Dating A Silver Fox (Never Too Late) (16 page)

“Maybe that’s true, but I’m just not. . .oh what the hell. Hand me the damn phone,” Regina conceded at last, not ready to answer the growing confusion in Lauren’s steady gaze. She took the phone gingerly, steeling herself not to react in a way that would reveal anything. But keeping her thoughts to herself turned out to be simply impossible.

“Oh my god, that’s Morrie Fox,” Regina said in dismay. “And he’s all but leaning on Lydia. Do you see the way he’s
looking
at her? Holy shit on a cracker, I can’t believe this.”

“Yes! Exactly how I feel,” Lauren exclaimed, excited that Regina knew the man and saw what she had in the picture. “That is Morrison Fox. He waylaid JD when he tried to escape. Then he came over several times during the evening just to talk with Jim and me because Mother kept trying to avoid him. You should have seen him whispering in her ear. I thought Jim was going to burst trying not to laugh at Mother blushing. Mr. Fox seems to really have a thing for her.”

Regina went pale, then flushed, knowledge rippling.
Holy shit
, she thought again, when no worse expletives came to mind. Morrison Fox was the reason Lydia was in therapy. Now how was she supposed to tell Lydia that she knew? That kind of truth couldn’t be hidden for long. And then how would she explain knowing Morrie already?

Regina mentally swore again, this time using up her entire repertoire of words as she passed the phone back to Lauren, schooling her face into a frown. The knowing couldn’t be undone, she decided. She’d already seen the picture. She’d just have to handle it somehow.

“So how do you know him, Regina? No—skip that. What’s Morrison Fox
really
like?” Lauren demanded. “Tell me everything. Jim investigated him—well Casey did—but all we found out was that he was kind of rich, published a couple books in his forties, and lost his wife a few years ago.”

“I can’t talk about Morrison Fox, other than to tell you he’s an extremely nice man,” Regina said softly, her voice strained and barely carrying across the table.

“What do you mean you can’t talk about him?” Lauren demanded, feeling hurt until she noticed Regina wasn’t meeting her gaze. Then realization hit. “
You’re kidding me.
Morrison Fox is your patient? My mother is dating one of your patients. Wow. How bizarre is that?”

“Morrie was a grief counseling referral. Now can we please drop the sixty questions that you know damn well I can’t answer,” Regina pleaded, picking up her ice water and wishing it was a martini, an urge she hadn’t felt in quite a while.

“You know I’d never twist your arm to tell me what he came to see you about, but Jim believes Morrison wants in my mother’s pants. That’s a direct quote, and I blame Casey for the crude wording,” Lauren said on a laugh. “But do you think Jim’s right?”

The statement earned a cynical snort from Alexa. Regina however, choked and spewed water all over the table.

“
Regina
,” Lauren exclaimed, using her napkin to mop up the water. “I can’t believe my mother’s pathetic, non-existent sex life is causing the unflappable Dr. Logan to come unglued.”

“I am not coming unglued,” Regina denied, using up her own napkin supply before snatching the one a snickering Alexa offered.

“Well, it’s not like your patient is going to get anywhere with my mother, no matter how good a doctor you were to him. I mean, Morrison certainly doesn’t lack confidence in himself around women. He reminds me a little of Ben that way. But trust me, my mother is not suddenly going to develop a sex life at sixty-seven after not having one for all these years. She has been adamant with me that she and Morrison Fox aren’t dating. And I’ve seen her with him. She can barely bring herself to be nice to him,” Lauren said on a laugh, shaking her head as she piled her wet napkins on the ones Regina had used.

“Lauren, I. . .” Regina began, then paused and took a deep breath. This awkward situation served her right for not turning Lydia away as a client, but then she would still have seen Lauren’s picture and recognized Morrie. There had obviously been no chance of staying out of their relationship one way or the other, even if the need to keep Lydia’s secrets made things weird with Lauren.

This was either some excruciating test of her legendary discretion, Regina decided, or the universe enjoying a private joke as it watched her squirm in front of the only two people she could always confide in—except this time.

“Could we
please
change the subject before I sacrifice my ethics on the altar of our friendship?” Regina implored.

Accustomed to Dr. Logan’s razor wit extricating the therapist from conversations she didn’t want to have, Lauren raised her eyebrows at the heartfelt plea. She looked at Alexa, who shrugged, and then sighed as she thumbed through the photos on her phone again.

“Fine. Consider the questioning dropped. Here then,” Lauren declared, holding the phone out to Regina again. “On a more positive note, my mother continues to be the model grandparent. Either that or my son has magical powers. Jim and I are still watching him to see.”

Regina reluctantly took the phone again, resigned to doing what she must to distract Lauren. On the screen was a picture of Lydia sitting in a carousel car ride at an amusement park with JD leaning forward on her lap. Both their hands gripped the wheel as they pretended to drive. Lydia looked completely immersed in the experience, and—happy, Regina decided. She looked extraordinarily happy. And alive—very much alive. This was obviously what the damaged woman was capable of when she was feeling loved for herself and appreciated.

Without warning, Regina found herself hoping one day Lauren might be sharing another picture of Lydia with Morrie, maybe one with the pair of them looking just as happy with each other as Lydia did in the photo with JD. It was possible, Regina thought, her mind spinning with ideas of how it might work if Lydia could see Morrie’s attention in a better light.

Then she looked up to see Lauren narrowing her eyes at her again.
Oh, shit
, Regina thought. This time she was busted for being in therapist mode.

“What am I doing to upset you now?” Regina demanded, trying for sarcasm, even if the amount of snark was cranked down to being barely noticeable.

“While you were staring at the picture of Mother and JD, you got a really mushy look,” Lauren accused. “Are you sad you didn’t have children, Regina? You’re not that old yet. You can probably still have them.”

“For God’s sakes, Lauren. It’s probably menopause showing on my face. Wildly fluctuating estrogen levels and all that. And I don’t want children. I’m looking fifty in the eye these days,” Regina declared, mentally patting herself on the back for the response as she passed the phone to a snickering Alexa.

She hoped like hell Alexa hadn’t figured it out. And if Alexa had, then Regina hoped Alexa wouldn’t share her suspicions with Lauren.

“Well then get a damn hormone patch, Dr. Logan. You’re scaring me with those weird moods swings of yours over my mother of all people,” Lauren said, letting her scorn for the subject matter speak for itself. She relied on Regina to be the one with all the answers. What was she supposed to do if that wasn’t the case?

Lauren frowned at the thought.

“If a boring woman like Lydia McCarthy can throw you so far off-balance, I can only imagine how your mood swings must be affecting your patients.”

Alexa laughed at Lauren’s insult hitting the uber professional side of Regina with deadly accuracy, which was why she was stunned when Regina just glared without retaliating. In fact, “Dr. Logan’s” non-reaction to the blatant insult was more of a giveaway than a scathing Regina-esque comeback would have been.

While Alexa didn’t know the purpose for the discretion, she could easily surmise that Regina was immersed eyeballs deep in Morrison and Lydia’s situation and treading carefully. The thought made her smile. Only Regina would dare such a juggling act. There truly was no one like her in the world.

Enjoying one of the many joys of neutrality, Alexa lifted her glass, deciding it was time to rescue one friend from another.

“Well Lydia is just old, not dead. Any bloody thing is possible. Here’s a toast to us all being her age one day and having a man as good-looking as Morrison Fox desperately wanting to get into our pants. We should be so lucky. More power to her.”

Snorting with amusement, Regina picked up her water glass, chanting “Here, Here.” She smiled her thanks for the intervention as she clinked on Alexa’s glass, receiving a wink in return.

Lauren lifted hers as well, clinking both water glasses as she laughed about the toast too. Then she took a sip, letting the coolness slide down her throat before speaking.

“I will confess to the two of you something I would never say to my mother. I actually wish she would get lucky with Morrison Fox. I don’t think there’s been a man in her life that ever made her happy,” Lauren said wistfully. “He seems like fun.”

Regina sighed at the sincerity in Lauren’s comments. This was the reason she kept on trying with her patients no matter how hopeless the situation seemed to be. Lauren’s life and attitude confirmed that the daughter was never going to repeat her mother’s barren life. Success didn’t get much better.

“Well hell, let’s drink to that too. Here’s to both Morrie and Lydia getting lucky,” Regina said bravely, fully intending to do everything she could to make a daughter’s wish for her mother come true.

She had already concluded from the picture of him leaning in to kiss her that both her patients wanted it as well.

Chapter 13

When the doorbell rang, Lydia wrapped the exercise towel around her neck and climbed off the stationary bike. She hoped it wasn’t kids selling cookies again. Last time she was weak and bought six boxes that she had devoured all by herself in less than two weeks. Those three pounds had just recently come off again.

She looked through the peephole and saw nothing but a giant bouquet of flowers.

“Delivery for Lydia McCarthy,” a male voice called out.

“Slide the receipt through the mail slot please,” Lydia ordered firmly.

Moments later a recently unfolded piece of paper poked through the slot and fell at her feet. She picked it up, investigated its authenticity, and then reached into the shelf by the door to get her pepper spray. As a woman who had lived alone for a very long time, she had taught herself to be careful with strangers, even though she lived in a neighborhood that had a guard at the gates.

Unlocking the dead bolt, Lydia opened the door and stood there staring at the male who had obviously been hiding behind the massive bouquet of flowers. When he stepped toward her, she held up her spray and glared.

“I know how to use this, so keep your distance,” Lydia warned.

Morrie sighed and held out the flowers. “You were right. I bet Harrison Graham that you’d let me kiss you, but he dared me into the bet by saying I couldn’t. Still, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

Lydia huffed, not mollified at all. In fact, his explanation only made her madder.

“You might be even more sorry you showed up here today. I’m tempted to use my pepper spray just for the pleasure of hearing you scream.”

“Can’t say as I blame you,” Morrie replied, totally unfazed by the caustic remark he mostly deserved. “I’d like to make you scream too. I mean in a better way than you did when Harrison waved my damn winnings in the air.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Lydia exclaimed, throwing up one arm. “Why do you say such outrageous things to me? Do I look like the kind of woman who’d be impressed by comments like that?”

“Lydia, I have to be blatant because you’re not the kind of woman who takes hints. If I don’t push, we may both be dead before this relationship has a chance of taking off. You’re a great looking woman, and I want you. Don’t you have mirrors in your house? Why is that news such a big shock?” Morrie demanded, stepping across her threshold and wanting to grin when she backed up, eyes wide at his nerve. “You should be flattered, woman. I can’t believe all the men you’ve known have been too cowardly to say it straight out.”

The staring contest lasted until Lydia realized she didn’t have any answer that wouldn’t just feed his already colossal sized ego. She lifted her chin in defiance and looked away from the damn knowing gaze he always gave her.

“This is a gated community, Morrison Fox. How did you get past the guard?” she demanded, not answering his other comments, and she didn’t return her pepper spray to the shelf either. “And I don’t remember saying you could come into my house.”

“You and I both know we need to talk,” Morrie said easily. “I’m not going away just because I made you mad. Your attraction to me isn’t going to go away either.” He held out the flowers again. “If I promise to behave, will you accept my flowers and let me come in?”

“You’re delusional. This is not attraction at all. It’s morbid curiosity about the musings of a crazy man,” Lydia proclaimed.

“Fine—I’m a crazy man. Lots of people think that, especially when they find out about you. Can I come in if I agree to let you insult me until you get it out of your system?” Morrie asked. “If you send me away, I’ll just find another place and time to confront you about this. I am very persistent when something is this important.”