Devon Archer - Love is in the Air

Holly glanced at it, spotting the name Anderson Gunn above his title. She loved the name—it was suave and fit the man. “Thank you.” She slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out one of her own business cards. Handing it to him, she said, “If I don’t pick up, feel free to leave a message.”

“I’ll do that,” he promised.

She smiled. “Well, I’d better let you get on your way. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”

Anderson beamed. “Goodbye, then, Holly.”

“Goodbye, Anderson.” She watched him walk away and, strangely enough, was already beginning to miss his companionship.

* * *

On a sunny afternoon, Holly drove her Subaru Impreza down Interstate 45 toward her father’s house, wanting to stop in and say hello before heading to her place. She tried to check in on him as much as possible since her mother died. A proud man, he did his best to try to appear strong and unaffected by much, but she knew he was still hurting after losing his one and only true love.

Will I ever find that type of connection with anyone? she wondered. Or was that something too hard to come by today?

Her mind turned to Anderson. They had gotten off to a rocky start, but seemed to make a connection along the way. But could it go anywhere? Would he actually call her? Should she call him?

Holly turned onto South Wayside Drive and a little later made a right on Wildwood Way. A few houses down, she pulled into the driveway of the redbrick bungalow where she’d grown up. Her father was sitting in his favorite Adirondack chair on the porch, a beer can in his hand.

Robert Kendall was a semiretired dentist. He took part in the free outdoor dental-care clinics offered to low-income residents of the city several times a year. The rest of the time, he enjoyed sports, working on projects around the house and taking long walks.

Holly got out of the car and smiled. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey.” His sable eyes crinkled as he smiled.

She stepped onto the porch and gave him a hug.

“How was your trip?”

“Good.” She was sure Stuart had already phoned and given him the scoop. “Not counting the turbulence, which was pretty bad a couple of times.”

“That’s just nature’s way of letting you know who’s boss.”

Holly chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“And how are my little granddaughters doing?” Robert asked.

“Full of energy,” Holly said. “Why don’t you come with me next time and you can see for yourself just how much they’ve grown.”

He took a swig of the beer and shook his head. “They’re welcome here anytime. Maybe you should remind your brother of that.”

She frowned. “He has a life there, Dad. He can’t just leave it behind anytime.”

“You seem to do that just fine.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t if I had to chase two seven-year-olds around all the time.”

“He never should’ve married that gal,” Robert said glumly. “She was never good enough for him. Abandoning her daughters like that is unforgivable.”

Holly agreed, but there was no point rehashing old news. “The important thing is that Stuart stepped up as a father. Now maybe you should, too, and go visit him and your granddaughters more often.”

“Point taken.” He drank more beer. “Can I get you something?”

“I’m fine.” She sat in the chair that her mother used to occupy and felt a little sad.

“Yeah, I miss her, too,” Robert said intuitively.

“I know you do,” she said sorrowfully. “It’s still hard to believe Momma’s gone.”

“Yep. Time can only do so much to heal the wounds.”

Holly had considered her mother to be her best friend and someone to whom she could talk about anything. Now she would never get to see what life had in store for her daughter.

“She’d want you to get more out of life,” Holly said.

“I’m getting plenty out of life,” he insisted.

“What about companionship?” She had not really gone down this path with him before. But, since he’d been a widower for five years, maybe it was time he looked for someone else to spend his time with.

“What about it?” he asked.

“Momma wouldn’t want you to be all alone.”

“Actually, your momma wouldn’t want you to be alone,” Robert said bluntly. “I’m sixty-three years old and past the stage where I need someone in that way. But you’re still young and still single. Maybe it’s time you let someone in.”

Holly thought that was pretty slick of him to turn the tables so it was all about her. She decided to take the bait. “I’m not afraid to do that.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Yes, I’m picky, but if he comes along I’ll know it—and so will you.”

He chuckled coarsely. “Okay, just don’t keep me waiting too long. I won’t be around forever.”

“Don’t be too sure about that,” she countered. “I have a feeling you’ve got plenty of gas in the tank and will be there for as many grandchildren as you can handle.”

His eyes widened. “You mean there could be more?”

Holly immediately regretted saying that. Yes, she wanted kids, but had no way of knowing if that would ever happen for her. First she had to find a man she liked well enough to become a potential father to her children. Then he had to want kids, too.

Anderson Gunn popped into her head.

Chapter 3

Holly lived in a cul-de-sac in the River Oaks section of Houston, between the downtown and uptown districts. Her modern ranch-style home had hardwood floors, granite countertops, plenty of windows—everything she had wanted. She also had a home office and workout room, though she preferred to exercise outside, jogging and riding her bicycle.

After putting her things away and catching up on mail and email, she showered and dressed before heading out to meet her friend Madison Wagner for cocktails. The two had met a few weeks ago at a book fair and hit it off.

When Holly walked into the Blue Café, she immediately spotted Madison. She was hard to miss with her long, curly brown hair with blond highlights, gold-flecked brown eyes, beautiful caramel skin tone and an enviously slender frame that Holly would kill to have. As usual, Madison was smartly dressed in designer clothes.

“Hey,” Holly said as she approached her.

“Hey, girl.” Madison flashed a smile. “Thanks for coming.”

“Had to get your take on the hottest books,” Holly said. Madison was a successful book reviewer and was known for being brutally honest in her reviews.

“I’ll be happy to share. Let’s find a place to sit.”

Though the place was crowded, they found a table near the back and ordered drinks.

“So how’s that good-looking brother of yours doing?” Madison asked.

Though they had never met face-to-face, Madison and Stuart had video chatted one day.

“Busy as ever with work and playing daddy,” Holly told her.

“Good for him. Honestly, I’ve never been the mommy type, but I applaud any single parent who can balance everything in life as he seems to be doing.”

Holly had assumed that Madison was cool with children, but apparently not. So much for any possibility of Madison and Stuart getting together someday. Not that she could pass judgment, considering children were not exactly a priority in her own busy life these days. Though not having a man made the idea of being a mother that much harder to grasp.

“It can be very challenging at times,” Holly said. “But somehow he manages to get by.”

“Don’t we all, no matter our challenges.”

“True.”

A young couple who couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other got up from the table beside theirs. Holly couldn’t help but notice the enormous wedding ring on the woman’s finger.