Romance Me (Boxed Set) (15 page)

The music changed from a hectic, foot-stomping beat to a mellow couple’s song. Eric took Lisa’s hand once more. “You want to dance?”

Perhaps Judy was right. It was a party and her troubles would be waiting at the door. “Sure.”

“See you at the office,” Eric called to Connie before he spun Lisa around then brought her close to him, slipping one hand into her right, and the other around to the small of her back.

The room spun with music, his cologne, and the sway of his hips. And boy, his hips moved with rhythm like no man she’d ever known. The lights dimmed and couples danced on all sides of them. He moved out and back in, spun her around then guided her back to him.

“Wow, you can dance.” Lisa eased into his embrace.

“Someone told me in college that a corporate man should know how to dance, so I took some classes. It’s come in handy a few times.”

“So, you’ve used this ploy on other girls,” she teased.

He dipped her. “Nope, you’re the first.”

“I should feel special then.”

“Absolutely.” Lifting her up, he rested his chin on the top of her head and moved side to side.

She wished the music would never end. For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, her heart didn’t feel like it was going to drop down to her stomach from the weight of sadness. But feeling good wasn’t part of the plan. She was here to find a family for her baby, not fall for some guy she could never have.

Eric moved his head close to her ear. “I’m glad Mom talked me into coming. I was hesitant, but I have to admit this is good.”

She couldn’t tell if his voice was hoarse from emotion or talking over the music, but she didn’t want to shrug from his arms to look.

“Tell me, or was it too painful?” Eric asked.

Lisa followed his sway. “What?”

“What happened to you back in New York?” Eric leaned his head back and caught her gaze.

“It wasn’t like that. I’m not some damsel in distress. I wouldn’t stick around if I was being abused. It was one night, our last night together that he grabbed my arm. And I walked.”

A smile creased his lips. “It’s nice to meet a girl that can stand on her own two feet, who’ll stick up for herself.”

Lisa shrugged, not sure what to say. “I’d never stick around if something like that was going on. I learned a long time ago life is too short and complicated for that kind of mess. I’d prefer to work things out on my own than cling to something unhealthy.” The words flowed from her mouth as quickly as he asked the questions.
Too much
. She needed to shut her mouth. She wasn’t ready to tell anyone, not until she made up her mind about the baby.

The music ended and she retreated from his embrace. “I, uh, I need to get home. Still have to finish unpacking. Thanks for entertaining the new girl for a bit, but I’m sure there are a ton of women waiting for a dance with you.” She glanced around to emphasize her point. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the opening.”

Lisa nearly tripped over her own feet leaving the dance floor, music, Sweetwater punch, and Eric behind.

“Wait. I’ll walk you to your car,” Eric said, catching up to her before she’d made it to the door.

“Don’t worry about it. Tough girl from New York, remember? You stay with Judy. I can’t let anything happen to my new partner. But I’ll see you soon.” She snatched her coat from the deer horn coat tree and stepped outside. Her troubles were there, waiting for her, and in the cold night air, all the fear and anxiety returned.

She managed to get one arm into her coat before she reached the walkway, and the other before the warm tears dripped down her cold cheeks. This wasn’t the plan. She needed to find a family, have the baby then get back to her life in New York with no one ever finding out she was pregnant in the first place.

It’s best this way.
She rubbed her belly, wishing she could hold the child in her arms, to comfort it from all this, but like Mark said, she didn’t have a single motherly instinct. The child needed a family, and she was unfit to be a mother.

Chapter Nine

Eric watched Lisa hot-foot it to her car. Her hips swayed and her heels clicked in the night. He wanted to run after her and tell her he was ready to give dating a chance, but he stayed rooted in the doorway. When they danced, her warmth invited him closer. He wanted to pull her curvaceous, firm body into his arms and tell her he didn’t want to live in the past anymore, but was he truly ready? Perhaps her leaving was for the best.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Retrieving it, he noticed five new messages. Scrolling through the numbers, he realized they were all work related. Of course, besides his mother, that was all the calls he received. It was all he’d wanted. Until tonight.

For once he wasn’t distracted by his phone, email, or networking opportunities. Instead, he longed to return to the dance floor with Lisa, but without the loud music or people. Only the two of them, swaying against each other while he listened to her sweet voice tell him of her life. He wanted to know everything. Her favorite food, favorite movie, even her favorite flower.

He pulled his car keys from his pocket, but then shoved them back in. It was too soon. They’d just met, and the way she stiffened in his arms to his inquiry about what happened in New York caused a thrum of warning in his mind. There was more to the story.

“Going somewhere?” His mother’s voice traveled from over his shoulder to his cold ear.

“Yes. As requested, I made an appearance. I gave it my all, but it’s tough to be here.”

“Didn’t look so tough from where I was standing.” She grasped his arm, tugging him to face her. “From what I saw, two people were quite infatuated with each other. Your facial expressions and body language screamed that fact to everyone in that room. Heck, I felt the fire ignite between you two from across the dance floor. The kind that people search their entire lives to experience, if only for a moment.

“You sound like one of those chick flicks you enjoy making me watch.”

“Ha, you love them as much as I do and you know it. You’re nothing but a big romantic at heart. Problem is that guilt was a tent over your heart for so long, you don’t know how to feel anymore.”

Eric ran a hand through his hair, tugging the roots to alleviate some of the tension. “I don’t know. My chest is tight. I haven’t felt like this in a long time, if ever. It…scares me.”

“My son. Captain of the football team, valedictorian, and fighter of rights is afraid to hold a girl’s hand.” His mother gave him a sappy smile.

“Don’t tease me.”

“I don’t mean to. I only wanted to convey that you are one of the bravest men around here. Yet, anytime a girl so much as smiles at you, I think you’d run across the ocean to avoid seeing her again. With Lisa, it’s different. I see your struggle. You want to stay. Don’t let fear keep you from something great.” His mother squeezed his upper arms. “I’m telling you, the chemistry between you two is undeniable.”

“What makes you so sure we belong together? There were thousands of women in New York City and none of them captured my attention. Why now? Why her?”

His mother chuckled. “First off, you’re loyal. You might not have loved Mary Lynn anymore, but you’d never cheat on her. Second, why not her? What don’t you like about her?”

Eric paused and thought for a moment. “I don’t know her well enough yet to answer that.”

“Then tell me what you do like about her.”

Eric sighed. “This is ridiculous.”

“Humor your old mother.”

His mother trembled from the cold, so he removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You shouldn’t be out here in the night air without your coat.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” she accused.

“Fine. I like that she left that SOB that got rough with her. That she isn’t weak and needy. That she’s beautiful, intelligent, caring. Did you know she asked me why the kids weren’t at the Hoe Down tonight?”

She shook her head. “She’s observant and caring, that’s for sure. If you like all these things about her, why are you hesitating?”

Eric shifted between his feet. Struggling with questions of the heart wasn’t something comfortable to face. Books, laws, and facts were easy, people and emotions not so much. “There’s a connection, as if we have stuff in common, but I don’t even know what they are. Heck, I don’t really know anything about her other than her name.”

His mother’s face softened into the loving, empathetic expression he’d known all his life, her smile warm and understanding. “That’s what dating is for. Now, listen to your mother. Go for it.”

“What about the shop? I haven’t seen you so motivated in years. You’ve been lonely since dad died. If things don’t work out…I don’t want to mess this up for you.”

“We’re all adults. There’s nothing to worry about. If something happens, we’ll deal with it, but don’t miss out on love because you want to avoid the possibility that something might go wrong.”

Eric huffed. “Love is a strong word. We just met.”

“Yes, it is, but you’re two grown adults that have obviously both struggled in your past. You’re both holding onto grief and secrets you don’t want the other to know.”

“So, I was right. There’s more to the story about what happened in New York, but I don’t want to get involved in something messy like that again. I screwed up last time. I don’t have the strength to go through all that again. I don’t want to have to save someone and take care of them. I’m not good at it.”

Judy stroked his shoulder. “No, hon, you’re too good at it.”

Eric leaned against the banister that bordered the front porch, thinking.

“Listen,” Judy continued, “you both need to get to know each other before all the dirty laundry is aired. See if this is all real enough to fight for. Go on a date. Hold hands. Kiss her, before all the mess is shared.”

Kiss her?
He’d almost leaned in right there in the middle of the dance floor, in front of the entire town, to steal one taste of her luscious, pink lips.
Dating?
It couldn’t be that complicated. Of course, the only girl he’d ever really dated was Mary Lynn.

Chapter Ten

Lisa hit the
cash
button on the register and the drawer popped open once more. It had only been a little over a week since she’d arrived in Sweetwater and already she’d found a home. A place where warm hugs and smiles greeted her, along with polite conversation and more interest in her personal life than she was used to, but it was magical. A place anyone would be happy raising a child.

Judy ushered a woman with short, white-blonde hair to a credenza. “You’ll want to see this, Wanda.”

“I recognize those candlesticks,” Wanda said. “They’re from the Mitchells. Her relative stole them in a divorce from my family. I’ll take them both.”

Judy’s mischievous grin told Lisa she’d planned on that sale from the start. Her partner was shrewd in business, for sure.

Eric squeezed between Lisa and the back wall. “Things are going great. Maybe now the town will stop calling you two
the crazy ladies
.” He winked, his playful grin spread across his face. One she’d grown accustomed to him popping by each day at lunch and after work to check on their progress. But today was different, he’d been in a great mood, helping to police people at the door, politely instructing them to stamp the mud from their shoes. He even cleaned up spills from the refreshments they’d served. He was a hard worker and surprisingly domestic. Of course, half the sales came from the cougars in town wanting to paw at him. He took it all in good stride, though.

When the buzz died down, Lisa finally had an opportunity to approach him. “Eric, do you have a second?”

He turned and touched her elbow. “Sure, anything for the girl who got my mother out of the house and back to life.”

Had I done that?
Picturing Judy anything but lively, fun, and somewhat mischievous didn’t seem possible. Her constant nudging to give Eric a chance complicated things, though. Lisa found herself drawn to spending time with Eric, seeking him out each time he’d enter the store to help, but always remaining far enough away that she wouldn’t be tempted by his charm. It wasn’t working. “Listen, about last week. If I was rude when I left the dance…”

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled, but not the kind that lit up the room. “Let’s finish up so we can celebrate. Mom said you’d be joining us.”

“Yes, I said I would.” She straightened the merchandise on the counter, attempting to avoid his gaze.

He brushed passed once more, his cologne engulfing her in a sensory overload. Placing a hand on each of her shoulders, he leaned in and whispered, “Not like you had a choice, darling,” he said, mimicking his mother.

For a second, his touch chased away the loneliness. “No, I guess I didn’t.”

“Time to close shop,” Judy called.

Eric let go and backed away, offering his arm. “Shall we?”

“You two go ahead. I’m going to lock up,” Judy offered.

“Are you sure?” Lisa asked, while grabbing her purse from under the front counter.

“Of course.” Judy gave her dismissive wave, sending them on their way.

White lights strung from building to building illuminated the front walk and sparkled off the fresh snow covering the trees and grass, but the roads and walkways had already been cleared.