The Sometime Bride (15 page)

The music slowed to a stall and polite applause, and Mike feared the band leader would pick up his tempo. But instead he sent a smile over Carrie’s shoulder and gave Mike a knowing wink, as he began a slow, jazzy rendition of “Lady in Red.”

Carrie didn’t know if the music was still playing, or if it was merely the pulse of her heart that was lending rhythm to her feet. All she knew was that she felt protected, sheltered and loved. Wholly and unconditionally drawn straight into Mike’s warmth. They couldn’t have been more connected had they been in bed together. Or maybe they were, and she was dreaming.

Mike reached up and stroked her hair, causing her to melt into him another inch. He’d never peel her off now. Carrie couldn’t even say where Mike ended and she began. The only thing she knew for certain was that she never wanted this feeling to stop.

“I’m sorry folks,” the band leader said, lightly tapping Mike’s shoulder. “But we’re closing up.”

Carrie opened her eyes in astonishment to find the room had cleared. Only a few staff persons remained, busily bussing tables and stacking up chairs.

“Holy cow,” Mike said, squinting into the brightness of the lights that were now turned way, way up.

“Holy cow is right,” Carrie said, bolting back into foggy reality and sweeping hand through her hair. “We’ve shut the place down! ”

****

Chapter Fifteen

A few hours later, Carrie stroked a hand down Mike’s naked chest and snuggled in deeper to the crook of his arm. “You know,” she said as moonlight threaded through the spreading oak outside and danced with the sheers at the open window, “I really loved being your wife tonight.”

Mike tightened his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “And I really loved the honeymoon,” he said with a growl.

“Mike!” she said, swatting his biceps.

Her hand relaxed against his skin and began to massage. He was all solid muscle, but with just enough give. Rock hard, with a covering of bristly masculinity. Carrie shivered, as she felt a renewed stirring in her loins. It was true. She was insatiable with Mike. But then, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t be? No woman that would ever get the chance to find out again, Carrie told herself securely.

“You know,” Mike said, trailing a finger down her back to the point where it met the sheet. “You were right about that dancing part. I sound like a sappy movie, but I could have danced all night.”

“Hmm,” Carrie said, laying a light kiss on his shoulder. “But I’m awfully glad we came back to tango here.”

Mike chuckled and patted her backside. “I could get used to this.”

Carrie’s heart stilled.

“Carrie?” Mike asked, as the wind rustled the window panes. “How would you feel about making things more permanent?”

Carrie’s insides did cartwheels but somehow she’d gone mute.

“I mean, I’m not asking -- yet.”

“What?"
 
She asked, finding her voice.

“You’ll have to trust me on this. I really want things to be perfect. You deserve perfect.”

Carrie didn’t understand. Nor could she imagine anything more perfect than this. “This --”

Mike rolled sideways and shushed her with a kiss. “You’ll have to trust me, Okay? Just swear you won’t go running off with any of my old swim team buddies within the next couple of days.”

“Not a chance,” Carrie said, her heart thundering as he threaded his fingers in her hair and brought his mouth to hers.

“So?” Grandma Russell asked. “Tell all, sweetness! Details, details! You haven’t been answering the phone all morning.”

Carrie walked to the kitchen with her portable phone and poured her coffee. “I’m answering now, aren’t I?”

“Yes. But that only proves he’s finally gone.”

Carrie smiled into her coffee mug, feeling wicked. For some reason, Grandma Russell’s accurate suspicion that Mike had stayed over didn’t embarrass her. She was a grown woman, after all. And her grandmother, for one, didn’t sound the least be offended. “Why, Grandma Russell!” Carrie said, feigning shock.

“Goodness, child,” her grandmother retorted, “I wasn’t born yesterday. So, tell me. I’m all ears. Did he pop the question?”

Carrie frowned. “No.”

“No?” her grandmother said with surprise. “Well, that’s a man for you. Probably waiting till the time is right.”

Now, it was Carrie’s turn to be surprised. “Grandma Russell, you are one cagey old bird, aren’t you? How ever did you know?”

“Tweet, tweet,” her grandma said with a chuckle. “Oh darling, just because my hair’s gone mostly gray doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten entirely how the male species operates. You can chase them back all you’d like during the courting stage, but when it comes to asking the ‘big one’ most men still want to feel like it’s their idea. Even if it generally isn’t.”

Carrie took a sip of her coffee and sat in the big easy chair that afforded her a view of the mountains. “Men!” she said, but her mood was lighthearted. He’d said he loved her. Loved her! And then, that talk about making things permanent.

“Indeed,” Grandma Russell answered. “But who, honestly, wants to live without them?”

Carrie knew that she didn’t, not any longer than she possibly had to.

“So,” her grandma asked. “We still on for the 23rd? The caterer phoned this morning wanting the second half of her money.”

Carrie hesitated. Talk about risky investments... But now
 
was not the time to push Mike with a time-table. Her grandmother was right. At this point, it was important for him to take things on his own terms. To go at his own pace. Carrie thumped the table nervously with her free hand. “Sure,” she said, biting into her bottom lip. “Why not? It’s only money.”

Grandma Russell laughed. “You child, are probably the only person I know who could say that and really mean it.”

Mike got down on one knee and looked up at his father. “Okay Dad, tell me how this sounds...”

“What you got your elbows all sticking out for? You trying to imitate a chicken?”

Mike pursed his lips and stood. “Are you going to cooperate or aren’t you? I thought you liked her.”

“Love her, son. She’s a regular doll. And, not so incidentally, probably way too good for you. But I can’t for the life of me understand what you’re all so hellfire worried over. You never practiced up for any of the others.”

Mike blew a hard breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well maybe, the other times weren’t nearly as important.”

His Dad laughed and shook his head. “You, boy, are the only man I know who asks women to marry him just as easily as most ask girls out for burgers.”

“You aiming to insult me?” Mike asked setting his hands on his hips.

“Nope. Just wondering. Does Carrie know about the long line of others before her?”

“She knows about Alexia.”

“And what about Marianne? The one with the big..."
 
Jack made a curvy motion in the air with his hands.

“You really do have a one-track mind, you know that?

Jack twisted his lips in scrutiny. “You’re really going to do it this time, aren’t you? What about that island thing? You always said if you found the right girl to share your dream...”

Mike felt the sweat form at his brow. “Carrie doesn’t even know about that island thing. Besides,” he said, unable to keep his cheeks from sagging just a bit, “like you’re so fond saying, Dad, you can’t have at all. At least, not if you come from the same side of the tracks we do.”

Jack raised his eyebrows and studied his son. “If you’ll recall, boy, another thing that I’m fond of saying is, it never hurts to ask. Have you even talked with her about it?”

“Ridiculous,” Mike said, shaking his head. “The whole notion is pie-in-the-sky at this point. Besides, if she says yes to my proposal, I’m going to have to find a way to up my income here. Not go tossing pennies in a far-off well. I’ve been thinking that maybe I could talk my broker, Colleen, into making me a partner. My sales have been really high lately, after all.”

“I thought Carrie was well-off.”

“Exceptionally well-off. Precisely why I can’t let her think I won’t carry my weight. Maybe it’s old-fashioned of me, but I inherited my values from you.”

His dad gave him a proud smile.

“Now,” Mike said, dropping back down on his knees. “You going to help me with this or not?”

Jack held out a leathered hand. “Yes, dear,” he said, in a high falsetto. “You were saying that I hung the moon...?”

Carrie walked into her office and dropped some files on her secretary’s desk. “Mary?” Carrie said, looking down at the trim young woman. “Didn’t expect to find you here on a Sunday.”

Mary pushed her gold wire-rim glasses up a bit higher on the bridge of her nose. “Yes, ma’am. Well, it seems that we’ve fallen a bit...uh, behind this week.”

Carrie flushed knowing that was because of her series of unexcused absences.

“Just here catching up.”

“Great,” Carrie smiled. “Me too."
 
Since she and Mike had slept in, they’d completely missed the opportunity for the Ashton Academy reunion picnic. Yet somehow, that thought hadn’t mattered to either of them.

Carrie walked back to her desk, dismayed to find the pink message notes practically spilling off of it. She really had been gone a while. And now, she thought looking down at her watch, since it was Sunday there wasn’t much she could do about the phone calls. Well there was computer work to do. And, she could check up on the stock reports, compose some letters.

Carrie plopped down in her chair, the brilliance of an idea hitting her. He hadn’t mentioned it in days. But then again, in spite of her deepest desires, Carry hadn’t exactly been spouting picket fences either. Mike was just the sort of man to give up his dream for the woman he loved. But what he still didn’t know was that, in love, all things were possible.

“Mary,” she said, calling out to her secretary. “Do we still have that old file on the Caymans?”

“Acquisition proposal?” Mary called back.

“That’s the one."
 
The thick one that contained all that research Mary’d done on property availability and ‘Mom and Pop’ investment opportunities.

“Yes, ma’am. Got it around here somewhere. Though some of that information is bound to be dated.”

“How long will it take you to correct that?”

“About twenty-four hours,” Mary said, carting the heavy file over to Carrie’s desk with a smile.

****

Chapter Sixteen

Mike strode purposefully into his broker’s office, a broad smile on his face. “Colleen,” he announced. “I’m getting married.”

Colleen raised her eyebrows above the listings she was perusing, but didn’t look up. “That’s nice."
 
She laid down the papers and pulled a pen from her desk drawer. “Mike,” she said, circling a few of the real estate offerings detailed before her. “These are the ones I want you to call on first.”

Mike stepped forward and snatched the stack off of her desk. “Colleen! Didn’t you hear me? I said --”

Colleen cocked her head to the side and called out in a big, bellowing tone that attracted the attention of two agents working at the copier, “Call a news conference! Send out the releases! Mike Davis is getting married...”

He glared at her.

“Again,” she finished more quietly.

The other agents, a man and a woman, both junior colleagues of Mike’s went back to work with respective shrugs.

“Listen Mike,” Colleen said, clearing her throat and looking combative. Her eyes were an icy blue that matched the color of the glasses chain around her neck. Glasses, Mike had noticed, she never seemed to wear but often seemed to look for. “Your little absences last week put us in quite a pinch here. You owe Megan and Kurt over there, and owe them big time for picking up your slack.”

Mike sunk down in the chair opposite her desk, figuring now might not be the best time to ask for a raise.

“You don’t watch yourself, young man, you’re going to be out of a job.”

Oh, no. That would be even worse than failing to secure a promotion. Mike gave a pleading smile and strived to look humble. “I’m so sorry, Colleen. Really, I am. But the thing that came up last week was -- unavoidable.”

“Unavoidable for five days running?”

“No, I came in on Friday.”

Colleen squinted.

“For half a day,” Mike said, hanging his head.

She sat there waiting like a Mother Confessor.

“Listen, Colleen. Haven’t you ever been in love. I mean, really in love?”