When We Meet Again

Chapter 9

Meaghan knocked tentatively at Dean’s door. It was exactly 7pm and since they hadn’t agreed on a time for her to show up she figured she wasn’t too early or too late. She could hear footsteps coming quickly down the stairs that led to Dean’s apartment from the bookshop and she found that she was shaking slightly. Her knees wanted to collapse beneath her. It was so silly considering how long she’d known Dean. The door opened and there he was; a soft smile on his face and welcome in his eyes. He bowed low and ushered her in and she willed her knees to move and stop acting like such pussies.

“I got some chicken as well as the potato salad,” Dean said following her up the stairs.

“Okay,” Meaghan replied wondering if this was important in some obscure way.

“Yeah. I thought you might enjoy that,” Deans said satisfaction threading through his voice.

“Cause I’m black right?” Meaghan said amused.

“Err…” Dean said sounding uncertain.

Meaghan turned the full force of her grin on him but he didn’t smile back; instead he grimaced. “Wow, that was perpetuating a stereotype wasn’t it? I’m just like my mother!”

Meaghan waved her hand dismissively, “Forget it. Do you have white wine to go with the chicken?”

“Yes I do,” Dean said in relief going to his mini-bar. “But I made a special cocktail for this occasion so let me serve you that before dinner.”

“Cool,” Meaghan breathed, quite blown away that she was inspiring cocktails.

*****

“What are we going to do about this Dean situation?” Samantha Ford asked Poppy, frustration bleeding from every pore.

“We? I think this is something that you have to do alone Sammy. You know what he likes don’t you?” Poppy said.

“Oh God, you think s*x is going to help with this? He’s gone to find himself or whatever which is usually code for ‘I’m bored and I need some excitement in my life’,” Samantha said rolling her eyes.

“So give him some excitement,” Poppy said.

Samantha looked at her. “How?” she asked letting the desperation in her eyes show.

“Honestly Sammy you’re a model who travels all around the world, meets many different types of people; you can’t come up with something to excite Dean’s life?” Poppy asked.

Samantha wrinkled her forehead thinking hard.

“I could flirt with his friend Smith; Dean is kind of possessive, I bet he wouldn’t like that,” she said.

Poppy wrinkled her nose seemingly unimpressed with this plan.

“Any other ideas?” she asked.

Samantha huffed in frustration. “What do you want?” she asked.

“Well I see why Dean is bored…” Poppy said dryly.

Samantha gave her the stink eye but refrained from comment. She pursed her lips together to make sure nothing came out. This wasn’t just about losing a boyfriend. The Crawford fortune could use an infusion of cash after the hit it had taken following the economic crisis and a merger with the Wesson Diamond fortune was just what they needed. The value of diamonds wasn’t affected which meant that the Wesson fortune wasn’t affected. Her father was counting on her to make this happen.

“What would you suggest I do?” she tried again.

“I find that emotional blackmail answers very well with most males,” Poppy suggested.

“Emotional blackmail? What do I have to blackmail him with?” Samantha asked.

“Thirteen years of togetherness? Leaving you high and dry? Don’t stint on the tears.” Poppy said.

Samantha smiled at her, “Do you really think that Dean would be susceptible to that?”

“I’m his mother. What do you think?” Poppy said with what could be termed as a smirk on less well-bred lips.

Samantha began to hitch her breath, “I think I need to pay Dean a visit.”

“You do that,” Poppy smiled back as she watched Samantha leave.

*****

The fried chicken was edible and the potato salad was actually pretty good. Meaghan was impressed and let Dean know it by giving him the slow clap.

“Thank you kindly,” Dean said looking pleased.

“I must say your potato salad could give my mother’s a run for her money and I do not say that lightly,” Meaghan said spooning some more onto her plate.

“Best chefs in the world – I learned from the best – I told you,” he grinned at her.

“I believe you,” she said.

“Would you like some more wine?” Dean asked standing up to reach the sideboard.

“Sure; bring it,” Meaghan said holding out her glass.

He poured out a bottle and then moved himself to sit next to her instead of opposite.

“So,” he sighed deeply, “You said something about talking…”

“Yes I did say something about ‘we need to talk’,” she agreed.

“So here I am, there you are; we’ve ingested some wine – let’s talk,” he said.

Meaghan took a deep breath. “Would you like to start?” she asked.

Dean laughed. “Er well, I’ve been thinking a lot about…the virginity thing,” he ventured.

Meaghan nodded, “And?”

“And, I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about it.”

Meaghan stared at him.

“I mean I feel like maybe there’s something I should be doing or not doing or saying now that I took your virginity. I feel like it’s a big responsibility,” Dean said his face was flushed.

Meaghan laughed. “I don’t know, maybe if I was a blushing virginal teenager but I’m almost thirty years old; it’s almost embarrassing to still have been a virgin.”

“Well now that you bring it up; why were you?” he asked. “Not that there’s anything wrong…” he hastened to add.

“Oh don’t go all PC on me. I wasn’t saving myself for marriage or anything. It’s just that; I guess I tend to get single minded about things and you know how high school was and then college; trying to maintain those grades and earn enough money to pay my bills…I guess I just didn’t have time to socialize. It just never happened.”

“What about after college?” Dean asked.

“I guess you don’t know about the 72 hour shifts a resident has huh?” she said wryly and then inclined her head as if acknowledging the thinness of the argument. “Plus I just never met anyone who made me want to…make the time; you know what I mean?”

Dean shrugged and Meaghan laughed. “I guess not,” she said.

“I mean so…what? Did I make you want to? Or did you just figure it was time?”

“I refuse to answer on grounds that it might incriminate me,” Meaghan said laughing.

“Meaghan,” Dean said.

“I don’t know; there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of thought going into what happened. It just…did. What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me, what now?” Dean said.

Just then the door chime went off.

*****

Samantha drew up to the bookshop and parked in the single slot in front of the shop. She stared up at the apartment on top of the shop. The lights were definitely on which meant that Dean was home. Samantha alighted from the car and stood beside it adjusting her attire to the best advantage. She was dressed in an off the shoulder sky blue shimmery ensemble that ended just above her knees. She’d paired it with white footwear and her gaily painted toes peeped a cheerful blue out of the front of her open toed heels. She’d piled her hair on top of her head and her pearl earrings and necklace completed the picture of demure sexiness she was trying to project. She’d done her eyes with blue makeup to enhance the blueness of her eyes and her lips were nude and shiny. She wriggled her hips, adjusting the fit of her dress over them and then sauntered to the door, taking a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.