Chapter One
“Happy V-Day, sweetheart!”
“Hi, Mom.” Valerie rolled over in bed, eyes closed, holding
the phone to her ear. Every year her mother called her on her birthday at the
crack of dawn, otherwise known as seven-thirty, to remind her that she’d been
born.
“I went to church this morning and lit a candle for you.”
“Great, Mom, thanks.” Sally Patrelli had been lighting
candles for her daughter for many years and for many reasons. Val was pretty
sure that today’s candle would involve her having reached such an advanced age
without securing a husband.
“What are you doing special today?” her mother asked.
“Working.”
This prompted a sigh. Sally was a master at mother’s sighs.
“Yes, dear, but what are you doing after? It is Valentine’s Day, you know, and
a Friday too. What could be better?”
As if she could ever forget. As if her mother had ever let
her forget once, in twenty-eight years.
“No plans, Mom. Maybe something will come up later in the
day.”
“Val, you’ve got to work to get what you want. You can’t
just sit back and expect it to come to you.”
An image of what Val wanted popped into her head. Long,
muscular legs clad in faded blue jeans that hugged a tight ass. Bare, muscled
chest with a small peppering of hair, framed by well-defined arms that led to
wide shoulders. And on those shoulders. Oh man, oh man. Light-brown hair,
hazel-green eyes with flecks of gold and the most kissable lips…
“Val? Honey, did you fall back asleep? Shouldn’t you be up
by now?” Her mother’s voice broke into her daydreams. Well, they weren’t really
daydreams if he was real, were they? Sweet memories of the last time she’d seen
Keith Robinson had her licking her lips until the interruption snapped her back
to reality.
“Yeah, Mom, I need to be getting up. I’ll see you Sunday,
for dinner.”
“All right, sweetheart. You know I just want you to be
happy. You deserve to be with someone who knows how special you are. I love you,
happy birthday.”
“I know, Mom. Thanks, I love you too.”
Hanging up, she considered whether it was too late to get
back to sleep. She wasn’t a morning person, never had been. Finding a job that
allowed her to work from home with flexible hours had been an ambition, not an
accident. She never minded putting the hours in as long as she got to choose
when and where. Being an accountant contracted with four small, local companies
worked perfectly for her.
Damn, she was too awake now to go back to sleep. The romance
she was reading sat next to the phone but she wasn’t interested in a paperback
hero right now. Thoughts of Keith always left her hot and bothered so she tried
not to think about her sexiest client too often. Thinking led to dreams of
what-if, which was a road she didn’t need to travel. The man was a fashion
photographer. He spent hours each day studying the most beautiful women in the
world, so when she met with him she had to remind herself constantly that his
friendly flirtations were meaningless.
He was a good guy, she knew he didn’t mean to hurt her, but
the nicer he was to her the worse she felt. It hadn’t been so bad when he’d
first hired her to keep his accounts. Polite and professional, he’d given her
no reason not to take him on as a client. But she never felt as inadequate and
lonely as she did when she left his presence. He was so attentive, so vibrant,
that when she was with him she felt beautiful and funny. Once she left though,
she came crashing down with the reminder that he was just a nice guy who didn’t
understand that interacting with him was the closest she got to a relationship.
God, she was so pathetic! Instead of picking up the book,
she dragged herself out of bed and headed for a shower. It was the one thing
she demanded of herself in order to work from home, besides putting in the
forty hours a week. She had to take a shower before she was allowed her first
cup of coffee. And since she
“Happy V-Day, sweetheart!”
“Hi, Mom.” Valerie rolled over in bed, eyes closed, holding
the phone to her ear. Every year her mother called her on her birthday at the
crack of dawn, otherwise known as seven-thirty, to remind her that she’d been
born.
“I went to church this morning and lit a candle for you.”
“Great, Mom, thanks.” Sally Patrelli had been lighting
candles for her daughter for many years and for many reasons. Val was pretty
sure that today’s candle would involve her having reached such an advanced age
without securing a husband.
“What are you doing special today?” her mother asked.
“Working.”
This prompted a sigh. Sally was a master at mother’s sighs.
“Yes, dear, but what are you doing after? It is Valentine’s Day, you know, and
a Friday too. What could be better?”
As if she could ever forget. As if her mother had ever let
her forget once, in twenty-eight years.
“No plans, Mom. Maybe something will come up later in the
day.”
“Val, you’ve got to work to get what you want. You can’t
just sit back and expect it to come to you.”
An image of what Val wanted popped into her head. Long,
muscular legs clad in faded blue jeans that hugged a tight ass. Bare, muscled
chest with a small peppering of hair, framed by well-defined arms that led to
wide shoulders. And on those shoulders. Oh man, oh man. Light-brown hair,
hazel-green eyes with flecks of gold and the most kissable lips…
“Val? Honey, did you fall back asleep? Shouldn’t you be up
by now?” Her mother’s voice broke into her daydreams. Well, they weren’t really
daydreams if he was real, were they? Sweet memories of the last time she’d seen
Keith Robinson had her licking her lips until the interruption snapped her back
to reality.
“Yeah, Mom, I need to be getting up. I’ll see you Sunday,
for dinner.”
“All right, sweetheart. You know I just want you to be
happy. You deserve to be with someone who knows how special you are. I love you,
happy birthday.”
“I know, Mom. Thanks, I love you too.”
Hanging up, she considered whether it was too late to get
back to sleep. She wasn’t a morning person, never had been. Finding a job that
allowed her to work from home with flexible hours had been an ambition, not an
accident. She never minded putting the hours in as long as she got to choose
when and where. Being an accountant contracted with four small, local companies
worked perfectly for her.
Damn, she was too awake now to go back to sleep. The romance
she was reading sat next to the phone but she wasn’t interested in a paperback
hero right now. Thoughts of Keith always left her hot and bothered so she tried
not to think about her sexiest client too often. Thinking led to dreams of
what-if, which was a road she didn’t need to travel. The man was a fashion
photographer. He spent hours each day studying the most beautiful women in the
world, so when she met with him she had to remind herself constantly that his
friendly flirtations were meaningless.
He was a good guy, she knew he didn’t mean to hurt her, but
the nicer he was to her the worse she felt. It hadn’t been so bad when he’d
first hired her to keep his accounts. Polite and professional, he’d given her
no reason not to take him on as a client. But she never felt as inadequate and
lonely as she did when she left his presence. He was so attentive, so vibrant,
that when she was with him she felt beautiful and funny. Once she left though,
she came crashing down with the reminder that he was just a nice guy who didn’t
understand that interacting with him was the closest she got to a relationship.
God, she was so pathetic! Instead of picking up the book,
she dragged herself out of bed and headed for a shower. It was the one thing
she demanded of herself in order to work from home, besides putting in the
forty hours a week. She had to take a shower before she was allowed her first
cup of coffee. And since she
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