Way to Her Heart

“Thank you. I was just thinking the same about you,” she answered with a smile.

The smiles continued as the evening progressed. First they went to a restaurant called Sweet Tea and 3 Sides. It was a barbecue joint that had some of the best food in town. As soon as they walked in the door people were calling her name, waving at her and, in a few cases, coming up to give her a hug. After they were seated, Lucas began laughing softly.

“What’s so funny?” Sherri asked.

“I was laughing at myself because I wasn’t sure you’d like this place, but ever since we came in the door it’s like being with a celebrity. Do you know everybody in Columbia?”

Sherri grinned as she shook her head. “I don’t know everybody in Columbia, but I do treat a lot of children so a lot of people know me as Dr. Sherri. I have my regular practice and I work at the free clinic, too. And more to the point, I love barbecue. I love to eat it, but I don’t like to grill, so I’m here at least twice a month,” she told him.

Just then their server arrived with menus and big glasses of sweet tea. After greeting Lucas, the young woman asked if he wanted to look at the menu or if he’d be having what Dr. Sherri was having. Sherri laughed sheepishly. “Okay, so maybe I’m in here more than twice a month. Like almost every weekend,” she admitted. “But the food is so good, I can’t resist.”

After placing their orders, Lucas reached across the table to take her hand. “You don’t have to explain. I’m a fiend for good barbecue and, luckily, I like to grill so I’ll make some for you whenever you want. And I agree that the food here is excellent. I’ve eaten here several times.”

They chatted companionably over dinner and shared a big portion of blackberry cobbler for dessert. She looked so animated and pretty that Lucas asked what she was thinking about.

“I was thinking that this is the best date ever,” she told him before licking the last of the cobbler off her spoon. “If I’d known how much fun this was I would have started dating a while ago.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Lucas countered. “I’m glad I’m the one you allowed to have the pleasure of your company. And I hope you aren’t tired because I have something else planned for us.”

She didn’t have to wait long to find out what he had in mind. After taking care of their check and leaving a generous tip for their server, Lucas started driving them to a club. He turned to Sherri as he drove and said, “I hope you like music.” She assured him that she did. “Good, because the place we’re going to has some of the best blues I’ve ever heard.”

The name of the club was Night Flight. The music was great; a singer who sounded just like the late Katie Webster was performing. Between sets a DJ played a mix of blues standards and jazz and when Lucas asked if she wanted to dance, Sherri gladly accepted. She used to love to dance, but she didn’t get to do it very often except in her Zumba class or when she and Sydney were playing with the Wii. Dancing with Lucas was a totally different experience. Feeling his big arms wrapped around her as they moved to the music was really, really nice. She loved the way he smelled and the warmth of his body. She relaxed into his strong, muscular arms and everything dropped away from her consciousness, everything except the way her body felt pressed against his.

When the song ended she felt slightly disoriented for a moment. She didn’t want to let go of the feeling of being surrounded by Lucas, but once the music stopped she had no choice in the matter. Back at their table she sipped her ginger ale and looked at Lucas, really looked at him, examining every bit of his face. He gave her a slow smile and leaned over so that she could hear him over the music and loud talking. With his lips touching her earlobe, he said, “You’re looking at me awfully hard. Do I scare you or something?”

A sensation she hadn’t felt since the night Sydney was conceived washed over her like the spray of a warm, gentle shower. She held perfectly still so he wouldn’t see her trembling. “That would be ‘or something,’” she murmured. This time her lips brushed against his ear because it was the only way he’d be able to hear her soft voice.

An odd expression raced across his face, replaced almost immediately by a big grin. “Let’s get out of here so we can talk about it. Is that okay with you?”

She nodded and he rose to hold her chair. As they left Night Flight, her hand slid into his like they’d been holding hands for years. They drove to her condo in relative silence, although the idea was that they were supposed to be talking. In a short time they arrived in her gated complex, and he once again opened her door for her and took her hand as they walked to the house. If he’d been expecting her to give him a demure and chaste thank-you and good-night in the doorway, Lucas was mistaken. Sherri calmly opened the door and invited him in, saying she’d make iced coffee. And just like that, the two of them were alone in the house, together.

Chapter 4

Lucas couldn’t believe his good fortune. This was what he’d wanted ever since he’d first seen Sherri back in February at his brother’s wedding. He was alone with Sherri and could start the enjoyable process of getting to know her. It had taken weeks of anticipation, repeated invitations and a study guide provided by her brilliant daughter. Sydney was the one who’d told him that her mother loved barbecue, live music and green plants. He smiled at his reflection in the mirror as he washed his hands in the half bath off the living room.

“She gets sad when flowers die, Uncle Lucas. She likes big green plants. We have a lot of them in our condo, so if you want to bring her something, make it a plant. Like a ficus tree—she really likes those.”

He owed Sydney big-time for the heads-up, he reflected. Sherri seemed to have enjoyed their evening, both the restaurant and the club, although Lucas was particularly happy with the latter. Holding her close to his body while they danced had been arousing in the extreme and he couldn’t wait to do it again. The fact that she’d invited him to come in instead of bolting from him at the door was also a good sign. He dried his hands on the guest towel and went to join Sherri in the kitchen. The sound of the late Percy Mayfield’s voice floated from her stereo speakers and created the perfect ambience for the night.

Once again he noted that she was a beautiful woman, totally striking even though she was just making tall glasses of iced coffee in her bare feet. Lucas loved a woman who could be herself in front of him; something as simple as taking off her fancy sandals to reveal her long sexy feet was a turn-on for him.

“Are you sure I can’t help you with anything?” he asked as he seated himself at the long counter to watch her in action.

“I’m positive. The coffee is already in the refrigerator,” she confessed. “I’m rather addicted to it and after I drink my morning cup I refrigerate it so I can have iced coffee in the evening. All I have to do is put a little cream and sugar and some coffee ice cubes and voilà, it’s all done. You don’t mind sugar in your coffee, do you?”

“It’s fine,” he assured her. “I like my coffee sweet. The ice cubes are a clever idea.”

She didn’t answer for a moment while she mixed cream and sugar, which she had put into a shaker jar, into the coffee. As she shook it up she told him it wasn’t her own idea. “I saw them do it on the Food Network or I got it out of a magazine or something. But I love using them. They keep your drink cold without making it watery.” She filled two tall glasses with the ice and poured the drinks. Placing them on a tray with a plate of mocha brownies, she turned to him and suggested they go to the living room.

Lucas got up to carry the tray and soon they were seated on her comfortable taupe sofa with the refreshments within easy reach on the coffee table. He took a sip of his drink and smiled his approval. “What else did you put in here? It’s delicious.”

“Some of your sister-in-law’s homemade vanilla bean liqueur. Alexis is really clever about that kind of thing.”

“Alexis is a gem,” Lucas agreed. “But I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Okay. So what do you want to talk about?”

Lucas put his glass on the tray and held out his hand to Sherri. “I want to talk about you,” he said. “The more I’m around you, the less I seem to know about you. I want to know you better. A lot better.”

Sherri’s eyes widened as she took in what he’d just said. “We do know each other, Lucas. I know that you have two brothers, Jared and your twin, Damon. I know that you have two sisters, Tamara and Camilla. Tamara is a doctor and Camilla is a commercial interior designer who specializes in restaurants. I know your parents and your grandmother. You’re not exactly a mystery to me, Lucas.”

As she was talking, she put her glass down next to his and placed her hand in the one he was holding out to her. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Yeah, you have a lot of information about me. I can only assume that you’ve been talking to my grandmother, because nothing is a secret with her.”

Sherri laughed and admitted that most of her intel actually came from Alexis. “She’s very chatty and she’s told me quite a bit about the VanBuren family. But Ms. Delilah is no slouch either. When she found out that I don’t have a man in my life she asked me if I preferred women,” she said with a wicked grin.

“That’s her to a tee.” Lucas laughed. “What comes up comes out with her—she doesn’t hold anything back. So, you know a lot about me, but I don’t know nearly as much about you. I know you’re a pediatrician, that you and Emily and Alexis are lifelong friends and that you have an amazing, engaging little girl. But aside from that I know nothing. Alexis might talk about my family in general, but she doesn’t talk about you.”

“God bless her,” Sherri said wryly. “If she ever decided to run her mouth she could bury me because she knows everything there is to know about me.” Her fingers were tracing patterns on Lucas’s palm, very lightly, but with just enough pressure to start his temperature soaring. It felt good to have her touching him.

“I don’t want to find out things secondhand. I want to know you better, but I want it on your terms. I don’t want to pick up random bits of hearsay here and there. I want you to be able to tell me anything that’s on your mind.”

Sherri didn’t answer him immediately. She continued her gentle exploration of his hand, inching up his forearm. “What is it that you want to know, Lucas?”

“Everything. Some of it’s just mundane stuff, like what you like to eat, what you do for fun, what’s your biggest vice. Some of it’s really personal, like why you wanted to be a doctor, what your hopes are for the future and why Sydney’s father seems to be missing in action.”

To his surprise and utter gratification, Sherri moved a little closer to him. It wasn’t a bold move—she didn’t try to straddle him or anything. She just leaned in his direction in a graceful and subtle manner. He could feel her warmth and smell her delicate fragrance more strongly. Without making a big deal of it, he slid closer to her. She gave him a long, calculating look before she answered him.

“I’m not that interesting, really. I’m a total omnivore, for one thing. I will eat any and everything as long as it’s prepared well. What I do for fun is pretty much what I do anyway. I take care of my baby and I try to always set a good example for her. I like to grow things, as you can see by all the plants around here. I also have a flower garden on the patio and we have a plot in the community garden where we grow vegetables,” she told him. “As you can see, I’m pretty boring. I like music and plays and art and I love being a mommy. Now as far as my vices go, well, they’re kind of embarrassing,” she admitted.

Lucas was already intrigued and encouraged her to talk. “This is just between you and me, sweetheart. You can tell me anything.”

“Okay, my vices are chocolate and potato chips. I’ve never met a potato chip I didn’t love. Plain, salt and vinegar, lime-flavored, kettle chips, any kind you name, I love. I never bring them home because I don’t want to hook my child on greasy junk food. But I’m an absolute sucker for potato chips. I also love chocolate, especially dark chocolate. In fact, if you’ve never had a wavy potato chip coated in chocolate you haven’t lived,” she said fervently.

Lucas burst out laughing. “I thought it was going to be something scandalous going by the look on your face. Potato chips? If you really like them, wait until you taste mine. I make the best chips in the world and I’ll be happy to keep you supplied. And you’re not the only one with weird food addictions. I’m a fiend for ice cream and I love pickles of any kind. In fact, I’m known for making pickles out of strange things like nectarines, radishes, plums, anything that looks good. So far you haven’t revealed anything too strange,” he said.

Sherri gave him an enigmatic smile and suddenly she was even closer to him. Now she was using both of her hands in a constant massage that was sending electric shocks all over his body.

“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” she offered. “When I was a little girl I hated to see anybody in pain or sick, and the doctors I saw when I was growing up always seemed to be grumpy and mean, so I decided that I’d be a doctor—a better doctor, one who could take care of people and make them feel better without making them cry. So that’s my career story.

“I want Sydney to be independent, self-reliant, compassionate and successful, so my future plans revolve around being the best mother and role model I can be. Is that it for your inquiry?” She smiled when she said it, so he didn’t think she had taken his interest in the wrong way.

“You’re very open tonight and I really appreciate that,” Lucas told her. “But I still don’t know where Sydney’s father fits into the picture.”

Sherri’s expression changed and her soothing fingers stopped moving. “That’s because he’s not in the picture. The last time I saw him was the day I told him that I was pregnant,” she said in a cool voice. Pulling away from him, she sat back on the sofa and crossed her arms and her legs. “He dropped me like a hot rock and took off for parts unknown. I think he moved to California, but I wouldn’t know because I never tried to find him.”

“So he’s never paid child support or done anything that would make it possible to see his child?”

“Not a thing in this world. I was scared when I found out I was going to have a baby. Terrified, really, because I’d worked so hard to finish medical school and it took up all my time and attention. I was doing well to have a boyfriend while I was trying to get through that first year as an intern and I didn’t see how it was possible to have a baby and keep up with all the work. But from the moment I knew for sure I was carrying my baby, I knew I was going to have her.