Authors: Nancy Martin
Talking with Nora was none other than Luke, who looked perfectly comfortable in the other pink chair while the chattering women of the book club swooped around him, choosing last items of delicate lingerie and discussing their sex lives in loud voices.
Luke saw Grace coming and got to his feet. “Hey,” he said warmly. “How’d it go?”
“It was marvelous. Nora’s a genius.”
Nora said, “Just don’t tell Grace’s mother I had the new Dear Miss Vanderbine signing books in a lingerie store.”
“I bet her mother wouldn’t care,” Luke said, looking amused, “as long as the books got sold.”
“You haven’t met Grace’s mother yet, have you?” Nora asked, slanting a teasing glance up at him. “She has definite ideas about the kinds of things Dear Miss Vanderbine should say and do.”
To hijack the conversation before they got to dissecting Dear Miss Vanderbine, Grace said to Luke, “Did you get that burger you wanted?”
“Actually, I called a friend. We had lunch at his place.”
“He had an enviable lunch,” Nora reported. “With one of our city’s biggest celebrities.”
“Darrell Washington,” Luke supplied when Grace looked mystified. “Running back for the Eagles. He’s the one who owns a club, too.”
Nora said, “That club is very hot right now. You should visit it later. But first--your next stop is a bookstore just around the corner. I’m going to have to let you do that event on your own, though. I’ve got a lead on Emma.”
“I’ll skip the bookstore,” Grace said at once. “I’ll come with you.”
“Nonsense. I can handle my sister on my own. You must stick to the schedule, darling. Go to the bookstore. And Luke has plans for you later.” Nora smiled.
Grace looked up at Luke. “Plans?”
“Only if you want to. Darrell invited us to stop by.”
“Which you should definitely do,” Nora advised as she put on her coat. “I’m very jealous. I’ll leave the porch light on, Grace.”
Luke helped Nora with her coat and said to her, “Come with us. We’ll have a good time.”
“Three,” Nora said firmly, “is definitely a crowd. Besides, I hope to catch up with my sister tonight.”
“Good luck,” Grace said.
They hugged, promised to talk soon, and then Nora was gone in a whirl of scarf and coat.
“She’s nice,” Luke said when they followed Nora outside into the cold. “She says you’re going to be a big hit with your book.”
“Nora’s wonderful. But sometimes overly optimistic.” A brisk wind caught Grace by surprise, and she put one hand up to keep her hair in place.
“She caught me looking through the inventory in there. She advised me not to buy you something sexy. I was tempted, but she said it would spook you. Do you like black? Red? Virginal white?”
He was pushing her to think about the evening ahead, but Grace said. “Are you trying to get me to blush again?”
“Too obvious, huh? She also says your fiancée was an asshole.”
“Nora does not use words like asshole.” Grace put a foot wrong and skidded on the icy sidewalk.
Luke put a steadying arm around her, and they set off walking toward the bookstore. “You’re right, she probably said something else, but asshole was my takeaway. Why’d you stay with him so long?”
“Because at close range he didn’t seem like a—he wasn’t as much of--.”
“An asshole,” Luke supplied.
“He didn’t,” she said. “He wasn’t.”
“But he matched your mother’s expectations for you, so you stayed with him.”
“Is that Nora’s opinion, too?”
“I’m adding things up for myself,” Luke said. “Nora thinks your mother is sticking her nose in your life too much.”
“My mother is bequeathing me her life’s work,” Grace argued. “I understand why she’s protective of what she created. Anyway, you should know how it feels, trying to be exactly what your parent wants.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Luke looked surprised.
“Your father. He was your coach, and he pushed you into football instead of basketball, which you liked more, and now he’s your marriage counselor, too.”
Luke seemed startled by her observation of his life. “It’s not the same thing.”
“No?”
“Not at all,” Luke said.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You can say what you want.” His arm got snug around her again. “I don’t have to believe it.”
They paused on the corner and tried to figure out which way the bookstore was.
“This way,” Luke said, pulling.
Grace resisted and pointed. “I think it’s the other way.”
“No, it’s—oh, yeah, there it is.”
He changed course, and they walked a little further without speaking.
“My dad is not the same as your mother,” Luke said finally.
“We can discuss this later,” Grace replied.
“So there’s going to be a later?” He was smiling.
Before Grace had to come up with a snappy reply, they were inside the bookstore. The harried manager came out from behind the customer service counter to greet them. She gave Grace’s hand a perfunctory shake and ignored Luke. Sending Grace a look over the manager’s head, Luke excused himself. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and took it back outside.
The manager escorted Grace to a table set up with books and a small sign advertising Grace’s appearance. Mama had insisted this was the kind of event Grace needed to do—meeting readers in stores and chatting with them. Mama had excelled at entertaining large crowds of fans with her fast-paced chatter about good manners. The proper wording of wedding invitations, how to write a bereavement note—those were Mama’s bread and butter. Grace hoped she could be equally informative on those subjects. But the crowd Mama usually attracted was nowhere to be seen.
Re-arranging a large stack of books, the manager said, “Sorry about today’s review.”
“What review?”
“In the local paper. Some blue blood trashed your book.”
Grace felt her stomach drop. “That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Well, it’s pretty scathing. An old lady who says she was acquainted with your mother says you’re destroying her reputation.” The manager produced a newspaper clipping from her pocket and handed it over. “We already had two people who asked us to hold autographed copies call to cancel their orders. She’s put off by your sexual politics.”
“Sexual--? What sexual politics?” Grace tried to skim the article.
The manager shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I haven’t read the book. But whatever it is, we’ve had complaints.”
Grace thought she detected a gleam of pleasure in the manager’s eyes. Was she enjoying making Grace squirm? She handed the review back without finishing it.
Grace stood beside the table, and for the next hour she chatted with customers. Or rather, she tried to. Most people avoided the table, and the few that did approach her seemed to think she worked for the store and asked for directions to the bathroom. The store manager disappeared and let Grace handle the situation on her own. Finally one middle-aged woman rushed up and said she wanted to buy a copy of Grace’s book for her neighbor’s son who was graduating from college.
“He’s always been a jerk to me,” the woman said fiercely. “Ever since he was a little kid, he’s been nothing but rude. Your book better do him some good.”
Grace wasn’t sure how to react to the woman’s obvious resentment. She autographed the copy, and the woman rushed away. Grace scanned the store for Luke, hoping for a friendly face. No luck. He had wisely left the building. The other clerks in the store avoided looking Grace’s way. Disaster was in the air.
The stacks of books beside her did not diminish. Customers were few and far between, and none of them expressed any interest in buying an etiquette book.
The only excitement came when a shabbily dressed old gentleman fainted in front of her table. Grace saw him looking pale and disoriented, and she leaped to catch him just as he lost consciousness. Gently, she eased the man to the floor. She called for help, and the store clerks finally came running. Someone called 911, and paramedics showed up with smelling salts to revive their patient.
At least her book wasn’t the only thing that almost died.
At last, Grace’s time was up and the store manager returned to her table to stare glumly at the remaining books. “I guess that stinky review had a big impact.”
Grace decided not to point out that she had sold a number of books at her earlier events. The manager turned her back and began to pack books into cartons, presumably to be returned to the publisher. Grace thanked her and headed for the door.
Luke was just coming through the door, looking windblown. “How’d it go?”
“Minor catastrophe,” Grace said.
His face changed. “What went wrong?”
“In this morning’s newspaper, one of my mother’s so-called friends criticized my edition of the book.” She shoved her arms through the sleeves of her coat.
Luke held her coat for her. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion.”
“Yes, but do they have to spout off in the newspaper? I think I sold three books in this store.”
He put his arm around her. “Don’t let one loss ruin your season.”
Grace sighed. “The most action was an elderly gentleman collapsing in front of my table.”
Alarmed, Luke asked, “Is he okay now?”
“He was talking when the paramedics put him on a stretcher.” Lowering her voice, Grace added, “If I hadn’t been there, I’m afraid the store manager might still be stepping over him. She’s definitely in the wrong business.”
Luke held the door for her, and they went out onto the sidewalk together.
Grace said, “I need more lessons from you. What do I say to people who are rude to me?” She told him about the woman who wanted a copy of the book to teach her friend’s son a lesson. “I felt as if she wanted me to punch the kid in the nose for her.”
“You can’t take it personally,” Luke said. “Let everybody have their say. If you listen, they start to feel you’re interested in them, and they ease up. At least, that’s my experience. And you’re a good listener.”
“Am I?” His observation surprised her.
“That guy at the airport, the one who wanted my autograph for his son? You had him in the palm of your hand just by listening to his story. So relax and be yourself. Without worrying about making your mom happy. She’s not here.”
Grace tried to shake off her disappointment, but it was hard.
Evening had started to gather. Traffic had picked up, and a throng of pedestrians pushed past them.
Luke said, “You want to go find that reviewer’s house and throw some eggs?”
“I’m tempted.”
Luke pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk so they wouldn’t get trampled. “Don’t look back, because you’re not traveling that direction.”
Grace mustered a smile. “Where’d you get a line like that?”
“My physical therapist—the woman who helped me get back on the field after my leg thing. She had the annoying ability to piss me off, but just when things got tough she’d say something that made me forget about pain and frustration, and I worked harder. Listen,” he said, voice changing, “I know a hotel here in Philly. A really nice hotel. How about we stay there tonight?”
Grace hadn’t been prepared for a proposition to come so abruptly. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m ready yet. And I told Nora I’d be staying with her tonight.”
“I know that was your plan, but this is your kind of place.” Persuasively, he cradled her by the elbows and pulled her close enough so their bodies touched. His gaze was warm on hers. “I think you’d really like it. I checked, and they have a suite available.”
“Luke--”
“C’mon, it’ll cheer you up. It has two bedrooms. I’m not pushing for a hot night in bed with you. Well, not too much.” He kissed her forehead to sweeten the offer. “I mentioned it to your friend Nora. She’s cool with it, if you want to change your plans. What do you say? I want to show you I have better taste than airport bars and dry toast for breakfast.”
Grace hesitated. She had been looking forward to spending some quality time with Nora. But Nora seemed to have her hands full with Emma at the moment. Besides, she could hear Nora’s voice in her ear.
Have a fling with him, darling
.
“Two rooms?” she asked him.
“I promise,” he said.
How does he make you feel?
Nora’s question came back to her. Right now, he was making her feel comfortable. His advice for dealing with people had been useful. And his touch made her feel desirable. Plus, if she was honest with herself, she was melting inside. For the first time in a long time, she wanted a man.
Guessing her thoughts, he widened his smile. “C’mon. Let me show it to you.”
They walked several blocks until they reached a more genteel part of the city. A restaurant glowed with cozy candlelight on one corner. A small park with benches and a sculpture stood on another. A mime was dancing on the sidewalk, making a little girl and her mother smile. The wedding cake-shaped city buildings loomed ahead.
The grand hotel had twin gas lamps outside, marble steps, and a pair of carved lions that stood guard at the entrance. A doorman in a uniform with gold braid appeared and held the glass door wide.
“Good evening, miss. Good evening, sir.”
“How’s it going,” Luke said in return.
The lobby had masses of fresh flowers, thick carpets, and large Chinese pots spotlighted to show their perfection. Luke guided Grace through the hushed elegance toward the bank of elevators, and he used a special key to gain access to the top floor.
“You already checked in,” Grace observed, trying not to sound nervous.
“I wasn’t going to drive home tonight, so I need a room,” he said. “I figured I’d take a chance and get one we could share.”
He opened the double door to the suite. Stepping inside, Grace took one look at the beautiful paradise on the other side of the doors and saw that he’d made a big effort to impress her. No, on second thought, it was less about impressing and more about making her happy. He’d chosen the hotel because he thought she’d enjoy it.
Kip hadn’t tried to make her feel special since … well, never. And now here was Luke, giving her something very special indeed.
Grace felt her throat start to close up.