Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) (11 page)

Retrieving Gail’s business card from the dresser,
Norris punched in the numbers to her cell phone and got
an answer on the third ring.

“Hello.”

“Gail, it’s Norris. I think it’s time I met Reese.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll try to arrange something
soon.”

“I don’t want you to try. I expect the three of us to
have brunch tomorrow. You pick the location, and I’ll be
there.”

“Norris, look, . . . .”

“No excuses, Gail. I’ve missed sixteen years, and I won’t miss any more. Call me later with the details.”

Norris hung up before Gail could offer a protest. If
she truly wanted him to have a relationship with Reese,
arranging brunch shouldn’t be a hardship.

W
ith the first step in getting closer to Reese taken,
Norris turned his attention to the important first step
with Dahlia. He needed to tell her how he felt, but he
didn’t want to scare her away. She still had very real pain
from her divorce, and getting her to see love didn’t have to hurt would be his challenge.

Besides being the first woman to find her way into his
heart, Dahlia was the first woman to find her way into
his head. She challenged him, made him laugh, and
made him want to know every detail about her. She
excited him, and not just in the bedroom. The idea of
spending a lifetime with her was all the incentive he
needed to give winning her over a try. He only hoped she
would want to be won.

* * *

Reese returned home to find her mother sitting on the couch, looking as strangely serious as she had the
night before.

“Were you waiting for me?” Reese asked.

“Yes, I was,” Gail answered. She patted the spot
beside her. “Join me.”

Reese sat. “This is the talk, huh?”

Gail nodded. “I saw Dahlia today,” she said, taking
Reese’s hands in hers. “I’m sorry you thought I was ill. I
should have been more up front with you, but I didn’t want to pile on too much at once.”

“So, you’re not sick?”

“I’m the picture of health, baby, really.”

R
eese sighed in relief. “Thank God. So what’s with all
this talk about my father?”

“I’ve mentioned Ben’s desire to do relief work in
Africa.”

“Yeah, and I think it’s great.”

“It is great. A lot needs to be done over there, and
they need all the help they can get. Ben’s leaving for
Uganda after the wedding, and I’ve decided—”

“Whoa!” Reese broke in, getting a sinking feeling
where this was going. “You’re not going with him, are
you?”

“Sweetheart, I know this is sudden and unexpected,
but I need you to understand.”

“Understand what? You leaving me to run off to
Africa with your new husband! I guess that explains your
sudden urge for me to know my father.”

Tears filled her mother’s eyes. Regret grabbed Reese
by the throat. “I’m sorry, Mom. I should’ve said that better.”

“People don’t tend to think when they’re angry.”

“I know, but I’m sorry I hurt you. It’s just . . . You
have to know how this looks to me. You’re leaving the
country at the exact time you decide it’s time for me to know my father.”

“You’re right, Reese, this looks one way, but my deci
sion to go to Africa came after I decided it’s time you met
Norris.”

“That’s his name? Norris?”

“Yes, Norris Converse. He’s an accountant in town.
You need to know coming to this decision wasn’t easy. I
s
truggled with this, but I realized it was something I had
to do.” Gail pressed her hand to Reese’s cheek. “I’m so
selfish when it comes to you,” she said with a kiss to
Reese’s forehead. “For sixteen years I had you to myself,
and even when you asked about your father, I fought
you. I didn’t want to share you. I realize I was wrong, but
it doesn’t make sharing you easier.”

“Mom . . .”

“No, let me finish. Self-reflection can be very hard,
especially when you find things you don’t particularly
like. I’ve made some mistakes in raising you, in keeping your father from you, and I’m trying to make that right.
You need to know Norris, and I need to let that happen
without interfering the way I know I would if I were
around. Baby, I don’t want to do this, but I need to. My
saving grace is knowing you’ll get to know your father
while I’m in Africa helping to save lives.”

Reese clasped her hands around her mother’s. “Mom,
you’re working under the assumption that my father, this
Norris, wants to get to know me. Maybe he doesn’t.”

“No, he does. He wants to have brunch with us
tomorrow.”

Reese sighed. Meet her father tomorrow? She released
her mother’s hands and eased further down the couch.
This was happening way too fast. “I don’t know about all
this.”

“Reese, I would never entertain the notion of leaving
you if I thought for one second you wouldn’t be in good
hands.”

“
But these hands belong to a stranger, Mom. You
only knew him for a short while, and I don’t know him at all.”

“You’re right, my time with Norris was short, but it
was profound. It gave me you.” Gail smiled. “As nervous
as you are about this meeting, I’m sure Norris is feeling
the same.”

“I guess he might be feeling more. I always knew he
existed, but he never had a clue about me.”

“That’s another reason I think my going away is
important. Six months won’t make up for the sixteen
years he’s missed, but it will give you both some much-
needed time alone.”

Reese groaned as butterflies flitted in her stomach.
“This alone thing, Mom. Do you really think that’s a
good idea? If we’re both nervous and tentative, how are
we going to get any bonding done? Will we be living
together?”

“I’ve thought about that. I do want you to spend time
with Norris, and living together is a consideration, but if you’re not comfortable with that, I’ve made arrangements
for you to stay with Dahlia. But you have to make your
self readily available to Norris. That’s the deal. You okay
with that?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“I enjoy being with Dahlia, so I guess I can live with
those terms. When are you leaving for Uganda?”

“Right after the wedding.”

“And you’ll be gone for six months?”

“Yes.”

Tears filled Reese’s eyes. “Oh, Mom.”

“It’s okay, baby.” Gail brought Reese into an embrace.
“I’ll miss you, too. But the time will fly by. It’ll be
through summer and I’ll be back soon after you get set
tled into your senior year. I hate I’ll miss your birthday
this year.”

“But you’ll return a few weeks later, and that’ll be the
best belated birthday present ever.”

“So, you’re okay with all this?”

“I can’t say okay, Mom, but I’m willing to try.” Reese
sighed. “I guess there’s only one thing left to ask.”

“What’s that?”

“What time is brunch tomorrow?”

Wearing her sexiest dress and most winning smile,
Dahlia pushed Norris’s doorbell and waited for him to
answer. The approval-filled eyes and big smile that
greeted her moments later confirmed the powder blue sundress with its deep neckline and high hem as the per
fect choice.

Dahlia smiled. After hearing Gail’s conviction that
Dahlia had more than friendship with Norris, she wanted
something that would bring their relationship back to its
basis. Norris’s reaction to this outfit told her she’d done
just that.

“You going to invite me in?” Dahlia said, when it
appeared Norris would keep her standing outside as he
shamelessly ogled.

Norris blinked the lust from his gray eyes. “I’m sorry.
Yes, come in.” He took her hand and escorted her inside.
“Have I told you how incredible you look?”

“Not with words.” Dahlia laughed. “I’m glad you
approve.” She moved to the comfy leather couch and
crossed her legs, exposing even more of her thighs to his
unwavering eyes.

Norris growled. “Is it your intent to drive me crazy?”
She beckoned him over with her forefinger, and
flashed her most provocative grin. “You tell me.”

T
he role of aggressor wasn’t unfamiliar in her arrange
ment with Norris, but in her only other physical relationship, the one she’d shared with Jonah, she had never been
so brazen. With Norris she could be this uninhibited woman, but just chaste enough to come across as an
innocent temptress.

Smiling seductively, Norris joined her on the couch.
The warmth of his breath tickled her neck as his fingers
slowly trailed along her cheek, eliciting tingles down her
spine and a soft moan from her lips.

Desire darkened his smoky eyes. “Dahlia, I’ve been
thinking about you all day.” His lips nuzzled her neck
while busy hands slid up the skirt of her dress, caressing
her thighs. “You smell so good, and you feel even
better.”

His lips claimed hers in a slow, intoxicating kiss. Her
tongue met his, willingly surrendering to the quiet
demand of shelter in his warm mouth. Cinnamon fla
vored his tongue, making his fiery kisses even more so.

“Mmm. Mmm.” Norris pulled away. “This is really nice,” he murmured, “but I want us to talk before things get too intense.”

Dahlia groaned. That was the last thing she wanted to
hear. It was talking that got them into trouble. “We talked
last night, Norris. Tonight is about the arrangement.”

“I want to talk about that, too.”

His finger brushed her cheek and he gave her that dis
arming smile. Those damn tingles returned. She
shouldn’t be feeling tingles from a smile and a touch. She
wanted to tell him that, but the way her heart raced made
her doubt she could get a word out. Then, again, she didn’t want to talk.

Dahlia curled her arms around his neck, bringing his
lips crashing down to hers. No more talking. Talk was
overrated. She kissed his neck, loosening his shirt buttons.

Norris moaned. “Dahlia,” he said, reaching for her
hands. “I want to tell you something about my
daughter.”

Dahlia left his neck and met his gaze. “What is it?”

“I talked to her mother today. With any luck, I’ll be having brunch with them tomorrow.” He grinned. “I’ll
finally get to meet my daughter.”

Dahlia smiled at his happiness. “That’s great, I know
how important this is for you.”

“It really is.”

Norris’s excitement about meeting Reese made it clear
to Dahlia she had to tell him about her relationship with the girl and her mother. “I need to tell you something,”
she said.

“You can’t wait to have your way with me?” He
laughed. “Ms. Sinclair, you’ve not made that a secret.”

“Guilty.” She laughed. “But there’s something else. I
suppose I should have told you this last night, but it
didn’t feel right.”

Norris rested his arm along the back of the couch,
drawing the heat of his body closer to her and giving his
magnetizing aftershave the opportunity to weaken her
like an invisible gas. “What is it, Dahlia?” His gaze held hers with an intensity she’d never seen before. “You can
tell me anything.”

D
ahlia’s heart pounded so hard she thought she
would pass out.
Get yourself together, girl. Vulnerability is
not your friend.
She pulled away, pressing her back flush
to the couch. “I know them,” Dahlia said. “I know Reese
and Gail.”