Unexpected Love (New Beginnings Book 2) Page 4

  “I grew up here. I’ve seen it all.”

  “But I haven’t. I’ve never been to New Orleans. I realize this wasn’t part of the date, but can you forget IFI for one day and show me some of the sights after church?” Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, her hands clammy. She was amazed at her boldness.

  “First you talk me into going to a meeting Thursday night, and now you want me to show you New Orleans?”

  Her gaze coupled with his. “Yes, brazen of me, isn’t it?”

  “You know, I’m beginning to think your talents are wasted as a teacher. You should have been a negotiator.”

  “Then you will?”

  “Yes.”

  “In that case, I’ll say good-night. It’s been a long day.” She placed her foot on the first step, intending to escape as quickly as Ruth in case he decided to change his mind.

  “Sadie, by the way, did all your wishes come true?”

  He was directly behind her, his words a caress. Splinters of awareness shot through her as she slowly turned toward him. They were only inches apart. The blue fire in his eyes unraveled her, sending her heart clamoring. Her teeth sank into her lower lip while she clasped together her damp palms as though they would be an adequate shield between them.

  “Did they, Sadie?”

  She swallowed several times, afraid her voice wouldn’t work when she spoke. “Almost.”

  “What hasn’t come true yet?”

  Her throat closed. Her fourth wish swirled in her mind like a kaleidoscope. “Bad luck to say.”

  “How can I help you if you don’t tell me what it is?”

  Her gaze slid away from the bright look in his eyes. She focused on a point beyond his shoulder and frantically searched for a way not to tell him what her fourth wish had been.

  His finger whispered across her cheek, startling her. Her gaze flew to his face. “I know I shouldn’t pry, but you have my curiosity aroused, Sadie. And since I got the impression I was involved in the wishes—”

  “I wanted to eat a Cajun meal. I wanted you to support our Special Olympics program and come to the high school on Thursday night.”

  Sparks of amusement lit his eyes as he looked at her face. “That’s not all, Sadie.”

  She could feel the heat of her blush. Why did her face have to be read like an open book? “You know, you must be a tough negotiator yourself.”

  “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I wasn’t.” He cut the space between them even more.

  Sadie swallowed hard and backed up the stairs. “Well, tomorrow is going to be a busy day, so I’d better get to bed.” She whirled and fled upstairs, aware of Andrew’s gaze on her the whole way.

  * * *

  Swirls of fog obscured Sadie’s view from the balcony. Wispy gray fingers slithered among the plants in the garden below, giving the landscape a ghostly appearance. She shivered and hugged herself even though the air was warm and peppered with the scent of flowers. She imagined the history this place could tell if it could speak.

  The moment she thought about history her mind turned to her father. She didn’t want him to intrude on her time in New Orleans, but for some reason she felt vulnerable, fragile, like a magnolia blossom. It had taken years to toughen herself to her father’s expectations of her.

  A memory, clear as if it had happened yesterday, imposed itself on her and whisked away what composure she had left. She’d been ten and learning to dive off a springboard. Over and over her father had worked with her to accomplish that feat one afternoon. After one particular attempt when she’d hit the water at an awkward angle and hurt her arm, she’d sat on the side of the pool with tears streaming down her cheeks. She’d rubbed her arm and looked at her father for some support and love. All she could remember was the anger on his face, his feet braced apart, his hands on his hips. He’d ordered her onto the diving board again. He refused to let her quit until she’d attained her goal. No child of his would ever quit, he’d declared, and they had stayed until the sun had gone down and she’d finally dived into the water with perfect form.

  A sound penetrated Sadie’s mind, whisking her away from her memories. She blinked, focusing on her surroundings, trying to slow the rapid beating of her heart.

  “Sadie?”

  She turned from the railing and saw Andrew walking toward her. Bold, tall, an imposing figure. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished he would go away—at least until she had control of her emotions. He was invading her life, making it impossible to keep her distance.

  “I thought you were in bed.” Sadie automatically fell back a few steps when she discovered Andrew dangerously close. Her heartbeat hadn’t slowed its frantic pace, and she had to force herself to take deep, calming breaths of the moisture-laden air that smelled of night and flowers.

  “And I thought you were asleep.”

  “I guess neither of us could sleep. Strange beds do that to me.” And the fact she couldn’t get him out of her mind, she thought, glad her face was in the shadows.

  “I was working and came out here to take a break.”

  “You allow yourself breaks?”

  His chuckle was as warm and caressing as the night with its scents of roses and jasmine. “From time to time, especially when I was finding all I was doing was staring at the computer.” He leaned close and whispered, “You want to know something? I was even wishing I had put some games on my cell phone.”

  “No? Really! Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell a soul that the Andrew Knight thought about playing a game, especially when he should have been working.”

  His laughter filled the air. “You have corrupted me!”

  “It must be the late hour. In the clear light of day, I’m sure the old Andrew will be back.”

  “He better be. I have an important report due in two days.”

  Suddenly the lightheartedness evaporated between them replaced by a subtle tension that tautened Andrew’s body. Sadie felt it move up him, and she didn’t want the businessman to return just yet. “You said you were from this area?”

  “Yes. I grew up near here and went to Tulane for college.”

  “May I see where tomorrow?”

  “It’s not on any tour of New Orleans I know of,” he said, a strange huskiness in his voice.

  Even though she couldn’t see his expression clearly in the dim light from her bedroom, she instantly felt the subject of his childhood home was taboo. “What is on the tour?”

  He shrugged. “What do you want to see?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been here. You’re the tour guide.”

  “In that case I’ll take you to the usual haunts. The French Quarter. The river.”

  “What did you do for fun when you lived here?”

  The tension was no longer subtle. Sadie didn’t need to see his face to feel tension seeping from every pore. The night sounds magnified the silence between them.

  “I would escape to the bayou.”

  Escape? Sadie frowned. Visions of all the movies she’d seen located in the bayous flashed across her mind, and she shivered. “That’s one place we can skip. Snakes are my least favorite animal. I know they are important in nature’s scheme, but I prefer them behind one-inch-thick glass at a zoo.” She forced a lightness into her tone, determined to ease the strain that had sprung up between them.

  “How do you feel about alligators?”

  “I have a healthy respect for their sharp teeth, their slashing tails. You used to see alligators?”

  “Yep. We’d go looking for them.”

  “Why?” Her voice squeaked.

  “For the thrill of it.”

  “When in the world did you pick up the hobbies of golf and reading?”

  “When I grew up and became wiser,” he said with a laugh.

  “I’m not sure if I have.”

  “I think you’ve grown up, so it must be the wiser part,” he murmured in the dark night.

  She tried to think of something to say. But for once she was speechless. Definitely the wise part. If she were wise, she would have never come to New Orleans. If she were wise, she wouldn’t be out here on the balcony with a man who had stolen into her life in a few short days. If she were wise, she would be on the next flight out of here regardless of its destination.

  The blackness seemed to close around Andrew and her, heightening her perception of him. She tried to inhale deep breaths, but each one was infused with his scent of sandalwood. The intensity of the moment was almost tangible, as if Sadie could grab it and hold it in her palm.

  He moved toward her, his arm brushing hers. “Do you ever do things just for the thrill of it?” he asked, his question loaded with a hazardous potency she knew she should avoid.

  She stepped back, coming up against a column. “Yes.”

  “Do you like to take risks?”

  “Yes—within reason.”

  “Within reason? What limits do you set for yourself?”

  He was a breath away, and she couldn’t think with any kind of reason at all. She frantically searched her mind for an answer, but all she could think about was his nearness. Somehow she knew he was in a dangerous mood, as if he were challenging her to try to invade his privacy.

  “When I take a risk, there has to be a reasonable chance it’s worth it.” She licked her lips nervously.

  “And if you find out it’s not after plunging in, what do you do?” He bent closer, one arm braced on the column near her head.

  “I cut my losses. I’m a risk taker, not a fool.” She hoped, she added silently, wondering if being here was a step in that direction.

  “Interesting. I don’t take risks in my life except in business.”

  “Why not? I don’t see you afraid of much.” Again she wet her lips, her teeth nibbling on
the lower one.

  “We all have our fears, Sadie. But to answer your question, I take so many in my professional life that there’s nothing left for my personal one.”

  “Show me where you grew up.” She threw the challenge out to defuse the charged moment, to force him to back off.

  “You do like to take risks, don’t you?”

  Sadie gulped, sparks of danger charging the air. “Risks are what make me feel alive. Living would be boring if I never did anything a little daring. Once when I was careening down a mountain slope I wasn’t ready to handle, my life flashed before my eyes. It didn’t take long. I made it to the bottom and vowed there would be more than school in my life. I became active in my church. Took up several sports other than skiing. I decided to go to college and do what I wanted, not what my father wished for me.”

  “I had expected a yes or no answer.” He chuckled, smoothing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You’re a woman of many words.”

  “Especially when I’m nervous.” The high pitch of her voice conveyed her nervousness while she felt paralyzed against the column.

  “I make you nervous?”

  “Don’t sound so surprised. I think you’re aware of your effect on me.”

  His chuckle danced on the warm air again. “I do like your honesty, Sadie Spencer.”

  A blush tinted her cheeks. She hadn’t lied to him, but she hadn’t told him the whole truth concerning why she had sought him out for a date. She would have to find the right moment and tell him soon before she lost her heart to him.

  Andrew pulled away completely and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go for a ride.”

  “Where?”

  “You wanted to see where I grew up. I’ll show you.”

  She stood her ground, forcing him to turn toward her. “Are you sure you want to?”

  He shook his head. “You just asked me twice to show you, and now you don’t want to go. Make up your mind.”

  She straightened. “I sensed it wasn’t something you wanted to do. I was just trying to be sensitive to you.”

  “I didn’t want to at first. Now I do. A guy can change his mind.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure why, Sadie. I don’t usually look backward. Maybe being here is the reason. Maybe it’s you. I haven’t shared my childhood with many.”

  “Then I’d be honored to see the house you grew up in.”

  “Actually we have two places to visit.” His hold tightened around her hand.

  “Just two. You were lucky. My father taught at several colleges before coming to Cimarron City University. We moved around a lot while I was growing up.”

  “Then we have something else in common. I did, too,” he said, a strain in his voice that transmitted pain. “But these two places are the only ones that count.”

  * * *

  Sadie stood staring at the vacant lot, overgrown, with the remains of a chimney poking through the lush undergrowth, and her heart throbbed with a slow beat. A lump was wedged in her throat, making any comment difficult.

  “I haven’t been able to sell this place. I should,” Andrew said in a monotone as if he were reliving every horrendous moment. “I was ten when it happened. We were all asleep when the fire broke out. I got out. My parents and younger sister didn’t. I watched as the flames destroyed my life.”

  Knowing words couldn’t comfort, Sadie took his hand in hers and squeezed gently, letting the silence lengthen between them, the sound of crickets chirping filling the void.

  “After that I was shuffled among half a dozen foster families over the next several years. I wasn’t an easy boy to deal with. I had a lot of anger inside of me.”

  “You had no family?”

  “No one who would take in a rebellious ten-year-old.” He stared at the chimney, deep in thought. “Actually when I reached high school, I was put with Tom Dawson, and my whole life was changed.” A smile graced his mouth for a few seconds before vanishing. “It wasn’t easy at first. But Tom wouldn’t give up on me. He made me understand that God had his reasons for sparing my life in the fire and that it was useless to fight His plan. I started going to the church where he was a pastor. For two years I had a relatively normal life, until…” His voice trailed off into nothingness.

  “What happened?”

  “For the second time in my life God took my family away. After that I gave up on having a family.”

  “And God?”

  “I found it was better to rely only on myself. It’s worked for the past twenty years just fine.”

  “Has it?” While she had been struggling to make her father accept her, failures and all, Andrew had had a far different childhood. Anguish twisted in her chest.

  He turned toward her, grasping her other hand in his. “I didn’t tell you this for your pity. My childhood toughened me. I don’t let my emotions govern me, and I’m much better off.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you telling me this then? Are you warning me?”

  “Yes.” He inched closer. “I’m thirty-seven years old and have never been seriously involved with anyone. My work is my life and that is the way I’ve wanted it.”

  She didn’t back away even though with each sentence he came a little nearer. She had spent a good part of her life trying to please her father and always failing. She had watched her mother doing the same thing. She had vowed years ago never to go through that again. Coming in second in a relationship was unacceptable to her. “Then you have nothing to worry about. My emotions are all tied up with my class. I have fifteen students who need me. I have no need for any other kind of relationship in my life except friendship.”

  “You know why I’m running away. Why are you, Sadie?”

  Chapter Four

  How could she tell Andrew she was afraid to commit because of her parents, especially her father? Sadie wondered, remembering Andrew’s story about his parents and the anguish he experienced losing them. With her fingers linked through his, she stared at the crumbling chimney and tried to form the words to explain her fear.

  He released her hands and shifted away from her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. I just warned you about me, and then I turn around and ask such a personal question. Our—acquaintance doesn’t warrant that.”

  Acquaintance, not relationship or even friendship. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she could almost imagine the smell of the fire that had torn his life in two. He deserved an answer. She sucked in a deep breath of moisture-laden air and said, “I grew up in a home with both parents, but it was difficult being raised by a father who demanded perfection from me and my mother. I could never do anything to please him. I tried. I really did.” Tears stung her eyes. She choked back the lump of emotions rising in her throat. She’d never told anyone else that, and surprisingly it felt right.

  The stillness magnified the importance of what had happened. His expression showed disquieting astonishment, as if he couldn’t quite believe they both had ignored years of holding secrets to reveal something of themselves.

  Andrew drew her against him. “I propose no more journeys into the past. I know you didn’t come on this date to relive bad memories. I certainly didn’t. We look forward from here on out.”

  Listening to the steady beat of his heart soothed her tattered nerves. “Sounds like a deal to me. Where do we go from here?”

  “I was going to show you Tom’s house, but that’s the past. Are you sleepy?”

  She shook her head, leaning back to look into his face. The gray light of dawn fingered across the eastern sky, declaring a new day.

  “Neither am I.” A smile graced his mouth. “I know a café not far from here that serves wonderful beignets and coffee New Orleans style. They used to make the best beignets in these parts. Do you think you’re up for that?”

  “Are you kidding? You can’t come to New Orleans and not sample one, and some chicory coffee, too.”

  It was a fifteen-minute drive to the small café. Its gray exterior with broken pieces of wood in the railing of the porch proclaimed it had seen better days. But inside, the place was spotless, the chrome shined and the wood polished. Sadie noticed the café was already crowded, and the sun had just risen. Sliding into a booth across from Andrew, she looked out the picture window at the golden light spreading rapidly across the landscape. Through the branches of the large live oak tree with Spanish moss draped on its limbs, the sun illuminated the sky in streaks of orange, rose and yellow.