first.”
“It was such an
honor to meet you, honey. Thank you for coming tonight, and allowing me
to share a bit of my soul with you . I’m humbled you find
such joy in my creations.”
“I do,
Tabitha. And thank you, again. It was an honor to meet you as
well.”
Ryann struggled
for a second with whether she should tell her that she would be doing her
internship at the Institute starting within the next week. But before she
could speak, Jeremy stepped into Ryann’s line of vision after having given her
and Tabitha that private moment.
“Ryann, I only
need three minutes to have my mom sign some papers, then we’ll be on our way.”
God, she was
torn. She wanted to go with him, and at the same time didn’t want him to
take her home, because she knew damn well what would happen if he did.
The thought left her both terrified, and electrified at the same time.
“Jeremy…” she
stammered.
Her hesitancy
was obvious, because he said quietly so his mother couldn’t hear him, “We’ll
talk about this after the business with my mom is finished.”
Ayanna’s voice
was screaming at her again. You’re not some 16 year old virgin,
Ry. You’re a grown woman! What on earth are you waiting for?!
He’s a gorgeous, juicy, DELICIOUS man…just get in the car and let him have his
way with you already!
She said under
her breath, “Jeremy, I’m going to call for a car. Please. Let’s not
argue about this.”
His eyes burned
into her. “This will only take a minute.”
He turned to his
mother. “Mom, why don’t you sign the papers now, since I have them, and
then it will finally be settled. I left them back in the kitchen with
Janie. I’ll go and get them.” He gave Ryann a look that said Wait
here , then went to get the papers he was referring to.
There was a
moment of silence, and Ryann turned to smile at Tabitha. Tabitha, who
looked so content in that moment, said, “You know, I wouldn’t be where I am
today in my career if it weren’t for Jeremy.”
Ryann looked at
her inquisitively.
“He’s been a
tremendous support to me... such a strong man… a lot like his dad.”
Pause. “Did you know he lost his father at 15?”
Ryann, shocked,
shook her head.
“Cancer.”
She sighed. “Jim was my rock. He was, well, he was awesome.”
Her face took on a wistful look. “He was such a funny man. And he
was so…sexy.” She laughed appreciatively. “He loved chocolate,
too,” she winked with a naughty smile. “I still miss him. After he
died, Jem and I both looked out for each other. Here he was a young man
himself, grieving the loss of his father, me grieving the loss of my first
love…but Jeremy remained so grounded. He was very protective of me… But I
was able to find love again. And even though it took a bit for him
to warm up to the idea of me marrying Will, who had been a family friend for
years, he was in full support of seeing me happy again. Now he and Will
adore each other.”
She took a deep
breath, then continued. “I hope you don’t mind me mentioning this but
when I was saying goodbye to my sister, she reminded me of your history.
I remember when Robbie talked about your loss a couple of years ago.” She
reached out and took Ryann’s hand. “It will be my hope and prayer that
you’ll be able to find love again, too.”
As if they were
in a performance, Jeremy made his entrance at that moment and looked between
the two of them. “What have you two been talking about? Should I be
nervous?” he asked dryly.
“Not at all,
sweetie. We were just chatting. Let’s get this done, ok? As
much as I’ve enjoyed being the VC at the Institute, it will be nice to focus
solely on my painting. You’re going to be a wonderful replacement,
baby. You’re knowledge of the art world will definitely come in handy.”
“I’m looking
forward to it.”
Ryann started. She began to
hear a buzzing in
“It was such an
honor to meet you, honey. Thank you for coming tonight, and allowing me
to share a bit of my soul with you . I’m humbled you find
such joy in my creations.”
“I do,
Tabitha. And thank you, again. It was an honor to meet you as
well.”
Ryann struggled
for a second with whether she should tell her that she would be doing her
internship at the Institute starting within the next week. But before she
could speak, Jeremy stepped into Ryann’s line of vision after having given her
and Tabitha that private moment.
“Ryann, I only
need three minutes to have my mom sign some papers, then we’ll be on our way.”
God, she was
torn. She wanted to go with him, and at the same time didn’t want him to
take her home, because she knew damn well what would happen if he did.
The thought left her both terrified, and electrified at the same time.
“Jeremy…” she
stammered.
Her hesitancy
was obvious, because he said quietly so his mother couldn’t hear him, “We’ll
talk about this after the business with my mom is finished.”
Ayanna’s voice
was screaming at her again. You’re not some 16 year old virgin,
Ry. You’re a grown woman! What on earth are you waiting for?!
He’s a gorgeous, juicy, DELICIOUS man…just get in the car and let him have his
way with you already!
She said under
her breath, “Jeremy, I’m going to call for a car. Please. Let’s not
argue about this.”
His eyes burned
into her. “This will only take a minute.”
He turned to his
mother. “Mom, why don’t you sign the papers now, since I have them, and
then it will finally be settled. I left them back in the kitchen with
Janie. I’ll go and get them.” He gave Ryann a look that said Wait
here , then went to get the papers he was referring to.
There was a
moment of silence, and Ryann turned to smile at Tabitha. Tabitha, who
looked so content in that moment, said, “You know, I wouldn’t be where I am
today in my career if it weren’t for Jeremy.”
Ryann looked at
her inquisitively.
“He’s been a
tremendous support to me... such a strong man… a lot like his dad.”
Pause. “Did you know he lost his father at 15?”
Ryann, shocked,
shook her head.
“Cancer.”
She sighed. “Jim was my rock. He was, well, he was awesome.”
Her face took on a wistful look. “He was such a funny man. And he
was so…sexy.” She laughed appreciatively. “He loved chocolate,
too,” she winked with a naughty smile. “I still miss him. After he
died, Jem and I both looked out for each other. Here he was a young man
himself, grieving the loss of his father, me grieving the loss of my first
love…but Jeremy remained so grounded. He was very protective of me… But I
was able to find love again. And even though it took a bit for him
to warm up to the idea of me marrying Will, who had been a family friend for
years, he was in full support of seeing me happy again. Now he and Will
adore each other.”
She took a deep
breath, then continued. “I hope you don’t mind me mentioning this but
when I was saying goodbye to my sister, she reminded me of your history.
I remember when Robbie talked about your loss a couple of years ago.” She
reached out and took Ryann’s hand. “It will be my hope and prayer that
you’ll be able to find love again, too.”
As if they were
in a performance, Jeremy made his entrance at that moment and looked between
the two of them. “What have you two been talking about? Should I be
nervous?” he asked dryly.
“Not at all,
sweetie. We were just chatting. Let’s get this done, ok? As
much as I’ve enjoyed being the VC at the Institute, it will be nice to focus
solely on my painting. You’re going to be a wonderful replacement,
baby. You’re knowledge of the art world will definitely come in handy.”
“I’m looking
forward to it.”
Ryann started. She began to
hear a buzzing in
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