A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [28]
Rita could feel herself beaming. “I am. He’s worked hard and deserves it. Erica’s going to Dallas this weekend to help him celebrate.”
“Yes, that’s what she told me.”
She glanced over at his plate and saw the muffin that he would occasionally munch on while sipping his coffee. “That’s all you’re having?”
“Yes. I’m not a big eater.”
“Yes, but there’s no telling how much longer we’ll be stuck here so you might as well endure it on a full stomach.”
His smile deepened and she could see that he had dimples in the same place on his face as Erica. And she couldn’t help noticing how totally masculine his facial features were. He was definitely a handsome man and his pleasant attitude and disposition made him even more so. If she were to guess she would say he was just a few years older than she, which would put him in his late fifties.
“I’m hoping it’s not much longer, but even so, it’s not going to be too bad now that I have such nice company.”
She accepted his words as a compliment. Had it been any other man she would even go so far as to think that he was flirting with her. But she knew better. Wilson Sanders was a married man. The father of her son’s fiancée. But still, as off-limits as he was, she still found him desirable and, for a woman who hadn’t shown any real interest in a man since her husband’s death fifteen years ago, that was a startling surprise.
But then, she was still a woman.
“Thanks for saying that. You know, in a few months our families will become connected through our children.”
“Yes, that’s true. I propose a toast,” he said, holding up his coffee cup.
“And what are we toasting?” she asked, laughing, following suit and holding up hers.
“To your son and my daughter. May they have a wonderful marriage. One that’s filled with love.”
Rita couldn’t help but smile in seeing that Wilson’s attitude toward the upcoming nuptials was nothing like his wife’s. “Yes, to Brian and Erica.”
Their cups touched and then they smiled as they took sips of their coffee.
As much as he didn’t want to be, Wilson knew at that moment he was attracted to Rita. And that wasn’t a good thing.
He drew in a deep breath as he looked beyond her to study the landscape outside the window. At least he was pretending to study the landscape, when in all actuality his main focus was still on her.
She looked elegant in her own sort of way, and now he knew what it was about her that he admired. Style. He found it totally hilarious that he was drawn to her for the very thing Karen thought she lacked. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t need to wear all those famous name brands and designer labels that Karen boasted about. Rita made a statement in a way that he found admirable.
Even now for traveling she was wearing jeans and a printed peasant blouse. Her hair was pinned up and a pair of hoop earrings dangled from her ears. Another thing he liked about her was her positive attitude. If he was a man interested in pursuing an affair with a woman he would definitely put her at the top of his list.
But he didn’t have a list. He’d never had a list. He’d never had a choice of a mate, either, since one had been chosen for him before he could walk. Probably before he’d been born. It was only lately that he’d found himself reflecting over his life and realizing just how unhappy he was married to Karen. How unhappy he’d been for a long time. It wouldn’t be so regrettable if there’d been any phase of their marriage he would say he’d found memorable. But sadly, he couldn’t. The only good thing that had come from it was Erica. And he was determined to make sure she married for love even if he hadn’t.
But with all those emotions he was now bringing forth and all the rights Karen had been denying him as a husband for years, he had not once been unfaithful to her. He had thought about it once or twice but could never go through with it. Things were as they were. He