One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson
CHAPTER NINE
VAUGHNSATAThis desk, absently rubbing his bearded chin as his mind churned with thoughts of Sierra.
He stood and, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks, walked over to the window that overlooked the gulf. It was the first week of November and the sky was cloudy, the air cool and crisp, yet today’s weather wasn’t what was on his mind. The taste of one particular woman was. It didn’t take much to recall just how delectable her mouth was, or how she felt being held in his arms while he kissed her with a need he’d sensed all over.
He had not expected their kiss last night to affect him so powerfully. Over the past couple of weeks, he discovered she was a woman a man could become addicted to if he wasn’t careful. The problem with him was that he didn’t want to be careful. He wanted Sierra.
Even after he got home last night, he’d been tempted to call her, just to hear her voice, but he hadn’t. He was still determined to progress slowly with her. It was important that they got to know each other. He wanted to get to know Teryn as well. The little girl was a major part of Sierra’s life and that meant she would be an important part of his.
If anyone had told him this time last year that he would be pursuing a woman, he would not have believed them. However, he would have to concur that Sierra Crane wasn’t just any woman. When he’d pulled her into his arms last night, he had felt her hesitation...for just a quick second...and then he had absorbed her acceptance by giving her a long, deep kiss. But it hadn’t been enough, not even when they’d gone a second round. Hell, he could have kept going all night.
The buzzer on his desk sounded and he moved toward it. He should have appreciated the intrusion since it wasn’t like he didn’t have any work to do. He had plenty, but he still felt annoyed at the interruption. “Yes, Kate?”
“Mr. Lacroix would like to see you, Vaughn.”
He smiled. The woman who’d been working for Lacroix Industries probably for as long as Vaughn had been on this earth was still the ever-efficient and well-organized Kate Dorsett. She’d been Reid’s personal assistant for years and made the lives of every one of Reid’s executive team members much easier.
“Let him know I’m on my way.”
A short while later, on his way to Reid’s office, Vaughn paused when he reached Kate’s desk.
“You can go on in, Vaughn.”
“Thanks, and how’s Brody?”
Her son Brody Dorsett had graduated from high school two years before Vaughn. Like others, Brody had left to go to college and eventually took a job elsewhere. When his father had taken ill, he returned to the cove to take over as fire chief investigator. He was officially given the job when his father had passed away a few years ago.
“Brody is doing fine. Staying busy. I’m just so glad he came back home.”
Vaughn nodded. He liked Brody, most people did.
When he opened the door to Reid’s office the man looked up and smiled. “Come on in, Vaughn,” he said, offering him the chair in front of his desk.
Vaughn thought he had a pretty nice office, but Reid’s took the cake. It was large, spacious and had the best view of both the gulf and the blueberry fields.
“You got something for me to do, Reid?”
Reid leaned forward. “As a matter of fact I do. I’ve finally made a decision about something.”
Vaughn’s brows lifted inquiringly. “And what is that?”
“I’ll be turning sixty in eight months and it’s time for me to think about retiring.”
Of all the things Vaughn had expected Reid to say, that wasn’t one of them. “Retire? You?”
“Yes, sometime next year.” He paused. “I’ve been working here since taking over for my father when I was thirty. That’s almost thirty years, and long enough for anyone to be at any one job.”
Vaughn chuckled. “You better not say that too loud, or Kate might hear you. I know for a fact she’s been here almost thirty-five.”
“Yes, she has. Dad hired her, but I’m going to try and persuade her to retire when I do. She’s given this company a lot of good years. Claims she’ll be bored at home, unless Brody marries and gives her a bunch of grandkids.”
Reid paused again and continued, “There was a time I thought this company was my life, and because of that I didn’t give my son and wife the time I should have. For years I thought making a profit was everything. When I lost Julius and then Roberta months later, I knew nothing was more important than those you love, and I regretted the time I spent here instead of giving it to them.”
“I’m sure they understood, Reid.”
“Yes, they understood and never complained. But I won’t make that mistake with Gloria. I’ve been given another chance to get it right and I intend to. I want to give her more, especially more of my time. We want to travel. Go out on our boat more. Just plain enjoy life together.”
Gloria was the woman he’d married two years ago. The two had gone to the same college but had dated other people, whom they later married. They had met up again years later after both had lost their mates, and began dating. Gloria was good for Reid. He was happy again.
“Well, if that’s your decision, Reid, I am happy for you.”
“Thanks. I just wanted you to know that when I do leave, Vaughn, I’ll be passing the CEO position on to you.”
Vaughn sat stunned, unable to believe what Reid had just said. He leaned forward in his chair and gave the man a penetrating gaze. “Are you sure you’re making the right decision?”
He knew very few people questioned Reid about anything, but he didn’t care. What the man was offering him was totally unexpected.
Reid gave him a confident smile. “I’m positive. The other members of my executive team are doing an excellent job, and I know all of them have worked for me a lot longer than you have. But for me it comes down to trust. Unconditional trust.”
Vaughn didn’t say anything, knowing that Reid had a lot to tell him. It was true, the other members of the team did an excellent job and, honestly, Vaughn thought he could trust any of them. Obviously, Reid knew better.
“I always thought when I reached sixty that I would be handing the company over to Julius. But that’s not going to happen. I do intend to hand it over to Julius’s daughters one day, whether I am alive or dead. Of course, I’m hoping I’m alive. But if I’m not, I need to know I’ve put someone in place who will carry out my wishes. You were their father’s best friend from the time the two of you were toddlers. I know what that friendship meant to Julius, and I also know what it meant to you. You will do right by them and will be there to guide them and help them to make good sound business decisions along the way.”
“Thank you.” Vaughn had to fight back the emotion in his voice. Reid was right. His friendship with Julius had meant the world to him.
There was something Vaughn wondered if Reid had thought about. “What if your granddaughters choose another career after college?”
He knew they were both juniors at the University of Reno. “What if they decide they don’t want to return to Catalina Cove to live?”
Reid thought on his question and said, “Then I hope and pray that, like a lot of the others, their decision will be short-lived. Even if they decide to live elsewhere, I’m praying that one day they’ll realize the same thing I believe you and the others who left now know. Catalina Cove is a treasure and it’s going to take people, the locals, to keep it sparkling. You can call it an old man’s blind faith, but I believe they will come back here.”
Vaughn nodded. “I’ll admit I’ve heard Jade say more than once that she’s going to be mayor of this town one day.”
Reid chuckled. “And I’m sure you’ve also heard her say when she becomes mayor she’ll approve that tennis resort and all those chain stores I’ve kept out of here for years. She might think that way now, but I have to believe that once she realizes there are times when change isn’t beneficial, she will sing another tune. Plus, both of us, their grandfather, and you, their godfather, will help them to see it that way.”
Vaughn grinned. “We can try, but remember they don’t just have Julius’s blood running through their veins, they have Vashti’s as well.”
He couldn’t help mentioning that, recalling how Sawyer often joked about how stubborn his wife could be at times. As teens, Julius had loved Vashti, but instead of speaking up and proclaiming that love when Vashti had needed it the most, a sixteen-year-old Julius Lacroix had let her face a difficult time alone. Vaughn and Reid both knew Julius had never gotten over that period of weakness and had taken that guilt to the grave with him.
“Yes, but remember Vashti left Catalina Cove and stayed away for sixteen years. Like I said, you all might leave but you eventually come back.”
Reid stood. “Are you going to accept the position?”
A huge smile spread across Vaughn’s face. “Yes, I accept.”
“Congratulations, Vaughn.”
He grasped the outstretched hand Reid offered him. “Thank you for the vote of confidence and trust.”
“I THINKIT’Swonderful that Vaughn Miller asked you to attend the New Year’s Eve Ball with him, Sierra.”
Sierra gazed across the table at Velvet. Not surprisingly, Dani had said the same thing when they’d talked that morning. Her sister had even gone farther and said that if Nathan ever heard she wasn’t dating or hadn’t dated since their divorce, it might send out an erroneous message that she was still pining for him, which of course was not true.
“And I’m going to tell you the same thing I told my sister. He might have asked but I haven’t decided if I’m even going to that ball.”
Velvet’s eyes warmed. “Why wouldn’t you go with him? He seems like a nice guy.”
Sierra decided not to say that not only was he a nice guy but he was also a terrific kisser. Every time she thought about how he’d taken possession of her mouth, she experienced a tingly sensation all over.
“He is a nice guy, but you know my history.” She hadn’t told Velvet everything about her ex-husband, but she knew Nathan had cheated on her.
“Yes, and I shouldn’t push it because it will be like the pot calling the kettle black, since I haven’t dated since I moved here either. However, I have to admit you and Vaughn Miller look good together.”
Sierra smiled. “You’ve only seen us together once.”
“Yes, and I saw how he was looking at you and you were looking at him. I could feel the chemistry.”
“That might be true, but I told you about my husband’s betrayal. I’m not ready to start dating. I want to give all my attention to Teryn.”
“You also need to give attention to yourself. We have needs just like men do.”
Sierra recalled Velvet once shared that before moving here she had enjoyed a very active sex life with the guy she’d been exclusive with. There had been no complaints in the bedroom. Their problem was that after three years he’d still thought it was only about sex, although she’d fallen in love. When she’d seen he was not capable of returning her love, she knew it was best for her to move on.
“In my case, you can’t miss what you never had. It was different with you and your guy,” Sierra said.
Velvet nodded. “It’s been hard, trust me. But I’ve never been one to have sex just for the sake of gratification.” She leaned over the table and whispered to Sierra, “My hormones got out of whack so bad that one night I even considered paying a surprise visit back to Arizona just to have a one-night fling and then disappear again. I figure one real good roll-between-the-sheets night with him would take care of me for another two years.”
“Maybe he’s changed and when he sees you, he will—”
“Trust me, that’s not possible,” Velvet broke in to say. “Jaye Colfax wants a bedmate, not a wife. I knew it from the beginning. I’d honestly thought I could change his mind and found out I couldn’t.”
Sierra heard the pain and sadness in Velvet’s voice. Although they’d encountered different sets of circumstances with men, they both had reason to not only keep them at bay but stand their ground for doing so.
In all honesty, Sierra enjoyed her independence from a controlling and unfaithful husband. It had taken her stepping away to see just what a toxic marriage she’d been involved in. She didn’t need a man in her life. All she wanted was to forge a better life for her and Teryn. After what Nathan had done, right under her nose, she often wondered if she had the ability to fully trust another man again.
Although she had her share of fantasy dreams like other women, none had driven her to seek out a man for her sexual needs—especially not her ex who’d left a lot to be desired in the bedroom anyway. However, she had to think that if a kiss from Vaughn could spark a fire within her like the one they’d shared last night, she didn’t want to think how it would be if they shared a bed.
She could just imagine his body straddling hers, her legs opening to him, and then him sliding inside of her while...
“Sierra?”
She blinked, realizing Velvet had been saying her name. “Yes?”
“The waitress wanted to know if you wanted a refill on your tea.”
“No, I’m fine.” Sierra checked her watch. Every third Thursday of the month the junior and senior high schools let out early, which was why she’d been able to grab lunch with Velvet at Lafitte Seafood House, located on the pier. They served a great variety of seafood.
Velvet had called from school and said she’d had a taste for shrimp. They had agreed to meet here, and now it was time to go pick up Teryn and return to the restaurant.
“Are you going to the committee meeting tonight?”
Sierra looked over at Velvet. “Yes. What about you?”
“Yes, I’ll be there,” she said. “Do you want me to pick you up? No need both of us driving separate cars when we live so close.”
“Sure, that’s a great idea.”
For a fleeting moment, Sierra wondered how she would react when she saw Vaughn again after their hot and heavy kiss last night. If he dropped by the restaurant while she was at the meeting, they would miss each other. Maybe not seeing him tonight would be for the best. Then, when she did see him again, she would be better in control of her senses.
A half hour later, idling in front of the school to pick up Teryn, Sierra watched as her goddaughter raced to the car with a huge smile on her face.
“Goddy?”
“Yes, sweetie?” In the rearview mirror Sierra could see Teryn in the back seat, snapping her seat belt harness in place.
“I got my list to Santa all finished.”
Sierra’s face lit up. “That’s great, Teryn!”
“I put ten things on my list. Do you have your list to Santa ready yet, Goddy?”
“No. My list isn’t ready yet.” Sierra thought maybe she should have been concentrating on her list instead of engaging in a kiss-a-thon with Vaughn last night.
“Oh.”
Was that disappointment she heard in her goddaughter’s voice? “What’s wrong, Teryn?”
“I wanted us to mail our letters to Santa together.”
“And we will, hon. Goddy has been busy. Besides, we have plenty of time. It’s just the beginning of November.”
“Yes, but you know what Mommy always said?”
Sierra had to fight back a grin knowing she was about to embark on one of those “Rhonda knows what is best” moments. She’d had to deal with it all while growing up and all through college and even later in years. Rhonda had always been the philosopher—or thought she was. She would always have a saying for something or make up her own.
“No, what did your mommy always say?”
“That you shouldn’t put off for later what you can do now.”
Sierra could definitely hear her best friend saying that. “I will remember that, Teryn.”
“You only need to write down one wish, Goddy,” Teryn said matter-of-factly, like such a thing shouldn’t be difficult or time-consuming.
“I know, but I need to think real hard about what I want that one wish to be,” Sierra said, bringing the car to a stop at a traffic light.
Teryn smiled. “Okay. I want you to be happy on Christmas Day when I’m happy with my twelve things.”
Sierra cocked a brow. “I thought you had a Christmas list with only ten wishes on it.”
A wide grin that made her look so much like Rhonda appeared on Teryn’s face. “I did, but I just thought of two other wishes I want now.”
Sierra figured she needed to get her list together so she could get those lists off to Santa before Teryn’s wish list grew any more.