“The girls seemed to be enjoying themselves as well,” she said smiling at him.
He glanced at his daughters and watched how they held hands while skipping merrily along, just a few feet in front of them.
He chuckled. “Yeah, they’re probably pleased with themselves at how we allowed them to easily manipulate you into coming. At some point we’re going to have to let them know that flashing those baby brown doe eyes won’t always work on us.”
For a heartbeat he didn’t say anything when he realized how what he’d said sounded; what it could have insinuated. Us. There wasn’t an “us” and he needed to be very careful not to suggest otherwise. For a brief minute he’d made it seem as if the two of them were a couple and that wasn’t the case. He glanced over at her as they continued walking. If she’d caught on to his slip, then she wasn’t showing it.
“How much longer do you think it will be before Eden is completed?” she asked to break the silence that had developed between them.
He glanced over at her. Met her eyes. Almost drowned in their darkness to the point where he had to blink before answering. “If we keep on schedule, we’re looking at another seven to eight months. We knew going in that it would take close to a year to complete things and we’re trying hard to stay on schedule.”
“Sage showed me the plans. It’s going to be a beautiful resort.”
“Yes, it will be. John Landmark is going all out to make Eden a spectacular ski resort, one that would outshine even the Vail ski resort. When finished, it’s going to be twice as big and have a lot more amenities,” he said proudly.
Rose nodded. When they reached an attraction that caught the girls’ attention, Parnell and Rose stood back and leaned against a rail. A gust of wind caused the knit hat Rose was wearing to fly off her head and land near her feet. In her haste to get it back, both she and Parnell reached for it at the same time.
Their hands accidentally touched and for a heartbeat neither moved. Their eyes connected and held. Sexual tension, the likes Parnell had never known in his entire lifetime, gripped him—solid as a rock—hard as stone. He breathed in sharply at the same time he heard her release a shaky breath. Of their own accord it seemed, their heads moved in close, then closer, and just when their mouths were about to connect…
“Daddy! Rose! See the elephants!”
The sound of Joya’s voice intruded, severed the moment and Parnell drew back. Rose straightened and without glancing at him she quickly walked over to the girls. “Wow!” she said taking hold of both their hands. “They are big aren’t they?”
Parnell drew in a breath and held it as he straightened and seized a tight hold onto the rail, waiting for the moment to past. But the thought kept flashing in his mind of how close he and Rose had come to sharing a kiss.
“Daddy, aren’t you going to look at the elephants?”
He turned and sent his gaze directly to his daughters and fought valiantly to keep it off Rose. “Yes, I’m going to look at them.”
And then he walked over to where the three of them stood. When he came close, Rose stepped sideways, out of his way. She had never acted skittish around him before and he knew the reason she was doing so now.
“I think it’s time for us to go,” he said taking both of his daughter’s hands. Surprisingly, neither offered any resistance; he figured mainly because it was nap time and they were getting tired and sleepy.
Neither him nor Rose spoke on the drive from the zoo. Somewhere along the way both girls fell asleep which gave them ample privacy to address the growing strain between them. But he honestly didn’t know what he could say. He could probably tell her that the subtle scent of her perfume was reminding him of the last time he had been intimate with a woman – three long years ago. He could also tell her that every time he saw her he was reminded of that fact, especially today. Why, especially today he wasn’t sure.
But the one thing he was sure about was that they needed to talk about it.
He glanced over at her. She was looking out the window. He inhaled deeply and then said. “The offer still stands if you want to do laundry over at my place.”
It was then that she turned to look at him, tilted her head as if to get a real good view and said. “No, I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”
“No you didn’t.”
“I feel like I did.”
He glanced over at her for a quick moment before putting his gaze back on the road. “Those feelings are wrong.”
“You sure?”
His car came to a traffic light. He then turned and met her gaze. “Positive.”
He watched as she inhaled deeply before saying. “Still, I think it’s best that you take me home.”
He nodded. He thought it was best to take her home as well.
* * *
Later that night after all her laundry was done and she had taken a nice warm bubble bath and put on her favorite nightie, Rose slipped between the cool, crisp sheets to replay everything that had happened that day at the zoo; especially the part when she and Parnell had come close to kissing.
That hadn’t been the first time sexual tension had flowed between them, but it was the very first time they had come close to acting on it. Her body began to tremble when she imagined how it would have felt for his lips to touch hers . . . like they had done so many times in her dreams.
She almost jumped out of her skin when the phone rang and quickly reached over to pick it up. “Hello?”
“Hey, girl, I can’t talk but for a quick second, Gabe’s in the library talking business to a client.”
Rose smiled upon hearing Sage’s voice. “Where are you?”
“I’m still in Detroit. At Gabe’s place. We’ll be flying back to Anchorage on Tuesday.”
“So, I guess you guys straightened things out.”
“Yes, and I want you to be one of the first to know that we’re going to get married.”
Rose sat up straight in bed. “Oh, Sage, that’s wonderful. When?”
“Umm, we haven’t set a date yet, but felt since we’re both deeply involved with Eden, we won’t be doing anything before it’s finished. So, we’re possibly looking at another six to eight months. But whatever date we decide on, I want to know if you’ll be one of my bridesmaids.”
Rose smiled through her tears, she was so happy for Sage. “Of course I will, no matter when you decide to tie the knot, I’ll be there. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks. And how are things going for you and Parnell? Right before I left town you mentioned something about offering him a business deal that he wouldn’t be able to refuse.”
Rose inhaled deeply. She didn’t want to rain on Sage’s parade by saying that Parnell had refused it. “Well, you know how it is, girl. The man won’t know what hit him until it’s too late,” she said blithely.
“Rose, I know you and whatever it is you want you will eventually get it. If it wasn’t for you giving me some good advice I might have lost Gabe.”
“No, you would not have. He loves you.”
“Yes, and I love him, too.”
A shiver ran through Rose at the degree of love she heard in Sage’s voice. “I hear you. Now get back to your man.”
“I will.”
After she hung up the phone Rose flipped on her back, gazed up at the ceiling and released a long sigh. She couldn’t help wondering what Parnell was doing right now.
* * *
Parnell pushed the covers aside and got out of bed. He couldn’t sleep. Walking out the bedroom and crossing the hall, he softly opened the door to his daughters’ room. The night light reflected on them both, showing they were fast asleep. Even with the nap they had taken earlier, when bedtime came they hadn’t put up the usual fuss. They had, however, wanted to know if Rose would be coming home with them after church tomorrow.
He sighed as he slowly pulled their door back shut. After today it wouldn’t surprise him if Rose didn’t come back at all. Wasn’t it just yesterday that he had scuffed at her proposal, saying the girls were the only female companionship he needed? Yet today, he had come close to kissing her. He had wanted to kiss her. Hell, he had gotten the urge to do a lot more than that. And all as a result of one innocent touch.
Going back to his room he sat on the edge of the bed, tempted to call her and talk about it. But what could he say? He knew clearly from her proposal just what she wanted. Was it fair to keep her around, wanting her the way he did and not do something about it? At least do the decent thing. If he didn’t and continued to drive the both of them demented, was he any better than those other guys she’d been involved with? The ones who had meant her no good?
Maybe today was just a fluke. An off day with his libido. He shook his head as he eased back in bed underneath the covers. Hell, who was he kidding?
* * *
The next day after church Parnell drove to Sage’s house, hoping Rose would be there. She hadn’t come to church and he had promised the girls that he would check on her. He would admit he had gotten worried himself. Since coming to Anchorage she hadn’t missed a Sunday at church, until today. He wondered if her absence had anything to do with yesterday. He hoped not because she had missed a good sermon. It seemed as if Reverend Tyler’s message had been directed straight at him. The title had been, Do You Recognize a Blessing When You See It?