And this is how it goes…

Chapter One

 

Twelve hours of gritty highway miles filled with adrenaline-charged anticipation had rolled by for Tiffany Eastman. She didn’t put the pedal to the metal on the trip north from Atlanta like she usually did. She drove just below the posted speed limit. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hurry to her new life in St. Louis. No, it was that she didn’t want to mess it up. A speeding ticket would be a bad omen, an accident disastrous.

She hit the outskirts of the city and it had been standard mid-American suburbs. But now she was entering the St. Louis city limits and there was a feel that Atlanta, with its brassy, modern confidence, lacked. Tiffany rolled down the windows to let out the recycled air-conditioned atmosphere and to smell the city. Each city had its own unique smell, and St. Louis’s odor hit her immediately. Hops. This whole end of the city smelled like beer. Not the woozy, fetid odor that came off human breath, but a rich, wheat smell. Anheuser-Busch had put its stamp on the very air.

St. Louis was weathered brick and ornate Gothic cathedral lattice, old and lived-in, with the feel of history, character, and distinct cultural influences. Overlaying the city was something like the tarnish of middle age, as if it had moved a bit beyond its prime and the kids had moved on to bigger and better things. There was a sense of stagnation, a palpable aura of waiting. The city seemed to beg for something to grant it a new chance to regain its former vigor and energy.

After forty-seven years of living, she identified with the city. She pressed on the gas pedal incrementally. Suddenly she couldn’t wait. In a few minutes she’d be face to face with the man she’d met just weeks before in Atlanta. Was there such a thing as love at first sight? When she first saw Jason he’d rang the doorbell of her Atlanta apartment early one morning. His daughter, Taylor, her roommate, had still been in bed. She’d pulled open the door and their eyes met and held for a second. She dropped her eyes, feeling confused. When she raised her eyes again and met his, she perceived warm brown pools of knowing, of caring, of kindness, affection, maturity and the possibility of love. At that very moment she knew he was the one.

Tiffany turned onto Lindell Avenue. The big things to be nervous about, a new job, another city, all the new beginnings were a static hum in the background of her present anxiety. She was going to see Jason Cates again. She bit her lip and shook her head, bringing herself back to the present and putting wishes, hopes, and longings out of her mind.

She caught her breath as Jason’s imposing brick house came into view. It was set back from a wide boulevard with other large homes, each one unique. Old oak trees lined the front drive, and the brick walls were covered with ivy. A large screen enclosed the front porch where she could see a porch swing and a wicker table and chairs. It had an old-fashioned Victorian aura, although with none of the effete, over-studied elegance Victoriana sometimes held.

This house was meant for a family, preferably a loud, raucous one with young kids with muddy feet and large slobbery dogs. She couldn’t imagine a single widower living here alone. She pulled up in front of the house, cut the motor, and took a deep breath. She got out of the car. This was it. When she rang the doorbell, the chime reverberated through the house as it echoed through her own body. She listened intently for the sound of footsteps, but they failed to come. She rang the doorbell again. And waited. The sun was setting and the day deepened into blue. Jason wasn’t home.

She fumbled for the key in her purse. He’d sent a key for that contingency. She had hoped she wouldn’t have to use it. It felt too intimate, as if she really knew him, as if she belonged, as if…she were coming home.

She pushed the door shut behind her. A sudden fear rushed through her that maybe Jason was in the house and would surprise her as if she were a burglar. “Jason?”

No answer. Her Nikes were soundless on the highly polished wood floor of the foyer. A dining room with an ornate crystal chandelier was to the left. The fancy lighting fixture was out of place with a well-used, scarred table surrounded by sturdy wood chairs that had seats covered with worn and faded striped fabric.

Off to the right, a large, well-used fireplace with a beautiful ornate wood mantel graced the room. That was the only thing fancy about it. It was a room also furnished for comfort rather than decor, from the earth-toned plush carpet to the brown overstuffed couch and chairs and a large recliner that lorded over the other furniture.

The kitchen’s appliances were harvest gold that said seventies along with the white gold and avocado kitchen table. The cabinets were dark oak and had likely been in place since the house was built Jason said a housekeeper came daily, and the kitchen was spotlessly clean.

There were two bedrooms downstairs, both exactly the same size and both with bathrooms off of them. One was done in matching blue. Blue walls, blue bedspread, blue carpet, a surfeit of blueness. Tiffany remembered Jason saying blue was his favorite color. Must be true.

The other bedroom was as bland as a motel room. Tan carpet, tan chenille bedspread, off-white walls with no pictures, wooden dresser, chest of drawers, and headboard that could have been ordered off the floor of any Sears in the country. This must be the guest bedroom.

Several hours later, Tiffany sat in the big recliner and watched the late night news go off. She hadn’t heard from him. The phone had rung twice and she’d been nervous about answering it. The answering machine kicked in. One of Jason’s sons had called. Taylor had called wondering if she had gotten there safely, and she called her back. Taylor reassured her that it was likely her father had been delayed by surgery.

Exhaustion had set in. She reached for the remote, flicked the television off, yawned, and stretched. She was going to take a shower and turn in. She felt both disappointed and relieved that she hadn’t seen Jason yet. Tomorrow, she’d be much fresher. A small smile played over her features. She couldn’t wait.

 

***

 

Jason Cates pulled up to his home feeling weary. His scheduled surgeries had taken longer than planned, then an emergency surgery had lasted long into the night—a man too young to be felled by a heart attack. He did the best he could and turned the man’s fate over to God. That should have been enough, and a long time ago it would have been, but now…his faith had wavered and doubts and worries lingered.

He narrowed his eyes at the dark red Toyota Canny in his driveway. Tiffany Eastman must have arrived already. He’d been hoping he would get home in time to welcome her. He pulled into his garage and closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing in the custom leather seats. What had he been thinking when he asked Tiffany to stay with him until she found a place? What was he thinking when he lobbied so hard to get her that job offer with WomenHelp, Inc. in St. Louis in the first place?

Jared, his son, had raised an eyebrow when he’d heard that his sister’s much older roommate was moving from Atlanta. “Dad, you must really want that woman with all the changes you’re going through to get her up here.”

Jason had frowned at him and Jared never mentioned the topic again. Of course, he didn’t want Tiffany Eastman. He’d do the same thing for anyone. Wouldn’t he?

He went into the dark house. The fluorescent numbers of his watch glowed 11:55 P.M. Tiffany had probably settled down after her long drive. He’d told the cleaning lady to freshen up the guest room and pull the bedding back for her.

Just as well, he was beat. Relieved that the social niceties could wait until tomorrow, he walked into his bedroom, pulling his tie off. He stripped down to his briefs and dropped his clothes ready on the chair without turning on the lights. His suit was due to go to the cleaners anyway.

He reached for the bedding and felt that the covers were already pulled back. His new cleaning lady had it on the ball. He made a note to give her a raise as a token of his appreciation of the little extras she did.

He slid into his bed and let out a groan of pleasure at the feel of the cool, clean sheets. A yelp next to his ear shattered the dark quiet of the room. What the— He jumped straight up and yelled back. What was it? An animal? An intruder?

“What are you doing in my bed?” a hoarse, feminine voice demanded.

Tiffany. Relief was followed by irritation, and he reached to turn on the bedside lamp. Light flooded the room and he stared into her big, brown eyes.

Her chest was…what was the right word? Heaving. He quickly averted his eyes from her breasts.

“I think I should be asking that question.”

“This is your bed?”

“Yes, this is my bed.”

She blinked at him with not a trace of apology in her eyes. “I had no idea it was your bed. I thought this was the guest room.”

“The guest room is down the hall to your left.”

“Oh. The very blue room.”

“One of my sons redecorated it.” He drew away from her.

“Sorry, I made a mistake. It isn’t like I snuck into your bed to assault you or anything.”

His eyes widened. “I-I couldn’t imagine such a thing. Well, I could, but…but…”

“You seem upset. I apologize for upsetting you.”

Her calm voice flustered him even more. “I’m not upset. I’m surprised at finding a strange woman in my bed.”

“I didn’t know it was your bed.”

“Yeah, that was what you said.”

She slid out of the bed and stood beside it, shivering slightly in the air-conditioning. She wore a big wrinkled white T-shirt. Her hair was standing on end and he’d never seen her without makeup before. Her flawless Hershey-brown skin didn’t need it. He’d forgotten how beautiful she was. He also noticed the outline of brightly colored panties, fuchsia maybe, and hard nipples through the soft white cotton. God help him. He stood on the other side of the bed and grabbed a pillow to cover his midsection. “Do you need me to show you the way to the guest bedroom?”

“I think I can manage it.”

“Well?”

She turned and flounced away, attitude quivering in every outraged movement of her body. Her high, round butt twitched with each step.

He fell back in the bed after he heard the guest bedroom door slam. He’d handled it poorly. He’d looked forward all day to seeing her again. But finding her in his bed had disconcerted him badly. No woman had graced his bed for years. That’s not saying he hadn’t had his share of liaisons, but they had always been on someone else’s turf, in someone else’s bed. That had been one of his rules.

What made it worse was that she looked so good. This was going to be a challenge. The first woman in his house other than his daughter in thirty years was a firecracker, and fine to boot. He thought of her gorgeous eyes and her womanly, trim shape outlined by the thin cotton T-shirt, and groaned. A challenge indeed.

 

***

 

Tiffany punched her pillow and thrashed around to lay on her other side. Jason Cates had looked at her as if she sneaked into his bed to rape his old ass. She rolled back over on her back and stared into the gray darkness of the ceiling above. He had the nerve to ask her, “What are you doing in my bed?”

What do you think I’m doing, old man? I thought a quick knock of the boots would get us off on the right…er, foot, if you know what I mean. Yep, that’s what she should have said. Bet she’d be calling 911 right now because of the heart attack he would have had.

She grinned into the darkness. No, she didn’t want him to die yet. The man was too fine. Jason Cates was a widower, a fifty-five-year-old, successful, cardiovascular surgeon who had managed to stay single for the past thirty years. He took her breath away with skin as smooth as milky chocolate and a full head of hair, touched with gray with distinguished white flags at his temples. He was tall and long-legged and had a muscled chest, strong arms, and washboard abs. He had the build of a thirty-five-year-old.

When Jason called a couple of weeks after she’d met him in Atlanta and told her about a job opening in St. Louis, she knew destiny was holding out a brass ring for her and it was up to her to reach out and grab it.

It seemed as if fate were writing the script. Everything fell into place without even a nudge needed. She’d attended Spelman College more than twenty-five years ago with the woman who interviewed her for the job in St. Louis. The job offer came quickly and she’d accepted immediately. When Jason mentioned casually, “Why don’t you stay with me until you find a place of your own,” she thought she’d have a stroke then and there. Getting her set up with a job and a place to stay seemed like more than kindness.

Another change, another chance. She’d heard even good changes were stressful, and in the past three years she’d had more than her share of upheavals. She’d left a marriage, lost a husband, lost a home, changed cities, changed jobs, and changed lifestyles. It had all been for the best, but…like St Louis, she was a little past her prime, but by no means out of gas. She still sought renovation of the soul and cherished the dream of happiness within a relationship. She’d never stopped believing in love.