nutrition session went this morning.”
“It went pretty well, actually.” She shared what she’d told them, as well as their initial reluctance and the measure of acceptance. “I don’t expect them to fall perfectly in line, but if I can change their eating habits now, they’ll be better off in the long run. And so will the team.”
“I agree. We did the right thing bringing you on board. Thanks, Lauren. I won’t hold you. Enjoy your evening, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. The award ceremony I mentioned last week. You’ll be there, right?”
Great. “Oh, yes. I remember. I’ll be there.” Lauren couldn’t very well tell her employer she couldn’t attend because she wanted to avoid their star running back. “Have a nice evening.” She continued out to the parking lot, tossed her bag onto the back seat of the car and slid in on the driver’s side. She leaned against the headrest. Why hadn’t she told him she’d be busy? “It can’t be that bad,” she rationalized. There would be a room full of people and, if her path crossed with Malcolm’s, it would only be long enough for a polite nod. She started the engine. “I can do this. No problem.”
When she got home, she called Valencia, hoping her friend could offer some advice about how Lauren should handle any further contact with Malcolm outside work. Part of her felt their relationship should be strictly business, but the parts of her that had responded to his kiss wanted a repeat performance. Valencia’s cell went straight to voice mail, so Lauren would have to deal with her own emotions.
Her bravado held up all night and into the next morning. By Saturday afternoon, all of Lauren’s boasting had been reduced to a mass of butterflies dancing in her belly. While she searched for a suitable dress in her closet, she wished she had begged off yesterday when she had the chance. Surely Mr. Green would have understood if she’d told him she couldn’t make it. After all, she was still getting situated in her new place. She picked one dress after another but put them back. Finally, she settled on an off-the-shoulder black sheath dress that skimmed her curves, stopped just above the knee and had a modest side slit. Setting it aside, she went to shower.
Lauren dried off, wrapped the towel around her and hurried out of the bathroom to catch her ringing phone. “Hey, Valencia,” she said, walking back to the bathroom.
“Hey. Sorry I missed your call last night. My cousin asked me to go to the movies with her at the last minute.”
She activated the speakerphone and placed the cell on the bathroom counter. “No problem.” She smoothed lotion on her arms and legs.
“What did you want? Is it about Malcolm?”
“Yeah. I never got around to telling you about what happened when he finally came in for his appointment. Well, he asked me why I took this job when I could’ve gone anywhere else.”
“Seriously? Sounds like he’s still angry.”
Lauren recalled the confrontation. “Something like that. We kind of argued a little, but then...”
“But then what? Please tell me he didn’t put his hands on you.”
“No! Malcolm isn’t that kind of man. He would never do anything remotely close to hitting a woman, no matter how angry he got.” A memory of a girl in college who’d been upset by him shunning her unwanted attention surfaced in Lauren’s mind. The crazy girl had gone so far as to shove Malcolm and throw water in his face. Malcolm had calmly told her, once again, that he wasn’t interested and walked away. If anyone deserved his wrath, that girl had. Yet he’d done nothing. “He kissed me.” Valencia was silent for so long, Lauren said, “Lyn, you still there?”
“Um...yeah. Okay, that was not what I expected you to say.”
“I didn’t expect it, either.”
“And, so... I mean...what happened after that? Did you throw him out of your office?”
“Worse. I kissed him back.” She slipped into her underwear, picked up the phone and went back to the bedroom.
Valencia burst out laughing.
“Not funny.” Lauren placed the phone on her nightstand, picked up the dress and stepped into it.
“Oh yes, girl, it is. How was it? As good as you remember?”
“Better,” she admitted grudgingly. “But he told me as he left that the kiss didn’t change anything. He still doesn’t want me there.”
Lyn snorted. “I hope you told him that’s too bad.”
“I didn’t get a chance to tell him anything, because he walked out. Now tonight the GM is expecting me to attend an awards ceremony for Malcolm and his siblings. They’re getting some humanitarian award for work with the homeless. I really don’t want to go, but I’ve only been on the job two weeks.”
“True. And when your boss asks you to be someplace, you go.”
“Exactly.” Lauren examined herself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. “I keep telling myself that I’ll be in a room full of people and, even if our paths cross, it’ll just be a polite hello and keep it moving.”
“Lauren?”
“Huh?”
“I know you’ve dated since then and your relationship with Jeffrey was pretty serious, but are you truly over Malcolm? Could you honestly say you felt nothing when he kissed you?”
She dropped down on the side of the bed and blew out a long breath. How she wished she could lie and say she’d felt nothing. That the kiss didn’t make a blip on her heart meter. But it would be a lie. He’d had her heart beating at a pace that could be considered dangerous and sensations flowing through her body that should be outlawed. “No, I can’t,” she mumbled. “I told myself I was over Malcolm, and I am.”
“Are you sure, sweetie?” Valencia asked. “What you and Malcolm shared was pretty deep. And it’s hard to forget the first man you truly loved. Hell, if my first love showed up and kissed me, I’d probably succumb right then and there.”
Lauren stuck her feet into a pair of black sandals with four-inch heels, fastened the ankle straps and chuckled. “You are crazy.”
“Did you or did you not just tell me you kissed the man back? I rest my case,” she added with a laugh before Lauren could respond.
“Shut up.”
“Anyway, what are you going to do?”
“My job. It’ll be easier for both of us.”
“And if he wants more?”
“He doesn’t.”
“So you say.”
“The man told me he didn’t want me working there, so if that’s not a clear sign that he doesn’t want anything to do with me, I don’t know what is.” Hearing herself say the words, she knew this would be the best way, no matter how well Malcolm kissed. “I need to finish getting ready. Thanks for listening to my rant.”
“Hey, you’ve done the same for me countless times. Let me know how it goes.”
“I will.” They talked a moment longer, then Lauren hung up. She applied light makeup, took one last glance in the mirror and, satisfied, left.
The gala was in full swing when Lauren arrived at the popular chain hotel. The grand ballroom was elegantly decorated, large chandeliers hung from the ceiling and a rose brocade pattern adorned the walls. She spotted several players, the GM and, on the far side of the room, Malcolm and one of his brothers. She couldn’t remember which one.
“You made it.”
Lauren turned at the sound of Mr. Green’s greeting.
“Hi, Mr. Green.”
He