CHAPTER 23
The bell above the front door to Ean’s business suite chimed Monday afternoon. He straightened from the box of office supplies he was transferring into his supply closet and stepped into the hallway. He froze when he saw Leonard George standing in his waiting area.
“Your office looks good.” The older man shoved his hands into the pockets of his winter coat as he glanced around.
“Thanks.” Ean had arranged a couple of chairs and a corner table with current magazines in the waiting area.
Leonard met Ean’s eyes. “Are you busy?”
They’d just spent Thanksgiving together. What did Leonard want now? Ean glanced over his shoulder toward the supply closet. He resisted the temptation to further delay their conversation. Coach George had always been persistent.
Ean gestured Leonard into his office and followed him. “It can wait.”
Leonard settled into one of the black leather chairs in front of the large mahogany desk. “I like this furniture.”
“Thanks.” Ean circled his desk and lowered himself into the matching executive chair.
He sensed the other man’s discomfort, which meant they had something in common besides affection for his mother. Neither of them wanted this meeting.
Leonard’s shoulders lifted and settled in a deep breath. “I care about your mother.”
“I know.” Ean’s tension rose in the beat of silence that followed his response.
“I mean . . . I’m not . . . using her.”
Ean really didn’t want to have this conversation. “My mother wouldn’t allow anyone to use her.”
Leonard gave in to a short laugh. “That’s true. It’s one of the things I admire about her. Dorie is a strong woman.”
Dorie. Ean cringed on the inside. “Yes, she is.”
Leonard shifted in the visitor’s chair. “Look, Ean, I know you’re not happy about my dating your mother. I don’t understand why. I’m not trying to replace your father. You just said you know I’m not using your mother. Then what is it?”
Ean studied his high school football coach while he tried to put his feelings into words. “I’m having trouble adjusting to the change in your relationship with my mother.”
“Is that really the problem, or are you wondering whether your mother and I were together even before your father died?”
Ean tightened his grip on the arms of his chair. His former coach was coming too close to the line. “My parents loved each other very much. Neither would ever have been unfaithful to the other.”
“But you didn’t know how sick your father was or for how long. It’s natural to wonder what else you didn’t know.”
It was a struggle to control his temper. “Maybe you’d wonder, but I don’t have to.”
“Then what would it take for you to accept my relationship with your mother?”
Ean wanted to rewrite the past to prevent this relationship from ever coming to fruition. But that wasn’t possible. Barring that, “Time. I need time to adjust to my mother’s new life.”
The chime distracted Ean from the anger boiling in his blood. He rose from his chair when Megan moved into his office doorway.
Her smile faltered when she saw Leonard seated across from Ean. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Leonard stood. “Don’t worry, Megan. I was just leaving.”
Megan sent a look at Ean—part concern, part accusation—before returning her attention to Leonard. “Please don’t leave on my account, Coach. I’ll come back later.”
“No, it’s fine.” Leonard turned back to Ean. “I’m glad we cleared that up, Ean. I’ll see you later.”
Megan frowned at Ean again as she switched places with Leonard. “Coach, I know a lovely lady who’s free for lunch.”
Leonard paused in the threshold. A grin brightened his still-youthful features. “That’s good to know. It was nice talking with you, Ean.”
He hadn’t enjoyed their conversation and couldn’t bring himself to lie. “I’ll see you around, Coach.”
Megan sank into the seat Leonard had vacated and started unpacking the picnic basket. The chime of the bell above the front door as Leonard left seemed to loosen her tongue. “Your mother likes Leo. That alone should convince you to be nice to him.”
“Why do you think I wasn’t being nice?”
Ean looked at the food she was unpacking. All healthy stuff—salad, fruit, soup and what appeared to be chicken sandwiches—without cheese or mayonnaise. Who ate like that?
“When I arrived, I could cut the tension in your office with a knife.” She lifted two cartons of plain milk onto the table.
Plain milk. Ean smothered a groan. “I’m not used to my mother having a boyfriend.”
Megan closed the picnic basket and looked him in the eye. “She has a boyfriend. Get used to it.”
Ean fought a smile. She was delicate on the outside, but a bully on the inside. “I’m trying.”
Her fierce expression eased slightly. “Coach was a very good friend when Doreen needed one.”
Ean’s humor faded. “I should have been here when she needed someone.”
Megan stood, circled Ean’s desk and settled onto his lap. She twined her arms around his neck. “You’re here for her now. She’s still adjusting to her life without your father. She’ll need your encouragement and support.”
“She’ll have it.”
“I’m still trying to figure out my next step.” His mother’s words made him think of his own future. He knew his next step. But would the woman sitting on his lap be willing to take it with him?