the night I fell in love with you.”
The lump in her throat instantly dissolved and her nerves stilled. It felt as if, all of a sudden, the world had slowed, just for that moment. Without thought or hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was completely impulsive, but it felt so right. He kissed her back and then everything she had been feeling exploded. All she could think about was being with him just one more time. The kiss deepened and the passion escalated. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. He pulled back.
“Janelle. Janelle, wait,” Tyson said, breathing hard and holding her from him. “We can’t. Not like this. You’re upset and vulnerable. I can’t take advantage of you and I don’t want you to have any regrets when we make love.”
“Tyson, I’m fine,” she assured him, moving closer.
“I know, but I’m not.”
“You’re turning me down.”
He leaned in and kissed the sweet underside just behind her ear. “You have no idea how much I want you right now. Believe me, when I walk out of here in the next few minutes I’m gonna hate myself, but this isn’t enough for us, not anymore.”
She licked her lips, took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He was right. She was upset and vulnerable, but she also wanted to be with him. Still she nodded. “Yes, you’re right. This is too fast.”
“I think I’d better go,” he said, turning to the door.
“Wait...” she said. He turned around. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For telling me the truth, for being here for me,” she said, half smiling. “For always being here for me.”
“Janelle, I will always tell you the truth, and there’s no other place I want to be except here with you.” He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” she said softly. She watched as he got into his car and drove off, then closed the door, walked over to the stairs and sat.
This was information overload. Her father seemed fine medically, but she still intended to talk to both him and his doctor. She grabbed her cell phone and called her father’s office. His voice mail answered, but she decided not to leave a message: she didn’t want to upset him. She went back into the living room and walked over to the mantel. Four Christmas stockings—it looked as though they were one big happy family.
She still couldn’t believe her father had called Tyson and not her. But if her reaction to hearing the news was any indication, then maybe he had been right not to do so. She was out of control and completely irrational. Going to her father at that moment would have gotten him upset and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Tyson was right. She needed to calm down before talking to her father.
She walked over to the sofa and sat, taking a deep breath before dialing her father’s office phone number again. He answered. “Hi, Dad. Got a few minutes?” she began.
“Hey, sweetheart. Sure—just a few, though. Everything okay?”
“Yes...well, not really. I spoke with Tyson a few minutes ago. He told me about your heart attack and stroke.” She heard her father sigh. “Dad, why didn’t you tell me? I could have come home. I could have been with you.”
“And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you rushing home upset, and had I told you, that’s exactly what you would have done. I had the best doctors and the best medical care available. Believe me, if any further problems arose, I would have called you, but they didn’t. And now I feel better than ever.”
She couldn’t deny that. Her father looked better than he had in years. He’d lost weight, he was eating right and he was taking care of himself.
“That’s not the point. You should have called me.”
“To do what?” he asked. “There was nothing you could have done at the time except sit and worry, and I didn’t want that. Now, I need to get to a meeting and get my business back in just as good shape.”
“Okay, but I still want to talk about this.”
He chuckled. “Of course you do. Now go enjoy your day and don’t worry about me. I’m just fine.”
“All right. See you later.” She hung up, feeling a little better. Tyson was right. She thought about their conversation in the foyer and her reaction. He had always been the calm in the middle of her emotional storms. She couldn’t believe she’d kissed him! It was totally out of character for her, surprising both of them, even as he kissed her back. Janelle reached up and touched her lips. She could still feel the pull of his mouth on hers.
He seemed different, that much was without doubt—certainly not the arrogant and aggressive man he had been before. There was a gentle calmness about him now. Maybe it was his young daughter’s influence. Children had a way of changing a person’s world for the better—what was important one minute suddenly wasn’t anymore. But was he really different?
She didn’t know what to think. Her father obviously trusted him.
Her cell phone beeped with a text message from Nya, who was on her way to the restaurant. Janelle grabbed her purse and hurried out. Time enough later to worry about Tyson, her father and her future.
Janelle parked her car a block away and hurried to the restaurant. When she tried to open the door handle, it was locked, and the dark, smoky glass obscured her view. She looked at the decorative sign in the window. The Chesterfield was one of the most prestigious restaurants in the Baltimore area. Its chef was world renowned and reservations were almost impossible to get... So where was Nya?
She looked around and then started to leave. A few steps away, she heard the restaurant door being unlocked and opened. She turned, seeing a gorgeous man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt standing in the open doorway. With blond hair and sea-blue eyes, he looked as if he’d come right off a movie set.
“Excuse me. Are you Janelle?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes.”
He smiled and deep dimples cut through his handsome face. “Hi, I’m Brad. Come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.” He held the door for her to enter. Once inside she looked around, amazed by the sheer splendor and ambience of the entranceway.
“Follow me. We’re in the kitchen, and lunch is almost ready,” he said, heading around the bar to the main dining area. “Nya’s already sipping champagne.”
“Of course she is,” Janelle confirmed. She knew her sister too well. Even in muted light and empty, the place sparkled and shone with stunning radiance.
“So, you’re Nya’s sister.”
“Yep, one of them.”
“I’ve known Nya for a while. I didn’t know she had sisters,” he said.
“She has two. We’re all stepsisters.
