have been on his way, but he lingered over her, as Lecia knew he would. She glanced at her magazine, then back up at him.
He said, “I saw you on TV. Heard you on the radio, too.”
“Did you, now?”
“Yeah, and you looked great. But then, you always do.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I have to say, I was a bit surprised with what happened on the Tonight Show. That football player attacking you the way he did. But I thought you handled him real well.”
“I tried,” Lecia said simply. As though she hadn’t replayed every second of the confrontation over and over in her mind! She wished she could put Anthony and the whole event behind her. Butthat wasn’t easy to do, not with the television stations replaying the juicier clips.
The one thing she’d noticed while watching the show at her sister’s place, was how adamant Anthony Beals had been. How passionate , her sister had said. He hadn’t flinched when he told his version of what had happened the night he was alleged to have propositioned a prostitute, and, in fact, nothing about him made her think he was lying. She’d had preconceived ideas about him, all implanted by the media story and his wife’s description of a man who enjoyed perverted sex, strip clubs, and hookers.
“Lecia?”
Her eyes flew upward. “Oh, sorry. I…What were you saying?”
“I said that I thought you put Depraved Dave in his place.”
Lecia rolled her eyes, remembering the radio interview. “That was crazy. I won’t ever be doing that show again.”
“What about other interviews? Any more lined up?”
“Not in the near future, thank God.” She’d had a crazy few weeks with the book’s tenth printing and was ready for a rest.
“So you’ll be around?” Lawrence asked, his tone unmistakably hopeful.
“Well…I’ll be around, yes, but I’m busy with work.” Lecia didn’t want to give Lawrence any type of opening to ask her out. Because she knew he wanted to.
“Maybe,” he began slowly, “maybe sometime we can get together outside of my shop. Perhaps dinner?”
Lecia knew all about Lawrence. At sixty-three, he had lost the love of his life, Nora, four years ago. He had once been a high-powered executive, but a heart attack at the age of fifty-one had made him realize that life was too short to spendworking ninety hours a week, only to keel over before you’d had a chance to enjoy it. After that, he and his wife—the parents of four sons who lived in the Northeast, where they had been born and raised—decided to retire in the Golden State. After a year, they decided to open up a small coffee shop, a homey kind of place where the owners knew everyone by name. It had been an instant success.
Lecia had first started coming there when she began working in Los Angeles, just over two months ago. And she’d known that Lawrence had taken a liking to her since that time.
“I’m honestly so busy,” she told him. “I really can’t say yes.”
“Oh. I see.”
She didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings. “But if my schedule changes, I’ll let you know. I’d enjoy a friendly dinner.”
Lawrence nodded his understanding. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you’re reading.”
She tucked the magazine under her arm and stood. “Actually, I’d better be off. I wouldn’t mind a fresh cup of coffee to go.”
“Large?”
“Medium this time. I don’t want to be too wired this afternoon.”
“Sure thing.”
Lecia followed Lawrence up to the front of the shop. She opened her wallet, but as he turned to hand her the to-go cup, he closed his hand over hers and pushed the wallet downward.
“You know all refills are free.”
Lecia didn’t bother to argue. She grinned, nodded her appreciation, then headed to the door.
On the short drive from Nora’s Café back to the office, the sky had gone from bright and sunny to overcast, promising rain. Lecia took her umbrella out of the backseat of her Lexus before making her way to the clinic’s
He said, “I saw you on TV. Heard you on the radio, too.”
“Did you, now?”
“Yeah, and you looked great. But then, you always do.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I have to say, I was a bit surprised with what happened on the Tonight Show. That football player attacking you the way he did. But I thought you handled him real well.”
“I tried,” Lecia said simply. As though she hadn’t replayed every second of the confrontation over and over in her mind! She wished she could put Anthony and the whole event behind her. Butthat wasn’t easy to do, not with the television stations replaying the juicier clips.
The one thing she’d noticed while watching the show at her sister’s place, was how adamant Anthony Beals had been. How passionate , her sister had said. He hadn’t flinched when he told his version of what had happened the night he was alleged to have propositioned a prostitute, and, in fact, nothing about him made her think he was lying. She’d had preconceived ideas about him, all implanted by the media story and his wife’s description of a man who enjoyed perverted sex, strip clubs, and hookers.
“Lecia?”
Her eyes flew upward. “Oh, sorry. I…What were you saying?”
“I said that I thought you put Depraved Dave in his place.”
Lecia rolled her eyes, remembering the radio interview. “That was crazy. I won’t ever be doing that show again.”
“What about other interviews? Any more lined up?”
“Not in the near future, thank God.” She’d had a crazy few weeks with the book’s tenth printing and was ready for a rest.
“So you’ll be around?” Lawrence asked, his tone unmistakably hopeful.
“Well…I’ll be around, yes, but I’m busy with work.” Lecia didn’t want to give Lawrence any type of opening to ask her out. Because she knew he wanted to.
“Maybe,” he began slowly, “maybe sometime we can get together outside of my shop. Perhaps dinner?”
Lecia knew all about Lawrence. At sixty-three, he had lost the love of his life, Nora, four years ago. He had once been a high-powered executive, but a heart attack at the age of fifty-one had made him realize that life was too short to spendworking ninety hours a week, only to keel over before you’d had a chance to enjoy it. After that, he and his wife—the parents of four sons who lived in the Northeast, where they had been born and raised—decided to retire in the Golden State. After a year, they decided to open up a small coffee shop, a homey kind of place where the owners knew everyone by name. It had been an instant success.
Lecia had first started coming there when she began working in Los Angeles, just over two months ago. And she’d known that Lawrence had taken a liking to her since that time.
“I’m honestly so busy,” she told him. “I really can’t say yes.”
“Oh. I see.”
She didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings. “But if my schedule changes, I’ll let you know. I’d enjoy a friendly dinner.”
Lawrence nodded his understanding. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you’re reading.”
She tucked the magazine under her arm and stood. “Actually, I’d better be off. I wouldn’t mind a fresh cup of coffee to go.”
“Large?”
“Medium this time. I don’t want to be too wired this afternoon.”
“Sure thing.”
Lecia followed Lawrence up to the front of the shop. She opened her wallet, but as he turned to hand her the to-go cup, he closed his hand over hers and pushed the wallet downward.
“You know all refills are free.”
Lecia didn’t bother to argue. She grinned, nodded her appreciation, then headed to the door.
On the short drive from Nora’s Café back to the office, the sky had gone from bright and sunny to overcast, promising rain. Lecia took her umbrella out of the backseat of her Lexus before making her way to the clinic’s
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