Bride 2 Be

Chapter Thirteen~Guarded

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GUARDED


"Megan called and told me you two were looking very cozy leaving the Boutique," Anna began.

Lisa stacked the four dinner plates on top of one another and carried them from the dining room to the big kitchen, her thoughts racing as she tried to respond well. Anna would see through any fabrication and hound her until she got every bit of information she sought.

"Megan exaggerates," Lisa said.

Anna stacked her handful of dishes next to Lisa's pile on the counter and turned to face her. "I knew there was something different about you the second I saw you when you returned from Vegas." A bright smile lit up Anna's face. "You like him."

Heat rose to Lisa's face. She couldn't deny the charge; truth be told, she didn't intend to. "Yes, I like him. He fascinates me, I won't deny it."

"But?" Anna asked.

Lisa shouldn't be surprised that Anna could read her so well, though she was. "You know John's business motto, and with what Penny and Edward did, I just don't think getting involved with Calvin Grayburg is a good idea right now."

Anna remained silent and busied herself by making coffee, pulling dessert out of the fridge, and doing the dishes. Lisa hated the doubt that flooded her mind regarding Calvin, especially knowing how the man made her feel as if she could soar through the atmosphere in a single bound. Just the thought of his hot mouth on her skin sent a delightful shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then turned to the sink and began rinsing the dirty dishes to load the dishwasher, hoping it would distract her.

"I think John and Carol are reasonable people. If you like Calvin, why not take a chance and see where this goes? What's the worst that could happen?"

The silence was too good to last. "Oh, I don't know. We could discover that we're incompatible, making business awkward. We could lose Grayburg Corporation's support, and your line would fizzle out."

"Ouch," Anna said. "Don't be so damn pessimistic. Honestly, I don't see that happening. We've been at this for over two years now. They know how hard we work and what we're capable of, and since they took the news of Penny and Edward so well, what's to say that they would frown upon you and Calvin finding love?"

Lisa spun around and gasped. "Love? I didn't say I'm in love with him!"

Anna laughed and rested her hands across her baby bump as her laughter bounced off the walls, echoing like nails across a chalkboard in Lisa's ears. "Oh brother, you can't even entertain the thought that you fell for him somewhere between Michigan and Las Vegas? Hard."

Lisa leaned against the kitchen counter as thoughts of falling in love with Calvin Grayburg ran rampant through her mind. How would I know? She'd never been in love before, had no relationship entanglements that lasted more than a few dates and had never really taken the time to experience that kind of connection. She lived and breathed her responsibilities; between making a name for herself with the Boutique and raising Penny, her personal life was nonexistent.

"I like that he has a good sense of humor and makes me laugh. He's been so supportive through the Penny situation, taking charge the second I called to tell him what they were planning, booking flights, hiring a PI, and ensuring we found them in the nick of time." If he was such a stranger or only a business acquaintance, would he go to those lengths to help her? That question puzzled her. "Anna."

The strawberry blonde moved closer, a coy smile on her face.

"I've never been in love before," Lisa admitted. Just saying the words aloud made her winch, and her heart ached fiercely. How was it even possible for a woman of her age, stature, and experience to get so far in life but miss out on matters of the heart?

Anna put her arms around Lisa and held her for a moment. "Well, by the way, he watches you; I'd say that whatever you're feeling towards him, he's feeling the same way about you."

The coffee machine sputtered out the last drops into the pot, breaking the room's silence. Anna stepped back and busied herself, pulling out cups and making a tray to take outside to the patio. Lisa finished putting the dishes into the machine, concentrating on the task instead of the man waiting outside.

"How will I know when it's love?" Lisa asked. She waited for Anna to laugh or look at her like she'd lost her mind or something to show what a ridiculous question it was, but Anna just smiled at her, a warm, welcoming smile.

After a few moments of silence, Anna leaned on the dark brown granite counter. "Well, how does he make you feel? That's usually a dead giveaway, in my opinion."

Lisa smiled and found it hard to contain the happiness that swept through her just by thinking of how Calvin made her feel, how just being with him sent her heartbeat at a wild pace, and how his touch made her shiver—everywhere. The list of things about him that thrilled her beyond belief was growing rampant, and she couldn't believe that she hadn't noticed all these wondrously intriguing qualities about him before now.

"Honestly, he makes me feel alive."

Anna gasped. "Whoa. I knew sparks were flying, but I thought it would take months for you to get to this place."

Lisa cocked her head and studied her friend. "This place?"

"You, my friend, are head over heels in love with Calvin Grayburg."

She shook her head, and her jaw dropped at the outlandish statement. Anna couldn't be right. Could she? True, she enjoyed his company, found comfort in his presence, and even soared when they made love, but falling in love with him so quickly made no sense to her.

"Do you not feel the deep blush when you say his name? Have you not looked at yourself in the mirror? Like I said, I noticed the change in your immediately. What do you think this is if not love?" Anna asked. "Tell me just what you think is making you feel so alive? And before you say incredible sex or infatuation, you come down from that mind-blowing high, and by looking at you, you're still up in the clouds."

Lisa gaped at Anna. How did this woman know it wasn't just great sex? Maybe it was that way for her, but that didn't mean it was the same for Lisa. Did it? Damn, she didn't know what to think, feel, or even how to act now that thoughts of being in love with Calvin Grayburg flooded her mind. He was just outside, beyond the glass doors, awaiting her return, and she had no idea where he would be sleeping tonight, sending her pulse racing.

"I don't know," Lisa said. "He came right out and told me he missed me when he waltzed into the Boutique, even asked if I missed him too."

"And."

Lisa shook her head. "I didn't respond." She cringed the second the words left her mouth. What was she so afraid of? Why did admitting her feelings seem like such an enormous deal? Why couldn't she stop the incessant questions from plaguing her?

"Can I give you some advice?"

Lisa nodded.

Anna reached out and squeezed her hand. "The best thing you can do for the both of you is to be open and honest with him about everything. You saw what keeping secrets from Nolan did to me. Just the thought of losing him because I was too ashamed to tell him that Grant was back, or too proud to tell him how I really felt about him, tied me up in knots and almost cost me my heart's desire."

"I also remember how distracted and miserable you were. Remember the mannequin?"

Anna laughed. "Yes, and do you know why I was distracted and miserable? Why that poor storefront mannequin wound up half-naked adorning that ridiculous beret and scarf?"

Lisa rolled her eyes. She could practically guess what was coming but needed to hear the words. "Why?"

"Because I was in denial about my feelings, couldn't admit them to myself, how could I confess how I felt to Nolan? Truth be told, I was scared," Anna said. She grabbed the tray and started heading toward the back of the house.

Lisa caught up to her before she reached the sliding door. "Scared of what?" she whispered.

Anna looked her square in the eyes. "Scared that he couldn't love me in return, but I was wrong. All I'm saying is that if you love Calvin and want him, stake your claim and put your heart on the line. It would be such a shame if some other woman came along who wasn't afraid of risking their heart and took what is so clearly yours."

Lisa swallowed hard and opened the screen door for Anna, closing it once she crossed the threshold. She could hear Nolan and Calvin laughing, his voice causing her to shiver. She followed Anna, her heart beating wildly, her mind racing a mile a minute as Anna's warning sunk in. It would absolutely torture Lisa to see Cal with another woman, to see another woman on his arm, to see him happy and moving forward in life without her. Dear God, I've fallen for Calvin in a matter of hours, and the way he interacts with me, not to mention his impromptu trip to Endurance, it's a safe bet he's fallen for me too. That powerful knowledge rushed through every fiber of her being like a freight train, and she hoped she was right about him. She had to be.

Nolan stood and took the tray from Anna, setting it down on the table, poured coffee into the mugs, and passed one to each of them. Lisa sat beside Cal, across from the couple, watching how they interacted and how Nolan doted on his wife. She wondered if it would be that way between her and Cal. Would they get together and stay happy? Would she have to move to New York to maintain the relationship if they did come together? Lisa scowled, not liking that idea at all. She'd worked so hard to put her Boutique on the map; truth be told, she liked the pace of her life here. She adored New York as a place to visit but couldn't see herself living there permanently anymore.

"Is something wrong, Lisa?" Nolan asked.

Lisa shook her head. "No, why?"

"You had the most perplexing expression on your face." Anna's husband smiled as if he knew something big was on her mind.

Lisa's heart hammered, and she wondered if Cal could tell she'd been thinking about what was happening between them. Like that, he reached out and took her hand, gently squeezing it.

"How are your parents, Calvin?" Anna asked.

He smiled. "Very well."

"That's great. I must admit that I was worried about what could happen after the elopement," Anna confessed.

Cal ran a hand through his hair. "Me too. In fact, I've never been more surprised by my parent's calm demeanor. I suppose I didn't pay that much attention to the gravity of their words for us growing up."

"How so?" Nolan asked.

Calvin took a drink from his mug and returned it to the table. "Well, I always assumed that their business motto was the backbone of the company structure, that if we deviated from it, things wouldn't go so smoothly, plus disappointing my parents by going against them could create real turmoil within the company, which is the last thing I personally would want to do."

"I get that," Lisa said. He turned and smiled at her.

"Once we were back from Vegas and discussing all that had happened, they admitted that they used that as a strategy for us not to have a string of office flings and to keep us on the right track. They said they knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, that one of us would eventually fall in love with a business associate at some point, but hoped to ward it off unless it was genuine."

Lisa hung on his every word, letting them sink in and giving her the tiniest bit of hope that perhaps Anna was right and that if they got together, things would be fine for their joint business venture.

"Ah, I wondered about that policy," Anna said. "It's hard to stop true love." She leaned over and kissed Nolan on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

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