Chapter Fourteen

Crystal breezed through the door of the break room and sat a large take-out bag on the table. “Sorry it took me so long. There was an accident blocking two lanes near the entrance to the Visitor Center. Traffic was backed up all the way to Third Avenue.”

Norah put down the magazine she’d been reading. “That’s not far from the roundabout. Ever since they put it in, it seems like we’ve had more accidents.”

“I think so, too. I decided we deserved a treat, so I picked up eggnog milkshakes.”

“We’ll just ignore the fact that they’re extremely fattening.”

“I stopped counting calories on December 1st.” Crystal opened the lid and took a drink. “Mmm. I might have to get another one on the way home.”

“Don’t put that idea in my head. What are you doing for the holidays?”

“Bengie and I are going to my brother’s house in Tennessee. It’s supposed to snow while we’re there.”

“A white Christmas. How fun! Be sure to take lots of pictures.”

“I will. My sister and her husband are going, too, so we’re riding with them. I’m so relieved. I’ve never driven in snow before. Are you and Perry going to Hilton Head again?”

“No. He’s hosting Christmas this year. A bunch of his relatives are coming into town for Christmas Eve. Even with six bedrooms, it’s going to be crowded at his place. He’s trying to talk me into staying over in his guest house so we can be together on Christmas morning.”

Crystal grinned slyly. “Sounds like he’s planning something special. Maybe one of your gifts will be an engagement ring.”

“That’s what Kathy said, too. I’m not feeling it. I can’t see him proposing in front of everyone. I’ve always pictured that as a very private moment.”

“Who cares how he does it? We’re talking about the possibility of you marrying a billionaire. If that happens, you’ll never have to work another day in your life. You can kiss Wilson-Dawes House goodbye.”

“I wouldn’t stop working right away.”

“Why?”

“I can’t sit around all day in that big house waiting for Perry to come home.”

Crystal wrapped up the rest of her sandwich. “I’m going to assume you’re joking. Time to get back to work.”

That might have been the end of the conversation, but that didn’t stop Norah from thinking about it. Why was she so bothered by the thought of leaving Wilson-Dawes House? It only made sense that without the necessity of working, she would have no reason to be there.

When they came upstairs, Crystal pointed to the windows through which a line of dark clouds was visible. “Looks like we’re in for some rough weather.”

“That makes sense. I forgot my umbrella today.”

Over the course of the next few hours the sun slowly disappeared. Thunder could be heard rumbling overhead along with an occasional flash of lightning. Then the rain started, light at first, but gradually increasing in tempo as the center of the storm got closer. The waiting area outside the entrance emptied as tourists scurried to find something less exposed. Since it was so near the cut-off time of the last tour, Crystal decided to close early.

As usual, Norah was the last to go. After doing her final check of the rooms, she headed to Crystal’s office to reconcile the day’s receipts for ticket and gift shop sales. She hadn’t been working long before the electricity went out. She was trying to finish the report using the pitiful light from her phone when she heard footsteps in the hall. She looked up in time to see a shadow in the doorway. Norah screamed like a bad actress in a horror film, dropping her phone in the process.

“Norah, it’s me. Lance.” The amusement lacing his voice made her feel even more foolish. His tall shape loomed closer to the desk. “Sorry for scaring you. I thought everyone was gone.”

She could just see the outline of his face. “I had a few things to finish, plus I thought I’d give the storm a chance to blow over.”

“Good idea. It’s pretty nasty out there right now. I heard the transformer blow so power will be out for a while. Thank goodness Jody and Logan are at her friend’s house. Logan has a thing about being in the dark.”

“I’m not a big fan of it myself.”

“I was on my way to get my military grade ultra-survival lamp when I saw the glow of your phone.”

Norah laughed at his decent imitation of a television spokesman. “Oh, yeah. My phone. I dropped it when you came in.” She peered into the darkness around Crystal’s desk. “I can’t see it anywhere.”

“Let me take a look. If you move your chair, you might roll over it.”

“I definitely don’t want to do that.”

He crouched down next to her. A few seconds later, she felt his hand brush against her ankle. Jolts of electricity shot up her leg. 

“I’m not trying to get fresh, or whatever the term is these days. It’s hard to see down here.”

And it was getting hard to breathe up there. What in the world was going on with her?

“Found it!”

Relieved, she turned her head, and there he was, still on his knees, his face inches from hers. The noise of the storm faded away. All Norah could hear was the frenzied beating of her heart and the sound of Lance breathing. Seconds passed without either of them saying a word. It was as if someone had pushed a pause button, leaving them suspended in a bubble of time where nothing else existed. Norah was aware that she should speak or move or laugh, but she didn’t do any of those things. She stayed where she was, waiting for something that never came.

“Here’s your phone,” he said at last, sitting it on the desk and rising to his feet. “I’ll get a lamp for you, too.”

She stayed where she was, almost afraid to move, as she watched his form disappear through the doorway. Only then did she release the breath she’d been holding. Her hands crept up to cover her face as wave after wave of embarrassment rolled over her. Every awkward moment in her life paled in comparison to this. How could she - for even one second - have wanted Lance to kiss her?  

* * * * *

Lance had come perilously close to making, if not the worst mistake of his life, at least the most complicated. In those few seconds when mere inches had separated him and Norah, he’d wanted more than anything to taste, just once, the sweetness of her lips, and feel their softness parting under the pressure of his. What stopped him was what he would lose in the process: her trust and his self-respect. Every act of indulgence comes with a cost. In this case, the price was too high.

In the utility room, he grabbed two lamps as well as a pack of batteries and headed back to Crystal’s office. For the moment, he had to forget what almost happened and strive to behave normally. Norah could never know how close she’d come to being kissed.

Half way there, he switched on one of the lamps. He’d scared her enough for one evening. “It’s me, again,” he said, strolling through the door and sitting the spare lamp on the desk. She looked up from doing something on her phone. “This should help with your paperwork.”

“It definitely will. Thanks for getting it for me.”

“No problem. Did you walk to work today?”

“Sure did. I believed the weatherman when he said there was only a twenty percent chance of rain.”

“You know better than that. How long will it take you to finish?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Come to my office when you’re done. I’ll give you a ride home.”

It wasn’t much more than twenty minutes before she knocked on his open door. Lance hadn’t done much work in the interim. He was still dealing with the effects of those few seconds in Crystal’s office.

“Ready to go?” he asked mildly, coming to his feet.

“I appreciate the ride. I would have called Perry, but he’s out of town.”

Lance ignored the voice in his head telling him to invite her to dinner. As much as he wanted to spend time with her, it wasn’t a good idea. Given his feelings at this moment, it was better that the evening ended here. “I’m glad I was around to help.”

She laughed as she preceded him through the solarium and out to the garage. “That’s all you’ve been doing since we met. It’s pretty much the tag line of our acquaintance.”

“That’s not how I see it,” he said, holding open the passenger side door.

“I know. You remind me of my grandfather. He was the most unselfish person you could ever meet. He didn’t say much, but he didn’t need to. His kindness and generosity spoke for him. That’s how you are. Being thoughtful and caring is something you don’t have to think about. It comes naturally.”

After hearing what she thought about him, Lance was even more relieved he hadn’t kissed her. He didn’t want to lose the little he had. “Being compared to your grandfather is a great compliment. I’m not sure I deserve it.”

“That’s no surprise, either. For someone who’s been so successful, you’re very modest.”

Lance smiled as he pulled out of the driveway. “I can’t take all the credit for that. I have a host of people around to keep my ego from getting out of hand. What time should I be at Louise’s studio on Saturday?”

He felt more than saw her surprised glance. “Oh, are you coming?”

“I’d like to,” he said meekly. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not! I’d love for you to be there.”

The pleasure he received from those words had him laughing inwardly. It was a small thing from which to derive so much happiness. “Great. It’ll give me the opportunity to meet the bachelors and personally thank them on behalf of myself and Fallen Heroes for participating.”

“That’s a nice idea. I wish I’d thought of it.”

“You’ve thought of everything else.”

“I hope so. I keep thinking I’ve forgotten something. Anyway, the photo sessions start at ten. The bachelors are coming in shifts, but I told them to hang around so we can get a group picture at the end.”

He drew up to the curb in front of Mrs. Worsley’s house. Grabbing an umbrella out of the backseat, he got out and walked around to open her door. For a brief span of time they were huddled together under a cocoon of black nylon. It was like a flashback from earlier when he was close enough to smell the honey vanilla scent of her hair.

“Thanks again for the lift home,” she said, digging in her purse for her keys. “I hope I haven’t made you late for anything.”

“My checkers game with Logan doesn’t start until eight. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“You, too. Goodnight, Lance.”