The pizza parlor was crowded. Teenagers chatted in groups and couples laughed and called to each other. Young parents chased after children or sent the older ones with quarters to the video room. Here and there, an older couple ate quietly, watching all the activity in bemused fascination.
The aroma was savory. The noise was loud. The commotion was total confusion.
From the smiles on everyone’s face, it was perfect.
They ordered a large cheese pizza and soft drinks, and Brendan found a table near the rear. As soon as they were settled, Hailey wanted to go play the video games.
“Can she really play them?” Arden asked in surprise.
“Not exactly, but she loves the race car one. I’ll take her. Sorry, I forgot to mention her delight in the games.”
“Avery and I will guard the table. But if the pizza arrives before your return, it’s everyone for herself.”
Brendan nodded, brushing his hand lightly against her shoulder as he and Hailey headed for the video room. He wanted to do more, but kept a tight leash on his impulses. He knew better than anyone it could go only so far.
Once they were used to being around each other and the novelty wore off, he hoped the proclivity to want to spend every waking moment with her would wane. Not to mention the non-waking ones.
It was hard to talk over the noise, but when Brendan and Hailey returned, Arden asked how it had gone.
Hailey regaled them with her driving, and Brendan added an aside or two to clarify the situation.
When the pizza arrived, the girls cheerfully began to eat and watch the other customers in the huge restaurant.
“Tell me how you got into the security business,” Arden asked as she nibbled her first piece.
Brendan scooted his chair closer and took a large slice. He shrugged.
“I started in the hostage negotiation end of things after law enforcement training. If a person can avoid getting snatched, there is no hostage situation. So I began looking at how high-risk people could beef up security.”
“Were you a cop? Dealing with hostages?”
“FBI. I left the agency when I married Lannie. She didn’t want an agent for a husband. We both liked Norfolk, so settled here. At that point, I could have started my company anywhere, so this is now headquarters.”
“Wouldn’t somewhere else have more high-risk security clients? I mean, I don’t exactly think of Norfolk, Virginia, as the most dangerous place to live. I’d think more of New York or L.A.”
“You’re right. It’s one of the safer cities in America. A good place to raise a family. I go where the work is, but prefer to live here.”
“So when you go to Washington next week, it’s for work?”
“Checking in with some clients. Keeping in touch with friends.”
“With friends still in the FBI?”
He nodded.
“Some of them refer my services. I don’t want to dry up that angle. But most of my business comes by word of mouth.”
“And the family in Latin America, the one you freed. Will they be hiring you for security?”
“They already did before I left. I have a team down there now.”
“How many employees do you employ?”
He looked at her, eyes narrowed. “At work? Seventy full-time and another fifty on an as-needed basis. One at home.”
“Is that enough?”
“It’s enough for me to keep tabs on what’s going on, and yet be able to meet the demand of our clients. We continue to grow, but I want to make haste slowly. Every step is rock solid before we expand.”
“Planned and scheduled,” she murmured, remembering the way he wanted his household run.
“Not much room for spontaneity there,” he agreed. “But,” he reached out and used his thumb to brush a dab of tomato sauce from her lip, “there may be room for spontaneity in other aspects of my life.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She pulled back, trying to put enough distance between them to forget the heat of his fingertips, the feel of his thumb as it touched her. She needed something to gain some perspective.
Despite her best efforts, she wondered if she was getting in over her head. Almost three weeks working for the man and she could hardly remember her life before. And she was certainly having trouble holding on to her plans for the future.
A future that would not include a sexy hostage negotiator and his two adorable children.
If she felt this way after three weeks, what would she feel like in three years when her time was up?
Probably head over heels in love with the man.
The thought came out of the blue and shocked her.
“Excuse me, I need to, um, use the ladies.”
Arden shoved her chair back and stood, wanting to run from the restaurant. To run for her life.
But she knew she couldn’t do that. Still, she needed a minute to herself.
She walked swiftly through the dining crowd and found the restrooms. Grateful for a few minutes alone, she stood near the sink, searching her features for a clue about what to do.
She couldn’t be falling in love with Brendan. There was no future in that.
“He’s still in love with Lannie,” she said slowly.
Arden couldn’t afford to fall in love. Not with anyone who wanted more than she could give.
“Maybe he doesn’t,” she said hopefully to her reflection.
Two teenage girls came giggling into the room. Arden turned on the water and began washing her hands. She couldn’t stay hidden in here all night.
“I’ll go out and act normally. Once we get home, I’ll have some serious thinking to do. Can I stay? Or had I best get out now, while the going is good?” she murmured beneath her breath.
She rather thought it was too late. Leaving wouldn’t erase his image from her mind. Leaving wouldn’t change the feelings which exploded inside her whenever she thought about him. And leaving certainly wouldn’t enable her to follow through on her plans to graduate before she was twenty-eight.
As she walked slowly back to the table, dodging rambunctious children, she thought about the dozens of sketches she’d drawn of Brendan since she’d met him. Maybe just living in the proximity of any virile man would have her concocting fantasies, no matter who he was.
Yet one look at him sitting at the table laughing with his two little girls, and she wanted to hurry. She didn’t want to miss a second of time she could spend with him. And her hands itched to sketch the family as they talked and laughed, the remains of the pizza scattered on the table.
He looked up as she joined them, his eyes concerned.
“Is everything all right?”
She nodded with a bright smile. She'd make it through this and one day look back on it with nostalgia. There was nothing to say. She couldn’t keep in touch with the girls once she left. See them every so often.
Keep track of what their father was doing.
She sat down and reached for her soda.
“Did you have enough to eat?” Brendan asked.
“Yes, it was delicious. I see there isn’t enough to take home. I suspected as much. You seemed to like it a lot.”
He nodded, his eyes still assessing. “We haven’t been out for pizza in a long time. Sometimes Ella would order in.”
She looked at the girls, afraid to look at Brendan now that she was so aware of her feelings for him.
“Do you have plans for the weekend?” he asked after a moment.
“I might go to the beach tomorrow,” she said slowly.
“I want to go. You said you’d take us. Can we go, too?” Hailey said, picking up instantly on the word beach.
“Tomorrow is Arden’s day off. She doesn’t take care of you on her day off,” Brendan said.
“Why don’t you all come? We could take a picnic lunch and rent an umbrella and make a day of it. I’m sure the girls would love to play in the water and make sand castles,” Arden suggested.
And she’d love to see Brendan in a bathing suit, actually see the body she’d been fantasizing about for weeks.
And spend time with him.
He didn’t refuse immediately, but she could see it coming. Why not just throw herself at him, she thought in disgust.
“Can we, Daddy? Can we?”
Hailey almost bounced in her chair, she was so excited. “We haven’t been to the beach in a long time.”
“I want to go,” Avery said, picking up on her sister’s enthusiasm.
“Not tomorrow,” Brendan said at last.
He looked away.
“I have things to do to prepare for my trip next week. I was planning to work at home this weekend.”
“I can still take them, if you like,” Arden offered.
Disappointment seemed to be a constant with her lately. She smiled at Hailey and Avery.
“I’ll take them tomorrow and you’ll be able to work as much as you want without being interrupted.”
“I can’t ask you to do that on your day off.”
“You didn’t, I’m volunteering. I think it will be fun. If you get finished early, I’ll let you know where we’ll be and you can join us.”
Saturday seemed to drag by. Brendan put in the time on the projections he needed completed for the upcoming trip. Then he wandered around the house, feeling its emptiness.
He’d known last night he dare not join Arden and the girls at the beach. He needed to keep his distance to keep his sanity. And seeing Arden in a bathing suit was a sure-fired way to forget all about distance. But the day seemed empty and long with all of them gone.
As he studied the drawings that Arden had scattered in every room, he was struck by how different the house looked—far different from the immaculate showplace Lannie had kept. Would she have hung up Hailey’s work? Displayed it proudly so their daughter felt cherished? He thought so, if she let Hailey draw something.
He picked up a doll and placed it on the sofa, sitting beside it. Closing his eyes, he leaned back. It was hard to remember what Lannie looked like now. Every time he tried to envision her, Arden’s face danced behind his eyes. Her laughter echoed in his ears.
She was vibrant and had a zest for living that was infectious. He wondered what her paintings were like. And was she truly resigned to go the commercial art route or did she secretly long to paint for the sheer joy of it?
He rose and wandered into the family room. Arden had left her door open. It wasn’t prying if he didn’t go in the room.
He stood in the doorway and studied the changes she’d made.
Two pairs of shorts were on her bed as if she’d been trying to decide what to wear that morning. A large canvas stood facing the window on an easel, where it’d get the most light. He was curious to see what she was working on, but there was a limit to his comfort level in invading her space. On the dresser was a sketchbook, flipped opened. He couldn’t quite make out the figure she’d drawn. It looked like a Viking. Was that for her project?
He leaned against the doorjamb, conscious of the fragrance wafting through the air. It was Arden’s. He studied the bottles on the dresser, wondering which was her perfume and what it was called.
Suddenly, he wondered if he’d been a fool to pass up the chance to spend the day with her. To see her laughing with his daughters, racing them on the sand, and building fantasy castles near the water’s edge.
But what he missed most was the chance to see her in a bathing suit, water glistening on her skin, her hair wet and clinging to her neck. The glow of perfect health radiating from her as she smiled at him.
Next time, if there was a next time, he’d go. He could handle the attraction that seemed to flare between them. She’d done nothing untoward in the presence of his children. A day at the beach would be fun.
It was late afternoon when they returned. Brendan came from his home office just as the girls raced into the house. Their cheeks were rosy, sand trailed behind them.
“Run upstairs and we’ll take a bath first thing,” Arden was saying as she maneuvered inside carrying a beach ball, two soggy towels, and a beach bag.
Her cheeks were rosy as well. The top and shorts she wore covered her, but the damp spots visible let Brendan know she had pulled them over her wet suit.
“Hi, Daddy,” Hailey veered toward Brendan. “We had the bestest time at the beach. We made a gigantic castle and Avery chased crabs. And then Arden said we brought half the beach home with us, but we didn’t. It was a very big beach.”
“I almost catched a crab, but it went in the hole,” Avery said, running to overtake Hailey.
Brendan could see the fine glitter of sand on her arms and legs. He could imagine what Arden’s old station wagon must look like.
Raising his gaze, he looked at her. “Sounds like a perfect day.”
She grinned and nodded. “You should have come. We could have used your help on the castle. Upstairs, girls. Time for a bath before dinner.”
They headed up the stairs, stomping like they were a small herd of elephants. He stared up as they disappeared from view.
Brendan turned and looked at Arden.
“I don’t know how to relate to little girls that much. I think maybe I would have done much better with sons.”
Sons. What was it with men? She’d heard that all her life, first from her father, then her aunts, from Patti and Pete and now Brendan.
Turning quickly, Arden climbed the stairs. She loved these two little girls. And she knew Brendan did as well. Yet he felt he could relate better to boys. If he’d spend more time with his daughters, he’d relate fine.
They were making strides at dinner. He asked questions that had both Avery and Hailey opening up and sharing their day with him. And he seemed to enjoy it.
Her heart dropped. Her aunt had been correct. If he ever married again, he’d want sons to carry on his name.
Sons to relate to.
“Arden?” Brendan called.
“I have to give the girls a bath.”
“Come back down when you’re finished.”
She waved in acknowledgment, but had no intention of spending a moment longer with the man than she had to.
Despite her best efforts, she had fantasized about a relationship between them. She was falling in love and there was no future in it. Even if he ever got over losing Lannie, she couldn’t marry him, knowing she could never give him the sons he wanted.
She needed to keep her distance and get over this infatuation as quickly as she could.
Final exams were coming up next week. She would devote her energy to studying, completing her project, and focusing on her course work. Maybe she could take a few classes this summer to hasten her graduation.
Arden prepared a quick, cold supper of sandwiches and fruit salad. The girls told their father all about their day at the beach, laughing and interrupting each other in their excitement.
Brendan listened without interruption, watching them with a hint of bafflement in his eyes. Twice he looked to Arden for clarification.
Which he probably wouldn’t have needed to do if they were boys, she thought grumpily as she reluctantly shared the explanation of the activities they’d done at the beach.
“I should have gone,” he said at the end of the meal. “It sounds as if you all had a great time. Although I got a lot accomplished for my trip.”
“Yes, you should have come with us. I think the girls would have found it much more enjoyable. And you can’t work all the time.”
He nodded. “Next time you go, I’ll go, too.”
“Or you can take them yourself next weekend.”
Arden looked away. She wouldn’t be joining in any more family activities. His comment today made it clear to her that she had better focus her attention on where she had a future not in futile endeavors with Brendan Ferguson.