This Winter Night Read online

  Lauren smiled. “Albert, I believe those are the most words you’ve ever strung together in a conversation with me.”

  She gestured to the chair in front of her desk. “Please, sit.”

  Albert looked at the chair as though he were debating whether to sit or not. Then, he sat down. “Only for a few minutes,” he said, “I don’t want to disturb your work flow.”

  “You’re not,” she assured him. Albert was a worrier. He was a talented architect who was not stingy with his knowledge. She’d learned so much from him over the years. “And I’m doing fine, really. I haven’t given Adam much thought at all during my break.”

  “Good, good.” Albert hedged.

  But instantly Lauren knew something was wrong and it concerned her ex-husband. “You sound like you have something to tell me,” Lauren said suspiciously.

  Albert didn’t like giving people bad news, and usually left that task, particularly when the need arose to fire someone, to one of the other senior partners. Albert simply didn’t have it in him.

  He looked at her, his dark brown eyes full of sympathy. “I wouldn’t even mention this but you are the principal architect on the project. The client says your ex’s company has put in a bid to build the hospital.”

  Lauren’s expression didn’t change. She had known that she would one day have to work with Adam’s company. He owned one of the largest construction companies in the state. Architects had to go on sites and check to make sure the building was being constructed according to specifications. That didn’t mean she would encounter Adam on her frequent visits to the site. In fact, as head of the company he probably delegated much of the onsite work to someone below him on the totem pole.

  “Don’t worry,” she said to Albert. “Even if his company wins the bidding war, more than likely I’ll never run into him.”

  Albert looked appeased as he rose. “I hope not,” he said. “The way he treated you was atrocious. I don’t want him to upset you further. Well, I should let you get back to work.”

  Lauren rose and walked him to the door. “Thanks for your concern, Albert. You’re very nice to think of me.”

  Albert blushed and hurried out. Lauren closed the door and returned to her desk. Somewhere in the city, she thought, that bastard is probably having a good laugh thinking that I’m trembling in my boots, dreading the possibility of having to interact with him. We’ll see who gets the last laugh.

  She returned to her computer and the 3-D image she was working on. Architects used to spend hours building models of the structures they designed. The models were then presented to the client so that they could visualize how the finished project would look. More and more these days, models were built using computer programs and her presentation to the client was usually in the form of a PowerPoint slide show.

  Her cell phone rang, and she picked it up and checked the display. It was her sister, Meghan. “What’s up, Meg?”

  “Are you free for lunch?”

  “I was planning to work through lunch,” she said regrettably. “Why?”

  “You have an event to go to in less than forty-eight hours,” Meghan reminded her. “Don’t you think you should devote some time to shopping for it? Mina, Desi and I aren’t going to let you wear something you’ve already worn before. Our reputations are at stake.”

  “What do you mean your reputations?” Lauren asked, amused.

  “How you look reflects on us,” Meghan said reasonably. “After all, you’re the oldest and you’re supposed to set the example. Although, God knows, you’ve never taken that seriously. But things have changed. You’re divorced. Undoubtedly your ex is going to be at the ball with his barely legal fiancée and we’re not going to let you go unless you’re put together.”

  Lauren laughed. “Oh, I don’t think he wants to go to jail. She’s probably over eighteen.”

  Meghan snorted. “Yeah, he’s such a prince.”

  Getting them back on subject, Lauren asked, “What are you going to do if I refuse to go shopping with you? Kidnap me?”

  “If we have to,” Mina cut in. “I can bench press two hundred pounds. I should be able to hogtie you.”

  “Fine,” said Lauren, still laughing. “Pick me up out front at noon. Don’t be late because I can only spare an hour for this shopping expedition of yours.”

  * * *

  The girls were in Meghan’s baby-blue Mustang when they pulled up to the curb. Desiree was riding shotgun so Lauren climbed in back with Amina. All of them were dressed differently. Meghan, with her long black wavy hair in a smooth chignon, was in a business suit like Lauren because she was taking off from work, too. Amina, who wore her black hair in a huge Afro, was the most casual of them all and was wearing jeans, athletic shoes and a leather jacket over a pullover shirt. She was not employed yet following her last hitch in the army. Desiree, who’d recently had her long hair shortened to chin length, was wearing a designer dress and shoes. She was the fashionista in the family and one who knew where to find designer clothes at bargain prices.

  The air in the car was redolent with fast-food smells. “Where’s my lunch?” Lauren asked, inhaling the enticing odor.

  Desiree turned around and handed her a Wendy’s bag and a large drink. “A single and a Diet Coke,” she said.

  “You remembered. Thank you,” Lauren said, accepting the bag and paper cup. She sat back and ate in silence while her sisters debated where to go.

  After deliberating, they headed to a consignment boutique downtown where Desiree knew the owner and he promised they would get their money’s worth.

  “You mean my money,” Lauren said. “Remember, I don’t have Adam’s credit cards anymore. I’m on a single girl’s budget.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Desiree. “We’ve decided to treat you.”

  “Yeah,” put in Mina. “I’ve got a chunk of money in my account and no one to spend it on.”

  “Spend it on you,” Lauren suggested. “You deserve to be spoiled with all you’ve been through.”

  Lauren immediately felt the mood change after she spoke and quickly regretted her words. Amina was a helicopter pilot and her last assignment had been in Afghanistan. She had been credited with saving hundreds of soldiers by air-lifting them to safety. Like many soldiers, she lived with the knowledge that each day she woke up in the morning could be her last day on earth. She was ready to lay down her life for her country. But when the man she loved was killed in action, she’d lost it. Six years in service seemed long enough. When Keith was alive she had thought she would make the military her life’s calling. After all, he had been in it for life. But when he died, her heart was no longer in it. She didn’t reenlist when her time ran its course.

  Amina laughed shortly. “Stop tiptoeing around me, you guys! I’m handling it. And don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been thinking but have been afraid to say out loud. It’s the Gaines girls’ curse. First Desiree lost the man she loved and now I’ve lost the man I love.” She met Lauren’s gaze. “I’m sure you and Meg are wondering if the same thing’s going to happen to you.”

  “Never,” Lauren vehemently denied. “I don’t think that way. My heart just goes out to you and Desi. I wish I could take the pain away.”

  “Well, I have,” Meghan admitted softly. “I tried not to think that way but it makes you wonder. I mean, what are the odds that two sisters would lose the men they love, and both before marriage?”

  “If you’re going to think superstitiously,” Lauren reasoned, “then Adam should have died before I married him. Instead, we were married for nearly six years, and he’s still very much alive. There is no curse, just life, and life can be hard enough without adding a curse to the equation.”

  “Amen,” agreed Desiree. “Let’s leave the curse alone, shall we? There is nothing preventing us from being happy in a relationship exce
pt finding the right man and having moderate good fortune. After all, Momma and Daddy have been together for thirty-two years.”

  A few minutes later they were pulling up to the consignment shop. Once inside Lauren immediately began to model dresses while her sisters commented on her choices. Since women who attended the ball were asked to wear either a black dress or a white dress, Lauren selected dresses with only those colors. But after half an hour and no sure winner, Desiree handed her a vintage halter gown by Halston that was vertically half black and half white. Lauren tried it on and stood in front of the full-length mirror. It fit perfectly. The sisters gathered around her, approval written all over their faces.

  The dress had an invisible zipper up the back and the material was thick and soft. It felt like silk against her skin. “I look like one of those 1930s pinup girls,” she said wistfully.

  “Wear your hair up,” Desiree advised. “We want Colton to be able to see your bare back.”

  “And wear red lipstick to complete the 1930s pinup girl look,” Amina chimed in.

  “Of course, you might not even make it to the ball once Colton sees you in it,” Meghan joked.

  They all laughed.

  Lauren smiled at her reflection. She couldn’t wait.

  * * *

  The night of the ball, Colton got home late from work. Earlier that day he’d filled in for a welder on the downtown skyscraper site because the hired one hadn’t shown up for work. Further investigation revealed he’d been in an accident. With no time to get anyone else, and with work in need of completion in a timely manner, Colton had gone on-site. Though, it wasn’t unusual for him to get his hands dirty on the job. He’d started at the bottom. His dad had him working as a carpenter’s helper when he was sixteen. By the time he was eighteen he was proficient at any number of skills from bricklaying to welding, plumbing and electrical wiring. His father told him he wanted to be able to say his son knew the business inside and out, and in the future when he became the head of the company it could be said that he’d earned the position.

  As he entered his house, he was beginning to feel the effects of a long, physically taxing day. Then, he thought of Lauren and how she would look in her ball gown and he got a boost of energy. He hadn’t seen her since the day of his dad’s funeral. They had spoken several times, but both of them had been busy with work. He could see now that he was involved with a woman who enjoyed her work as much as he enjoyed his. He liked that about Lauren because he wanted her to be fulfilled. He was smart enough to know if a woman was happy with herself, she was more prone to be happy with her man.

  He smiled as he showered. Was it too soon to think of himself as her man? Maybe, but he didn’t care. He was going with the flow, eager to see where this would lead.

  Thinking ahead, he’d laid out his clothing for the ball before he’d left for work that morning. The tuxedo was his. He’d stopped renting tuxes after thirty, believing a grown man, especially one who had occasion to wear a tux several times a year, should own at least one. It had been tailor-made to fit his wide shoulders, muscular chest, trim waist and long legs.

  He switched out the cummerbund from time to time. He owned three different colors. Tonight he was simply wearing classic black. Lauren had told him her dress was black-and-white. He thought the traditional tux would complement her dress nicely.

  He drove his Lexus to her house. The SUV was too sporty for tonight. When he rang the bell he felt a nervous tremor in his stomach. He tugged at his bow tie. He couldn’t believe that after making love to her in every conceivable position up at the cabin he was anxious about taking her to a dance.

  Lauren opened the door and flashed him a smile. “Wow, you really clean up well, Mr. Riley.”

  Colton was speechless. Her skin, her hair, the way her dress hugged her curves and, God help him, her juicy lips, all worked together. Her sexuality was personified even though the dress was not in the least immodest. No cleavage was spilling out of it. Her legs were entirely covered. Just her shoulders and back were bare and that was enough. Her golden-brown skin with its red undertones glowed with health. Her hair shone. Her eyes were clear and beautiful.

  “If you don’t say something soon I’m going to think you don’t like my dress,” Lauren teased.

  Colton snapped out of his reverie and pulled her in his arms and kissed her. Lauren smiled at him when they parted. “That’s more like it.”

  “You’re exquisite,” he said huskily. He held her face in his hands. “Maybe we can skip the ball.”

  Lauren laughed. “No, we’re not skipping the ball. I’d have to tell Meghan she was right.”

  “What?” Colton asked.

  “I’ll explain on the way,” she promised and grabbed her clutch and wrap from the foyer table.

  * * *

  The grand ballroom at the Marriott was more than five thousand square feet and elegantly furnished. Large round tables were placed around the periphery on the room. The chairs around the tables were upholstered with gold brocade fabric. Navy blue tablecloths topped the tables and elaborately folded gold cloth napkins adorned the white china. Centerpieces consisting of deep red long-stemmed roses in clear glass vases claimed pride of place at each table.

  Two-hundred and fifty couples were in attendance. Colton and Lauren immediately spotted the Riley table and made their way across the ballroom past the highly polished wood dance floor and the podium.

  “You made it just in time,” Veronica greeted them. “They’re getting ready to start serving.”

  She rose and accepted Colton’s peck on the cheek. Then she and Lauren exchanged a greeting. Also at the table were Jade and Manu, Veronica’s escort and nephew, Decker, and three other couples associated with Riley Construction.

  “Lauren, you look lovely this evening,” Veronica said with warmth.

  “And you, Veronica,” Lauren returned. “Your dress is stunning.”

  Veronica wore a simple sleeveless V-neck black gown. With her gold highlights and gold jewelry, she was the epitome of style and sophistication.

  “Thank you,” Veronica said. “Jade picked it out.”

  “Good call, Jade,” Lauren complimented her. “You look fabulous tonight also. That gold brings out your eyes.”

  Jade had on a white gown with gold accents including a thick gold belt at her waist.

  “You can’t go wrong with classic lines,” Jade said, smiling gratefully.

  “What about us? Aren’t we pretty?” Manu said, gesturing to himself and then Decker.

  Manu and Decker were attired in black tuxedos similar to Colton’s.

  Jade laughed. “Pretty is not a word I would use to describe you, Manu. Imposing would be a better description. Shoulders like yours do not belong in a tuxedo. But Decker’s kind of pretty tonight.”

  Decker frowned at his cousin. “Don’t start with me, cuz. People are already going to wonder if I can get a date on my own since I’m here with Auntie.”

  Veronica looked affronted. “Nobody twisted your arm. You wanted to come. I’m sorry Desiree wouldn’t come with you but you don’t have to take your disappointment out on us.”

  Decker appealed to Lauren. “What’s wrong with your sister? Why won’t she go out with me?”

  “There’s the problem right there,” Veronica pointed out. “You asked what’s wrong with Desiree. You should have asked what’s wrong with you.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me,” Decker proclaimed. “I’m one of the most eligible bachelors in Raleigh. I have a great job, I’m good-looking, healthy and I’ve got money in the bank. What else does she want in a man?”

  “I can’t speak for Desi,” Lauren said. “I don’t know why she won’t go out with you. You’ll have to ask her.”

  “Yes,” said Veronica. “Go to the source.”

  Decker rose. “I w
ill.” He took his cell phone from the inside pocket of his jacket. “Excuse me.”

  In his absence, Veronica said, “That boy has it bad.” She whispered to Lauren, “You can tell me, I won’t say a word. Why won’t she go out with him?”

  Before Lauren could answer, Colton interjected hoping to change the subject. “Don’t worry about Decker. He always lands on his feet.”

  The event’s host, a distinguished-looking silver-haired man in a black tuxedo, walked onto the stage and spoke into the microphone at the podium. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the fiftieth annual Black and White Ball.”

  Shortly after the host finished speaking, a small army of waitstaff began serving dinner, which was a choice between prime rib, lobster or vegetarian lasagna with various side dishes. Decker returned after everyone had been served. He sat down and began to eat.

  Veronica looked at him and asked, “Well, what did she say?”

  “She said she won’t go out with me because I’m not ready for her yet. She says I may never be ready for her.” He sighed. “I have no idea what that means.”

  Veronica shook her head sadly. “No, I don’t believe you do.”

  While they ate their meals, Lauren looked around the room. She recognized several couples at nearby tables, including a woman who had been in the ladies’ room last year when Adam’s mistress had confronted her. The woman was African American and looked to be in her forties. She was tall and shapely and wore her natural hair in a very short Afro. She caught Lauren watching her and smiled.

  Lauren smiled back. She hoped seeing the woman would be the only thing to happen tonight to remind her of last year’s embarrassment. But walking toward their table was Adam Eckhart, with a voluptuous woman in white on his arm.

  Lauren hadn’t seen him in months. She couldn’t discern anything different about his six-foot frame. He was still fit. His goatee was expertly trimmed. Grooming and presentation meant a great deal to him. He looked perfect in his black tux.