Читать книгу I Can Make You Love Me - Karen White-Owens - Страница 11

Monday morning, Wynn hesitated outside the office to Nursing Solutions as she listened to Ramsey Lewis’s piano notes floating from under the closed door. Wynn sighed, feeling her pulse accelerate. The moment she stepped through the door, the mother of all interrogation would begin and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. Helen wouldn’t rest until she’d extracted every detail about Wynn’s date with Adam.

Wynn squared her shoulders, turned the doorknob, and entered the room. The reception desk sat empty. Instantly, she searched the office for Helen. Wynn found the older woman, standing at the coffeemaker with a mug perched under the spout and a grim expression on her face as she waited for her mug to fill.

Wynn grinned, shutting the door. Helen didn’t function well until she had her first cup of morning coffee.

“Mornin’.” Helen slipped the glass coffeepot in place to catch the last drops of the brew.

“Good morning.” Wynn strolled across the room to her door, entered her office, deposited her briefcase on the corner of her desk, and opened it. She extracted several folders and arranged them on her desk surface before flipping the calendar to Monday’s date. She sank into her chair and pulled it closer to the desk.

Helen stood in the doorway, silently watching as she stirred her coffee. “I know you didn’t think you were going to get away without telling me about Saturday night.” The older woman moved farther into the room and took the guest seat next to the desk. Helen took a long swallow of coffee before placing the mug on the edge of the desk. “How was your date?”

Wynn tried to control her smile, but she lost the battle miserably. Surrendering, she shrugged, grinning like a fool. “Real nice.”

Nodding, Helen stretched her legs in front of her and then crossed them at the ankles. “Tell me more.”

How much did Wynn want to tell Helen? If she excluded anything, Helen would know. Sometimes she was like a bloodhound on the trail of an escaped convict. She always knew. “What do you want to know?”

“Did you go to Seldom Blues?”

Silently, Wynn nodded.

“Nice dinner?” Helen queried, eyebrows lifted.

Nice everything, Wynn thought, but answered, “Yes. Did you know there’s a private dining room at Seldom Blue?”

“Really.”

“Umm-hmm.” Wynn leaned back in her chair, visualizing the room. “It’s called the River Room. Intimate. Almost seductive. I must say, it was quite the perfect experience.”

“It sounds like Adam went all out to impress you,” Helen surmised, bringing her mug to her lips.

“He did,” Wynn admitted, remembering the hungry way Adam devoured her lips and how passion had flared between them. “I had a great time.”

“What else did you two do?”

Boy, was that a loaded question. “After dinner we stayed for the show. Richard Elliot performed with Alexander Zonjac.” Wynn’s smile grew larger and brighter. “I really had a wonderful time.”

“What time did you get home?” Helen asked.

“Near midnight.”

“Ohh! Very nice.”

“Actually, it was nice to go out without the kids and have the full attention of a handsome man.” Adam’s gorgeous face appeared in Wynn’s mind. “Yeah. I enjoyed myself.”

“You don’t get many opportunities to escape your kids. Who had them this weekend?”

“Jim.”

“Ooo!” Helen’s face scrunched into a mask of disgust. “Couldn’t you find anybody else to take care of them? Somebody with some sense. Hell, you could have called me.”

Laughing, Wynn answered, “No. Besides it was Jim’s weekend.”

“I know,” Helen said. “But your ex-husband is such an ass. You are too nice a person to have married a fool like him.”

Wynn sighed and rested her chin on her fist. There was no love lost between Jim and Helen. The kids’ father was the one person Helen refused to make any effort to be civil to.

She shrugged. “It’s an old story. I fell for the football captain. I did my best during my marriage. It’s a time I don’t want to revisit. Now it’s over and I can move on with my life. All of that was over a long time ago. I try to get on with him for my children’s sake.”

“That’s exactly what you should do, and Adam is a perfect place to start.” Helen took another long swallow of coffee.

Groaning, Wynn shook her head and opened the folder in front of her. Here comes the lecture.

Helen pushed the file shut. “Did Adam make a second date?”

“No.”

“Wynn?” The older woman’s eyes narrowed. She gave Wynn a second more thorough onceover. Wynn squirmed under the intensity of Helen’s gaze. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“He sent flowers.”

“Excellent! What kind?”

Grinning, Wynn thought of the beautiful bouquet. “Roses. Eleven yellow long-stem roses and one red rose.”

“A man with style. I like that. He’ll call,” Helen said confidently.

“Maybe.”

“Definitely,” Helen stated. “You need to think about what you’re going to say. Actually, you should call him. Thank Adam for the flowers.”

“I don’t want to do that.”

Frowning, Helen examined her boss. “What’s going on in your head?”

Wynn fidgeted with the edge of her file. “There’s issues.”

“Yeah. And? Life is full of problems. That doesn’t stop most people from doing what they want to do.”

Wynn felt all of her insecurities and worries rise to the surface. “Come on. Look at me. I’m not sweet sixteen.”

“Well, that’s for sure,” Helen agreed. “Neither is he. What’s that got to do with anything?”

“There’s thirteen years’ difference between us. Do you believe someone like Adam could truly be interested in me?”

“Absolutely. That means the boy will have a lot of stamina.”

Shocked, Wynn gasped. “Helen!”

“Come on. You’re a beautiful woman. Lots of men have been after you. Some of our clients ask about your personal life. They want to know if you’re married or seeing someone.”

Wynn hissed. “It’s none of their business.”

“Whoa! Don’t get huffy with me.”

“Sorry. My life is complicated enough without this.”

Helen frowned. “How so?”

“Adam’s a VP at Gautiers. There’s a lot of life ahead of him—”

“And you, too,” Helen inserted, swallowing the last of her coffee.

Ignoring her assistant’s comment, Wynn said, “What do I have to offer him?”

Shaking her head, Helen added, “Girl, you have officially lost your mind.” She put down her coffee mug, ticking off items on her fingers. “Number one. Stop worrying about the future. It’ll take care of itself.”

“I have to worry. I’ve got kids.”

“Number two,” Helen continued, “everyone gets first crack at you. The boys, your parents, and Nursing Solutions, even that old stupid ex-husband of yours.”

“Not all of the time,” Wynn defended.

“Jim gets too much of your time. What does Wynn need? Do you ever ask yourself that? When was the last time you did what you wanted? Put yourself first? I can answer that. Never.”

“I have to be careful. Anything I do can affect my children.”

Helen waved a dismissing hand at her boss. “Please. Your kids are fine. They’ll be great no matter what you do. Think about yourself for a change.”

“I don’t know.”

“Here’s a bit of advice. Enjoy Adam. Let him enjoy you. Don’t worry about the future or his motives. Carpe diem. Seize the day.”

“Are you telling me I should make Adam my boy toy?”

“Nothing so crude. There’s feelings between you. So it won’t be just sex. Let go. Have fun.”

“How do you know what I feel?”

Helen laughed, leaning back in her chair. “Girl, I know you too well. Adam would never have gotten to your front door if you weren’t interested in him. You would have tossed his business card in the trash and never answered his calls.”

“We do have a little bit of history.”

“So.” Helen stretched her legs out in front of her. “There’s another reason. You wouldn’t be fretting over what he feels and thinks about you. I know you. It’s Monday morning. You’d be on the phone making cold calls, checking the newspaper to make sure our ad ran, not sitting here with me telling me about the lovely time you had Saturday night.”

Wynn shrugged and then stated, “I like him.”

Helen grinned broadly. “I know you do. But you’re afraid to take a chance. There’s nothing in life that doesn’t come with a risk.”

“I’ve had to put my family first.”

“That’s all well and good. It’s time for you to have a little fun. What are you going to do about it?” Helen pushed the phone toward Wynn. “Call Adam.”

“I don’t know.”

“Listen to me and listen good. This is not about love or marriage. It’s more like comfort, closeness, and a whole lot of sex. Let go. Have fun. The future will take care of itself. Live in the present for a while. Now, what are you going to do?”

“Call Adam and thank him for the flowers.”

Helen rose and patted Wynn on the shoulder before leaving the office and shutting the door after her. “Good girl!”

Wynn reached for her purse and removed her wallet. Adam’s card was wedged between her American Express card and driver’s license. She studied the card, turning it over and over in her hands.

Should she? Wynn tapped the edge of the card against the top of her desk. Helen had a point. Why shouldn’t she have a little fun? This wasn’t a love match. Physical attraction—yes. Long-term commitment—no. Chances are that’s all Adam wanted from her. Her thought shifted back to Saturday night. Adam had made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time—maybe ever—and she missed and craved the closeness of a relationship.

No guts, no glory. Wynn picked up the receiver and dialed the number for his office. The telephone was immediately answered. “Office of the General Counsel. Tia speaking. How may I direct your call?”

For a moment, Wynn didn’t know what to say. Did she have the correct number? She checked the card against the number appearing on the display. Yep. It was the right number.

“Hello?”

“Hi. I’m looking for Adam Carlyle.”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“Umm. I’m Wynn Evans. Is Mr. Carlyle in?” God! I feel like a fool, she thought. I bet lots of women call him.

“Oh. Ms. Evans. Just a moment. Let me see if Mr. Carlyle has returned from his meeting. I’m sure he wants to speak with you.”

The line went silent. Within seconds Tia returned. “Mr. Carlyle is still away from his office. I’ll leave a message for him to call you when he returns.”

Disappointed, Wynn swallowed loudly and left her number. “Thank you.”

She hung up the phone and swiveled the chair to face the window, staring unseeingly into the bright morning. Well, Lady Mae, you tried. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. She reached for the folder and opened it, focusing all of her energy on the words in front of her. After several difficult minutes, Wynn’s concentration returned.

The ringing of the telephone pulled her away from the work spread across the desk. She picked up the receiver and absently answered, “Wynn Evans. How may I help you?”

“I could think of a few ways,” Adam responded in a sexy drawl that made something deep inside her quiver like a teenager on her first date.

He called back. Her heart kicked into a gallop as her hand tightened around the telephone.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“How are you this morning?” he asked.

“Good. And you?”

“Busy. As usual. But let’s not talk about that,” he dismissed. “I want you to know how much I enjoyed Saturday night.”

Wynn couldn’t help smiling at his remark. “Me, too.”

“Glad to hear it.”

There was a moment of stiff silence and then Adam asked, “So, why did you call? Do you need something?”

Instantly, Wynn’s thoughts returned to Saturday night. The feel of Adam’s lips on hers. The heat of his body pressed against hers. You, she thought.

“Wynn?” he prompted, snapping her from her wonderful dreamy state.

Shaking her head, she replied, “I’m sorry. I wanted to thank you for the lovely flowers. They’re beautiful.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked them.”

“Maybe I could repay you.” She swallowed loudly and pumped up her courage.

“How so?”

“Dinner. This Friday night at my place.”

Another long, uncomfortable silence followed. Maybe she’d misinterpreted the signs and body language. Her nerves screamed for him to say something, anything.

“That would be nice. But I’ve got another commitment.”

“Oh,” she muttered softly. Helen was wrong. He wasn’t interested in her that way. Who could blame him? Wynn was so caught up in her own misery, she almost missed Adam’s next comment.

“My secretary just received her bachelor’s degree and is moving into a new position. We’re having a celebration for her at Flood’s. I have to go. Why don’t you come with me?”

“You want me to go to the party with you?” she asked.

“Yes. Tia’s great. She worked hard to get her degree. I think you’ll have a lot of fun.”

Her heart lightened and a smile spread across her face. “I have to check on a babysitter. Let me call my mother. I’ll let you know this afternoon.”

“You do that. I really want you to come with me.”

And I really want to be with you, Wynn thought. “I’ll give you a call later today.”