to him. Physically they were beautiful together, but Nikki had seen too many of her friends’ marriages collapse from too much emphasis on the bedroom and too little on the living room. Without a foundation of common interests and friendship, that physical side of a relationship, while wonderful, would never sustain the relationship alone.
“Cal, I’m so confused,” she whispered, looking up at him with all her doubts in her eyes.
He drew in a deep, long breath. “Give it time, Georgia,” he said, lapsing back to her nickname and the earlier comradeship, his smile kind. “Suppose we spend these next few days just getting acquainted? No heavy petting, no passion on moonlit beaches, no sex, period. And then we’ll go from there. Well?”
“I want to,” she admitted wholeheartedly. Her hands moved unconsciously on his broad chest over the shirt. “Oh, I want to very much.”
“None of that, either,” he murmured, stilling her hands. “You did say you couldn’t handle an affair with me, and I’ve got a low boiling point. No fair turning up the heat.”
She laughed softly. “All right.”
He bent and brushed a gentle kiss against her smooth forehead. “Go to bed. Tomorrow I’m going to rent a car and show you the island. Maybe we’ll fly over to Freeport and take in the sights, too.”
“I’d like that,” she replied, her face beaming.
He watched her, faintly smiling. “Sunshine,” he murmured. “Daisies will always remind me of you from now on. You’re so natural, Georgia. Nothing false, nothing put on, just a vibrant enthusiasm for life. I’ve never known anyone like you.”
“I’ve never known anyone like you,” she replied, studying him. “Cal...”
“Don’t start that again,” he said. “You make me feel like a walking checkbook when you look at me like that. I’m a man, Georgia.”
“You sure are,” she said with a stage sigh, batting her long eyelashes at him.
He chuckled softly, removing his hands from her waist to jam them into his pockets and stare down his imposing, arrogant nose at her. “I’ll pick you up at seven sharp.”
“I’ll be ready.” She opened the door and went inside, smiling at him through the wide crack. “Good night, then.”
He smiled back. “Good night. Lock that door,” he added firmly.
“Yes, sir!” She got a last glimpse of his amused eyes before she shut the big door and locked it noisily.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE NEXT DAY seemed to go by in a haze. Cal chartered a plane and took her to Freeport on Grand Bahama. She held tightly to his big hand while they wandered through the shops in the International Bazaar and ate in one of the many restaurants there. He bought her a tiny jade elephant, the only thing she’d willingly accept, and she knew she’d treasure it all her life.
Freeport was more spread out than Nassau, with wide boulevards and more sense of space. But privately Nikki liked Nassau best, perhaps because it was more crowded.
“Tired?” Cal asked on the way back, watching her stare down at the turquoise water as they approached the Nassau airport.
“Tired, but happy,” she replied, turning to smile up at him. “It was lovely.”
“And it’s not over,” he said with a slow smile. “Feel like some more walking?”
I could get up off my deathbed to walk with you, she thought. But all she said was, “Yes, I do. Where are we going now?”
He stretched lazily. “I thought I’d show you the inside of that church you were so fascinated by.” He caught her hand and wrapped it up in his, sending tingles of sensation down her arm. “Then we’ll go lie on the beach until it’s time for my next meeting.”
“Another one?” she asked.
He only laughed. “Honey, my whole life is one big round of meetings, everything from civic ones to board meetings. I don’t have time to curse my cats when I’m back in Chicago.”
“Do you eat out all the time?” she asked, curious about his lifestyle.
“I have a housekeeper—a wiry, little white-haired thing who can run circles around me,” he said with a smile. “Her name’s Maggie, and her specialty is giving me hell when I skip dinner.”
“A paragon.” She laughed.
“Not quite.” He scowled. “Maggie has a tongue that waggles at both ends, as the saying goes. That’s her only fault, but she’s easy to get to, for the press. I almost fired her over that trait once.”
She’d have bet it was after his wife’s death, but she didn’t ask. Prying into old hurts wasn’t her privilege.