The Good Luck Charm (The Good Luck Series) (12 page)

“Are you certain? Could you have jumped to the wrong conclusion?”

Keely shook her head. “She had her hands all over him and she kissed him. I didn’t imagine that.”

Lucinda reached across the table and patted her hand. “Let’s not be hasty. I’m sure Darren has an explanation.”

“Are you taking his side?” Keely knew she sounded irrational, but she couldn’t take anymore. It was time to face the facts.  “It won’t work, Lucinda. Darren and I are competitors. We’re both too good at what we do, and we’re both accustomed to being top dog. It will never change.”

“Why? Why does it have to be that way?” Lucinda banged the palm of her hand on the table. “Surely you’re not going to give up so easily? Are you going to let this other woman take him from you without a fight? I think not. You’re a fighter. If you want him, then go after him. Would it hurt to give in and let him love you? Who knows, maybe he’ll do the same. Think of what the two of you could do together.” Leaning forward, Lucinda added. “Consider the possibilities.”

“I have considered the possibilities, Lucinda, and I’ve made my decision. I’m better off without him.”

“Rubbish. The boy loves you. You love him. Just admit it, Keely. You love him. You’ve moped around here all week wanting to see him.”

“And look where that got me!” Keely got up from the table, grabbing a beignet on her way out of the kitchen. She went to her room where she could nurse her wounded pride alone.

When she emerged, it was late in the afternoon and she was ready to take Duke for his daily jog. Lucinda didn’t say anything to stop her from going. Keely was glad. She didn’t have the energy to argue.

A cool breeze blew as she traveled around the lake with Duke. It made the time pass more quickly. The exercise improved her disposition and she felt more energetic, her mind clearer. That is, until she spotted Darren walking towards her. He wasn’t dressed for a jog. He still had his dress slacks on. She didn’t slow down. In fact, she tried to appear as if she hadn’t seen him at all.

Twice they passed where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He appeared to be waiting patiently for them to finish their jog. It annoyed Keely. Why couldn’t he take the hint and leave? Another lap around and she finally slowed down, walking Duke a lap before going over to where he stood.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a public place. I can come here if I want.”

“I don’t want to speak to you.”

“I think you do.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t ever want to see you again, Darren Wright. You can go back to Wright and Associates and… and—”

“Go to hell?” he asked, grinning at her.

How dare he mock her?

“There’s nothing funny about it.”

“You’re cute when you’re mad. Did you know that?”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes, you are, honey, and you have every right to be upset. But before you go making a mountain out of a tiny mole hill, you need to let me explain about what you saw this morning.”

“I know what I saw.”

“You saw Shelby kiss me, but it wasn’t what you think. She was excited over my giving her the lead on an account. That’s all.”

“My boss gives me leads all the time, but I don’t go touching him and kissing him.”

“No, but Shelby is a touchy, feely person. She can’t help it.”

“I don’t like you working with her.” Keely placed her hand over her mouth after the words came out. She had no right telling him with whom he could and couldn’t work.

Darren hesitated a moment. “Jama asked me to mentor Shelby. We’ve not worked nearly long enough together yet for her to gain the benefit of my knowledge, but I can put distance between us if that will make you happy.”

“You would?” She totally didn’t expect him to say that.

“Yes. I’d do anything for you, Keely. Don’t you realize that?”

“Why?”

“Because I’m in love with you.” He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, kissing her tenderly. “That is all the reason I need.”

Keely felt speechless. How could he be so sure he loved her? They’d hardly known each other long enough to profess feelings so deep. Sure, Lucinda had claimed he did. She’d claimed Keely did too.

Darren waited for her to say something back. Her mouth twitched as if she started to speak then stopped. He didn’t expect her to say I love you back, but it would help to know he wasn’t putting himself out there to be rejected.

“I’m sorry, Darren. I like you. I even contemplated giving us a chance. But if I can’t trust you enough not to jump to conclusions where another woman is concerned then it’s too soon for me—”

“That’s okay.”

“We’re still competitors.”

“I believe we can work around that.”

“How?”

“I’m not sure at the moment, but I’ll figure out a way.”

“Until you do, I think its best we don’t see each other,” she said.

“Come on, Keely. Don’t be like this,” he protested as she turned away.

She got her feet tangled in Duke’s leash and stumbled over the dog. Darren caught her.

“Won’t you reconsider?”

“I have several times, and I come back to the same conclusion. I think it’s time I start listening to my brain instead of the gris-gris.”

Watching her walk away, Darren jammed his hands in his pant pockets and kicked at a rock. Duke tried to protest, but she had a strong hold on his leash preventing him from gaining control.

“Stubborn woman,” he muttered. When he turned, he saw his friend Clint staring at him.

“Dude, why are you wasting your time with her?” He tossed Darren the Frisbee.

Darren returned it and walked up to Clint, patting him on the shoulder. “Dude, because I love her.”

The sun was barely visible in the sky when Darren crawled out of bed the next morning. He’d spent most of the night before contemplating how he was going to handle the situation with Keely. If he wanted to be with her, then he had to find a solution to the competition problem. About midnight, he’d finally hit pay dirt. He knew what he was going to do. Now he had to put his plan in motion.

No one was at Wright and Associates when he arrived, which was unusual. Jama was known to be the last one to leave and the first one to arrive. He’d even heard his sister spent a good portion of her Saturdays in her office. She’d turned into a workaholic. After he fixed his problems with Keely, he’d have to give serious consideration to getting Jama a personal life.

He put on a pot of strong coffee and headed to his office. An empty box sat in the corner, and he began putting personal items back in it.  Then he typed up a letter and took it to Jama’s office. Two cups of black coffee later, he was ready to tie up loose ends on his current projects and leave the office for good.

“Have you lost your mind?” Jama practically yelled, walking into his office. “You can’t resign. Since you’ve been director Wright and Associates has made a comeback. We’re out of the red. We’ve landed more new accounts in the last six weeks than the last year.”

“I can, Jama, and I am. Despite the success, I can’t see staying here. At least in New York I never had to worry about going up against someone I cared about. If it takes me bowing out of the race to prove to Keely that I’m serious about my feelings toward her, then I’m willing to do it.”

“Did she give you an ultimatum?”

“No. I gave myself one.”

Jama sat on the edge of his desk and studied him for a minute. “You’re serious? Are you leaving town?”

Darren steepled his fingers in front of him and rested his chin on them. “A little distance couldn’t hurt. I might pay Patti and Claire a visit. See if that Blue Ridge Mountain is as pristine as they claim.”

Jama smiled. “Take mom with you. She’ll enjoy seeing them too.”

“Does that mean you’re giving me your blessing?”

Jama scowled at him in sisterly fashion. “Not exactly, but I think I see where your heart’s at.” She paused a moment then grinned. “Clear out your office and give your open contracts to me. I just hope that Keely appreciates what you’re doing.”

Keely woke to a pounding headache and a scratchy throat. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and groaned. Why hadn’t the alarm woke her? She never overslept.

“Good morning,” Lucinda called, coming into her room with a breakfast tray. “I thought you could use a little rest. I hope you don’t mind, but I turned off your alarm.”

“Why’d you do that?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“It sounds like someone’s getting sick. Maybe you shouldn’t have pretended to be sick yesterday. Karma is a fickle friend.”

“I’ll be fine. A hot shower and some hot tea and I’ll be as good as new.”

“Your assistant called to see if you’d be in the office this morning, and I told her you weren’t feeling any better. If you’re going to play hooky from work, you might as well make the most of it.”

“Gee, thanks. I think.”

Lucinda chuckled and opened the sheers wide, letting in the morning sunlight. “It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we take a drive? Maybe have a picnic. Just get away from it all?”

“Sounds nice, but I should try to go into work even if I sound like I swallowed a frog.”

“Nonsense. You work too hard. Eat and then take a shower. Pack a bag. We might just stop for the night somewhere.”

Keely frowned, wondering what Lucinda was up to. The idea of getting away was appealing so she did as she was told and within the hour met Lucinda downstairs ready to go.

“I’ll drive because you’re head isn’t on straight. I don’t want you driving us off into a ravine.”

Keely frowned and put her hands on her hips. “I’m a good driver. Besides, I thought you said we were going for a drive. Now you’re talking about ravines. Exactly where are we going?”

Lucinda opened up the back of her SUV and they put in their overnight bags and the picnic basket. “The mountains. I haven’t been in years. I think it’s time I go again.”

“A short trip. I have a presentation to work on for Monday.”

Lucinda grunted and got into the SUV muttering, “Work. Is that all you think about?”

“I heard that.”

“Mom, what have you got in this thing?” Darren lugged her suitcase from the car into the lobby of the Crescent Creek Lodge that his twin sisters, Patti and Claire, co-managed.

“The essentials. As you get older, a body requires more grooming to stay young looking.”

He rolled his eyes and spotted Patti leaning over the railing waving to them from the second floor balcony that overlooked the open lobby area. He tapped his mother on the shoulder and pointed upward.

“Oh!” Lillian gasped. “Don’t fall.”

“Mom,” Claire called from the front desk, distracting them as Patti made her way down to the lobby.

“My girls!” Lillian exclaimed, pulling them together for a tight squeeze.

Darren watched the small reunion and felt sadness inside his chest he hadn’t expected. It was great to see his sisters again. He’d only seen them twice since returning from New York. Having them meet Keely had been top on his list of things to do, but now that didn’t look possible.

“Hey little brother,” Patti said, hugging him.  She had to look up at him since he stood a head taller than her average frame. “It’s good to have you and Mom up for a few days.”

Claire nodded, getting in on the hugs. “Yeah, unfortunately, the lodge is practically booked up. There’s a single available. We thought Darren could take that. Mom can stay with us in our guest room.

“That’s fine,” he said, figuring he wouldn’t be getting that much sleep anyway. He’d not been able to reach Keely at the office when he tried calling. He’d left messages on her cell, but she hadn’t returned those either. The news of his leaving Wright and Associates needed to come from him not the gossip mill.

“Good. You come with me, and I’ll show you to your room,” Patti ordered.

“Don’t be long. Mom and I are going into the dining room to have dinner,” Claire announced. “Just as soon as I stow her suitcase behind the front desk.”

Darren chuckled. “Be careful. I think she’s got the house in there.”

“Hogwash!” Lillian exclaimed. “It isn’t that heavy.”

Claire tried to move it, but when it wouldn’t budge she looked at her mom and made a face. “I see you went light this time.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake. Let me have it,” Lillian said, taking the strap and pulling the suite case over to the front desk without any trouble.

They all laughed.

“I see some things never change,” Patti mused.

Keely slowly opened her eyes from a nap and frowned.  “Where are we, Lucinda?”

“Somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I’m not sure, but I think we’re lost.”

“Lost?” Keely sat up in the passenger seat and stared out the window. Trees and shrub filled the view. “How can we be lost?”