Zoey lowered her eyes. She wasn’t prepared to pretend they were lovers on the verge of exchanging vows. “But we’re not lovers, Sutton.”
“I did say hypothetically.”
“Which one do you want first? Lover or husband?”
“Lover.”
She let out a breath. “I want him to be sensitive to what I like and don’t like in bed.”
“I wouldn’t know that until we make love the first time.”
“If I tell you to stop, then I’d expect you to stop.”
“That goes without saying,” Sutton countered.
“Stop is different from no, Sutton.” He smiled and attractive lines fanned out around his large eyes. “What are you grinning about?”
“What if it’s so good that you want me to stop because you’re afraid of losing control?”
“I’ve never lost control.”
His smile faded. “Never?”
“No.” And there was no way she was going to admit to him that she’d never climaxed.
“Have we finished talking about our lovemaking?”
“I believe in monogamy. If you cheat on me, then it’s over between us. I don’t believe in second chances.”
“I’ve never been able to sleep with more than one woman at the same time, because it can get messy.”
“Not if they both have the same name.”
“Now you’re being naughty, Zoey.”
“I read a novel where the man sought out women with the same or similar names to sleep with so he wouldn’t get confused.”
Sutton shook his head. “That requires too much research. Have we exhausted the rules for us being lovers?”
“Yes.”
“What would you need from me if I were your husband?”
Zoey paused as she contemplated what she’d need from her husband to make her feel fulfilled as his wife. “He must love me unconditionally. I’ll need to know and believe that he will support and protect me and our children. That he will put family first, and everything else second. I will tell and show my husband that I love him, and make certain he knows that I will be with him in the good and the bad times. I don’t want us to go to bed angry with each other even if we have a disagreement.”
“That sounds easy enough.”
“If it was easy, Sutton, there wouldn’t be so many divorces.”
“Some couples use divorce as a way to escape or run away from their problems rather than face them.”
Pushing against his chest, Zoey managed to extricate herself, walk over to the sink and stare down at the soapy water. “Is that what happened in your marriage?” She jumped slightly when Sutton rested his hands on her shoulders.
“No. I stayed in a marriage longer than I should have because I wanted it to work.”
Zoey turned to face him. “What went wrong?”
“We were complete opposites, but I didn’t know that until after we were married. And I’m not going to badmouth Angell because there are things about her I still love.”
“Are you in love with her, Sutton?” She’d asked because if he was then they would never cross the line from friends to lovers. She had no intention of becoming that involved with a man who hadn’t gotten over his ex.
“No, Zoey, I’m not in love with her. What you see is what you get with Angell—beautiful, outgoing and she can never get enough of the spotlight.”
Zoey listened intently as Sutton told how his wife ignored his pleas that he did not want to come home and find his house filled with hordes of people. Many he didn’t know. He’d given her his schedule as to when he would be home and traveling for away games, but she claimed she couldn’t keep up with it. She would leave town for photo shoots, occasionally flying out of the country, and when she returned it was jet lag that left her out of sorts and unable to keep up with his schedule.
“We’d talked about starting a family before we were married, and Angell asked if we could wait because her modeling career was just taking off. We’d agreed to wait five years, and when that came and went, she asked if we could wait another year. I agreed, and six months later she said she wanted out of the marriage. I asked her what she wanted as a divorce settlement and she said the house. I signed over all six thousand square feet set on three acres and walked away from all of it.”
“Does she still live there?”
“I don’t know, Zoey. Her mother and I will exchange emails a couple of times a year, but there’s never a mention of Angell. I wish her well and hope she’s happy.”
Zoey’s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to control her emotions. “There are winner and losers when it comes to divorce.”
“Why would you say that?”
“When my father divorced my mother, she lost her baby daughter and I grew up not knowing my mother. So, both of us were losers. And I suppose that’s why I hold on to Harper as tightly as I can. He was only six and very close to Charmaine when she died. That’s when I knew I had to be strong for him and Kyle. I’m not even thirty and I’ve lost a mother, father and a stepmother. And it’s as if I’m holding my breath when I think of who’s next. I didn’t want Kyle to join the marines, because I was afraid he would be deployed, but I couldn’t tell him that. He would be in awe during the Memorial Day parade when active and former military would march down Main Street in their uniforms. And once he discovered that Aiden Gibson, one of the owners of the Wolf Den, was a former navy SEAL, that was all he needed to decide he wanted a military career.”
Sutton wanted to tell Zoey that if she had to go through any more tragedy in her life that he would be there for her. That there was no need for her to go it alone because he was falling in love with her. But that was something he wanted to show her. That he would be with her in the good and bad times, and he prayed there would be an abundance of good.
“When are you going back to work?”
“I don’t know because the agency doesn’t have an available client for my hours. Why?”
“I’d like to make plans for us to drive up to Charleston and have an early dinner at a fancy restaurant before coming back here.”
“Fancy as in formal?”
“Maybe I used the wrong adjective. Business-casual attire, and that means no tank tops, flip-flops, booty shorts and sleeveless shirts and torn clothing.”
Zoey rolled her eyes upward. “I do wear tank tops and flops, but never booty shorts.”
“Well, are we on?”
“If you make it for the weekend, then you’ve got yourself a partner. I don’t work weekends or overnights because of Harper.”
“We don’t have anything planned for next Sunday, so that means we’ll have Saturday night to hang out a little late. And I’ll be certain to ask permission from the man of your house if it’s all right if I take his sister out. I’ll also reassure him that she will be safe with me.”
“You’re taking that man-of-the-house scenario a bit too far.”
“You have to know he’s very protective of you.”
“And I of him, Sutton. But, don’t forget I’m still the adult.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sutton felt as if he’d scaled a high wall once he’d gotten Zoey to agree to go out with him. He still felt as if he had to walk on proverbial eggshells with her because it would take him a while to be able to gauge her moods. She’d gone through a lot and Sutton wanted to make her life as angst-free as possible.
He must love me unconditionally. I’ll need to know and believe that he will support and protect me and our children. She had no idea how easy that would be for him. When he declared his love for her, it would be without question. Support and protection went together with Zoey and the children he hoped would eventually be in their future.
He made quick work of clearing the dining room table and packing away leftovers for Zoey and Harper. The pork, stuffing, cabbage and sweet potato casserole would last them for several days. Zoey handed him dishes, glasses and silverware and he stacked them in the dishwasher.
Sutton gave her a sidelong glance as she used a brush to scrub the roasting pan. “Are we going to have coffee with the cake?”
“Yes. Would you mind if we brew coffee at my place? I have a blend that will complement dessert.”
“Of course not. Should I bring the cheesecakes?”
“No. I have some.”
“Do you realize you gave me a dozen little cakes?”
“Of course,” Zoey said smugly. “There’s little or no sugar in them.”
“You’ve listened to me talk about my ex’s eating habits, but I can assure you that I’m not that nitpicky with food except where it concerns dessert. Sweets are my Achilles’ heel.”
“Have you considered smaller portions?” she asked.
“I will if you make miniature desserts.”
Zoey winked at him. “Your wish is my command. I will make itty-bitty muffins, cakes and tarts.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
Sutton realized it was the second time he’d called her by the endearment when he wanted to refer to her as my love. Although they’d grown up in the same town, it was as if they’d lived thousands of miles apart.
He was already playing pro ball when the news reached him that James and Charmaine Allen had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, leaving their three children orphans. Georgina told him how the town had come together to fundraise for the surviving Allen siblings, and he hadn’t hesitated to anonymously send a generous donation.
Fast-forward ten years and the teenage girl who’d challenged the system and won so that she could keep her brothers out of foster care was standing in his kitchen washing dishes. Her selflessness and maternal instincts afforded her the wherewithal to raise both her brothers to manhood, while deferring her own dream to become a nurse. In that instant Sutton swore a vow that he would do all he could to help her to achieve her career goal.
* * *
Zoey watched Sutton as he took a sip of coffee. They’d elected to have dessert on her porch. “What do you think?”
Sutton peered at her over the rim of his cup. “It’s delicious. What is it?”
“Jamaican Blue Mountain. It is purportedly one the best and most expensive coffees in the world.”
He took another sip. “I could drink this all day every day. Where did you buy this?”
“I didn’t buy it. I had a client whose son was a coffee broker and he would occasionally send me gifts of coffee. He would grind the beans just before shipping to ensure their freshness with a recommendation to store the grounds in a glass jar in the fridge.”
“Does he still send you coffee?”
“No. After his mother passed away, he moved to Kenya to oversee a coffee plantation there. My supply is dwindling, and I probably have enough for another three or four cups.”
Sutton inclined his head. “Thank you for sharing it with me. I’ve drunk so many bad cups of coffee in my life that I’m shocked when I get one that I can really enjoy.”
“When did you start drinking coffee?” Zoey asked.
“It was in college when I spent all-nighters studying for an exam or trying to finish a paper.”
“Did you party a lot?”
A smile ruffled his mouth. “Yes and no.”
Zoey narrowed her eyes at the man seated opposite her. “It’s either yes or no, Sutton.”
“Yes, after the team won a game, and no when we didn’t.”
She popped the last piece of cheesecake topped with a strawberry into her mouth. Zoey did not want to envy Sutton’s college experience, which would be so different from hers. He’d left home to attend college at eighteen, while she would be thirty and much older than the average incoming student.
“Now that you’re retired, have you thought about writing a book about your life in the big leagues?”
Sutton sank lower on the rocker and stared down at the liquid in his cup. “If I do decide to write a book, it would be a definitive history of the Negro Leagues.”
Zoey listened intently as he told her about the formation of the first black professional baseball team, the Cuban Giants, in 1885. She was amazed with the wealth of knowledge and his ability to recall names and dates of every team and their players. It was then she realized he was able to combine his love of baseball with history.
“When are you going to start writing?”
“Once I’m settled where I can set up a home office.”
Zoey set her cup on a side table. “Have you looked at the model homes going up on the Wolfe/Remington land? I haven’t seen them, but folks claim they’re beautiful.”
“No,” Sutton admitted, “but Georgi told me about them. Right now, she’s renting a guesthouse on the property, and she’s seriously thinking about buying one of the new homes once construction is completed.”
“What’s the projected date for completion?”
Zoey was familiar with the property owned by the descendants of the most infamous family in Johnson County, because she remembered her father spitting on the ground whenever he’d mentioned the Wolfe name. James Allen would launch into a tirade about the mine owners who treated their pets better than their workers. His father had been one of the miners who’d been injured during a cave-in, and rather than install government-mandated safety regulations, the Wolfes absolved themselves of all injuries and loss of life when they closed all their mines in the county, leaving thousands unemployed and uncompensated. It was only later that Zoey realized her father had poisoned her mind against the Wolfes and the people who owned the property were not responsible for the actions of their ancestors.
“Early next year.”
Zoey moved off her chair and placed both coffee cups and dessert plates on a tray. “Don’t run away. I’m going to take these inside the house.”
Sutton stood and took the tray from her. “I’ll take it in.”
She held the door and let him precede her. Zoey knew she would remember the events of this day for a very long time. She’d been honest and forthcoming when Sutton asked what she wanted and needed from him if he were her lover or husband. And despite her limited experience with men, she did not have any preconceived notions about a fairy-tale romance. Yes, she read and liked romance novels with some plots that defied the imagination, yet it was that all-consuming happily-ever-after that she found most satisfying. The authors didn’t add an addendum or epilogue five or ten years into the couple’s marriage, which Zoey suspected was not without angst or conflicts, but because of the couple’s dedication, she knew their love for each other would endure.
When he’d posed the questions, she felt as if she was interviewing for a position in his life and future. She’d found it flattering because she was very attracted to Sutton, but then she was also realistic that if she did sleep with him it did not necessarily translate into her becoming his wife.
“Just put the cups and dishes in the sink,” Zoey instructed Sutton. “I’ll wash them later.”
The hand-painted china pieces were a wedding gift from her father to Charmaine, who would bring them out on special occasions and holidays, and wishing to keep the memories of their mother alive for Kyle and Harper, she would take the china out of the cabinet and set a festive table for their birthdays, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
She’d thought of the day as special because Sutton was the first person who made her question what she wanted from a man. She didn’t have a girlfriend in whom to confide, and all her clients were elderly and/or sickly and needed and wanted her more than she did them. Zoey kept them entertained by reading to them, and her other duties included light housekeeping, assisting them with bathing and making certain they ate their meals.
After the passing of her first client, with whom she had become very attached, Zoey grieved her death as if she’d been a family member. It was the first and last time she’d become that emotionally absorbed in a client.
Sutton turned, angled his head and stared at her as if deep in thought. “I’d like you to think of a few restaurants where you’d want to eat when we go up to Charleston, and I’ll select a few and hopefully we’ll be able to agree on one.”
Zoey’s last and happy memory of going to Charleston was with Charmaine, who’d insisted on shopping for a dress at a high-end boutique because her stepdaughter wasn’t going to prom with something that came off a department store rack.
“I’ll let you know midweek.” She had to go online and research restaurants in the capital city, but more important, she had to find something appropriate to wear for her date.
Sutton took a step, lowered his head and brushed a light kiss on her parted lips. “Thanks for everything.”
“And thank you for a wonderful afternoon.”
He kissed her again, this time on the forehead. “It’s only the beginning of many more to come.”
Zoey watched as he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, leaving her staring at where he’d been. She’d discovered Sutton to be generous and easygoing, yet she wasn’t ready to go all in with him. She knew that he liked her the way a man liked a woman, but she kept asking, why her? Her life for the past ten years had been an open book. All he had to do was ask around and anyone in Wickham Falls would tell him that no one had ever seen her with a man, that she worked as a home health aide in Mineral Springs and that she doted on her brothers.
What she didn’t want was for Sutton to think of her as a charity case. She knew she’d shocked him when she’d rejected his offer to underwrite the cost of her nursing school tuition. There had been a time when she’d accepted money from the residents and businesses in her hometown, but that was in the past. Zoey had pulled herself up by her bootstraps and with astute planning, she had managed to become self-sufficient. She didn’t live extravagantly, and the only big-ticket item on her agenda was getting a new vehicle.
Zoey hand-washed the cups, saucers and dessert plates, leaving them on a rack to dry before she went upstairs to change into a pair of shorts and tank top. Global warming was apparent. Wickham Falls was in a valley surrounded by forests and lakes and was experiencing temperatures that broke decades-old records and had most people complaining about the heat.
* * *
Zoey opened her eyes when she heard an approaching car to find Harper pulling into Sutton’s driveway. Picking up her cell phone, she glanced at the time. It was a little after eight, and she’d spent the past two hours dozing on the porch. Sitting straight, she raised her arms above her head to relieve the stiffness in her shoulders.
“How was it driving the Jeep?” she asked as he came up the stairs.
Harper grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Nice. Mr. Reed said I could keep his spare fob in case I needed it again.”
“When do you think you’re going to need to drive his car again?”
The teenager lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. But I’ll hold on to it just in case.”
Zoey didn’t want to come down too hard on him, because the Jeep was Sutton’s property and responsibility and if he wanted to entrust it to a sixteen-year-old, then she had no say in the matter.
“I hope you appreciate his generosity,” she said instead.
“I do. I’m going to shower and turn in.”
“I’ll be in once the bugs start biting.” Leaving the love seat, she folded her body down to the rocker and pulled her knees to her chest. If Sutton trusted Harper with his late-model SUV, then she had to learn to trust her brother enough to make the right decisions for his own well-being.