest raged around them outside. The racket was so horrible; Gabe
imagined nothing would be left standing in the aftermath. He’d
never endured the ravages of a hurricane before. He was grateful
he’d get to spend it with a woman he cared deeply for.

She curled against him, her soft hair
tickling his chin. She looked damn sexy in her denim leggings and
oversized top.