Chapter Twenty

Norah’s feet still hadn’t touched the ground when she woke up the next morning. It wasn’t just the memory of Lance’s kisses that made it hard to go to sleep last night. It was his understanding about her confusion over Perry. He made her handling of that situation seem natural instead of something to be ashamed of. That went a long way in enabling her to enjoy his company without reserve or doubts. She didn’t have to worry about Perry casting a shadow over whatever might happen with Lance.

By the time she got to work, the butterflies in her stomach had worked themselves into a frenzy. This was somewhat pointless given that the chances of her actually seeing Lance were slim. Right before he kissed her goodnight, he told her about his plans to take Logan shopping today for a Christmas present for Jody and then to the theater to see a movie.

Norah didn’t mind the packed tours and impatient tourists complaining about the long wait. Being busy made the time pass more quickly. Before leaving for the day, she walked out to the garden shed tucked away behind the maze to give George the gift bag containing the scarf and mittens. She received a loaf of homemade spice bread in return.

As she rounded the corner of the house on her way to the staff parking lot, she saw Lance leaning against the side of his car. Her breath hitched in her chest even as her steps instinctively quickened.

“Been flirting with George again?” he called out to her.

Norah laughed as she closed the distance between them. “Again? Have you been spying on me?”

“Let’s just say you’ve had my attention for some time. Are you free for dinner?”

“I am.”

“Instead of going out, how about I fix something for us at your place?”

“That would be wonderful. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages. We’ll have to stop by the store.”

“I did that on the way home from the movie.” He pushed away from the car door and opened it. “Hop in.”

Norah waited until he joined her inside to ask, “How was your day with Logan?”

“Fun and exhausting. Keeping up with him is more of a workout than an hour on the elliptical.”

They drove the short distance to her apartment. Once there, Lance removed a box from his trunk and followed her inside. On the way to the kitchen, she greeted Oliver who was in his usual position in the window.

“He’s waiting on you to come home, isn’t he?”

She nodded. “I don’t know what I’ll do when he’s gone. He’s the last link to my grandparents. As you can see, my kitchen isn’t as roomy as yours.”

Lance put the box on the counter and reached for her. “It’s definitely cozier.” He bent his head to kiss her. The feel of his lips on hers was like the warmth of the sun on her face when she used to ride Jasmine. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her close. She gripped the front of his shirt, the muscles of his chest hard against her fingers.

An insistent meowing broke them apart.

Lance laughed as he let her go. “I better get started on dinner before I forget why I’m here.”

He wasn’t the only one who needed reminding. “Let me feed Oliver, and then I can help.”

He shook his head. “I want to do this for you. On a practical note, things will move a lot quicker if I do it alone. You’re a little distracting.”

“Really? I’ve never been told that before.”

“Now you know.” He shooed her out of the kitchen. “I’ll come get you when it’s safe to return.”

* * * * *

Lance normally found cooking to be very relaxing. It was less so tonight. His only prior experience with falling in love hadn’t ended well. He’d been forced to keep all his thoughts and feelings about Holly bottled up inside. He’d thought that seeing her get married would give him closure, but every time he heard about her or saw her, it was like the reopening of a wound that never completely healed.

Until last night, he’d been doing the same thing with Norah: putting a lid on his feelings and pretending an indifference that was slowly eating away at his soul. Maybe that’s why kissing her had been so much more than physically satisfying. It had been emotionally liberating. And maybe that’s why he was finding it so difficult to stay in the kitchen when his brain as well as his body kept reminding him every few seconds that she was in the next room.

Once the pork chops and vegetables were in the oven, he set the table with the fancy paper plates, plastic cups and silverware he purchased from the party store. There was a reason everything he was using was disposable. Lance didn’t intend to waste time after dinner doing dishes. 

When he went to get her, Norah was sitting on the loveseat doing a crossword puzzle. She’d changed out of her work clothes into a chunky sweater and slim-fitting jeans. Released from its more business-looking daytime bun, her wavy hair tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. It was a picture that brought a lump to his throat and set fire licking along his veins. While he was trying to get his brain to work, she looked up and saw him.

“What’s a five letter word for clearheaded?”

The irony of her question had him laughing inwardly. “Try lucid.”

She penciled it in. “You’re so smart.”

“Only about some things. Dinner is ready.”

She put down the crossword puzzle and stood up. “I don’t know what you fixed, but it smells awesome.”

He waited for her to join him. “It’s what my mother used to make every Sunday for dinner: baked pork chops with apples, onions and sweet potatoes.”

“Mmm. That’s way better than the turkey sandwich I was planning to make.”

They walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the table. “I like the way you think.”

He laughed as he pulled out her chair. “I hope that trend continues.”

“I have no reason to doubt it.”

As Lance took the seat opposite, he wished he could see her sitting across from him every morning and evening.

After a few bites, she said, “You definitely know your way around the kitchen. This pork chop is perfectly moist and the vegetables are fork tender.”

“Thank you. Both my parents enjoy cooking. I guess it rubbed off on me.”

“Are either of them attorneys?”

“I was the only lawyer in the family until my sister Summer married Garrett.”

“Why did you go into law?”

“It was a combination of reading John Grisham and watching shows like The Practice and Law and Order. I began to understand not only the power of law, but how it affects every part of life. I wanted to be that attorney who was on the side of right, who tried to restore order and balance, and who was willing to find the truth no matter how far down the rabbit hole he had to go.”

“I can see where that would appeal to you. You’re obviously very cerebral, and you enjoy solving problems. The sheer amount of information you have to know is mind-boggling.”

“Anyone can remember what interests them. I happen to like law. You happen to like art. You evaded this subject yesterday, but I was serious about wanting to see your work.”

She dipped her head slightly. “I wasn’t trying to be evasive. I get a lot of enjoyment out of painting, but I’ve never been brave enough to show my pictures to anyone.”

“I get it. It’s something you do for yourself. Like keeping a journal.”

“Do you have a hobby?”

He laughed. “Along with reading John Grisham and others like him, I’m a hockey fanatic.”

“That would explain the hockey jerseys I’ve seen you wearing. Do you play yourself?

“I started at eight and played competitively until I went to law school. Now I play in a much more relaxed league with a bunch of has-beens like myself who still like to get out on the ice and pretend we can hang with the younger guys.”

“I don’t know much about hockey, but I’d love to watch you play sometime.”

“That’ll have to wait until after the holidays.” He hesitated, unsure if this was the right moment to broach the subject that had been weighing on him since Norah told him she broke up with Perry. “Speaking of the holidays, I remembered this will be your first Christmas without your grandparents. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me to Columbus.”

* * * * *

Lance’s invitation brought tears to Norah’s eyes. She couldn’t accept, of course, but she would never forget that he asked. “That’s so sweet of you, but I couldn’t intrude on your family at such a time.”

“I can’t think of a better time. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about? Peace on earth; goodwill toward men. As for ‘intruding’, I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.” He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. “It would mean…so much to have you there. I can’t say more than that right now. This is only our second date. I have to show some discretion.”

She laced her fingers through his. “You’re the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person I’ve ever met. I’m no longer surprised that I fell in love with you. What’s surprising is how long it took me to figure it out.”

He sat very still for a few seconds. Then she felt his fingers start to tremble. “You love me?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

Another shudder went through him. He slowly rose from his seat and came around to stand next to her. With gentle fingers he tilted up her chin. “I love you, too, Norah.” The kiss that followed was soft, lingering and full of promise. He drew back just enough to see her expression. “Please say you’ll come to Columbus. I’ve been waiting such a long time to have my own special someone to be with during Christmas.”

A tear slid down her cheek. How could she refuse after hearing that? “Then I’ll come.”

This prompted another long, sweet kiss after which Lance returned to his seat.

“Now for the reality check. I’ve never brought anyone home before. I can’t overemphasize how excited my family will be. Dealing with the paparazzi would probably be easier.”

“I don’t mind. As an only child, I always wondered what it would be like to be in a large family.”

“I’ll warn you now. It’s not quiet or peaceful.”

“That’s okay. You’ll be there. That’s all that matters.”

“You said it took you a long time to figure this out. What did you mean?”

“I liked you from the first moment we met, but you were my boss. So I ignored all those weird reactions and feelings. Then Perry came along, stirring up memories of my first love. I got caught up in the whole second chance thing, never realizing that I had already started to fall in love with you. Things came to a head the night you found me talking to Rutherford Dawes. That’s when I knew I’d made a mistake. It was you that I loved. I couldn’t believe I’d been so wrong about something so important. And of course, I felt awful about hurting Perry.”

“I can almost find it in my heart to be sorry for him, except for one thing. He walked away from you the first time.”

“He said something to me at the auction that I didn’t understand. Now it makes sense.”

“What was it?”

“He said some people want love so badly that they see it where it doesn’t exist, but with me, it’s the opposite. I fail to see it where it does. I think he meant you. He knew I loved you, and he was trying to tell me that he thought you loved me, too.”

“If only I’d never had you ask him to be in the auction. We would have saved ourselves a bunch of trouble.”

“You can’t look at it that way. Perry helped me define my feelings for you. He made it impossible for me to ignore them any longer.”

Lance stood up and started to clear the table. “I refuse to be grateful to him. He cost me quite a few nights’ sleep.”

She realized they weren’t going to see eye-to-eye on Perry. “Hopefully, we’re done with those. Thanks for fixing dinner.”

“I think we should make this a regular thing.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go somewhere a little more conducive to quiet conversation.” As they walked together into the living room, he said, “I seem to remember something about a loose spring.”

Norah laughed. “It’s on the left side of the loveseat.”

“We’ll make it work.” He dropped down on the right side and pulled her on his lap. “This is like last night at the jazz concert.”

“A slightly more extreme version.”

He ran his fingers through her hair. “I don’t have any complaints. Do you?”

She shook her head, her eyes steady on his. The deep blue depths sucked her into a world she never wanted to leave. Her fingers traced each of his features, starting with his thick brows, gliding over his long eye lashes, down his nose and across the silky hair of his beard. When she reached his lips, he kissed her fingertips. A bolt of electricity coursed through her, waking the butterflies in her stomach. His hand skimmed up her back and into her hair. Her body tingled with anticipation. Following the urging of his fingers, she lifted her mouth to his.

Lance didn’t stop at one kiss. He kissed her until she was out of breath and glad she was sitting down. Then his lips traveled slowly to her ear, nipping gently at the lobe, before moving to explore her neck and collarbone. His beard grazed against her skin, creating a not unpleasant sensation. She tilted her head to give him better access and heard him murmur her name in response. He returned to her mouth for one last kiss before lifting his head to look at her.

“I had a perfect record of not dating employees until you came along and flashed those bewitching green eyes at me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never dated any of my bosses before.”

Oliver jumped on the loveseat.

“He’s giving me the pirate look.”

Norah reached over to scratch Oliver’s head. “He’s curious about you.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “I just realized something. What am I going to do about Oliver if I go to Columbus? I can’t stand the thought of leaving him here all alone, and I’m not sure he could handle the noise and confusion of a kennel.”

“That’s easy. We’ll bring him with us. You’ve got a carrier, don’t you?”

“Yes, but I thought you said your mother has a cat.”

“She does. Jeeves won’t mind. He’s somewhat narcissistic, but he doesn’t have a mean bone in his overweight body.”

“I’d feel better if you checked with your mom.”

“Hold on,” he said, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “I’ll call her.”

“Now?”

* * * * *

Lance smiled at Norah’s horrified expression. “Why not? No time like the present. This will give her time to undo any potential matchmaking plans she’s made.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not.”

“I told you my single state gets a lot of attention.” He scrolled through his recent calls. “I’ll put it on speaker. I may need you to corroborate the story.” His mother answered on the third ring.

“Lance! What a nice surprise! Summer and I were just talking about you.”

“That’s never good. I’ve got some news for you. I’m bringing someone home with me for Christmas.”

“It’s a little late in the year for an April Fool’s joke.”

“I’m not joking. I have a girlfriend.”

“Since Thursday when we talked? I find that hard to believe even for someone as charming as you.”

He laughed. “This is very recent, but I’ve been interested in Norah for a long time. Turns out she was interested in me, too.”

“Norah? Isn’t that the woman you took to lunch a while back? She works for you, doesn’t she?”

Lance hid a smile. His memory was nothing to his mother’s. “Correct on all counts. Norah convinced me to change my mind about mixing business with pleasure. Will it be a problem for her to bring her cat?”

“Of course not!”

“I didn’t think so, but Norah wanted me to make sure.”

“This is the best Christmas present you could have given me.”

“I thought you’d be pleased.”

“Pleased? I’m thrilled to pieces. Can I tell everyone, or do you want it to be a surprise?”

“If Summer is there, it’s too late to keep it a secret. Spread the word so everyone can get over the shock.”

“This is so exciting. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“And see me?”

“That goes without saying. When are you coming?”

“We’re still working that out. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

“Sounds great.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too, Lance.”

Lance leaned forward to put his phone on the table. “What did I tell you?”

“Your mother sounds nice.”

He drew Norah back against him, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin. “She’s very nice. All of my family is. I predict they’re going to love you.”

“I hope so.”

He gently brushed the hair away from her forehead. “It couldn’t be otherwise,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.