It was one of the things Clement had loved most about her.
No coy, passive-aggressive games.
No pouting endlessly over some imagined slight.
If something upset her, he knew about it.
He never had to ask because she was too honest and up front, especially with people she cared about.
“Are you sure?” she asked quietly.
“I’m still learning all of this and I don’t want to mess up, so if I do, you have to tell me, otherwise I’ll never know how to correct the mistake.”
He kissed her, hugging her tightly against him.
“You did nothing wrong, Sandra. And if you had, I have every confidence that it would have been done innocently. You’re too honest and straightforward about things. It’s one of the things I most admire about you. There’s no guessing with you because you tend to take the bull by the horns.”
She relaxed, some of her worry dissipating.
“I’m sorry. I know I sound defensive, but this is very important to me. I need you to understand that. This isn’t a game to me. It isn’t me seeking out a relationship with just anyone. I chose you. Surely that has to mean something.”
“It means everything,” he said softly.
“More than you can possibly know. What you don’t understand is that there are any number of men more than willing to give you the things you want. They’d spoil and pamper you endlessly. They’d lay the world at your feet. But I’m damn glad you chose me to be that man, even if I leaned on you pretty heavily.”
She smiled.
“No matter how hard you leaned on me, if I didn’t want to do this with you, I wouldn’t have agreed. Clement taught me a lot about independence and standing on my own two feet. I’ll always be grateful to him for that. He taught me that I could be the person I am and I should never be willing to change who I am to please someone else. He was right. And it’s something I’ve tried to do and be in my everyday life.”
His features tightened again, his eyes going blank.
Did he resent her talking about Clement?
Was he defensive about the fact she’d been happily married to another man?
She understood, she supposed. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
It couldn’t be all that wonderful to have her previous lovers, never mind there had been only one, thrown in his face at every turn.
From now on she was going to be more careful about discussing Clement with him.
But it was only natural and it would take her time to adjust to the sudden change in their relationship.
He’d gone from friend and confidant to her lover in a matter of days.
Before, she had no compunction about discussing her relationship with Clement, or even just Clement himself, with a man he’d called best friend.
It was nice to be able to talk about Clement with someone who knew him almost as well she knew him.
It enabled her to keep his memory alive and talk about the good times they’d always shared together.
“What are we going to do today?” she asked impulsively.
“Have you called Ken, Karla and Sophia to see if they can make dinner tonight? If so I’ll need to run into the store and pick up things for the meal I’m planning. City Market has steaks that are simply divine. I thought we could grill steaks and I’ll make all the fixings. Baked potatoes, salads, homemade rolls and a really yummy dessert.”
He lowered his mouth to her, kissing her with tenderness and care that he hadn’t demonstrated this morning until now.
“I think that sounds wonderful. Let me go make the phone call to Ken. Do you want to call Sophia or would you prefer me to call her and issue the invitation?”
“I’ll call her,” Sandra said quietly.
“But I’ll wait and let you explain when she arrives. I planned to tell her to get here at least thirty minutes from the others so you’d have time to discuss James with her.”
“Sounds like a plan. You make your calls. I’ll make mine. Then I’ll run you to the grocery store to get everything we need.”
“I’ll need you to take care of the wine,” she said ruefully.
“Clement despaired of me ever getting it right.”
She nearly bit her tongue in frustration.
Just moments before she’d sworn that she’d stop bringing up Clement and inserting a wedge between her and Derrick.
No man would want to be constantly competing with another man, especially a dead man. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
She waited for the expected surge of pain that always accompanied her speaking of Clement.
But it wasn’t there this time.
There was lingering sadness that she dealt with from time to time but mostly it had subsided.
For the first time, she could see the grass on the other side of the fence, and it looked appealing from where she stood.
Though hosting a dinner party was nothing new for her, she had a raging case of nerves because this was her first dinner acting as Derrick’s host.
And the attendees were all friends.
There was no reason for her to be nervous, but she was.
Because though her friends knew of her relationship with Derrick, she hadn’t openly flaunted it in front of them.
She put the finishing touches on the salad and stuck the bowl in the fridge before popping the potatoes in the oven.
The steaks were marinating, and Derrick would throw them on the grill closer to the time to eat.
First, they would talk to Sophia, and Derrick would tell her that James was partnering with him.
Sandra dreaded the confrontation but knew it was better had here in private, in a place Sophia felt comfortable in, rather than Derrick telling her in the office and springing it on her in a place where she couldn’t react honestly.
The doorbell rang and she hurried out of the kitchen, calling to Derrick that she’d get it.
She wanted to be the first to greet Sophia.
When she opened the door, Sophia smiled at her and Sandra pulled her into a hug.
“I’d ask how you’re doing but your look says it all,” Sophia said wryly.
“You look . . . happy, Sandra. I’m glad.”
Sandra impulsively squeezed her again.
“Thanks. How are you doing? I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I feel like I haven’t seen or spoken to you in forever!”