Excerpts

Excerpt from Expecting!
January 2004
by Susan Mallery

"Do I get a bonus if the buyer is young and pretty?" Jeanne asked.

Eric Mendoza tried to keep a stern expression, but it was nearly impossible when his fifty-something assistant arched her eyebrows and gave him an exaggerated wink.

"I think beautiful legs should play into the bonus equation as well," she continued from her seat on the other side of his desk.

He held up a hand before she could detail what great breasts would be worth. "You'll get a bonus if the buyer is qualified. Looks and gender don't enter into it."

"Oh, sure, you say that now, but that's because you haven't seen the buyer."

Eric leaned back in his chair and sighed. "If I suggested your bonus would be based on anything else, you'd call me a sexist pig."

"Or worse," Jeanne agreed cheerfully. "I just love the double standard. I'm older and female, so I can say what I want. You're a young, good-looking executive on the rise, so you have to be careful."

"Right now I have to be busy." He pointed to the papers on his desk.

"Not a very subtle hint." Jeanne rose. "How long? "

He glanced at his computer screen. The schedule detailed there didn't leave much time for an unexpected meeting with a prospective purchaser of property twelve, but he wanted to get the house taken care of as quickly as possible.

"Ten minutes should be enough," he said.

"All right. I'll show her in and plan to interrupt in ten minutes." She grinned. "Should I knock before I enter, so I don't startle the two of you making out on the sofa?"

"I'm going to ignore that."

"Figures, but it wouldn't kill you to think about your social life from time to time. Once a quarter, at least. Eric, you need a woman."

"Jeanne, you need to stop trying to be my mother."

"Someone has to be. Besides, I'm good at it."

With that, she turned and headed out of the room. Eric watched her go.

His assistant was back-talking, opinionated and invaluable. Through a quirk of fate, she'd been assigned to him after his first promotion three years before. Her smart mouth hid both superior intelligence and fierce loyalty. In his rapid rise to middle management at Meryln County Regional Hospital, Jeanne had been a sounding board and a source of information. He was more than ten years younger than any of his peers, which created both resentment and opportunity. Jeanne kept a lot of the former at bay.

He scratched out a few more notes on his upcoming meeting, then glanced up when the door to his office opened.

"Hannah Wisham Bingham to see you," Jeanne said in her courteous "you're the boss" voice. Savvy as always, Jeanne only tortured him in private.

Eric set down his pen and rose. He was halfway across the room before both the name and woman's appearance registered.

"Hannah?"

He studied the tall, slender blonde in his doorway, comparing her with the slightly gawky teenager he remembered from long ago summers spent by the lake. Her eyes were still bright green cat's eyes and her smile was familiar, but everything else had grown up...in the best way possible.

Her smile widened and a dimple appeared. "Eric. It's great to see you." She stepped into the room and glanced around. "Big office, a view. I'm impressed."

Behind Hannah's back, Jeanne gave him a thumb's up of approval. He chuckled, then motioned to the sofa in the corner. "Hannah, please, have a seat."

When they were both settled and alone, he angled toward her. "This is a surprise. I didn't know you were back in town."

"I just got in a couple of days ago. I'm interested in buying a house. I went through the various listings and was surprised to find one for sale by the hospital. Or is selling real estate something you do on the side?"

"I'm a man of many talents." "That's hardly news. So what's the scoop?"

She twisted her hand palm up as she spoke. Her long fingers moved gracefully. The tailored blazer and slim skirt she wore made her look like what she was-a wealthy daughter of a socially prominent family. She'd come a long way from where she'd started.

"The hospital provides housing for visiting doctors and their families," he said. "It's one way we attract the best and the brightest. The house up for sale is one of our properties. It's a great place, with views of the mountains and the lake, but it's a little too far out of town for doctors on call. I suggested we sell it and buy something closer to town. The board agreed with me."

"I see. So you're in charge of getting rid of the old and buying the new, right?"

"I've already bought the new."

"Why am I not surprised?" She laughed. "Off the beaten track, with great views sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. When can I see it?"

"How about later this afternoon?"

"My calendar is blissfully free. Name the time."

"Three."

She tilted her head. Soft, blond hair brushed across her shoulders. "Will you be there, or do you delegate that sort of thing?"

"I'll be there," he told her, even as he knew it would mean juggling an assortment of meetings and projects.

"Then we have a plan." She rose. "I'm looking forward to seeing the house and to talking with you more. We can catch up. It's been a long time."

He stood and smiled. "I agree. At least five years."

"Six." She shrugged. "Law school. It's teaching me to be precise."

She gave a little wave with her fingers, then headed for the door. Eric watched her go. Hannah had always been a pretty girl. Now she was a beautiful woman. No wonder Jeanne had wanted to know if there was a bonus for a buyer with great legs. Hannah had those in spades.

He returned to his desk. Less than ten seconds later, Jeanne burst in.

"Can I pick 'em or what?" she said, sounding pleased. "There's no husband-I asked."

He winced. "Typical."

Jeanne didn't bother looking chagrined. "I wanted to know. I knew you wouldn't ask..." Her gaze turned speculative. "Or would you already have this information at your fingertips? You two seemed to know each other."

"She's a couple of years younger than me. We met when we were teenagers. I worked at the lake and she spent summers there. Her father is Billy Bingham."

Jeanne raised her eyebrows. "The younger, wilder son of the ever so wealthy Binghams? Didn't he die? "

"A long time ago."

About a year after Hannah had found of she was his bastard daughter, he recalled. That had been the summer he and Hannah had met. Her grandmother had arranged for sailing lessons and he'd been Hannah's instructor. He'd been all of sixteen, but had considered himself much older than her. Still, they'd become friends. Funny how Hannah had been the one person he could talk to back then.

"Now she's in town," Jeanne said. "I guess if she's a Bingham, we don't have to check her credit. She's bound to have money."

"I'm meeting her at the house at three. Please clear my afternoon."

Jeanne fluttered her eyelashes. "You're actually going to leave the office before seven-thirty in the evening?"

"Selling the house is my responsibility."

"Oh, don't feel you have to convince me you're doing the right thing. I'm just all a twitter about this. I can't remember the last time you were on a date."

"My personal life-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "I know, I'm not supposed to say anything. I can't help it, Eric. Lord knows practically every single woman between the ages of twenty and forty and living in a fifty mile radius has tried to get your attention. But you ignore most of them. You only go out with the ones who aren't interested in anything but a good time. Don't you want to settle down and get married?"

He stared at her without responding.

She pressed her lips together. "Fine. Don't answer the question. Tell me it's none of my business and that you don't need me mothering you. But if you ask me, someone has to do it."

"I don't recall asking."

Jeanne didn't look the least bit discouraged. "I'm going back to my desk. I'll clear your afternoon. I know you think it's all just about selling the house, but even you should notice that Hannah's a very attractive woman. You used to like her. Maybe you could again. Talk nice. Take her to dinner. It wouldn't kill you to get involved, you know."

With that, she left him alone.

Eric returned his attention to the report he'd been reading, but instead of seeing the sentences printed there, he considered Jeanne's words. That it wouldn't kill him to get involved with someone. She was right. It wouldn't.

But he'd learned a long time ago that it was far better to channel his energies into something concrete, like his career, than waste them trying to make a romantic relationship work. In his experience, women weren't likely to stick around and love only led to tragedy.

But that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the company of an old friend for an hour or two. And if she shared his philosophy of good times with no strings, then that hour or two could stretch into something longer.

#

While Hannah wouldn't mind holding onto a youthful complexion into her later years, she'd hoped that some parts of her would age. That maybe the veneer of sophistication would thicken into an actual part of her person. That she could be casually elegant in all situations. But no. Apparently you could take the girl out of Merlyn County, but you couldn't take Merlyn County of out the girl.

Laughing at herself, the beauty of the afternoon and the sense of having finally made the right choice, she steered her car up the two lane road toward the house she wanted to see.

Spring had come to the area, showing off in an explosion of green leaves, budding flowers and trees, and a symphony of bird calls. She rolled down her window to inhale the sweetness in the air. After a cold winter in the close confines of university life in New Haven, she felt practically giddy at returning home.

Hannah shifted in her seat. The truth had come to her somewhere in Virginia, as she'd driven back to Kentucky. She'd finally realized she wasn't so much running away from a life she didn't like as she was running to the one place where she'd always belonged. Unlike Dorothy who had only needed a pair of ruby slippers to find her way home, Hannah had required her faithful two-door coup, several maps and nearly three days to make the journey. But she was here and she was about to make a fresh start.

Sort of. It seems that time, distance and an Ivy League education had done little to help her get over her school girl crush on Eric Mendoza. At fourteen, she'd thought he was the epitome of the cool, handsome older guy. Ten years later, he was all that and more-more successful, more polished, more filling out his well cut suit.

At least she hadn't gushed. That was something. She would bet money he didn't have a clue as to how she'd felt all those years ago. She might have been madly in love with him, but she hadn't been an idiot. She'd watched his string of girlfriends come and go. She'd been outclassed on the romantic playing field, but as his friend, she'd been the only female with staying power.

Now they were both grown-up. Equals, she told herself, then smiled. No, they weren't exactly equals. Not unless being around her made his heart thunder like a herd of elephants and his palms sweat. Given what she knew about him, she was going to guess the answer was no. Still, a girl could dream...

She glanced at her watch, then returned her attention to the winding road. Up ahead, the street leveled out. On her left, she saw a mail box topped by the number she was looking for and pulled into the wide driveway. One curve later, she faced a wood and stone house with a pitched roof and views the seemed to stretch on forever.

Hannah slowed her car and sighed. She felt as if she'd just stepped into a Thomas Kincaid painting filled with lush colors and a mystical quality of light.

A stone wall fronted the house. There was a detached garage to the left and a gate to the right. From what she could see of the gardens, they were overgrown, but still beautiful. Mature trees lined the property. A stone walk wound through the front yard, passing by two benches and what looked like a bird bath. There were plenty of windows, two narrow strips of stained glass on either side of the front door and several empty terra cotta pots on the stone front porch.

Hannah parked her car next to a four door BMW sedan and stepped out into the cool, sunny afternoon. She might only have seen the front of the house, but if the inside came close to matching, she was more than in love-she was ready to buy.

Eric walked around the side of the garage and approached her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

She tore her gaze away from the perfectly fitted eves and found herself caught up in his strong features and easy smile.

Time had chiseled his cheek bones into sharp relief and had added strength and stubbornness to his jaw. The hint of olive in his complexion made his teeth seem blindingly white, but as always it was his large dark eyes that captured her attention.

She remembered been fifteen, dealing with braces, bad skin and a growing crush on Eric. There had been countless nights spent in her room, writing awful poetry in an adolescent attempt to describe the wonder of his eyes. She'd never been able to find the words to detail the combination of browns and golds, nor had she been able to explain how his lashes could be so thick and long without being the least bit feminine.

Gorgeous house, gorgeous guy. What was a girl to do?

"It makes a great first impression," she said, motioning to the garden and walkway.

"Wait until you see inside. This property always received high marks from visiting doctors and their families."

He led the way to the gate and held it open. Hannah felt herself slipping back to adolescence when she noticed that even in two inch heels, she was still several inches shorter than Eric. Talk about tall, dark and devastating.

One would think her relatively recent heartbreak would have taught her a thing or two about men with pretty faces, but one would be wrong. Apparently handsome males from the past didn't count, or she hadn't learned her lesson.

Not wanting it to be the latter, she squared her shoulders and vowed that the rest of the afternoon would only be about business. She was interested in buying a house, Eric had one to sell-end of story.

While Eric pulled a key from his suit jacket pocket, Hannah stepped on the small porch and glanced back at the garden. She could see how the hedges could be trimmed and the roses cut back. With a little TLC and a lot of weeding, the front garden could be a showpiece. She was going to have plenty of time and would welcome the exercise. Spending a few weeks out in the yard would be a great way to settle into coming home.

The front door opened and Eric stepped back to let her inside. The small foyer opened up into a large, empty living room complete with stone fireplace and arched windows. To the right of the entrance was the formal dining room, to the left was a hallway.

"How long has the house been vacant?" she asked.

"About a month. Once we decided to sell the place, we waited for the family in residence to leave, then we painted it, inside and out."

She glanced at the white walls. "Great color choice."

He chuckled. "It's a little stark, but paint is easy to change."

"Agreed." She already had a few ideas.

Hannah walked through to the kitchen, noting that the hardwood floors flowed throughout the space. They were old, but in good shape, just like the cabinets and countertops. She wouldn't mind replacing the tile with granite, but that could easily wait. The appliances were new.

"How many bedrooms?" she asked.

"Two upstairs. Two more downstairs."

She frowned. "I thought this was a one story."

"It looks that way from the street, but the house is built on the hillside and there's a daylight basement. Family room, utility room and the additional two bedrooms."

She followed him into the living room and was able to see staircase that led down.

Before exploring that part of the house, she walked into the two bedrooms on this floor. The master was large, with a modern and elegant bathroom and enough closet space for a beauty contestant. The second bedroom was smaller, but bright and sunny. Hannah paused, imagining what the room would look like with toys and child-sized furniture.

The downstairs was as large and well-lit as the upstairs. Only the utility and furnace rooms didn't have windows. There were the two extra bedrooms, another bathroom, a second fireplace and plenty of storage.

"I would have been happy with just the upstairs," she said as she rubbed her foot against the beige Berber carpet. "This is terrific."

Eric pulled open the sliding glass door in the family room and stepped outside. "Wait until you see this," he said with a grin.

She followed him outside. The backyard was huge and level. A fence surrounded the property. Trimmed trees allowed a perfect view of the mountains, even from the ground level.

"Talk about a house with a view," Hannah murmured as she walked across the grass the edge of the fence.

Eric paused by a wooden gate. "The house comes with a small boat dock."

"What?"

She stared down the side of the hill and saw stone steps leading the lake below.

The sight of the blue water reminded her of happy afternoons spent on a sailboat. Ginman's Lake might not impress anyone who'd seen the Great Lakes, or the ocean, but to the residents of the area, it was paradise.

"Is this where I pretend disinterest, so you try to convince me it's perfect?" she asked, knowing that she'd found the place she wanted to call home.

Eric shook his head. "I'm not a salesman. I can tell you the price is fair, that I have maintenance records and receipts for the past seven years and that we'll pay for a five year home warranty for all major systems and appliances."

She smiled. "Good to know. In return, I can tell you that I plan to pay cash."

He motioned back to the house. "Then let's go talk about it."

They walked through the house again, and ended up sitting on the front steps. The sun warmed Hannah as she stretched out her legs and raised her face to the sky.

"I've missed this," she admitted. "All of it. Life here is a lot less complicated."

"It has its moments."

She turned to him. "I'm sure it does. You've been out of college, what, five years and you're already on the fast track."

"How would you know?"

"I could tell by the size of your office."

"Fair enough. I've worked hard and done well."

She remembered his plans to be rich and powerful. Growing up as somebody's bastard, on the wrong side of town, had a way of influencing a person's dreams. She knew from personal experience. The difference was while Eric had wanted success, she'd only ever wanted to belong.

"You're doing well yourself," he said. "Yale law school. Congratulations."

"Thanks," she said, trying not to think about law school, or anything else about her life in New Haven.

"This house will be a great summer place for you."

Hannah raised her eyebrows. "What? "

"Isn't that why you're buying it? So you'll have your own place when you come back in the summer?"

"No." She replayed their conversations and realized she's never said why she was looking for a house. "This isn't going to be a vacation home for me. I'm moving back permanently."

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