Held her and hoped…
Marvin, Marvin. Deanna had been so obsessed with his lying, cheating brother that she hadn’t been able to see a life beyond him. Eric had tried, as gently as he could, to tell her that she could do a heck of a lot better than Marvin, if only she would open her eyes.
Well, she’d opened them all right. Opened them and run clear to California.
He had hoped that she would—
Eric promptly cut the thought off. Why was he letting himself get distracted by thoughts of the past? The only thing that mattered right now was that he was truly happy to see Deanna. He had missed her all of these years. She’d left and cut her ties to Marvin, as well as to him. He’d been able to know she was alive and relatively how she had been doing by following her career in the media. There hadn’t been news of her dating this actor or that musician, which he’d always been happy about, though he suspected that she’d simply kept her love life out of the news.
His eyes took in her features now. Nine years had aged her face in only the most positive ways. She looked more mature, more womanly. And even more striking than she had when he had last seen her in person. Some stars were always touched up when they were in photos and on television to the point where they almost looked like different people without makeup. But Deanna’s caramel skin was blemish-free, and with only minimal makeup on, she was a knockout. Her beautiful smile exposed a set of perfect, white teeth, and her long lashes framed wide, expressive eyes. The kind of eyes that seemed to reach right through the screen and touch a person’s soul. It had been no surprise to Eric that she had done well in the music industry. She had the look of a star.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Deanna asked, glancing away uncomfortably.
“Your hair,” Eric quickly said, clearing his throat. “It’s shorter than it used to be.”
Deanna fingered the short hair at her nape. “You like it?”
“Yes, it’s very nice,” he replied.
She offered him a small smile. “So, as for dinner, did you have a particular place in mind?”
“Yeah, I did. Unless there’s a particular place you want to go.”
“I wouldn’t mind going to A Taste of Soul,” Deanna told him.
“Ah, Michael Jones’s restaurant,” Eric said.
“Yeah. The food is great. Have you been?”
“A few times.”
“And you like it?”
“It’s a great restaurant. Let’s go.”
“Good. Here’s some news. Michael Jones and my sister are dating.”
“Really?” Eric asked, surprised. “Natalie?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if you heard on the news about her divorce from Vance Cooper, the one who plays for the NBA?”
Eric nodded. “Definitely. I was sorry to hear about it. So many of these men out there get a good woman and don’t know what to do with her.”
Deanna nodded, looking at him with a curious expression in her eyes. Eric wondered what she was thinking, but she didn’t say.
“Anyway,” Deanna continued, “I’ve been there once, and the food is fantastic. Whether my sister was dating Michael or not, I’d go there again.”
“Of course. The food is great, the atmosphere is lively. What’s not to like?”
Finally, Deanna stood. Eric did as well. “I’ll drop Kwame home, then get ready. When should I meet you there? Is six o’clock good?”
“Sure. That’s great.”
Eric spoke casually, but he was all too aware of the familiar flush spreading over his body. The one he’d had every time he had held her close in the past, and when he’d watched her on TV.
He had waited nearly nine years for this moment, this opportunity to see Deanna without the shadow of his brother hanging over their heads.
And in just over two hours, he was going to make the most of it.
Chapter 3
Though Deanna had been more than appropriately dressed for dinner—wearing boot-cut jeans, a white blouse and a black velvet blazer—she went back to Uncle Dave’s place and changed. Her outfit now was decidedly more upscale. She was used to dressing up and going out to fancy dinners in L.A., and she relished the opportunity to put something on now that was a little fancy.
Though, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help wondering if she had gone a little overboard.
She was wearing a black sheath dress and low-heeled black sling-backs encrusted with colorful jewels. Her hair was short, so she didn’t have to worry about fussing over that. She slicked it back, added some mousse so it would stay in place and concentrated on the features that she liked to accentuate. She added mascara to her lashes, eyeliner and a burgundy shade of lipstick.
Uncle Dave’s wide eyes and low whistle when she came downstairs made it clear she had dressed to impress. “You going to some fancy award show?” he asked her.
Deanna chuckled as she went over to him where he sat on his recliner, then gave him a kiss on the forehead. “No. I ran into an old friend. He’s taking me out for dinner.”
“Hmm…another romance brewing?”
“He’s an old friend,” Deanna stressed. “You remember the guy Natalie and I were fighting over all those years ago?”
Uncle Dave frowned. “Tell me you’re not going out with Marvin!”
“No. Definitely not. His brother, Eric, is the principal at Kwame’s school. I saw him today. And we’re going out now to catch up on old times.”
“Hmm.” Uncle Dave gave her a curious look. “Dressed like that?”
“I’ve got a suitcase full of nice clothes I haven’t had a chance to wear,” Deanna told him. Then she started for the door. “See you in a couple of hours.”
A short while later, when Deanna got out of her car and walked toward Eric where he stood waiting outside of the restaurant, the first thing she noticed was the way his eyes widened as he took in her appearance.
“You changed,” he said, his voice laden with approval.
“I figured I may as well get dressed up for the occasion. It’s not every day you run into an old friend and get the opportunity to get reacquainted.”
Deanna wasn’t sure if Eric even heard her reply, because his eyes drank in her appearance from head to toe, as though he was transfixed. “Wow. Seriously, wow. You are ravishing.”
For some reason, Deanna felt a tingling sensation in her belly. “Thank you.”
Eric
