Flirting With Temptation (31 page)

“He is tough, and determined,” Gert said. Good qualities for a grandson-in-law, in her book.

“Jeff?” Babette asked, rolling over and peering up at her grandmother.

“No, this is Paul.”

“Paul,” she repeated, as though trying out the name. Then she nodded slightly. “Dr. Stovall.”

Gert smiled. Naturally, Babette would remember Paul. True, he’d changed a bit since Babette had last seen him, but she would remember Paul and Emily as her grandparents’ best friends. “Yes,” she said. “Dr. Stovall.”

“Good choice,” Babette whispered, and Gert nodded.

“I think so.”

“Me too,” Paul said from the other end, and then he chuckled.

Babette’s condo door rattled as someone knocked sharply against it. “Paul, I think Rose and her friends are back,” Gert said. “I’ll call you when they leave. I’m sure they want to check on Babette.”

“Well, I’ll come down with Jeff, as soon as he’s out of the shower.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then. I may even try to brush her hair before he sees her.”

Babette sat up. “Jeff? He’s at the door?”

“No, I think it’s Rose, but he’ll be down here soon. You may want to clean up a bit, dear, if you can.”

She nodded and then pushed herself to the edge of the bed. “I’ll talk to Rose first. She was so sweet to come over last night, and so worried. Tillie and Hannah too.”

“They’re good friends,” Gert said, glad that Babette had someone here watching over her before she arrived. She’d send them thank-you gifts when all was said and done. The door rattled as the knocking grew more intense, and Gert hurried to open it.

It wasn’t Rose, or Tillie or Hannah. Kitty Carelle stood on the other side, the picture of rich beauty and determination in a pale blue pantsuit that matched her eyes perfectly.

“Oh,” Kitty said. “I thought this was—wait; we’ve met, haven’t we? You’re the Love Doctor’s, I mean Babette Robinson’s, grandmother, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Gert said, dismayed. She and Paul were trying to get Babette and Jeff to finally admit their feelings today, and this pretty blond woman was going to definitely throw a kink in their plan.

“Is Babette here?”

“Kitty?” Babette questioned, leaning against the doorway to her bedroom.

Kitty’s arched brows climbed beneath her bangs, and her jaw dropped. “Oh, my! What happened?”

Babette frowned, and Granny Gert noticed that her eyes appeared to glisten instantly.

Don’t cry, Babette. Be strong, child.

“I’ve had a little stomach problem,” Babette said.

“A virus?” Kitty asked, taking a small step back as she spoke.

Babette paused, then said, “Maybe,” and Granny Gert inwardly applauded. That was a good way to keep Kitty at bay.

“Is that why you didn’t answer my calls this morning? I called several times on my way down to thank you. I got an e-mail from Jeff telling me he wanted to talk in person, and I came right down,” she said, then smiled brightly. “You really are a love doctor, aren’t you? Less than two weeks, and he wants me back. Well, I’m going to see him now. I just wanted to thank you, and tell you that you can still use the condo until your time is up. Take a vacation, have a good time. You deserve it for pulling this off. I can’t tell you how happy I am! And you know, you may even see us around,
if
we ever leave the condo. He should be there now, right?”

Babette felt sick, and it wasn’t merely the problem with the yeast in her stomach. Jeff had asked Kitty to come to Destin so they could talk things out. She swallowed past the threatening nausea that came from Kitty’s statements. It’d only been sex, nothing more, just like always. Because he didn’t believe she could commit. And because she couldn’t wait to be with him, she’d proven him right.

“He is there, isn’t he? Or is he at one of his stores this morning? Do you know?” Kitty asked.

“I believe he’s in his condo,” Babette said miserably.

“Thanks. I’ll let you know soon how everything goes,” Kitty said. She started to leave, then turned back toward Babette and Gert. “Not too soon, of course. We’ll need some time to make up.” She walked out and the door snapped shut behind her, then Granny Gert turned to Babette.

“You love him,” she said, while Babette fell onto the couch, her hand still cradling her weak stomach.

“I can’t talk about this now, Granny.”

“Sure you can, and you will, child. You love that boy, and I have a strong suspicion he loves you too, and yet you’re going to let her come in and try to take him away.”

“Didn’t you hear what she said? He
asked
her to come, Granny.”

“Listen here, young lady. You are not the granddaughter I thought you were if you’re going to throw in the towel now.”

Babette looked up at her. “He knows how I feel. I told him last night. But—”

“But what?”

“But he wants her. I blew it. I was trying to show him I could commit to something, my job, and then I blew that by going after the guy that I’m supposed to be getting back with my client. Not exactly the best way to show him.”

Gert huffed out an exasperated breath. “Not that long ago, you said that you wished you had the amount of gumption that it took for me to approach Grandpa Henry that day in the barn. Do you remember that?”

Babette nodded.

“Well, now’s the time.” Granny Gert grabbed Babette’s hand and pulled her up from the sofa. “Go up there and stake your claim.”

“I told him that I love him, Granny. Now it’s up to him to determine what he wants,
who
he wants. Right now, I just have to wait.”

“Sit back and wait? Child, you have no idea what I’ve been doing lately, just to have another chance at love. I’ve been talking to golf balls, for goodness’s sake.”

Babette’s eyes widened, but Granny didn’t offer additional explanation. Instead, she opened the door and nudged Babette toward the hall. “Let me know what happens after.”

“After what?” Babette asked, bewildered by her grandmother’s sudden surge of strength, or perhaps her own weakness. Granny had pushed her out of the condo.

“After you get up there and find your gumption, then take what you want,” Granny said, slamming the door and locking it, and leaving Babette out in the hall.

Babette banged on the door. “Granny! I don’t even have all of my clothes on!”

“Close enough,” Granny said, her voice echoing from the other side.

Babette waited for Granny Gert to come to reason, but she heard nothing beyond her grandmother’s footsteps fading as she walked away from the door, and then she heard the television volume kick up a notch within the condo. She banged again. The volume got louder.

Deciding Granny wasn’t budging on her stance not to let her back in, Babette turned and started down the hall, then met Paul Stovall getting off the elevator as she was getting on.

“Babette, where are you going?”

“According to my grandmother, I’m going to exercise my inherited gumption.”

He smirked, and she thought he looked extremely debonair. No wonder Granny seemed so taken with him, and he was kind too, taking care of her and Jeff last night after she’d nearly killed them both with cinnamon rolls. Well, not killed, but she had prayed for death a few times during the night. She’d bet Jeff had too, since he’d eaten a whole roll. She hadn’t even eaten half, and had thought her world was ending.

She realized she hadn’t made any effort to get on the elevator, and Paul was still standing there, using his body against the frame to keep the doors open.

“Babette,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“She’s right. You need to use your gumption.”

“Sure I do.” She stepped into the elevator and wondered what in the world she’d say when she got to his condo and saw him with Kitty, the woman he
wanted
to see. Then the doors closed, and her reflection shot back at her from the mirrored finish. “Ohmigod.”

Her hair was one big matted red mess, like a troll doll, but with more curls and less frizz. At least she wasn’t a frizzy troll doll. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, her lips were uncommonly pale, and she was wearing a sleep shirt with “I’d give up chocolate, but I’m no quitter” printed on the front. She lifted the shirt. Good, she had on panties. But that was it.

And Kitty, as usual, had been flawless in a crisp pantsuit. Yeah, gumption was really going to do the trick.

The elevator dinged, and she stepped out. Her stomach clenched, and she wondered if it was still the after-effects of humongous over-yeasted cinnamon rolls, or nerves. Probably both.

She swallowed, decided that if her grandmother could proposition her grandfather in a barn at seventeen, then she could stand on her own against Kitty Carelle. She moved quickly down the hall, feeling the cool floor tiles against her bare feet. Granny could have at least offered some socks.

Then she got to his condo and knocked before she had a chance to reconsider.

Babette’s stomach clenched again. “Please,” she begged her queasy body. She didn’t want them to open the door and find her hurling in the hall.

The door opened, and Kitty gawked at her. She looked mad, and Babette wasn’t about to ask why. There were way too many possibilities.

“I need to tell Jeff something.”

“Be my guest,” Kitty said, opening the door wide and waving her hand. “I believe he needs to tell you something too.”

Babette entered and immediately saw Jeff, sitting at the kitchen table, showered and dressed and sipping on something, while he peered at her over the edge of his cup. She glanced back at Kitty, still standing there and eyeing her. Her first impulse was to apologize for giving him a blow-up cinnamon roll for breakfast yesterday, but then she’d have to explain that to Kitty, and she really didn’t want to go there. So instead, she said, “How are you feeling?”

“Okay.” A single word. No more, no less. And he had barely moved from the cup to say it, so that Babette still hadn’t seen his entire mouth.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“What was that?” Kitty asked, closing the door and stepping toward them.

“I said I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Babette?” Kitty asked. “What is it you’re sorry for, because I’m definitely curious.”

“I’m sorry for . . .”

“For?” Jeff asked, eyeing her. Thankfully he put the cup on the table. He was beautiful, and Babette’s throat went dry.

“Yeah, Babette,” Kitty repeated. “You’re sorry for . . .”

“For telling you I could get you back with Jeff, when I knew deep inside that I couldn’t.” She turned from Kitty back to Jeff. “I couldn’t, because
I
love you. I’ve been in love with you since the last time we were together, and I don’t know why it took me so long to realize it.” She shook her head. “But you want commitment, and I’ve been trying to prove to you that I can commit to something, to my job, so you’d see that I can, and that I want to commit fully to you. But then I couldn’t do it, because committing to
this
job,”—she looked at Kitty—“meant helping her get you back. And I couldn’t. Then you asked her to come down here, to come back to you, and that’s the last thing I want. I don’t want you with Kitty. I want you with me. And I thought—I mean, it felt like you wanted that too.”

“I asked Kitty to come down here so I could end things the right way, face to face. And I told Kitty before you came up here that I don’t feel
that
way about her. I have fallen in love, with a woman I do believe can commit.” He looked up, blue eyes drawing her in. “But I wanted to hear you say that’s what you want too,” he added, smiling slightly.

Kitty snarled. “I’ll get back every penny of that money, Ms. Love Doctor. Love Doctor, my ass. Your business is history, Babette. I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. And you,”—she looked at Jeff—“If this is what you want,”—she waved a hand toward Babette—“instead of this,”—she indicated herself—“then you two deserve each other.” She turned and sashayed out of the condo, slamming the door behind her as she went.

“Say it again.” If possible, his voice was rough, demanding, and it sent a shiver of expectancy down her spine.

“Which part?”

“That you want to commit fully . . . to me.”

“I do. That’s why I tried so hard to show you I could, but—”

He held up a hand. “You did show me, Babette.”

“How?”

“When you didn’t have a third date since me.” He grinned. “For the Babette I know to go two weeks without sex would be something for the record books, but you went an entire year. Don’t you realize what that said to me?” he asked, standing and moving toward her. He kissed her softly and smiled. “You’ve been committed to me, to us, for the past year. Sex wasn’t what you wanted.”

She blinked, his words sinking in, and the truth flooding her soul. “I
didn’t
want sex. Not just sex, anyway,” she added with a smile. “I wanted love. But I only wanted it with you.”

He kissed her again, tenderly, sweetly. Then he cleared his throat and said, “You do realize that your business in Birmingham is going to be toast, thanks to Kitty. She’s a very vindictive woman, and I suspect she’ll put the word out that you didn’t deliver what you promised.” He caressed her back as he spoke.

“Yeah, I suspect she’ll do that,” she whispered, her mind a little hazy due to the blissful realization that she was finally where she belonged.

“I think you need to bring the business down here,” he said, and she straightened, suddenly completely alert.

“I’d thought the same thing!” she said excitedly.

“You’d already thought about moving here?” he asked, his words delivered laughingly.

Babette nodded. “And I think I need to specialize.”

“Specialize?”

“The seniors. They obviously need someone to help them hook up with other seniors. And there are several of those types of condos around.”

He laughed again. “I can see you doing that, and you could offer your services in exchange for cooking lessons, or whatever else you might like to learn. You wouldn’t need to be paid beyond that.”

“I wouldn’t?”

“Not unless you wanted to,” he said. “I can support what’s mine.”

“What’s yours?”

“I nearly lost you one time because I didn’t tell you exactly what I wanted. And you didn’t tell me either. It’s time to lay it all out there, and I’m going to start now, Babette. I want you, for today, tomorrow, forever. I want you to be my wife, and I want to have children with you, boys and girls that we can adore like we adore Little Ethan and Lindy. I want to grow old with you, have grandkids with you, be with you, every day, until I die. That’s what I want.” He paused. “What do you want?”