But in his mind, he could not rid himself of the fact that one day he would be in charge. Thea had forced him to come out of his shell and stop thinking so hard.
"Be a kid," she had urged. "We're going to be grownups soon enough, so we ought to enjoy what little time we get to be this age."
She had dared him to try all sorts of things. She had been a veritable tomboy, climbing trees, going rock climbing, and sneaking out of classes to have a picnic by the lake. He had been terrified of being caught, but she had simply laughed at his fright and dragged him along with her.
But they had drifted apart. It was more his fault than hers. He had chosen Lizzie, the woman he loved, and wished he had not been asked to make that decision.
Dragging his fingers through his hair, he shied away from dwelling on the fact that he had been shocked at how exquisite she was. Althea Drummond had certainly grown into her looks. Shaking his head, he pulled back the sheets and settled in. When he closed his eyes, he was slightly disturbed to realize that she was the last person he thought about before falling asleep.
*****
Althea had no idea the feedback would be so massive and immediate. The night had been a success and by the morning, she was bombarded by calls. She had a service that answered and stored her calls, but she was thinking she might have to hire an assistant. She hated people in her space, which was why she preferred to work alone. And she worked at odd hours. Something would hit her in the middle of the night, and she would get up and start putting together a recipe. Then she would begin to experiment.
She had received several orders from the night before, and waking up Sunday afternoon, she realized she had received several more. She was going to be busy for the foreseeable future, she thought wryly.
"But that's the plan, right?" she asked herself as she stood in front of the mirror. "Keep busy so you don't have to acknowledge the lack of a social life. The absence of a man in your life." Turning away from the mirror, she went to put on some workout clothes, her mind drifting back to her conversation with Vincent.
It had been like old times, she mused as she laced up her sneakers. They had fallen into conversation as if there weren't years between them. She had seen the smile on his lips, the transformation to his face, and had applauded herself.
She was going to be the one to bring him out of his funk. Six years grieving was long enough. It was time he started living again. With her. She pressed a hand to her chest.
She wanted him to want her. She wanted him to finally see what was in front of him. She wanted to be the one to make him forget the past.
"Oh, dear Lord," she whispered. "What am I getting myself into?"
But she was already in deep, wasn't she? Since she was a teenager, she had been in love with him. Talk about too long, she mused wryly. Apparently when she loved, it was for keeps. She had tried to tear him from her heart several times and by several methods, and nothing worked.
Now she was just going with the flow. This was her chance and she was taking it.
*****
"I know you were surprised to receive my invitation," Jacklyn murmured as she sipped her lemon water.
"To say the least."
"Darling, we have a lot of catching up to do and last night wasn't the place for it." She looked around the pleasant surroundings of the exclusive diner, taking in the other guests. It was one of Kelly Takahashi's innovative ideas that had taken off like a shot. Outdoor dining with colorful umbrellas and a live band playing in the shadows. The food was excellent, of course, and the ambience was cozy and relaxed. Country dining at its best with an uptown feel to it.
"I'm surprised you were able to make it. After last night, I expected you to be rushed off your feet."
Althea sampled the minestrone soup and found it to her liking. "I usually take Sundays off, no matter how rushed I am. And yes, I'm going to be very busy."
Jacklyn nodded, discreetly admiring the coral silk blouse the other girl was wearing. "We have some functions planned for the next several weeks, and Mother and I would like to hire you to make the pastries."
"I have to warn you that my prices are through the roof."
Jacklyn laughed softly, gray eyes twinkling. "I expect nothing less for quality." She studied Althea curiously. "You're still single."
Althea's brows arched in surprise at the blunt statement. "I am, yes. From what I hear, so are you. Second divorce?"
Jacklyn sighed and took another fortifying sip of her water. "Bad news travels fast. And the fact that my name happens to be McDermot does not help. I was foolish both times.
"The first time, I thought I had met the man of my dreams. Brad was a charmer. Sexy, sweet, and handsome, movie star type of handsome. He listened, or so I thought. And I also made the mistake of thinking he could handle who I was. He said he could.
"He had money of his own, but not on our level. I did not care a jot about that, but he did. And he also told me when he walked out that I was a ball buster. His words. I could not believe it." She shook her head. "He broke my heart, and I swore that I would not allow another man to have that kind of control over me again.
"Then came Michael. That bastard. He was the opposite of Brad. Had dirty blonde hair and rode a motorcycle."
"The typical bad guy."
