Fool That I Am Read online

  After a few moments, he spoke quietly. “Did I tell you that I’m an Elvis fan?”

  She smiled shyly up at him and nodded in the affirmative. “Yes, you mentioned it over lunch a few weeks ago. That’s why I made sure to slip a few songs in there both times.”

  He regarded her with twinkling eyes. “I had wondered about that. But did you know that you chose my favorite song tonight?”

  Her expression was puzzled for a moment until she remembered her set list. “No, but it is one of my favorite, too. I hope you liked it?” she asked, nervously.

  “I loved it. As a matter of fact, would you mind singing a few lines for me now?” he asked.

  Billie swallowed nervously then began to sing softly:

  Wise men say, only fools rush in

  But I can’t help falling in love with you

  Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?

  If I can’t help falling in love with you

  Like a river flows surely to the sea

  Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be…

  Her voice trailed away as Daniel stopped their progress in the middle of the long, deserted hallway. Turning to face her, he studied her face in the weak moonlight that filtered through the glass panes. She was utterly lovely inside and out and Daniel was desperate to have her. His hand reached out to cup her jaw as he traced the rounded curve of her cheek with his thumb and he used his other arm to usher her into his embrace.

  “I’ve been called a fool more than once in my life,” he whispered, his eyes searching hers for clues. “But I can’t seem to stop myself from wondering if you are one of the things that was meant to be.”

  Billie’s heart was pounding in her chest as she gazed into his handsome, sincere face. She had been prepared for pick-up lines, and she had been prepared for propositions, but she hadn’t been prepared for sincerity. She could read his intentions in the depths of his eyes and that frightened her more than anything. She had been a fool before and was much wiser now.

  “I’m afraid, Daniel,” she confessed with ragged breaths. “I don’t want to get hurt again. Don’t play with me, please. I’m not very good at games and I always end up the loser. What do you want from me?” she pleaded with him.

  His dark eyes melted with sympathy and kindness. “I’m not playing with you, Billie. I’m very serious. I want to see you, get to know you, and find out if our chemistry can lead to something more. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it, too.”

  “I won’t deny it,” she whispered, brave enough to confess. “But I won’t just jump into bed with you, Daniel. I’m not looking for that and I don’t want that kind of relationship. You have to know that right now. If that is what you’re looking for, we need to keep on as friends because that’s just not me.”

  A slow, sexy grin coaxed his dimples into appearing. “I’m not going to lie to you and say that the thought of having you in my bed has never crossed my mind, but I’m willing to wait as long as it takes. I know what kind of woman you are, Billie. Let me prove to you what kind of man I can be.”

  Wordlessly, Billie snaked her hand up behind his head and gently pulled him down toward her. He needed no further invitation as his lips met hers for a breathtaking kiss. For long, heated moments, their lips met and clung, advanced and retreated. Finally, they broke apart and regarded each other on the precipice of something new and exciting.

  “There’s no rush,” he assured her as he brought his face back down to hers. “But damn, if I don’t want to do that again.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Two weeks later, Sam Garrett was entertaining a cute little blonde over dinner. “Are you sure about that?”

  Girlish laughter erupted to float across the dinner table. “Uncle Sam!” Lola crowed. “You gots a big blob of skettie on your nose! It’s right there!”

  Feigning ignorance about the huge spot of sauce across his nose, he squinted his eyes in disbelief and replied, “I think you’re just making that up. You’re trying to trick me, Lola Jean.”

  Lola’s happy laughter caused several nearby tables at the Italian fast food restaurant to turn in her direction and smile. “Here is my nackin, Uncle Sam. You need to wipe your face off!” she demanded, handing him a stained and ripped paper napkin.

  Even Derrick was chuckling a little at their antics, but Chad was rolling his eyes. “Dude, knock it off. Everyone is staring at us,” he said grumpily.

  Sam stifled the urge to tell Chad where he could go, and instead winked at Lola and used her napkin to wipe his nose. Lola, wisely interpreting that fun time was over, went back to busily slurping her spaghetti and chomping on breadsticks. Derrick shot nervous glances between his dad and Sam trying to figure out the mood; so, Sam made a concerted effort to lighten the atmosphere to put the sensitive boy at ease.

  “Is everyone ready for Christmas?” he asked around a mouthful of ravioli.

  Derrick nodded eagerly and Lola chimed in by extolling the long list of items she had requested from Santa Claus. Derrick replied, “Yeah, Mom’s already got the tree up and decorated. There’s even presents under there already!”

  “Yeah!” Lola seconded. “Even for Mommy’s new boyyyyyyfrieeeeend!” she sang teasingly.

  “Lola Jean! Hush!” Derrick hissed with a panicked look at his dad across the table.

  This topic, as none other had this evening, pricked Chad’s interest. Unknown to everyone else, it also snagged Sam’s intense attention, too. Chad turned his gaze on his daughter and said, “Your Mommy has a boyfriend?” he asked sweetly. “Have you met him yet?”

  Before she could reply, Derrick directed the spotlight away from his sister and back on to himself. “We don’t know for sure, but we overheard her on the phone the other night talking to someone. It sounded like they were very friendly with each other. She was talking about what a good time she had the other night and hoped to see him again soon,” he confessed reluctantly. He hated feeling like he was telling tales about his mom, but he also didn’t want to court the disfavor of his father by refusing.

  The pasta sitting in Sam’s stomach suddenly weighed twenty pounds and the bite in his mouth turned to ash. As nonchalantly as he could, he asked, “Have you ever met this guy? Do you know his name?”

  “The present under the tree says D-A-N-I-E-L!” Lola announced proudly.

  Chad and Sam looked at each other in consternation. Chad said, “Do you know anyone named Daniel?”

  Sam shook his head in the negative. He hated to question Derrick, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, but do you know where she met this guy?”

  Derrick studied his plate for a few seconds and pushed his lasagna around before answering, “I don’t think she will mind if I tell. I think she met him at her new job.”

  Chad, stunned by this bit of news he was hearing for the first time, exclaimed, “Your mom has a new job?”

  Sam, without thinking, replied, “She picked up a second job recently.”

  “Oh, you would know, wouldn’t you?” he replied with a sneer. “Where is the second job at, pray tell?”

  Sam shot him a peeved glare and replied, “I don’t know. I just know she has a second job because she can’t pay the bills and needed extra money.” He raised his eyebrows pointedly and Chad had the good grace to look away quickly.

  Derrick, sensing he needed to put out this fire quickly, hastened to assure them, “I don’t know for sure that it’s her boyfriend. She’s never mentioned having one, and we’ve never met him before. We just thought that it sounded like they’ve been out a few times.”

  Both men were quiet, for their own reasons, at this bit of news. Chad, though he held no love for Billie, still felt possessive of her and selfishly didn’t want her to be happy when he was not. Sam, however, was heartsick at the news. Even though this was what he had wanted, for her to move on, the reality of it so soon after holding her in his arms was enough to bring him to his knees. Very carefully, he pulled himself
together and changed the subject again. It wouldn’t do for anyone at this table to know just how much this news hurt him.

  ************************************************************************

  At the same moment, while Billie was busy rehearsing with the band, Daniel sat in his office at The Silver Knight and regarded Hank from across the desk. It had been a busy two weeks. In the past month since “Valerie Jones” had started performing for the club, interest in both her and Daniel had increased. Word of mouth was a powerful tool and it had been working overtime ever since Billie first sang on the stage. The mixture of her voice, her looks, and her stage presence was enough to cause intense interest. Daniel hadn’t been completely honest with Billie: the last show didn’t just sell out in a few days. It had sold out in a few hours. He hadn’t wanted to send her into a panic, so he had stretched the truth a bit.

  He also didn’t tell her that speculation was running wild about her true identity. Because of his high profile in the community and across the business world, he tended to attract a lot of attention from the press. Now that Billie had become a big attraction, and she had been seen a few times on his arm at various public outings, rumor had run rampant about his new “lady love.” One journalist in particular, a ruthless middle-aged woman named Tanya Delaney, was already calling and emailing him constantly to fish for more information about her, but Daniel’s strict confidentiality clause had kept anyone from spilling her real name…so far.

  But even more than all of that, there was something else that was bothering him. Billie was holding herself back from him and he didn’t know why. She seemed to enjoy herself when she was with him and even seemed to enjoy kissing him as much as he did her, but he didn’t sense any fire or passion that would match his own. He knew she was in no hurry to rush their relationship, but she didn’t seem to be eager to get there, either. There was something holding her back as if she was holding him at arm’s length even when her body was pressed against his.

  Thus the reason for his meeting with Hank. Taking a bracing sip of the dark, expensive scotch, he asked, “How are things going with you and Billie’s friend? Did anything ever come of that?”

  A wicked grin split Hank’s face at the mention of Consuela Vasquez. “Over and over again and as often as possible, my friend. That woman is hotter than a habanero and more passionate than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s amazing,” he said, eyes twinkling.

  Sam was happy for them, plus he was hoping it served his purpose, too. “I’m glad to hear it, buddy. Do you two ever do any actual talking or is it all physical?”

  Deep, masculine laughter rippled across the large, open room and bounced off the walls. “I’m sorry, man, but you are so transparent. You just want to know if she’s said anything about Billie, don’t you?”

  A sheepish look crossed Daniel’s face as Hank busted him out. “I guess that was pretty obvious. Look, I really need some help here. She’s hiding something or holding back and I can’t seem to bridge the gap. I need to know what my obstacle is before I can overcome it,” he confessed. “Connie is her best friend. It’s only common sense that she might impart some information of the topic to her new lover.”

  Hank looked down at his large, calloused hands and debated over whether or not to divulge what Connie had shared with him. Looking up, he saw the desperate hope in his friend’s eyes, and knew he had to tell him. Taking a deep breath, Hank said, “You may not like what you hear.”

  Daniel’s hand sliced through the air decisively. “Tell me.”

  Taking a slug of the scotch for courage, Hank told him, “Connie told me that Billie has been hung up on someone for years. She’s pretty sure that this guy is just as in love with her, but he would never move on her because of some sense of moral righteousness. From what I can gather, this guy is her ex-husband’s best friend since childhood. He’s been friends with Billie since high school and still remained her friend after the divorce.”

  Daniel sat back in his chair heavily. He had been afraid of this. That space that he felt between him and Billie wasn’t empty. There was someone else standing between them. “What do you know about this guy?”

  Hank, having foreseen this eventuality, already had his ducks in a row. “His name is Sam Garrett, 30 years old, works as a Field Superintendent at Worthington Construction. Never been married, no kids, excellent credit score, and owns his own home. Great big guy, ex-football player type, well-liked by Billie’s friends. Seems he’d been helping to support her and her kids since the ex is a dead-beat that never pays child support. Connie told me they had a huge falling out over money: he wanted to give her more, and she was too proud to take any of it.”

  Daniel’s eyes searched the ceiling as his brain worked furiously to process this new information. It wasn’t good news, but it wasn’t a deal breaker, either. He just had to make sure that their rift was a permanent one. “What about the ex?”

  Hank snorted in derision. “Total loser. Chad Hardesty, age 30, works under the table at Hardesty Glass Company, which is owned by his uncle. Has no reportable income, so he was ordered to pay the minimum, which is around $250 a month. Of course, he never pays it until they threaten him with jail time, then Mommy cuts a check.”

  Daniel nodded absently, his mind busily putting together the puzzle of Billie’s life. It was easy to see how Billie had fallen in love with the best friend. He was everything she craved for her family: stable, trust-worthy, and dependable. Daniel would just have to prove himself to be all that and more. “What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  Hank studied him for a moment before replying. “Stake your claim in the most public way possible. Connie said that no one else knows about Billie’s singing gig back home except her parents and her coworkers. She is a different, more confident woman on that stage. I say you invite Sam Garrett to the Christmas concert and let him get an eyeful of Valerie Jones. Then, let him get an eyeful of Daniel Petrosky standing by her side.”

  Daniel chewed this idea over carefully. “What if it backfires? What if seeing that Billie has moved on spurs this Sam into declaring himself to her?”

  “It won’t,” Hank said confidently. “First of all, he’ll probably bring his own date to the show. My sources tell me that he’s got a girlfriend that he knocked up recently. Plus, it will show him that Billie has moved on with someone who is capable of taking care for her and her family. This guy is ruled by his code of ethics. He’s never crossed the line with her all these years because of his best friend. He won’t make a move now because he will want what’s best for her and he also won’t want to upset his baby mama. But if I’m wrong, and he makes his move, wouldn’t it be better to know now how she will respond?”

  Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He just wished he knew what Billie would say if that happened. She kept so much of herself held back that he wasn’t positive who she would choose. It was better to know than to keep wondering, though.

  With grim finality, he told Hank, “Make it happen.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Over the course of the next month, Billie’s days were a whirlwind of working, being with the kids, rehearsals, going out with Daniel, and getting ready for Christmas. Every night, she would drop into bed exhausted and happy…almost. Like a sore tooth, the thoughts of Sam refused to go away. He was a specter that haunted her dreams, hovered in her mind, and rattled the chains of her heart. She tried so hard to forget him and focus on the man in her life that wanted and desired her. Daniel was a good man, and treated her like gold, but she still couldn’t seem to love him like he wanted her to. Oh, her body responded to his and her heart beat faster when she was wrapped in his arms and pressed against the lean strength of his body, but her mind refused to fall in line. Even as Daniel kissed her and ran his hands along her curves, her mind would whisper He’s not as big as Sam…His lips aren’t as kissably soft as Sam’s…He doesn’t smell as good as Sam…He doesn’t make me melt like Sam.

  She was determ
ined to move on, though. Sam had a baby on the way and Renata to think about now. It was time to let go and start a new life for herself. Ever since she had started singing on the stage, she had noticed a change in her attitude. She was more confident, outgoing, attentive to her appearance, and just happier. Having the extra money, especially at Christmas time, was a huge help, too. It felt good that she was earning enough money on her own to support her family and she had even been able to splurge a little on Christmas for the kids and her parents. Her bills were paid and she had put a good dent in the hospital bills.

  The only wrinkle was Daniel. He wanted to meet the kids and they were becoming more curious about him, too. Billie was being cautious, though. She didn’t know where her relationship with Daniel was going, so she didn’t want to jump the gun and have them meet Daniel and get attached. She also didn’t want Daniel to shower them with gifts and expensive trips to try to win them over. She wasn’t averse to allowing Daniel a certain amount of leeway when it came to spending money on their dates, within reason. He made sure to keep their time together within acceptable boundaries such as dinner, theater, concerts, or visits to museums. Even though he could afford to fly her across the world with a snap of his fingers, she had no desire to partake in the glamour and excess of the wealthy clients to which he catered. Billie had humble tastes and realistic expectations and any sign of wasteful spending made her uncomfortable.

  Other than the excitement and planning for the holidays, Billie was completely tied up in the preparations for the big Christmas concert that was being held at The Platinum King the weekend before Christmas. It was to be a huge event with dinner, dancing, and live performances by both her and Johnny Bello, as well as appearances by a few of the other acts. Thanks to popular demand, her set was the longest and last of the evening. She was nervous and excited, especially since rehearsals had been going so well. Johnny Bello was an older man around fifty years old with black shiny hair and a rail-thin body. He was quite the charmer and received more than a few stern glares from Daniel as he tried all his best lines on Billie. They were set to duet on one song, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and rehearsals were going better than she could have hoped. They sang well together and she was sure it would be the hit of the night.