Happy Mother's Day: Ready for Romance / Ready for Marriage

“Don’t look so shocked,” Damian muttered.

“I …” She closed her mouth to stop herself from asking him to kiss her again.

“It was just a kiss.”

“I know,” she muttered. She sensed that he regretted the impulse and wished she knew of some way to tell him how thoroughly she’d enjoyed it. But before she could find the words, the elevator stopped.

Jessica led him to her apartment and unlocked the door. Turning on the light, she moved into the cheery yellow kitchen and, as was her habit, flipped the switch to her answering machine. Cathy Hudson’s voice greeted her.

“Jess. Hi, it’s me. I’m dying to hear how the barbecue went with lover boy today. Give me a call when you can.”

“So your friend knows about Evan?” Damian asked casually, making himself comfortable at her round oak table. He leafed through a newsmagazine she’d been reading that morning.

“I might’ve mentioned him, but certainly not as Lover Boy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“That’s not what she said.”

“She’s teasing,” Jessica insisted. She hadn’t talked to her friend about her new feelings for Damian and was sorry now, because Cathy—like everyone else, it seemed—was intensely curious about the relationship between Jessica and Evan. “She knows I once had a crush on Evan and she assumed … Well, you just heard.” Jessica took out the coffee canister and poured some grounds into the paper filter. The rich coffee aroma filled the room. “This will only take a minute,” she promised.

“Listen, don’t bother. It’s later than I realized.”

“You’re sure?” Jessica said, disappointed.

“Positive.” He set aside the magazine and stood. Pausing in front of her, he drew his hand along the side of her face. “Thank you for a wonderful day, Jessica.”

“Thank you,” she whispered back.

The apartment seemed unnaturally empty when Damian was gone. She’d hoped he’d kiss her again before he left. He’d been tempted, she could see it in his eyes, but he’d resisted, apparently wanting to keep an emotional distance from her.

Jessica wasn’t at all tired and, needing to talk, dialed her friend’s number.

A groggy Cathy answered on the fourth ring.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Jessica said with a giggle, delighted to pay back her friend for all the times Cathy had phoned her in the middle of the night.

“From the dead. What are you doing calling so late and sounding so damned cheerful? There should be a law against that. Let me guess. You were with Evan.”

“No! Damian and I went to the—”

“Damian? You’re dating Evan’s brother?” Cathy seemed wide-awake now.

“I know in that silly romantic heart of yours you figured once I was working with Evan, all the unrequited love I’d stored up years ago would suddenly blossom.”

“Yup,” Cathy said. “You’re exactly right.”

“Cathy, listen to me. Evan Dryden is a terrific guy, but he isn’t the man for me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because … well, because I just am.” Even now it was difficult to talk about her feelings for Damian. She couldn’t begin to describe them. “For one thing, Evan’s in no emotional shape to get involved in another romance, which is fine by me.”

“What happened?” Cathy demanded. “I thought he asked you to his family’s barbecue.”

“He did, but only because Damian prompted him. By the time I arrived, he’d met a lovely Frenchwoman and the two of them were inseparable.”

“How rude!”

If she’d had her heart set on Evan, it would’ve been devastating, but she didn’t, and as a consequence she’d spent a glorious night in Damian’s company. She wouldn’t have traded the evening for anything. “No, not at all,” she said.

“You aren’t disappointed?”

Apparently Cathy wasn’t as awake as Jessica had believed. “Not in the least. Damian and I drove out to Cannon Beach and rode the roller coaster.”

“You? The original wimp on that monster ride? You didn’t really, did you?”

“Yes, I did,” she replied proudly, “and it was fabulous.” She spent the next few minutes relaying the highlights of the evening—Damian’s winning the stuffed elephant for her and walking along the pier and sharing cotton candy. When she finished there was a short silence.

“Hmm,” said Cathy thoughtfully. “This could be very interesting.”

Jessica got to the office bright and early Monday morning. Evan had apparently been there at some point during the weekend, since he’d left her a list of instructions. His notes included a series of laws he needed her to research. Jessica got to the task right away.

Damian found her in the library some time later. “So you are here,” he said, sounding surprised. “Mrs. Sterling thought you hadn’t come in today. I phoned your apartment and left a message.”

Jessica straightened in her chair and arched her back, hoping to relieve the tension in her tired muscles. A glance at her watch told her it was nearly eleven. She’d been so involved in her research she hadn’t noticed the time.

“I’ve been in here all morning,” she explained, pinching the bridge of her nose. The words were beginning to blur in front of her eyes. Some of the reading was dull, but there were several cases she found intriguing.

He disappeared and returned a moment later with a steaming cup of coffee. “Here,” he said, handing it to her. “Take a break before you go blind.”

“Has Evan shown up yet?” The coffee tasted like ambrosia.

Damian sighed. “Not yet. But Evan comes and goes at will, or at least he has for the past few months.”

“Well, he left me some work to do, so he must’ve been in yesterday.” She paused. “What about him and Ramona?” She sincerely hoped those two were enthralled with each other.

“It’s too soon to tell, but maybe there’s some hope there.” Good. Damian sounded as if he really meant it.

“I want Evan to be happy,” she said, not sure why she needed Damian to know that.

“Exactly.” Damian smiled and got up to walk over to the polished bookcase. He pulled down a well-used volume. “Let me give you some advice,” he said, tucking the book under his arm.

“Sure.”

“Don’t skip lunch.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

He left then and Jessica smiled and closed her eyes. After a moment she returned to her research. A long time passed before her smile faded.