Page 25 of Forever Mine
My phone beeped and I took it out of my pocket. Vaughn had sent a message.
You here yet?
Yeah. Inside. Back of the room.
Okay.
The door chimes announced her entry. A low, soothing peal that somehow jived with Vaughn. I shook my head. Now I was spinning fairy stories around a woman I simply intended to have fun with while I was in Jamaica.
Carol intercepted Vaughn, who was waving at me. Her smile brought an answering grin to my face. Her jeans, tank top, and white shirt were casual and yet elegant. The cute, circular bag she carried on one shoulder fit nicely with her clothing. She’d put her hair into a ponytail and wore nothing on her face but lip gloss.
“Happy to see you,” she said, sliding into her seat and dropping her phone into her handbag.
“It’s great seeing you again, too.”
It was as if we hadn’t been separated by hundreds of miles these past three weeks.
She slicked a bit of hair behind her ear. “How’s the heat treating you?”
“Miami’s not that much different from here in terms of the weather.”
“I know, but it’s been extra hot here lately.”
“Yeah, when I got out of the airport I thought I was in a sauna.”
“It does take a little getting used to,” she said, chuckling.
Carol came and stood by Vaughn’s elbow with a menu.
“Thanks,” Vaughn said, reaching for the thick paper. “Give us a few minutes.”
Her gaze came back to me. “Yeah, so about you. While you’re here, remember to drink lots of water. You don’t want to get dehydrated.”
“No, ma’am,” I said, with my lips twitching.
She turned her head sideways and peered at me. “Did you just call me mom, or was that ma'am, which is even worse?”
My grin burst free. “What d’you think?”
Vaugh pressed her lips together and looked at me as if my head needed to be examined. “I’m only trying to be helpful. Dehydration is no joke. If—”
I squeezed the hand she rested on the table. “I was just joking.”
She studied me for a moment, then her smile broke through. “Uh-huh. So how was your flight?”
“Spent it reading, but I was glad to get off the plane.” I waited until she stopped looking at the menu and then added, “I couldn’t wait to see you again.”
She stared at me, letting another smile steal across her face. “I’m gonna be honest and say I was looking forward to seeing you too.”
“I guess we’re even then.”
She quirked one side of her lips. “I guess we are.”
We exchanged a long stare, but neither of us broke the silence. In the three weeks we spent apart, we’d been working out how and when I’d conduct the training sessions, but we’d also joked about life and our families. She was cagey with information about her daughter, but freer when she talked about her mother. She hinted at things in her personal life that I wanted to know more about; I supposed it was the same with her.
I hadn’t gotten around to talking about the situation with my ex-fiancée, but while Vaughn hadn’t asked, it was only natural she’d want to know that story.
“So, what d’you recommend I try?” I asked.