Blindsided (Indigo Love Spectrum) (18 page)

His eyes raked over her. “Yes, you are that,” he said,
getting the smile from her that he wanted. “I’m done
pushing.” He held up his finger and leaned into the
doorjamb. “However, I also came by to let you know I
met Reese today.”

D
ahlia’s face brightened. “That’s right! You said you
hoped to meet her today.” Dahlia’s hands wrapped
around his, making him wonder why he didn’t share this news sooner if this was the response he would get. “What
do you think?”

Norris looked at their joined hands and then into her
eyes. “I think she’s as wonderful as you said she would
be.” Dahlia smiled and he smiled back. “We still have
some getting to know each other to do, but we’re both
willing to try.”

“That is good to hear.”

“Gail told me Reese will be staying with you.”

“I didn’t know it was finalized, but you’ll be able to
see her as often as you want. You’ll have complete access.”

“I appreciate you saying so.” Norris pulled her hands
together and held them between his. Dahlia’s happiness
for him and Reese was sincere, but pain still lurked in her
eyes, and it broke his heart. “Is there nothing I can do for
you? I hate seeing you upset.”

“I’ll be all right, Norris.” Dahlia freed her hands from
his. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Too late.” Norris leaned forward and softly kissed
her lips. “I can’t help it.”

* * *

“Norris.” Agnes stuck her head in his office door.
“I’m about to go grab some lunch. You want anything?”
“Do I want anything?” Norris sighed and turned his
attention to the window behind his desk. Happy couples
and playing children filled the corner park across the street. It made him both hopeful and miserable. “Agnes,
I want so many things, but nothing you can get me from
a lunch counter.”

Agnes groaned. “Oh, for goodness sake.” She closed
the door and bounded over, blocking his view. “What is
wrong with you? Ms. Sinclair doesn’t need any more con
sultations?”

He frowned. “Not funny.”

“It wasn’t meant to be. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you
so pitiful.”

Norris clicked his tongue and faced the desk. “I’m not
pitiful.”

“No, just in love.” Agnes moved around the desk and
sat on the edge. “Are you ready to admit it?”

“I thought I was when I did it Saturday night, but
Dahlia has me all but convinced I was wrong about that.”
Agnes’s green eyes lit up. “You told her?”

“Yep. She was incensed. She’s not interested in being
in love.”

“That may be, but she does love you. I can tell.”

“You can tell? You’ve only been in her company
once.”

“I saw how she looked at you, and I’m not a fool. I
know full well what was going on in this office. I’ve
known you for fourteen years, and I’ve never seen you
captivated. Not until this past Friday when I watched
you watching her. And that look didn’t just happen. How
long have you been seeing her?”

“A couple of months,” he confessed.

“You’re not giving up on her, are you?”

“No way.” Norris thought of the twelve bouquets of
flowers he had arranged to be sent to Dahlia’s salon today,
and the twelve messages explaining why he loved her and
always would. Dahlia being the beautiful contradiction
she was, he could see her frowning on the outside, but
beaming on the inside with the arrival of every colorful
display and its heartfelt words. Ryan had said woo, so he
would woo. “She’s worth fighting for.”

“Is that why you were out yesterday? Working on
ways to win her favor?”

“No, actually, yesterday I was working on winning the
favor of another beautiful woman.” He reached in the breast
pocket of his dress shirt and extended a recent picture of Reese. “Congratulate me. It’s a girl. Her name is Reese.”

Agnes gasped. “Well, shut my mouth! She’s such a
pretty thing. And she has your eyes.”

Norris smiled proudly. “Yes, she does.”

“How did . . .”

“Compliments of Dr. Gail Elders,” he explained,
receiving the picture. “She told me Friday. That’s why she
wanted to see me. I saw a designer yesterday and got
some work started on a room for Reese. Gail’s getting married next weekend and leaving for Africa right after.
She’ll be gone for six months, giving me time to get to know my daughter better.”

“Reese will be living with you?”

He sighed. “No. But I want to be prepared in case she
decides to sleep over. I’m a little nervous about it all, but I’m looking forward to it. She’s a wonderful girl, Agnes.”

“I bet so. You’re just so proud, Norris.”

“I am. I’m just getting to know her, but she reminds
me of myself.”

Agnes raised a brow. “She’s not vain, is she?”
Norris erupted in a loud, telling laugh.

“Oh, Lord. Two of you?” she grumbled in good
humor.

“What can I say? She appreciates her great genes.”

“It’s good to see a splash of happiness in your eyes,
Norris. I’m glad your daughter can do that for you, and
I know Ms. Sinclair will be doing it for you soon, too.”

“I don’t know about soon, but I’m willing to keep at this until I make her mine forever.”

* * *

Because without “u,” beautiful would not exist in my
world.

Dahlia wanted to roll her eyes at the cheesy scrawl
beneath the eleventh flower card titled “Why I Love
You,” but she couldn’t help being affected. No one had
ever done anything like this for her, and as touched as she
was, she couldn’t show her emotions in front of the salon
ladies. She could imagine the talk at dinner tables
tonight. Especially Mrs. Flo’s.

“You know, some man sent Dahlia a million flowers
today. Some secret admirer. I bet it’s Baxter the product dis
tributor. He’s always grinning at her.”

Baxter was definitely sweet on her, but if the idea of a
twenty-something hunk of dark chocolate showing
interest could get tongues to wagging, learning about
Mediterranean-meets-Midwest millionaire Norris
Converse would bring on the vapors.

Dahlia tucked the card in her purse, along with the
other ten, and breathed in the fragrant mix of roses, lilies,
and peonies in crystal vases on her desk. The news of her
sister having her ex-husband’s baby still had her reeling,
but Norris transforming her beauty shop into a flower
shop definitely gave her a needed lift. Even when she
didn’t want him to, which was most of the time, he found a way to lift her spirits. She sighed.
Why did he have to be
so wonderful?

A knock on the door jostled Dahlia from her
thoughts. “Come in,” she said.

Lara peeked her head inside. “Hey. You up for some
company?”

“Of course.” She smiled, waving Lara in.

“Wow,” Lara said, taking in all the flowers. “Most
people would ask who died, but I know better.”

“I’d say you do.” Dahlia helped her pregnant friend
into a chair. “You’ve talked to Norris, right?”

Lara nodded. “He came over Saturday night. Dahlia,
he . . . ”

“Lara, I know what you’re going to say.”

“Okay. And?”

“I can’t do this. I have too much going on, and a rela
tionship is not something I want distracting me.”

“Love is never a distraction, Dahlia. And Norris does
love you. The idea of saying love and Norris in the same
b
reath is mind-blowing. I’ve known him for almost five
years, and I see a change in him.”

“Yes, there’s a change. He’s a father now.”

“It’s not only Reese, and you know that. He’s happier,
and it’s because of you. Everything has come together for
him.”

“See, that’s it. I can’t be a part of his everything.”
Dahlia put on her best straight face and prepared to give the speech she’d been unsuccessful at getting Norris to
listen to for more than a second. “I don’t want a relation
ship. I never promised Norris anything, and I can’t.”

“Can’t or don’t want to? You’ve been pretty happy,
too. Except before, I didn’t know Norris was the reason
why.”

“We had an understanding, Lara.”

“Sometimes the heart has its own ideas.”

“Heart. Love. Relationships.” Dahlia looked at all the
flowers and remembered Norris’s sweet words. Her
stomach did the fluttery thing that reminded her of how
weak she was and how being weak invariably led to pain.
She sucked in a breath and met Lara’s gaze head-on. “I’ve
had my fill of these things, Lara, and I don’t want any
more.”

“Love is sweeter the second time around.”

Dahlia scrunched her face. “I think that’s generally
used when you fall in love with the same person twice.”

“Blech!” Lara shuddered as if she’d been offered a plate of fish guts. “Let’s change what it means for this instance,
okay? What I’m saying is, if you allow yourself to feel, in
spite of your fears, it could be a wonderful thing.”

“
And it could be devastatingly painful. I’m not
knocking love, Lara, it’s just not for me.”

A rap on the door broke the conversation. “More
flowers,” said Marci, bringing in a vibrant bouquet of
tiger lilies and setting them on the file cabinet. “I do
believe your secret admirer has purchased every flower in
the city of Denburg and possibly a few surrounding
counties.” She smiled at Lara. “Hello, Mrs. Andrews.”

“Hi, Marci. How are you?”

“The question is how are you?” Marci touched Lara’s
belly. “It must be exciting expecting twins.”

“Double the pleasure, double the fun.”

“Double the pain and double the diapers.” Marci
shook her head. “No thanks. But you do look won
derful.”

“I feel wonderful. Thanks.”

“Oh, before I forget.” Marci handed over the card.
“Here you go.” She waved good-bye and went about her
way.

Lara pulled herself out the chair. “Hmm. You might
think love is not for you, but I think Norris is going to
do everything in his considerable power to change your
mind. I, for one, hope he succeeds,” she said, smiling.
“Take care.”

Take care?
Dahlia groaned as she stared at the
unopened card. How was she going to do that with
Norris drowning her in flowers and singing her praises?
Why couldn’t he just be angry and ignore her like any
other man in his position would?

She snatched open the card. “I chose these flowers for
their fiery color, and sent them last because I knew you’d
b
e feeling pretty angry right now. Beautiful and fiery—
note the symbolism here.” Dahlia rolled her eyes at his
smiley face. “I know you’re angry, and I’m sorry, but I
love you, Dahlia, and you’re going have to deal with what
that means. N.”

A single tear slid down her cheek. She knew what it
meant. And that’s why she couldn’t do it again. She just
couldn’t do it again.

* * *

Norris checked his watch. Four-thirty. His fingertips
tapped an anxious beat on the desk. He thought Dahlia
would have called by now, for if nothing more than to tell
him to give it up after all the flowers, but she didn’t call.
His tapping increased. She couldn’t ignore him. He
snatched up the telephone handset. He wouldn’t let her
ignore him.