No Ordinary Romance (7 page)

She pulled two wooden boxes out the bag
giving one to Connie and the other to Johana. “Just some jewelry
I’ve collected over the years and some pieces that were given to me
as gifts.”

Connie opened the box she
looked at the precious and semi-precious stones in the necklaces
and bracelets. She saw a few items that Momma Lettie gave to
Aunt
Mabel
as birthday and Christmas gifts.
“Aunt
Mabel
I honestly can’t accept your
jewelry. I think all of it should go to Johana. She’s your real
family, and I just wouldn’t feel right about taking your
things.”

Mabel
clasped Connie’s face
in her hands and gazed at her troubled eyes. “Honey, ain’t no use
in you telling me that you’re not my sister’s child! This makes you
my niece, and I want you to have these treasures. It’s vital that
the people I love receive a memorable gift from me while I’m still
alive. I don’t want to hear any more nonsense, you belong in this
family.”

Mabel
pulled two large
family albums out of the bag giving one to Connie and the other to
Johana. “I had duplicates made from my family photos.”

Connie opened the book and the first picture
was of her and Momma Lettie at her six-grade graduation. She
flipped through the book at first she was overwhelmed with sadness,
and then sadness gave way to joy. There were shots of her at
various stages: recitals, high school graduation, college
graduation, and the formal dance.

“Remember that dress that Momma Lettie made
me for that awful formal dance. The snotty brats of Omaha’s elite
thought I was just a white hick from North Omaha. When they saw my
dress there were a lot of pissed off little debutantes.”

“Lettie was a talented seamstress; she could
whip up anything and make it look like it came off the runway. You
got your momma’s cooking skills, but baby you can’t sew worth a
lick.”

“Hey I just don’t have the patience for
pinning, cutting, and sewing. I’d rather play the drums, and Momma
Lettie let me lean to my own understanding.”

Johana turned to the last page of the photo
album and tears formed in her eyes. “Connie turn to the last
page.”

Connie flipped to the last page, it was the
last family photo that including Momma Lettie, Uncle Earl, and
Johana’s parents. “We were such a happy family.”

“Baby we still are! The problem with both of
you is that you focus too much on loss instead of being thankful
for what you have. We’re gonna lose our loved ones, that’s part of
life, but that doesn’t mean you give up on living.”

“Message received and understood Nana.”
Johana kissed her grandmother’s cheek.

“Aunt
Mabel
I will cherish my presents and thank you for
loving me.”

They spent the morning talking about old
times, and Connie felt as if a weight had been lifted from her
heart, it was good to be alive.

***

It was the second Saturday after the New Year
holiday and Connie came into her office early to prepare for the
new year's tax rush. She already completed the year-end and tax
reports for her clients, which made for a busy December. She was in
the process of setting up for the workweek ahead when her phone
rang. It was odd for someone to call her on a Saturday at her
office. It was tax season, and she had to brace herself for the
swarm of business that was sure to ensue.

Beth had not made it in yet, so she picked up
the phone. “This is Connie Jacobs.”

“Ooh Constantina your voice sounds so sexy
over the phone. From one workaholic to another I thought that you'd
be working on a Saturday.”

Connie was ticked off and elated that Thomas
called. “Thomas, I’m surprised to hear from you. We didn’t exactly
depart on a good note last week.”

“I just thought I’d give you a little time to
calm down. I was serious about the land swap deal I mentioned last
month. If you're serious about the Cabbage Patch Foundation
expansion, you need to hear me out.”

She twirled the pen in her hand as she tried
to calm down. “What do you want?”

“That’s a loaded question sweetheart. I
thought we’d check out the property today.”

Connie was going to turn him down when
thoughts of expanding the foundation filled her head. The need for
a new group home far outweighed her personal feelings about Thomas.
“Sure Thomas, I’d like to view the property. If it suits the
foundation’s needs I may sign the contract today, give me the
address, and I’ll meet you there around one o'clock.”

Thomas gave her the address, his mind was
running rapid for ideas to spend more time with her. “Okay, I’ll
see you at one.”

She made up her mind that this meeting with
Thomas would be professional, and she would not fall for his charm.
That damn Thomas was too charming! He was just looking for another
toy. Men like Thomas were always looking for something new to play
with. She would be strong and vigilant and stay out of his cross
hares.

The property Thomas wanted Connie to look at
was a couple of minutes away from her house. She figured it would
take her about 15 minutes to get there from her office if she took
the North Freeway. Beth came in 20 minutes later looking sad and
upset. "What's wrong Beth?"

"A bunch of us went out to celebrate Chad's
birthday, and he acted like a jerk all night. He flirted with every
woman he met. I'm through trying to get his attention Connie."

Connie had known for some time that Beth had
a serious crush on Chad. She thinks Chad is sweet on her too, but
like most men his age he didn't want to settle for one woman. Beth
reminded her of Kelly Ripa; short, spunky and serious about her
man. "You're a beautiful woman Beth, you're young, and maybe you
should forget about Chad and start dating. I know for a fact that
Mark the UPS delivery guy stops by every day whether he has a
package or not."

"I like Mark, but I don't get that zing from
him that I get from Chad. You're right about one thing I'm through
wasting my time. Have you hired anyone for the part-time position
yet? If not, I have a cousin itching for the job, her hours just
got cut from her job, and she could use the money."

"What's her name?"

"Carrie Ann, she attends the Nebraska College
of Business. So it's not as if she's not an idiot or anything."

"Have her come by on Monday, and I'll explain
the position to her, usually I would have hired someone before
now." They worked in silence for the rest of the morning, stacking
forms and getting the office ready for the tax season rush.

***

Connie was a few minutes early, but Thomas
still beat her to the property. He walked to her car and opened the
door for her. He had on a white sweater, black leather jacket, and
a pair of jeans that was taking unfair advantage of her eyesight.
He looked good enough to eat, literally. “Hello Thomas.”

“Good afternoon Constantina. Get out of the
car and look around. I have a feeling you’re going to like what you
see.” Thomas always tried to find a reason to touch her, he reached
grabbed her hand helping her out of the car. He held onto her hand
as they viewed the property.

“Oh Thomas there’s so much land out here!”
She was lost in a trance of possibilities. The Cabbage Patch
Foundation could create something magnificent out here without
worrying about expansion. She didn’t know she was crying until
Thomas wiped the tears from her face.

“I hope these are happy tears.” Thomas had
seen Constantina in many moods, this was the first time he has seen
her so happy that she was at a loss for words. She has such a
generous heart and so easily wounded; he wanted to protect her from
the rest of the world.

“This property is perfect Thomas.” She hugged
him before realizing the ramifications of her actions.

When Connie tried to pull away from the
embrace, Thomas took advantage of the situation and kissed her. He
molded his body to hers hoping that she could feel his hardness
pushing against her. To his amazement, she kissed him back
deepening the kiss until their tongues were dueling with each
other.

Connie was drowning in a sea of lust. Thomas
tasted like coffee and chocolate, two of her favorite things. Here,
she was in the middle of a field in the dead of winter kissing a
man who used and discarded women. She put some distance between
them losing her balance in the process. “That was getting out of
hand.”

Thomas stepped closer to her brushing the
hair out of her eyes. “No Constantina I had everything under
control until you lost your nerve.”

Connie knew red herring when she heard one,
and she refused to touch it. “I’m hungry. What do you say we go to
the Village Inn on Sorensen? You can tell me more about the
property and give me the paperwork, and I’ll take it to my
lawyer.”

Thomas smiled, admiring Constantina’s
retreat. “One day you’ll give in Constantina, but for now I’ll
settle for lunch.”

Connie watched him walk to his car feeling as
though she just dodged a bullet. Once this situation with the
property was resolved, she would keep out of Thomas’s way. She
liked him, and if she ever had sex with him, she would become his
slave.

***

Connie loved the Village Inn’s breakfast menu
she ordered the two-egg breakfast with a soft drink. She studied
the contract Thomas gave her as he placed his order. By the time
she was through reviewing the contract, the waitress brought back
their food.

Thomas looked at all the food on the table
and shook his head. “I don’t think we have enough room on the table
for all this food. You’re a little thing, but man you sure eat a
lot.”

“What can I say I have a healthy appetite and
a high metabolism. It doesn’t hurt that I work out every day too.
Everything looks in order, but I’ll take the contract to my lawyer
to review before I sign on the dotted line.” She folded the
contract and put it in her purse. Then she prayed over her food
before eating, she just loved breakfast food.

Constantina enjoyed her food; he just wished
she could feel that excited about him. She lost her head for a
moment back in that empty field, and he took advantage of the
situation. “That’s a smart decision, too many people jump into
situations without understanding every nuance. When they get burned
they want to blame the other party when they should have read the
fine print.”

Connie felt as if Thomas were giving her a
hidden message. “What is in the fine print that I missed
Thomas?”

“That’s just it Constantina, this deal is on
the up-and-up. I wanted to do something for you and the foundation.
You’re not the only one who’s interested in helping those less
fortunate. Since we’re on the subject; why do you act as the
spokesperson for the Cabbage Patch Foundation when you obviously
hate it?”

“I don’t hate my association with the
foundation. Where did you get an idea like that?”

“No honey you misunderstand what I’m saying.
I know more than most people of your devotion to the foundation and
the battles you fight on its behalf. You obviously hate dealing
with the public, so why don’t you hire PR rep.”

“I thought I did a good job of hiding my
feelings. I love the work I do for the foundation, but I hate being
put on display.”

“How did you get involved with the
foundation?”

Connie cut her pancakes into bite size pieces
before pouring syrup over them. She noticed that Thomas hadn’t
touched his food; he was too busy watching her eat. “Is something
wrong with your food?”

Thomas was hungry, but not for food. He
wanted to get Constantina in his bed for the rest of the weekend.
“No everything is fine.” He picked up half of his patty melt and
began eating as she continued her story.

“My best friend Laura established the
foundation her freshman year in college. At that time, it was just
a place pregnant teenage girls could go to for counseling and help
with baby supplies. I met her in the library on campus; I was a
sophomore, and she was a junior. We hit it off great, she was the
first real friend I had who like me for me.”

“You must be talking about Laura Tierney. I
read about her death in the paper. I’m sorry you lost your friend.
You must have loved her a lot to become CEO of the foundation.”

“She was like a sister to me. The work she
did with the Cabbage Patch Foundation's philanthropic endeavors has
aided many young people. I expanded the programs of the foundation,
and it’s almost to the point where it’s self-funding.”

“How so?”

“Laura opened an adult toy store to offend
her family, but it turned out to be a smart move. Sex sells even in
a bad economy, and the first year net sales were a quarter of a
million. We have two locations, a warehouse, and we have a website.
I'm currently negotiating the sale of The Purple Feather.”

“I always wondered how you got into the adult
toy business.”

Connie polished off her pancakes and finished
her soft drink. “Are you saying that you don’t think I have what it
takes to run an adult toy store?”

Thomas’s imagination ran wild; he would give
a lot to see Constantina peddling her wares. “You can invite me to
your store anytime you want. I’m willing to purchase anything you
have to further the cause.”

“That doesn’t live up to your reputation as a
councilman.”

“I’m surprised at you Constantina, being a
councilman hasn’t unmanned me which you had proof of earlier today.
If you want more proof, why don’t you come home with me and let’s
see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

“You’re too much man for me Thomas. You
forget that I’ve seen you in action and women who hook up with you
don’t fare so well.”

“You underestimate your charm. You have
something that I’ve been looking for. Something that I’ve never
found in any woman I’ve dated.”