Читать книгу I Can Make You Love Me - Karen White-Owens - Страница 10

What am I going to do about Adam? Wynn wondered for the hundredth time as she removed a load of laundry from the dryer. Hell, what am I going to do about the feelings he stirs inside me? All morning a goofy grin kept appearing on her face whenever she allowed her thoughts to stray to Adam and the previous evening.

Wynn folded a dozen white T-shirts belonging to her son, Kevin, contemplating where this attraction might head. Yes, Adam was handsome and certainly prosperous. Yes, Wynn found him incredibly charming. And yes, if she were younger, she’d love to see where all of the attraction and sexual tension might lead. Someplace really enjoyable and fun, she felt certain. But she wasn’t ten years younger.

Come on, woman. Get real. Why would someone like Adam want to be with her? Adam had the looks, money, and power to get anything and everything he wanted. Wynn had little to offer. All she had was herself and two children. On the flip side, Adam’s world included the young and nubile women of today with their body adornments and tramp stamps.

The doorbell chimed as Wynn stuffed the boys’ school uniforms into the washer. Surprised, she glanced at her watch. Who in the heck is that? She wondered, adding laundry detergent to the cold water and lowering the lid on the machine before leaving the laundry room.

Her heart sank when she opened the front door. Not again, she silently moaned.

“Hi, Mommy.” Six-year-old Kevin dropped his overnight bag on the floor in front of his mother, wrapped his short arms around one of his mother’s legs, and hugged tight.

Eight-year-old Jimmy shifted to Wynn’s opposite side and duplicated his younger brother’s gesture. “Hey, Mom.”

Wynn wrapped an arm around each child, hugged them close, and kissed the top of each dark brown head. She beat down her irritation at her ex-husband and focused on her children.

“I’m hungry,” Jimmy stated.

Laughing softly, Wynn thought, That’s no surprise. “There’s fruit on the counter in the kitchen. Where’s your father?” She asked, finding it difficult to keep the exasperated note from her voice.

Jimmy jerked his thumb at the door. Wynn’s ex-husband Jim Harrison sat in the Evans’s driveway behind the wheel of his cherry Jeep Grand Cherokee. Her eyes focused on him as he climbed from the SUV and headed up the walk.

Both boys grabbed their canvas bags and moved past their mother toward the stairs.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! You know the drill,” Wynn scolded in a stern voice. “Take your bags to the laundry room and empty the dirty clothes into the hamper.”

“’kay,” Jimmy answered.

Kevin nodded.

Both boys changed direction and headed for the back of the house.

Wynn listened to their soft murmurings as her sons did her bidding. Minutes later, Kevin emerged from the kitchen with a handful of small peanut butter cookies while Jimmy munched on an apple. The brothers made it down the long hallway to the den and then the theme music from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons floated into the hallway.

Jim slithered through the door and landed in the foyer. “Hi. How you doin’?” He leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Fine.” Wynn took a hurried step back, avoiding any contact with him. They did not have that kind of relationship. “Whoa! What are you doing?” she asked.

“Saying hello,” Jim answered.

“Do it from over there.”

Jim always had an excuse for bringing the kids home earlier. Wynn wondered what tale he’d spin for today’s early arrival.

“Let’s hear it.” She folded her arms across her chest. “What happened to three o’clock?”

Sheepishly, he shrugged, shutting the door after him. “Sorry.”

Frustration mounted inside Wynn. Her voice registered impatience. “Well?”

“No food,” Jim explained. “Besides, Jimmy and Kevin wanted to come home.”

She let out a gush of hot air, dropping her hands to her sides. “Jim, this is your weekend. You knew they were coming. Why didn’t you buy groceries?”

“The boys don’t like what I have. Besides, it’s Sunday. I know you cook a good dinner for them. Hey, there’s an idea. Why don’t we have dinner together? I think the boys would love to see us at the dinner table as a family.” A hopeful gleam entered Jim’s pale brown eyes.

Not today. Not ever again, Wynn thought. “What about Lorraine?”

Jim’s face flushed a dull red under the maple brown of his skin.

Wynn smirked, enjoying his discomfort. He’d left his family for Lorraine. Wynn wondered if his face would turn the same shade of red as his Jeep if she asked a few more pointed questions. “How’s the shop doing?”

This question was also met with silence. Interesting. Something wasn’t right here. Jim’s sports equipment shops had always been very profitable. This might explain why she hadn’t received a child support payment in three weeks. She made a mental note to call her attorney and have Debo-rah check it out.

The doorbell chimed for a second time. Saved by the bell, Wynn thought, twisting the handle and opening the door.

A young man with curly blond hair and a gray uniform stood on her porch. Keith was stitched into the front of his shirt in yellow thread. He cradled a long white box under one arm. “Ms. Wynn Evans?”

“Yes.” She glanced beyond him at the van from Viviano’s Flowers parked behind Jim’s SUV.

The delivery man thrust a clipboard and pen into her hands. “Sign here, please.”

She complied.

He swapped the clipboard for the box. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”

“Thank you. You, too,” Wynn responded, shutting the door.

Brows drawn together in a frown, Jim studied the box. “What’s that?”

“My guess would be flowers.” Wynn tucked the box under her arm and moved down the foyer to the living room.

Jim followed, asking, “From who?”

Ignoring her ex-husband, Wynn sank onto the silver blue three-cushion sofa and dragged the red bow along the box and off the end. She pushed the top off and found long-stem roses garnished with baby’s breath nestled in a bed of white, crispy tissue paper. “Ohh!” Wynn cooed, lifting a yellow rose to her nostril and inhaling its sweet fragrance. “These are beautiful.”

“Where’d you get those? Who sent ’em?” Jim pushed the tissue paper aside to peek inside the box.

Wynn lightly smacked his hand away. “Your name wasn’t on this.”

His fingers touched the stem of each rose. “Ten. Eleven. You have cheap friends. There’s only eleven roses. Couldn’t even afford a whole dozen? Who does that?”

Wynn shut Jim up with a look. She recounted the flower and found that Jim was correct. There were eleven yellow roses. In addition, one long stem red rose rested among the yellow ones. She removed the scarlet flower, rubbed it against her cheek, enjoying the way the velvety petals felt against her skin.

An ivory envelope laid within the folds of the tissue paper. Wynn’s hands shook with anticipation as she retrieved the note and opened it.

Wynn,

Although we have plenty of shared history, I feel that we’re just beginning to know each other. Yellow roses symbolize friendship and red is for passion. I believe we share plenty of both emotions. I enjoyed the evening. Thank you. I’m looking forward to another wonderful evening.

Adam.

Wynn smiled. Adam, you are good. You know what to say to a woman while wooing her. She tucked the card inside the pocket of her shorts and rose from the sofa, making her way to the kitchen with the roses.

Jim dogged her every step, assaulting her with questions. “Was it a client?”

“No,” she responded.

“It’s not your birthday. So I don’t think your parents would have sent them.” Jim hurried behind her. He leaned one hip against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest, running through a checklist. “What about your sister? Are they from her?”

“No.”

“Who else would send you flowers?”

Annoyed by Jim’s lack of tact and his annoying questions, Wynn turned to him, ready to read him the riot act. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful spray of flowers and all of her anger dissolved. I’m not going to let you destroy Adam’s wonderful gift and my enjoyment of it.

“None of your business,” answered Wynn, reaching under her kitchen sink for a vase. She ran warm tepid water into the glass vase, placed it on the countertop, and dropped in a packet’s worth of crystals to make the flowers last longer before arranging them in the vase.

Wynn smiled, thinking of last night. Adam was right. They had shared a beautiful evening, culminating in a series of passionate kisses. Her pulse quickened. She gazed up to find Jim’s speculative gaze on her. Wynn didn’t want him to know what was going on in her head.

Uncomfortable with his sharp assessing glance, she decided to put an end to it. “Since the kids are home, I’m sure you have things to do. Let me see you out.”

“Nah. I’ve got time.” To prove his point, Jim strolled slowly across the kitchen, opened a cupboard, selected a glass, and returned to the refrigerator. He added ice from the door dispenser and then filled the glass with water. Jim took his time, swallowing every drop. Once he finished, Jim placed the glass on the marble countertop. “I thought I’d stick around and spend a little more time with the boys.”

“I don’t see the point in that,” she dismissed. “You had all weekend to be with your children.”

Jim admitted, “They don’t feel comfortable with me. Jimmy and Kevin are polite. But they don’t want to be at my house.”

“Maybe you should talk with them and learn more about them. Find out what they like. My boys are easygoing kids. It doesn’t take much to please them. An afternoon tossing a ball or going to the park is all they require. They love that stuff and it doesn’t cost much.”

“This has nothing to do with money,” Jim snapped.

“I never said it did.”

For the third time in less than fifteen minutes the doorbell rang. Wynn shook her head and sighed. “Good grief. It’s Sunday. I’ve had more company today than I normally have all week.” She strolled down the hall to the front door and opened it. Peg Evans stood on the porch.

“Hi, Mom.” Wynn stepped back. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Home watching the baseball game.”

Peggy Evans took a step closer and kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I went to early service and decided to drop by.”

“Come on in.” Wynn pointed toward the back of the house. “The kids just got home.”

“Is that the idiot’s car?” Mom asked.

Wynn nodded.

“Mmm!” Peg Evans grimaced. “Never mind about him. My grandbabies are here.”

“Yep.”

“Let me go get my kisses.” With purposeful steps, Peg moved through the house on high-heeled feet and turned into the family room.

Wynn heard cries of pleasure from her children. “Nana!”

“Come give your Nana a hug and kiss.”

“Where’s Granddad?” Kevin asked.

“At home. You’ll see him tomorrow. What are you watching?”

Jimmy answered, “Cartoons.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t watch mess like that. It’ll rot your brain.”

“Nana, no they won’t!” Wynn oldest child responded in a logical tone.

“Well, it could. Your nana’s going to have a cup of coffee with your mom and then I’ll come back and sit with you for a while.”

Peg stepped from the family room and followed Wynn to the kitchen. Wynn shook her head. Peg Evans was an anomaly to her daughter. The socialite spent much of her time at charity functions, always making a point to get her photo in the local metro section of the Detroit area papers.

“Jim.” Peg nodded at the man from a safe distance. “I saw your truck outside. Where’s your live-in love?”

Jim’s cheeks flushed red under his brown skin. Smiling, Wynn watched the game, loving her mother’s slice and dice of Jim.

“At home,” he muttered, turning toward the window, pretending to study the foliage in the backyard.

Dismissing the man, Peg fingered the petals on the red rose. “These are gorgeous. Who are they from?” She turned to her daughter. “Wynn?”

Wynn strolled passed the counter and took a seat at the island. “Remember the Carlyles?”

Mom’s forehead crinkled into a frown as she made the connection. “The family who lived next door to us on Outer Drive?”

“Yeah. Them. I ran into Adam in town a few days ago.”

Her mother took a seat at the island and placed her Coach bag on the countertop. “Really! How are the Carlyles?”

Wynn eyed Jim. He stood listening to every word. His pea-size brain was working overtime. She turned in the chair to face her mother. “Adam’s doing quite well for himself. He’s an attorney for one of the auto companies.”

“That’s wonderful. What about his parents?” Peg scooted closer to the countertop. “How are they?”

“Oh! This was a surprise. They’re divorced,” Wynn replied.

Peg gasped. “No! I don’t believe it. They seemed so devoted to each other. I wonder what happened.”

“The news surprised me,” Wynn admitted.

“So what about Adam?” asked Peg.

“Single. No kids. He lives in West Bloomfield.”

Impressed, Mom’s eyebrows rose. “Very nice. Wait a minute. You got all of this from one conversation?”

Now Wynn felt heat prick her cheeks. “No. Adam told me some of this when we ran into each other. But I learned the rest at dinner last night.”

“Mmm,” Peg mumbled, glancing back at the bouquet sitting on the island. “And now you have roses. Interesting. Where did Adam take you?”

Wynn chuckled silently. This would rock her mother. “Seldom Blues.”

“Oh! I love that place.”

“Do you know they have a private dining room that faces the riverfront? It’s beautiful.”

“Oh my. Adam went all out,” Peg muttered, playing with the strap of her purse. “I wonder why?”

“I think he meant to impress me.”

Peg Evans absently tapped a nail against the counter’s surface, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Wynn hedged.

“You’re not thinking of getting involved with Adam, are you?”

“No, Mom. We’re friends. Don’t make more of it than there is.” Wynn turned away from her mother’s penetrating gaze. Boy, was that an understatement.

Peg blew out a relieved puff of air. “Good! You two would definitely turn a few heads.”

“Why, Mother? Because we make such a great-looking couple?”

Exasperated, Peg waved a hand at her daughter. “Oh stop, Wynn. You know what I mean. What would people think? You’re what? Fifteen or sixteen years older than that boy?”

“Thirteen,” Wynn corrected. “And he’s a man.”

Peg shrugged. “Whatever.”

Until this moment, Jim had silently stayed on the sidelines, listening but not commenting. Now, he added his two cents’ worth. “You can’t seriously be considering going out with this guy. I mean, he’s a baby compared to you.”

Furious, Wynn stood, facing her ex-husband. “Let me walk you out.”

Jim put down his glass, raising both hands in a deliberate act of surrender. “Don’t shoot me. I thought this was an open forum.”

“It’s not.”

Nodding, he left the room. Wynn started after him but her mother caught her hand.

“Don’t get mad at Jim,” Peg defended. “He’s just considering how everything looks to an outsider.”

“His opinion doesn’t matter,” Wynn stated in a fierce tone.

“Honey, you’re going to have to think seriously about this.” Peg moved to where her daughter stood and placed a reassuring hand on Wynn’s shoulder.

“Mom, there is no this.”

“How do you think a relationship will look to your friends? Your colleagues? Your children? You’ve got a business to run. Are you going to take Adam to business dinners with you? Introduce him as your boy toy?”

“First of all, Adam and I went out once.” She wagged a finger at her mother. “One time. I don’t understand why you are so concerned.”

“Honey, I don’t want you to make another mistake. You’re still paying for this one.”

Wynn shook her head and restated the question with a twist. “Don’t you mean, what will your friends think?”

With a delicate shrug, Peg admitted, “That, too.”

“Mother, leave it alone. Adam probably won’t call me again.”

“Then why are you so feisty about something that’s not going to happen?” Peg tilted her head to the side and studied Wynn. “There’s got to be a reason.”

This conversation is over. Wynn reached for the coffeepot. Whatever I decide to do with Adam is my business. No one else’s.

Wynn filled the coffeepot with water. After clearing her throat, she asked, “I’ve got some new specialty coffees. Would you like to try one?”

“That would be lovely,” Peg answered, letting the conversation drop.

But the gleam in her mother’s eyes made Wynn’s stomach cramp. This wasn’t over.