A Little Dare - Brenda Jackson [62]
This was the first time he had ever asked her anything about her job since she’d moved back. “It took some getting used to, but I’m enjoying it. I get to meet a lot of nice people and because of the hours I work, I’m home with AJ more.”
Dare nodded. “I never did tell you why I stopped being an agent for the Bureau, did I?”
Shelly shook her head. “No, you didn’t.”
Dare nodded again. He then told her all the things he had liked about working for the FBI and those things he had begun to dislike. Finally he told her the reason he had returned home.
“And do you like what you’re doing now, Dare?” she couldn’t help but ask him, since she of all people knew what a career with the FBI had meant to him.
“Yes, I like what I’m doing now. I feel I’m making more of a difference here than I was making with the Bureau. It’s like I’m giving back to a community that gave so much to my brothers and me while we were growing up. It’s a good feeling to live in a place where you have history.”
Shelly had to agree. She enjoyed being back home and couldn’t bear the thought of ever leaving again. Although she had lived in L.A. for ten years, deep down she had never considered it as her home.
She sighed and glanced down at her watch. “It’s getting late. Don’t you think it’s time for us to pickup AJ? I don’t want him to wear out his welcome with your folks.”
Dare laughed, and the sound sent sensations up Shelly’s body, making her shiver slightly. He thought she had shivered for a totally different reason and placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him for warmth. “He’ll never be able to wear out his welcome with my family, Shelly. Come on, let’s go collect our son.”
Three weeks later, Shelly sat outside alone on her porch swing as it slowly rocked back and forth. It was the third week in October and the night air was cool. She had put on a sweater, but the stars and the full moon were so beautiful she couldn’t resist sitting and appreciating them both. Besides, she needed to think.
Ever since that night Dare had taken her to a movie and to dinner, he had come by every evening to spend time with AJ. But AJ wasn’t the only person he made sure he spent time with. Over the past few weeks he had often asked her out, either to a movie, dinner or both. Then there was the time he had asked her to go with him to the wedding of one of his deputies.
She sighed deeply. Each time she had tried putting distance between them, he would succeed in erasing the distance. Then there were the flowers he continued to send each week. When she had asked him why he was still sending them, he had merely smiled and said because he enjoyed doing so. And she had to admit that she enjoyed receiving them. But still, she didn’t want to put too much stock in Dare’s actions and continued to see what he was doing as merely an act of kindness on his part. It was evident that he wanted them to get along and establish some sort of friendly relationship for AJ’s sake.
The other thing that confused her was the fact that he no longer sought her out at night. Their late-night rendezvous in her backyard had abruptly come to an end the night Dare had taken her on their first date. He had offered her no explanation as to why he no longer came by late at night, and she had too much pride to ask him.
He came by each afternoon around dinnertime and she would invite him to stay, so she still saw him constantly. And at night, after AJ went to bed, he would sit outside on the porch swing with her and talk about how her day had gone, and she would ask him about his. Their talks had become a nightly routine, and she had to admit that she rather enjoyed them.
She shifted her thoughts to AJ. He was simply basking in the love that his father and the entire Westmoreland family were giving him. Dare had been right when he’d said all AJ had needed was to feel that he belonged. Each time she saw her son in one of his happy moods, she knew that he was glad as well as proud to be a part of the Westmoreland