Brenda Jackson - The Real Thing

“State them.”

She glanced over at him. He had brought the car to a stop at a traffic light. “I can see where some women would find you persuasive and lap up anything you say as gospel.”

A smile she wouldn’t categorize as totally conceited touched his lips. “You think so? You believe I might have that much influence?”

“Yes, but mind you, I said some women.”

“What about you? Are you ready for a new car?”

She held his gaze. “Unless it’s free, I’m not interested. A car payment is the last thing I need right now. The car I presently drive is just fine. It gets me from point A to point B and if I sing to it real nice, it might even make it to point C. I can’t ask for anything more than that.”

“You can but you won’t.”

His comment was right on the money but she wondered how he’d figured that out. “Why do you say that?”

The car was moving again and he didn’t answer until when they reached another traffic light a few moments later. He looked over at her. “You’re not the only one with sources. I understand that beneath those curls on your head is a very independent mind.”

She shrugged as she broke away from his look to glance out the window. “I can’t handle my business any other way. My parents raised all of us to be independent thinkers.”

“Is that why you didn’t go along with Tara’s plan at first?”

She looked back at him. “You’ll have to admit it’s a little far-fetched.”

“I look at it as a means to an end.”

“I just hope it works.”

“It will.”

She was about to ask why he felt so certain when she noticed they had pulled up for valet parking. The building was beautiful and the architecture probably dated back to the eighteen hundreds. Freestanding, it stood as an immaculate building with a backdrop of mountains. “Nice.”

“Glad you like it. It was an old hotel. Now it’s been renovated, turned into a theater that has live shows. Pam’s group is working on a production that will be performed here.”

Trinity knew Dillon’s wife, Pam, used to be a movie star who now owned an acting school in town. “That’s wonderful.”

“I think so, too. Her group is working hard with rehearsals and all. It will be their first show.”

When they reached the ticket booth the clerk greeted Adrian by name. “Good evening, Mr. Westmoreland.”

“Hello, Paul. I believe you’re holding reserved tickets for me.”

“Yes sir,” the man said, handing Adrian an envelope. Adrian checked the contents before smiling at her. “We’re a little early so we might as well grab a drink. They serve refreshments while we wait.”

“Okay.”

When they entered the huge room, Trinity glanced around. This area of the building was nicely decorated, as well.

“What would you like?” Adrian asked her.

“What are you drinking?”

“Beer.”

“Then I’ll take one, as well.”

Adrian grabbed the attention of one of the waiters and gave him their order. It was then that a couple passed and Adrian said, “Roger? Is that you?”

A man who looked to be in his late thirties or early forties turned and gave Adrian a curious glance. “Yes, I’m Roger. But forgive me, I can’t remember where we’ve met.”

Adrian held out his hand. “Adrian Westmoreland. We’ve met through my brother Dillon,” he lied, knowing the man probably wouldn’t remember but would pretend that he did.

A huge smiled appeared on the man’s face as he accepted Adrian’s handshake. “Oh, yes, of course. I remember now. And this is my wife Kathy,” he said, introducing the woman with him.

Adrian shook her hand. He then turned to Trinity and smiled. “And this is a very special friend,” he said. “Roger and Kathy, I’d like you to meet Dr. Trinity Matthews.”

Trinity couldn’t help wondering what was going on in that mind of Adrian’s. She soon found out when he said, “Trinity, I’d like you to meet Roger and Kathy Belvedere.”

Trinity forced herself not to blink in surprise as she shook the couple’s hands. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Roger said, smiling. “And where do you practice, doctor? I’m familiar with a number of hospitals in the city. In fact,” he said, chuckling and then bragging, “my family is building a wing at Denver Memorial.”

“That’s where I work. I’m in pediatrics, so I’m familiar with the wing under construction. It’s much needed and will be nice when it’s finished,” Trinity said.

Roger’s smile widened. “Thanks. If you work at Denver Memorial then you must know my brother Casey. He’s a surgeon there. I’m sure you’ve heard of Dr. Casey Belvedere.”

Trinity fought to keep a straight face. “Yes, I know Dr. Belvedere.”

“Then I must mention to him that Kathy and I ran into the two of you.”

“Yes, you do that,” Adrian said, smiling.

After the couple walked off, the waiter approached with their beers. Trinity looked over at Adrian. “You knew he was going to be here tonight, didn’t you?”

He looked at her. “Yes. And there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll mention seeing us to his brother.”

Trinity nodded as she took a sip of her beer. Tonight was just another strategic move in Adrian’s game plan. Why was she surprised...and sort of disappointed?

At that moment someone on a speaker announced that seating for the next show would start in fifteen minutes. As they finished their beers, she decided that regardless of the reason Adrian had brought her here, tonight she intended to enjoy herself.

Four

As he’d planned, after the show Adrian took Trinity to Andrew’s, a place known in Denver for having the best desserts. While enjoying strawberry cheesecake topped with vanilla ice cream, Adrian decided he liked hearing the sound of Trinity’s voice.

She kept the conversation interesting by telling him about her family. Her father owned a medical practice and her mother worked as his nurse. Her two older brothers were doctors, as well, living in Bunnell.

She also talked about her college days and how she’d wanted to stick close to home, which was why she’d attended the local community college in Bunnell for two years before moving to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida. Although it was a college town, the city of Gainesville provided a small-town atmosphere. She’d enjoyed living there so much that she’d remained there for medical school.

She also told him how she preferred a small town to a big one, how she found Denver much too large and how she looked forward to finishing up her residency and moving back to Bunnell.

He leaned back in his chair after cleaning his plate, admitting the cake and ice cream had been delicious. “Aw, come on,” he joked to Trinity. “Why don’t you just come clean and admit that the real reason you want to hightail it back is because you have a guy waiting there for you.”

She made a face. The way she scrunched her nose and pouted her lips was utterly cute. “That is totally not true...especially after what Derrick did to Tara. The last thing I’d have is a boyfriend that I believed would wait for me.”

He had heard all about the Tara fiasco from one of his cousins, although he couldn’t remember which one. He couldn’t believe any man in his right mind would run off and leave someone as gorgeous as Tara Matthews Westmoreland standing in the middle of some church. What a fool.

“What happened to Tara has made you resentful and distrustful of giving your heart to a hometown guy?”

She shrugged her shoulders and unconsciously licked whipped cream off her fork. In an instant his stomach tightened. Sexual hunger stirred to life in his groin. He picked up his glass of water and almost drained it in one gulp.