Intimate Relations: Awakened Part 7

"He's an odd duck. How'd you know he was Marc's father? Have you met him before, or did he tell you?"

Mandy shook her head. "He didn't have to. Don't you see the resemblance? He looks like an older, psychotic version of Marc." She rubbed her arms. "He makes my skin crawl."

"That he does. You might want to call Marc, let him know his father was here in case the b.a.s.t.a.r.d decides to wait by the door to catch him."

"Good idea." Mandy grabbed her phone and sent a quick text. Your father just left. Theo asked him to go when he insisted on waiting in your office. We didn't let him in.

The phone rang seconds after she sent the message. "Hi," she said. "Thought it might be you."

"Thanks for the warning. Do you think he might be waiting outside for me? I really don't want to talk to him. At least not yet."

"He might be. It's almost noon. Are you free?"

"Just left the meeting."

"Perfect. Why don't I come and meet you for lunch? Where are we going?"

He named a restaurant a couple of blocks away, one Mandy had been to ages ago. "I know right where it is. I'll let Theo know I'm leaving. Give me ten minutes."

"Do you feel safe walking over here? He could be outside."

"I've got my cell phone. Don't worry. I'll close up my work and be out of here in a minute."

"Okay," he said, though he still sounded worried. "Be careful. I'm headed to the restaurant now."

She stopped off in the restroom, refreshed her lipstick and ran a comb through her hair. Then she poked her head in Theo's office. "I'm meeting Marc for lunch. Should I put up the closed sign?"

"Yeah. I've got some stuff I have to get out today. I'll lock the door behind you." He stood and followed her back to the main office. Mandy shut down her computer and grabbed her handbag.

Theo paused at the door. "Be careful," he said. "If Marc's father is still hanging around out there, come back inside and we'll call Marc. The guy really is creepy."

"Thanks, Theo. You don't have to convince me. I'll watch for him."

She didn't see any sign of the elder Mr. Reed as she walked the two blocks to the restaurant. Marc had walked to his meeting at a building not far from there, and was already waiting in front of the restaurant when she turned the corner. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he saw her, the smile that changed his entire look.

He grabbed her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her. Quite thoroughly. She had to catch her breath when he finally broke the kiss. After waving her hand in front of her face as if to cool herself down, Mandy covered her heart. "My goodness, Marcus. I never saw you as the PDA type."

"I know that one," he said, leading her into the restaurant. "Public displays of affection. And no, I am not a man known for PDAs. Not unless I want the public to know who my affection is for." He squeezed her hand.

"I'm flattered."

"You should be." They followed the matre d' to a quiet booth at the back of the restaurant. "Until you, I've never partic.i.p.ated in a single PDA. Not one."

"You're admitting that I took your PDA virginity? Me?" She slapped a hand to her chest.

"I am." He stood while she slipped into her seat.

"Well," she said, gazing up at him. Falling more in love with the man every moment she spent with him. "It's only fair. Because you took mine, too."

When he slipped into the seat across from Mandy, Marc pictured the two of them doing this years from now, maybe with a couple of kids wanting to play with the silverware or fussing about being hungry. He had no memories of doing anything so perfectly average like that with his parents.

A few memories had resurfaced, though he hadn't had the time to really dissect them. A day at the beach, though he only remembered his mother holding his hand, walking with him through the sand. His father wasn't part of that memory at all. Nor was he part of the other snips and fragments of a past long gone-a day in the park, playing on the swings. Walking outside in the rain wearing rubber boots and a bright yellow slicker. His mother had been the focus of those memories, too.

But the bulk of them, of days at the park or walking in their neighborhood, were spent with nannies. The upside was that he spoke more than one language. The downside? His mother had been gone, and all that time he'd believed she hated him so much that she'd taken the money and run.

The waiter stopped and took their orders. "Have you been here before?" Marc asked when the young man had moved on to another table.

"A couple of times, but it was years ago. I think I've spent so much time in a restaurant environment that I usually prefer eating something at home, but this is special. It feels like a date." She made a face. "In case you haven't noticed, I don't date much."

"Actually, I have noticed. I've been wondering how I would deal with it if some guy came to pick you up at the house and I had to make nice with him. I didn't think you'd approve of my punching him in the face."

She laughed. d.a.m.n, but he loved the sound of Mandy's laughter.

"No, that wouldn't have gone over well, I imagine. Especially since you'd never asked me out yourself."

Her grin was beyond c.o.c.ky when he took her hand. "I plan to remedy that, beginning today."

The color washed from her face and Marc spun around to see exactly what had upset her. His father was crossing the restaurant, coming directly for their table. "Don't worry," Marc said. "I'll handle this."

Mandy nodded.

Marc stood, blocking Mandy from his father's view. If he'd disliked the man before, he truly hated him now, but he couldn't say anything. Not until they had proof. Ted had been adamant that he not let his father know he remembered what happened.

It wasn't going to be easy. Not when that was all he could think of.

"So, you're dating the help now, eh, son?"

Steven Reed had once been a handsome man. Time had not been kind to him. His florid coloring and heavy jowls gave him a dissipated look that was anything but attractive. And along with that thought, Marc imagined how satisfactory it would be to see the b.a.s.t.a.r.d keel over right here in the restaurant. Heart attack? Stroke? It really didn't matter. He ignored his opening insult. "What do you want?"

"You might answer my calls, for one thing. And show a little respect, because that's not a respectful way to speak to the man who raised you."

"I have nothing to say to you. I've told you not to come by my home or my office. I don't want you calling me. Get a clue-I don't want to see you anywhere. I don't want you bothering me. Not me, not my friends, and especially not my employees. Now go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

He moved closer, slipping well into Marc's personal s.p.a.ce. Marc glanced at the matre d', who appeared to realize there was a problem brewing.

"I think you are." Marc turned away to sit just as the neatly dressed matre d' reached their table. Steven Reed's hand snaked out and he caught Marc's arm in a powerful grasp. Marc bent his elbow and twisted his wrist free.

The simple but effective move was one Theo had taught him.

At the same time, the matre d', now accompanied by a couple of burly waiters, reached the table and focused on Steven Reed. "The police have been called, sir. If you wish to leave before they arrive, you might want to go now. Otherwise, I have the authority to press charges."

"Son of a..." Reed shot a hate-filled look at Mandy, turned away, and stalked out of the restaurant.

The waiters had already gone back to their stations when Marc stood and shook the matre d's hand. "Thank you. I didn't realize he'd followed us."

"My apologies, Mr. Reed. He should have been stopped at the door. We will, of course, comp your meals and beverages. I'm very sorry this happened."

"Absolutely not." Marc sat down again as the waiter brought their meals. "That was, unfortunately, my father, and trying to stop him would have only created a huge scene. I'll expect my bill. Thank you again for your help."

After the man left and Marc realized the adrenaline rush had apparently settled into a low hum, he took a sip of water and glanced Mandy's way.

She was shaking her head. "Do you have any further entertainment planned for the day?"

He almost snorted his water, while she calmly attacked her sandwich. After he'd finished half of his, he remembered a call he'd had earlier. "Jake called while I was walking over here. I totally forgot to tell you. He and Kaz are going to stay an extra week. She's very popular in Italy, and there are two different companies who want her to pose for them, with Jake doing the photos. He said the contracts should pay for the entire cost of the wedding, and he asked if we could take over some of the legwork. When I asked for an interpretation, he said that means they want us to check with the various caterers they've got on their list and let us know which one we like the best."

"Wow! Kaz trusts us to do that?"

"Jake said it was her idea. She's loving Italy, and I don't think she wants to come home. Even for her wedding."

"I can understand that. I've always wanted to see Italy. The northern part, up where the Dolomites are. I used to watch a bike race called the Giro d'Italia, just for the scenery. A lot of the courses went through those mountains. They don't even look real."

"I've never been there either." He shrugged, tried to play it cool while imagining making love to Mandy in a beautiful Italian villa in the mountains. "Maybe that's a trip we can do together one day."

"I wish." She laughed and checked her watch. "I need to eat and get back to work. I hear the boss can be a real pain in the a.s.s."

"That's true. But before we go, there's one more thing I need to tell you, and I also want your opinion. I don't know if I've overstepped my bounds or not."

Mandy finished her sandwich and folded her hands on the table. "Okay, what did you do now?" At least she was smiling.

"I bought our house."

"You what?" Her eyes went wide. "You mean the place we live in? Our house?"

He nodded. "I did. I checked with the landlord. He was thinking of selling because the renter next door, you know, the guy you've never met? Well, he'd not renewed his lease because his temporary move out of state turned permanent, and the landlord didn't want to deal with new renters. It's been empty for a couple of years now. The owner's quite elderly, I made a good offer, and he accepted. Theo's the one who told me I should invest in some smaller rental properties, and that seemed like the perfect place to start."

"Wow. Are you going to have strict new rules? I hope there's not going to be a no pets clause, because Rico would not approve. And what about the empty unit?"

"Well, see, that's the deal. Jake and Kaz hate living so far away. Jake said he has so little free time that he wished they were closer so he could get to know Ben better. Twenty years is a long time for brothers to be apart. Plus, Kaz misses hanging out with you and Lola in the little bit of free time she has. I thought I'd offer the unit next door to them and then pick up the lease on Jake's apartment for Ted Robinson. He's moving out here at the end of the month."

"I think it sounds like a great idea. I imagine Jake and Kaz will love it. She doesn't really like Jake's place very much. He's got a furnished one like your old apartment. She says it has no character, that it's like living in a showroom."

"Well, the place next door definitely has character. One of the bedrooms is painted bubblegum pink and the other one has striped wallpaper that makes my eyes cross. I know they'll want to have it painted and it'll probably need some serious remodeling, but I'll wait until I know for sure if they want it. If not them, then Ted, I guess, though I think he'd prefer Jake's. It's closer to things in town. It's almost impossible to find rentals in this city, which is why I'm trying to work this out in a way that makes sense for everyone."

"I'm actually excited about seeing Ted again. Do you think he can help you find out more about your mother?"

"I'm sure he can. He's starting at the beginning, learning what he can about her background, where she was from, her age. I don't know any of that, but he's got access to records most of us can't get into. I can't approach my father with anything until I have proof. I have to believe Ted will find something."

"Do you plan to see Alden again?"

"I do. I'm getting little snips of memories. I think I'm going to give it at least a week or so, keep taking notes, and then see him again. I really need to get this settled, Mandy. I have to know what happened to my mother. I keep thinking, all these years and no one has mourned her. She had no family that I know of, no brothers or sisters, her parents were gone. At least that's what my father told me. I could have cousins, grandparents. I just don't know."

Mandy stood and held out her hand. "C'mon. We need to get back to work. Call Jake and tell him we'll go to Healdsburg and check on caterers and florists and whatever, and tell him about the house. Give him time to get used to the idea before they come home. That's not something you really want to spring on a couple, ya know?"

He sighed. He could be such an idiot sometimes. "I kind of figured that after I'd already made the offer, but then I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that the deal was going through. In hindsight, it was pretty presumptuous of me to make a decision like that without consulting all of you."

"Actually, Marc, it was thoughtful and very generous. You're truly one of the good guys, ya know?" She hugged his arm close to her body. It took all the willpower he had not to kiss her senseless, right there in the restaurant. Mandy gave affirmation so easily, and yet Marc couldn't ever recall anyone other than the occasional nanny saying anything positive about him or to him while he was growing up.

Probably why he felt like wallowing in her kindness.

They stopped at the register on the way out and the cashier found his bill. He showed it to Marc-nothing but a large zero with a slash through it. "There's no charge, sir. Ian, the matre d', said to comp your meals. He feels badly that you were bothered by that man."

"Let me at least leave a tip, then." Marc pulled out his wallet while the cashier made out a charge tag. Marc handed over his credit card and took the receipt showing nothing in the total. He signed, and added a thousand dollar tip. "This is for the staff," he said. "That was handled really well."

The cashier looked at the tag and then gaped at Marc. "Of course, sir. Whatever you say. And thank you."

As he and Mandy left the restaurant, he saw the cashier racing over to the matre d'. As the door closed behind them, there was a very loud shout. More like a war whoop.

Some days, having all that money was really worth it.

CHAPTER 6.

There was a moving van parked in front of his building when they got back from lunch. Mandy paused while a couple of men pa.s.sed in front of them with a dolly loaded with filing cabinets. "You're losing a tenant?"

"I am." Marc laughed. "Two of them, actually. A couple of women opened up a temp agency, providing secretaries and other office workers, and they've been so successful they're moving to a new, larger location. They've been in this building longer than I have-I inherited them along with the purchase."

Mandy stuck her head in the door and sort of checked out the s.p.a.ce. "What are you going to do with it now?"

Marc grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. It was probably much too soon, but this was the perfect time to show the place to her. "I've had this idea for quite some time, which is why I haven't advertised the s.p.a.ce as available. What do you see when you walk along this stretch of Battery Street?"

"Office buildings, some apartments." Pausing, she smirked. "No place to park."

He leaned close and kissed her. He couldn't help himself. "There is that," he said. "Unless you own your own parking garage."

"I imagine that was a selling point with the building, right?"

"It was. Definitely." Still holding her hand, he walked to the back of the almost empty s.p.a.ce. "Now, more specifically, exactly what do you see when you look out this window?"

She stared a moment. "Mostly apartments, I think. Or offices? Can't tell. Why?"

"It's what you don't see that matters. There's no coffee shop in this area. No restaurants for a couple of blocks. The one we went to is the closest, and it's pretty pricey. But there are apartments and lots of people. I've been thinking of searching for a tenant to either put in a small cafe-style restaurant, or even a coffee shop, similar to the one you worked in. You know, a place where you can grab a quick breakfast or lunch and coffee or tea?" He shrugged. "When you lost your job, I immediately thought of you, but I wanted to be able to show it to you first. Would you be interested in a partnership? Silent partner for me, though." He laughed, realized he sounded nervous and bit back the sound.

Glancing away, he said, "I'm not much of a cook, and I doubt I'd make a very good barista. You'd have to be the brains of the operation." He hoped he'd been subtle enough, that she wouldn't see this as a way to bind her to him even more, but it was such a perfect idea. Mandy would have her coffee shop-and he would have Mandy. It was the only way he knew to keep her close and happy. He couldn't tell her how he really felt, that he loved her, not while this mess with his father was hanging out there. Not until he knew where his mother's body was buried.

It wouldn't be at all fair to her, tying her to a guy whose life was totally in flux right now. But business? Business was different. Straightforward, with contracts that kept things organized.

Contracts kept people together. Forced them to work things out.

He understood contracts a h.e.l.l of a lot better than he understood women. Though Mandy wasn't like any other woman he'd ever known. He glanced her way again. She was beautiful. She was kind, and so smart and funny. She was everything he wanted, but she didn't look at all happy with his suggestion.