No Hiding Behind the Potted Palms! A Dance with Danger Mystery #7 (55 page)

“Who knew people could be so awful?”
I sighed. “You think you understand the people around you and it
turns out they’re really strangers.”

“You were right about Eva,” Jasper
said. “She really was all wrong for me. Just like Jane. All the
wild sex was exciting -- I won’t deny that. But I always felt like
I was living two different lives. The truth is I never really liked
either of them as people. And I sure as hell never respected
them.”

“I guess some of us have to learn
the hard way,” I said softly, still lost in thought. And then I
realized what I had just said. “Oh, I didn’t mean it the way it
came out!”

“It’s okay, Suzanne. You’re actually
right. My mother likes you, by the way.”

“She does?”

“She thinks you turned out okay. You
have a good head on your shoulders now.”

“What does that mean?” I looked at
him, thinking back to my days at the dress shop, and my run-ins
with his mother.

“June thought you were a little too
easygoing back then, a little too casual. You thought everything
was perfect, no matter what the status quo. She says you’ve begun
to see life isn’t always a bed of roses.”

“I have a confession to make,” I
admitted. “I thought your mother was a royal pain in the ass. She
was very picky.”

“And you weren’t picky
enough.”

“Maybe.”

“Could be all the building you’ve
done over the years with your brother forced you to make better
choices,” Jasper suggested. I considered that in light of the men I
had dated over the last ten years. It was true that my standards
had risen considerably. I was no longer satisfied by a good time
and some laughs. The truth was I wanted a whole lot more out of
life than just that. But I was also beginning to think I was too
picky, pricing myself out of the marriage market with a growing
list of needs. Jasper cleared his throat.

“June says you’re good for
me.”

“She does? Why?”

“She says I’ve loosened up a bit
since I came back here. She thinks I ought to ask you out on a real
date.”

I sat there, staring straight ahead
at the rolling waves, as this handsome man with the lips that were
so tantalizing and the eyes that were so mesmerizing leaned into
me. There was a part of me that was tempted to jump on top of him
and smother him with my own hot, hungry lips. Every nerve in my
body seemed to be on fire. But somewhere, deep down inside me, a
little voice called out. Make him work for it. Make him want it.
Make him commit to the relationship. Don’t settle for what isn’t
his best. Make him be a better man. Build the
relationship.

“So?” Jasper gently poked me in the
ribs. “What do you think?”

“It doesn’t really matter what your
mother says. What matters is what you think about us.”

“I think we should give it a try. We
enjoy each other’s company. We have fun together. And you don’t
take any of my crap.”

“Well,” I replied, trying to keep my
hands from shaking, “I suppose it’s worth a shot. Of course I
should warn you -- I don’t do dirty pictures.”

“No, I wouldn’t expect that of you,”
he replied, chuckling.

“And I’m never going to be a
hard-driven business woman.”

“No, I didn’t expect that either.
It’s one of the reasons I like you so much.”

“Is this relationship likely to end
in marriage?” There it was, the big question. “Because I should
tell you upfront that I’d like to have kids, so if you’re one of
those guys who thinks kids are a bother, we shouldn’t waste each
other’s time by dating, especially if there is no future for us.
I’m not going to invest any energy in a fling.”

“Well,” Jasper shrugged, “I am just
getting out of a very complicated relationship. I’m not sure I can
promise marriage and children.”

“But can you rule it out
completely?” I turned my gaze on him, seeing that face and
wondering whether we could make a relationship work. “I’m not going
to pretend that I’ll be your buddy, come what may, through thick or
thin. I’m saying that I’m in the market to settle down, whether
it’s with you or with some other guy. So, if you’re just looking to
fill the hours, I’m the wrong girl for you.”

“That’s rather a direct approach,”
he replied, somewhat shocked by my bluntness.

“Take it or leave it. I’d rather not
have my heart broken by some guy who can’t make up his
mind.”

“Wow. Sounds like you expect me to
dance to your tune.”

“I guess I do. I like the music and
I like you. What’s it going to be?” I kept my eyes on him, speaking
steadily as I observed his reaction. The truth was I was fed up
with wafting through relationships. After all these years, I had
finally left the sidelines as a wallflower and decided I was
hitting the dance floor. I set my sights on what I wanted and I
would settle for nothing less than the whole ball of wax -- the
romance, the passion, and even the stability of a good
relationship. I deserved it. I earned it. One way or another, I was
going to have it, even if it meant walking away from Jasper. I
wanted a partner I could move in sync with, someone who would catch
me when I stumbled, someone I could move with even if he faltered
momentarily. I wanted strong arms around me as I stepped into
life’s dips and twirls.

I watched Jasper rise to his feet
and my heart sunk. Had I gone too far? Had I pressed for too much?
Perhaps it was better to find out now than to waste any more of my
life on empty promises. As I sat there, gripped by fear, I saw him
extend his arms in my direction.

“In that case, madamoiselle,” he
grinned, taking my hands and lifting me to my feet, “shall we
dance?”

That warm smile spread across his
face, inviting me to join him. I felt his fingers wrap around mine
and felt the distance between us disappearing. I took a step
towards him and fell into his arms.

“We shall.”

Sara M. Barton has written
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