So Many Men... Read online

  “You’ve got it, love. Just so you know, Dr. Davies is okay by me.”

  “Thanks, Josh, I appreciate that.”

  She said goodbye, then disconnected as she pulled up to the delivery address on Erin’s invoice. “What was all the fuss about? Was there something going on that she was missing?

  And why hadn’t she been able to read Josh?

  “THIS IS GREAT, TESS. Thanks for delivering these. If I can tie up this project over the next week or so, I should be in good shape.” Erin fluffed the leaves on the last ficus they’d unloaded.

  “Be sure to give Josh a call. You know, not only does he have a good eye, but he’s very well connected. He’d be one to foster a relationship with. You never know when one of his clients will need an interior decorator.”

  “Remember that’s all I’m doing these days. No more of that alternative stuff. I’m busier than ever since I gave up the feng shui.”

  “Again, I can’t stress what a shame that is—”

  Erin held up her hand. “I’m not getting into that again with you.”

  “Okay, not a problem.”

  “I hope that isn’t what you came here to talk to me about.”

  “No, this is really good. I hope you’ll be as excited about it as I am.”

  “Excited about what?”

  Tess inhaled a deep breath. “You know I mentioned that Mason, this new guy I’m seeing, is involved with this nonprofit group?”

  “Oh, right, that was part of that gushing bit the other day.”

  “I wasn’t gushing.”

  “Whatever. So he’s involved with a nonprofit?”

  “Right, Project Mentor. It helps kids who come from families of misfortune, mostly victims of drug and alcohol abuse. Usually their parents or a caretaker is or was a user the group finds through their free clinic.”

  “That’s so sad.”

  “I know. I couldn’t believe it when the DCWC wasn’t going to help him.”

  “The DCWC?”

  “The Dade County Women’s Club. I mentioned them the other day.”

  “No you didn’t.”

  “I thought I did when I told you and Thomas about the fund-raiser. Mason had broken off his engagement to the president and she was none too happy about it. She—”

  “The point, Tess, get to the point. I’m on a tight schedule here.”

  “The DCWC is helping him organize a big fund-raiser to drum up money for a youth center where they can have regular programs for these kids. We’re holding a gala, the event of Miami’s—”

  “Yeah, I think I’ve heard about that— Wait a minute. Back up. What do you mean we’re holding a gala?”

  “That’s what I was saying. The DCWC is helping Project Mentor with the fund-raiser.”

  “You mean to tell me you’re part of this women’s group?” Erin’s eyebrows arched.

  “That’s right.” Tess straightened, lifting her head high as irritation grated through her. “I am the newest member of the Dade County Women’s Club and I—”

  “You?” The corners of Erin’s mouth twitched. “You joined a women’s club?”

  “Yes, and I—”

  “That’s where you met this guy? At this women’s club?”

  “He was there making a plea for help and they weren’t going to help him, because—”

  “Wait. I don’t get it. What were you doing joining a women’s club in the first place?”

  “Don’t look so amused. I’m a woman. Why can’t I join a woman’s club? There’s no law against it. Why are you grinning? I fail to see what’s so funny.”

  “I’m sorry.” Erin made a feeble attempt to hide her amusement. “It’s just hard to picture. Do you all wear little white gloves and drink tea with your pinkies out?”

  “No. Don’t be silly, Erin. All I wanted was to get involved in some charitable activities and make some new friends.”

  For some reason this information tickled her sister all the more. She laughed. “Wait. Are you telling me you found this group so you could make friends with some of the women and you stole the president’s fiancé?”

  “Ex-fiancé. And I did not steal him.”

  “Same difference. You scooped him up right from under their noses.” She shook her head. “Probably not the best way to make new friends. You are your own worst enemy.”

  Tess rolled her eyes in frustration. “It isn’t like I did it on purpose.”

  “I’m sorry, Tess. I know you didn’t. I’m a little jealous of the way men flock to you. I can’t help it that I find some satisfaction in your charms backfiring on you. I can’t wait to tell Nikki.”

  “She already knows and she did not think it was funny. She yelled at me.”

  “Yelled at you? What for?”

  Tess shrugged, embarrassed by her initial response to Mason’s request for help. “Well, I figured they must have had a good reason not to help with the fund-raiser. And like I just said, I needed to do something and to find some girlfriends to hang with. You and Nikki are all so wrapped up in your own stuff and I was on testosterone overload. I was dying for female companionship and if I spoke up—I wasn’t even an official member at the time—I knew I’d be blowing whatever shot I had at connecting with those women.”

  Erin stared at her, frowning, all signs of her good humor gone. “Why didn’t you say something? You would rather join a bunch of strangers in a women’s group than tell me or Nikki that you wanted some girl time?”

  “I never said I preferred it. Nikki is wrapped up in her new life with Dylan and you…”

  Erin’s lips thinned. “And I what?”

  “You’re so hard to talk to these days. See, look at how you’re getting angry—”

  “That’s rich. You do something silly like join some women’s club and it’s my fault because you can’t do something as simple as talk to me?”

  “I never said anything was your fault and they are nice women—”

  “And how many friends have you made since you stole the president’s fiancé? That is so like you. There’s a man around and you can’t wait to get your hands on him.”

  “Ex-fiancé and that is so wrong, Erin. How can you say that?”

  “Because it’s true. It’s exactly what Maggie would have done. I can’t believe you did this, Tess. What could you have been thinking?”

  Anger flashed through Tess. “Why do you always have to be so down on her—so down on me? What is wrong with me wanting some new friends? You should be thrilled that I’m spending a little time away from all my guys.”

  “You practically ignore me, because you’re so caught up in all your men. I tolerate having them underfoot all the time, but when you want a little female companionship, do you ask me if I’m available?”

  “You haven’t exactly been available lately.”

  “Maybe I would have made myself available. Did you ever think of that?”

  Tess stared at her. “No.”

  “Right. So, how many new friends did you say you’ve made with this group?”

  Anger and hurt warred in Tess, but she’d be damned if she let Erin see how upset she was. “I’ve made one acquaintance. She’s helping with the ball, which I convinced them to support after all.”

  “One acquaintance. Good for you, Tess. Give yourself some brownie points.”

  Tess raised her chin. Why had she thought Erin would want to help? She must have been hallucinating when she dreamed that one up. “I didn’t join just for that. I wanted to be involved in something…important. I’m sorry I got you all riled up. I asked Josh to call you.”

  “Fine. Thanks.”

  With a shake of her head, Tess left. She certainly hadn’t expected that kind of response from her sister. She punched in her mother’s number on her cell phone, but the call went into voice mail and she hung up.

  Maggie was probably neck-deep into a good time right now. Why bother her? Maybe it would be better to talk to someone who would have some good sound advice. Who better than
Aunt Sophie?

  9

  “I DON’T KNOW, AUNT SOPHIE, it’s like the world has gone mad.”

  “Here, hon, have some tea.” Her aunt handed her a cup of the warm brew she’d poured from a tray set on the table in her sunroom.

  “Thanks.” Tess took a tentative sip. One never knew exactly what Sophie might be serving, but she always had exactly the blend to soothe whatever ailment one brought to her doorstep.

  “That’s nice.” Tess took a longer sip. “What is that? Peach?”

  “With a little something extra.”

  “There’s always something extra.”

  “It’s all these simple pleasures that make life worth living.”

  “That’s something you always do so well.”

  Sophie’s eyebrows rose in question. “Make tea?”

  “Enjoy the simple pleasures. Exactly how is it you do that? Everything I do seems to get so…complicated.”

  “Let me see…first, you have to make time for the simple things, like taking a long soak in the tub, or having tea with your favorite aunt.”

  “You’re my only aunt and, yes, this is nice, but I see you’re probably right about taking the time. Seems like I don’t do much of that.”

  “No, you don’t. You’re all caught up in the big things—this new love affair, the fund-raiser, your relationship with Erin. You need time every day to put all that aside and have a quiet moment. It can be a nice cup of tea, or a walk on the beach, or just watching the sunset. You can do these things alone or with someone else, but the key is to revere the experience.”

  Tess nodded. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “It is easy, dear. That’s why they’re the simple pleasures.”

  “So what do I do about Erin? And I’m not so sure I like this whole…whatever is going on with my guys, and what if Mason really is different like everyone seems to think? What does that mean, exactly?”

  Sophie chuckled softly. “One at a time. You don’t need to do anything about Erin. These things work themselves out.” She shrugged. “You could give her a little time to cool off, then invite her to dinner or to see a movie. She’s just gotten her feelings hurt. It hasn’t been easy for her being your younger sister, you know. You’ve always had this whirlwind of activity going on around you. It isn’t a bad thing, though you do tend to get too caught up in some of the drama. I’m sure she feels a little lost in the shuffle is all.”

  “Really? I guess I never thought of things that way.”

  “It’s easier to see from the outside and it’s wonderful entertainment for the rest of us.”

  “Thanks. I never realized I was providing the show.”

  “Just part of it.”

  Tess took a long sip, relaxing into the soft cushions. “Okay, so what about all my guys? I know I was getting frustrated, but if I go home tonight to an empty apartment again I’m going to feel a little depressed.”

  “Won’t Erin be there?”

  “She’ll be working late again. And you think she’ll be talking to me, anyway?”

  “Could be.”

  “I think I may have set myself up for this when I started the whole needing-more-in-my-life thing, but I never meant for my guys not to want to hang around.”

  “It’s possible you’re experiencing some kind of shift in your gift.”

  “Shift? What kind of shift?”

  “I’m not sure. Like I’ve said before, you girls are a new breed. The gift tends to manifest a little differently in each of us, and I think with your generation it seems to have evolved.”

  “And this shift, you think it’s changing…like I’ve lost my touch or something and so my guys are drifting away?”

  “I don’t think you can just lose your abilities. That healing energy must remain, but changes somehow.”

  “How? A week ago I couldn’t turn around without bumping into one of my guys. Today I’m feeling a little deserted.” She pulled out her cell phone. “Look, no messages. No calls. That never happens.”

  “Maybe.”

  Tess sat forward. “It’s more than that.” A bluebird glided past the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking her aunt’s garden. “I can’t feel them anymore.”

  “What do you mean, dear?”

  She turned her gaze to her aunt. “It’s kind of like it suddenly got quiet, but I hadn’t noticed that it was loud before. Like there was this underlying sound in the background that I didn’t hear, but now it’s gone.”

  “You’re speaking of your empathic abilities?”

  “That’s right. I can’t explain it, but I have this feeling that they’re gone.” She took a deep breath to stem the anxiety rising in her. Until she’d admitted her fears aloud, they hadn’t seemed real. “I tried to scan Josh earlier when we were on the phone—I’ve always been able to do that. Sometimes even remotely with a current lover, nothing really strong, but there was that connection. But today…nothing.”

  “And with your new man, this doctor, is it the same?”

  “The same as what? It’s been different with him from the start. He makes me feel so…I don’t know…alive. It’s like I’ve always sensed emotions with the others, but it’s different with him. It’s more like I really feel what he’s feeling. Do you ever get that? When we make love it’s the most fantastic experience.”

  “Like double the pleasure?”

  “Yes, and because I enjoy it so much more, he seems to enjoy it more and it’s this incredible circuit of feeling. The high is really high, like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

  She leaned closer to her aunt. “I don’t know exactly how, but somehow it is different than with the others. What does that mean? That my gift is changing?”

  Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “Could be it’s all concentrating around this one man as opposed to spreading out over all your men. I don’t know that I’ve heard of anything like this happening before, but I do believe that Nikki will stay with Dylan and that will be a first.”

  “But she loves him like none of the others. And she’s given up her gift, hasn’t she?”

  “I’m not so sure, but this is uncharted territory. How would she tell she’s lost her gift if she’s only with a man she has already healed? She’s not exactly putting it to the test, so to speak. Could it be that her gift has also evolved?”

  “Whatever’s going on, she’s happy. I saw her last week and she was practically glowing.”

  “Kind of the way you do when you talk about your new young man?”

  “See? You’re not the first to say that. What does that mean? Does it mean I’ll stay with Mason the way Nikki stayed with Dylan and that I’ll risk losing my gift, too?” As much as Tess cared for Mason, the thought brought a wave of anxiety crashing over her.

  “I don’t know, dear, but I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned about. The best you can do is to be clear on what you’re feeling and act accordingly. You’ll know when the time is right if you need to move on or not. It certainly isn’t something you have to decide right now.”

  The sense of foreboding in Tess heightened, twisting in her stomach. “But you do see it as a possibility, then—that I might stay with him, for always, that I might lose my gift and all my other men?”

  Sophie nodded toward Tess’s forgotten cup. “Drink. It’ll calm you. I’m saying I don’t know. You’ll know when the time is right. Have you ever questioned when it was time to move on in the past?”

  “No.”

  “There. So there’s no reason to believe you’ll have trouble now. This could just be a case where you’ve met a man who needs more healing, so he’s drawing these extra-intense emotions from you.”

  “You think so?”

  “It could be. Maybe you’ll just be with him that much longer while all these feelings level out, or maybe you’re experiencing a condensed version of your earlier encounters and it will all wind up in a couple of months as usual.”

  “So maybe these feelings will ease eventually and I’ll be back to my
old self?”

  “It isn’t for me to say.” Sophie lifted the teapot from the tray. “We’ve sucked all this down. I’ll go make some more.”

  The musical notes of Tess’s cell phone sounded as Sophie left the room. “Hello?”

  “Tess, this is Victoria.”

  “Victoria, is everything all right?”

  “Everything’s fine. I just got here a little while ago, but Evan is still here. I’m calling to let you know you have a visitor. Evan thought you’d be back by now and I wasn’t sure if I should have him wait.”

  Tess’s heart quickened. “What kind of visitor? Who is it?”

  “His name is Mason Davies. He said you weren’t expecting him. Should I ask him to come back? Evan’s talking to him. He seemed really interested in meeting him. Is he a customer?”

  “No, he’s not a customer. Well…I guess he could be.” Anticipation rippled through Tess. Mason had come to see her.

  “Tell him I’ll be there in about twenty minutes and ask him if he can wait.” She hung up and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Aunt Sophie,” she called, walking toward the kitchen.

  Sophie turned, teapot in hand, a knowing smile on her face. “Go on, sweetheart. Enjoy your young man.”

  Tess drew up. “How did you know?”

  “Oh, it’s obvious, sweetheart. You’re as lit up as a Christmas tree.” She nodded thoughtfully. “No doubt about it, this one’s special.”

  Excitement and uncertainty swirled through Tess. “Yes, I guess he is.”

  She hugged her aunt, then hurried out the door. Traffic had already slowed with the onset of the evening rush hour, but she maneuvered the best she could, slipping onto back roads at her first opportunity. A traffic light ahead of her turned red and she stopped, drumming her fingers impatiently.

  Could Sophie be right? Could it be that her gift was evolving? A chill ran through her. “Oh, God, please don’t let me be losing my gift.”

  The light changed and she moved ahead, only to be stopped a block later. The knot of unease that had settled in her stomach earlier tightened. She couldn’t lose her gift. She was a healer. If she lost her gift, then who would she be?