When Love Calls, page 1
When Love Calls
by
Sharon C. Cooper
Copyright © 2018 Sharon C. Cooper
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For permission, contact the author at sharoncooper.net
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Disclaimer
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Dear Reader,
In Love Under Contract, book 1 of the Jenkins & Sons Construction series, I introduced Sumeera’s parents: Russell McCray and Mona Gregory. I had no idea they would make such an impression on you! Since then, I have received a number of emails, asking about Mona’s story and what happened after she walked away from Russell. In addition to those emails, several of you have requested that I write stories about more seasoned characters.
Well, I listened! Mona is a fifty-seven-year-old woman who has always wanted to get married and have a family. Instead, the man she ended up with showered her with every material thing a woman could want, but wasn’t interested in marriage or having a large family. At first, that wasn’t enough to make Mona leave him, but over the last few years, Russell has changed. And while he’s not the same man she fell in love with, Mona realizes she’s not the person she used to be either.
As for a new love interest for Mona…
If you’re keeping up with the Jenkins & Sons Construction series, you’ll recall that Mona was mentioned again in Proposal for Love. In that story, she caught the eye of Dexter Jenkins, a first cousin of Steven Jenkins. I loved Dexter from the moment I met him (smile). He’s a cool old dude who has had some setbacks in life, but he’s determined to move on and find a woman who is interested in starting a new chapter in her own life…with him. I figured, why not Mona.
I hope you enjoy Dexter and Mona’s story!
Happy reading!
Sharon
Blurb
Mona Lisa Gregory is ready to live her best life. She's moving on after thirty-five years of dating one man. Scrapping the holy matrimony fantasy, a carefree and no-strings-attached passion is her new obsession. But her perfect plan has one hiccup. Dexter Jenkins.
Dex is an old-school guy who believes in falling in love with one woman and living happily-ever-after. He once had it all. A great job. Money in the bank. A happy, thirty-year marriage. He lost everything he held dear after one unfortunate accident. Guilt plagued him for years, but he has finally forgiven himself. Now he’s ready to give love a try again.
Mona is not looking for long-term. But Dexter is unwilling to ignore the fierce passion they share whenever he holds her in his arms. He will do whatever it takes to make her the next Mrs. Jenkins. But will secrets from his past and her former lover keep them from having the life they deserve? Or will their love be strong enough to withstand every obstacle placed in their way?
Chapter One
“Russell was a selfish lover.” Mona Gregory spoke the words to her sister and immediately wanted to pull them back. The comment was true. She just hadn’t planned to voice them.
“And yet you stayed with the jerk for over thirty-five years,” Johnette cracked, shaking her head.
No one understood that decision. On most days, not even Mona could come up with enough reasons on why she stayed. Her ex had been incapable of giving her what she wanted most—marriage and more children.
Weighed down with Nordstrom, Chicos, and Coach shopping bags, Mona and Johnette trudged through the parking lot at Kenwood Towne Centre. They’d been out for hours and Mona couldn’t remember when she and her sister had spent so much time together. Johnette had flown into Cincinnati the day before from Puerto Vallarta, with plans to visit for two weeks. Two weeks. They had fourteen days to rebuild a relationship that had deteriorated over the last twenty-plus years.
“Watch that car.” Johnette pulled on the back of Mona’s jean jacket sleeve to keep her from stepping in front of a vehicle that rolled through a stop sign. “Idiot.” Her sister glared at the driver, as if that would cause him remorse for almost running over someone.
“I think you parked over there.” Mona tried pointing to their left but the bags banged together, hindering her from lifting her arm. Instead she nodded to the row where Johnette had parked the white rental car.
“I’ll never understand you. If Russell couldn’t even satisfy you sexually, what was the point?” Johnette picked up the conversation where they’d left off as they loaded the bags and climbed into the vehicle. “I’ll admit the man is fine. And it doesn’t hurt he has more money than Warren Buffett.”
“He’s not that rich,” Mona mumbled, and fastened her seatbelt.
“Oh please. Condos on Central Park East aren’t cheap. And apparently that, along with everything else he showered you with, was enough to keep you locked away from your family. And now I find out he wasn’t even good in bed.” She gave a disgusted chuckle and tsked. “He couldn’t even get you off. Yet, you stayed.”
Johnette steered the car toward the interstate that would take them to Mona’s condo in Over-the-Rhine.
“Just drop it.”
“I will not drop it. I live to talk about that loser. The guy is a pompous fool. Yet, you chose him over us, spending all those years separated from your family.”
“Really? You act like I fell off the face of the earth or something. You could’ve called or visited New York whenever you wanted.”
“And you could’ve done the same thing. Instead, you sacrificed everything, Mona, and for what? It’s bad enough you cut me off, but Sumeera?” She pounded her hand on the steering wheel. “There’s no way in hell I would’ve walked away or dumped my child on someone else in order to follow behind some guy.”
Her sister was right. There was nothing Mona could say. She put Russell McCray first for most of her adult life and had more regrets than she could count. Her biggest—not maintaining a relationship with her daughter.
“He needed me. He was expanding the property development business, and there was a lot of traveling. Russell wanted me with him. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing sending Sumeera to stay with you awhile, especially when we had to go overseas.” Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a few weeks of Sumeera living with Johnette turned out to be six years.
Mona sighed at the memory. It was a miracle Sumeera had forgiven her and they were rebuilding their mother-daughter bond.
“That’s all behind me now.” Mona stared out the window, trying not to dwell on a past she couldn’t change. Since reuniting with her daughter, she now had a new son-in-law, Nick, and a granddaughter, Chanelle.
She smiled to herself. Chanelle was the cutest baby Mona had ever seen and she had such a sweet disposition. Sumeera had been like that as a baby, only crying when she was hungry or wet. All other times, she was watchful and content.
“Now that you’re free, what are you going to do with yourself? Cincinnati is a long way from New York.”
Her new city was taking some getting used to, but leaving Russell and reconnecting with her family had been a good decision. And now that he had finally stopped calling, she could really move on.
“I’m planning to get a part-time job.”
Johnette glanced at Mona, splitting her attention between her and the road. “I thought you said your investments were enough to live on. Why would you need to work?”
“I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life.” At fifty-seven, she was finally ready to live her life and fulfill some of her dreams now that she had helped others. “Since I’ve always loved fashion, I want to eventually open up a boutique. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to work in retail awhile first.”
Johnette’s mouth dropped opened. “Really?”
“Yes, really. You don’t have to sound so surprised. I know how to work and I know the basics about running a business. I played a major role in Russell’s success.”
Johnette shook her head. “Yeah, and I’m still shocked by that. All these years I assumed you were a kept woman, bowing down to your master.”
“Would you knock it off with that crap? I’ll admit that I stayed with Russell and put up with his nonsense for too long, but you and Sumeera act as if I didn’t have a brain.”
“What were we supposed to think, Mona? You followed behind him like some puppy dog. The few times either of us heard from you, it’s not like you told us any different.”
Mona stared down at her manicured hands folded in her lap. The royal blue tanzanite halo ring surrounded by diamonds stood out against her dark skin. The jewelry had been a gift from Russell on her last birthday. Since he made it very clear it was a gift and not an engagement ring, she wore it on her right hand.
She only had herself to blame for what Sumeera and Johnette thought of her. She knew part of her reason for staying with Russell was that he tr
“I’m going to start dating,” she blurted.
“What?”
“Nothing serious, though. I’ve given up the whole matrimony idea. I don’t need marriage. Besides, I’m tired of taking care of a man. I just want to meet some nice men. Preferably ones who are my age or younger. Someone I can go out with sometimes and maybe have, um, maybe have a sex partner.” She looked everywhere but at her sister and ran her sweaty palms down her jean-covered thighs. She couldn’t believe she was saying that out loud, even if it was true.
Johnette threw her head back and laughed as she exited the interstate. “So what you’re telling me is that all you want from a guy is a friends-with-benefits setup? Someone to lube you up on occasion, like a mechanic or maintenance man?”
Mona frowned at her sister before laughing. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds so…dirty.”
Mona shivered, unable to keep the smile off her face. She would love to meet a man who was a little rough around the edges and had swagger. Someone who lived on the wild side—a little—and a man who could introduce her to new adventures. She had already experienced how the wealthy lived, traveling the continent, eating at the finest restaurants, and shopping at some of the most exclusive stores around the world. Now she wanted to live a simple, but enjoyable life and have some fun in the process.
“I know it sounds crazy, and I can’t explain what's changed. All I know is that I want the freedom to do whatever I want without having to worry about a man’s needs. You have enjoyed your life, coming and going as you please.” At least that’s how it was before Johnette met Carlos and moved to Puerto Vallarta a year ago to be with him. “I don’t want to have to worry about if dinner is ready on time or host a dinner party for my man’s business associates. I don’t want to be tied down anymore.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with my shy, prissy little sister?”
Mona laughed. Sure, she might be a little shy, and she couldn’t deny that she was girly and maybe a little prim, but it was time she tapped into her other side. Her fun and exciting side. A side she wasn’t sure existed, but she planned to find out.
*
Dexter Jenkins unlocked the door to his new home, overcome with a peace he hadn’t felt in ages. For the past few years, he had lived in his daughter Katara’s guest bedroom. Though he felt at home with her and her husband and he enjoyed being around his grandchildren, he knew it had been time to get his own place.
“You definitely got the hook-up here, Dex. This is a nice size and it’s cool you don’t have to purchase all new furniture,” Sean, Dexter’s best friend since high school, said as he roamed around the partially furnished two-bedroom condominium, inspecting every inch of the place. “I need to see if I can get a gig like this.”
Dex chuckled, grateful for his mechanical skills that he had picked up during his army days and during the years he worked for Jenkins & Sons Construction. Being good with his hands had landed him the caretaker position of the eighteen-unit complex. The condo unit came with the job and he only had to pay for utilities.
“How’d you find out about this job? I need to start seriously thinking about what I’m going to do when I leave the factory,” Sean said. He sat on the upholstered sofa and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. They had lost touch when Dexter joined the army, but reconnected after he retired from the military and returned to Cincinnati. Since then, they’d supported each other through life’s many ups and downs.
“Katara’s friend lives in the complex and had mentioned they were looking to hire someone for the position. The person who lived here before partied all the time, barely took care of the building.”
“So they figured they’d get an old dude to fill the position instead of a young buck,” Sean joked, his weathered face stretching into a wide grin.
Dex shook his head and smiled. “I might be getting older, but I don’t consider myself old.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone pushing sixty says.”
Dex didn’t feel his age, and at times he wondered where the years had gone. Granted, he had screwed up many of those years with one bad decision after another. Now he had a second chance to get his life back on track, and that’s what he intended to do.
“All right, let’s get those boxes in here so I can get settled,” Dexter said, and grabbed his keys off the granite counter top. “I figured we can unload the truck and set everything over there until I have a chance to unpack.” He pointed to a corner of the living room near the bank of windows.
“Sounds good. The sooner we get done, the faster we can get ready for the game tonight. The Cavaliers are playing the Warriors and I know it’s going to be a good one.”
They headed outside and started carting boxes into the condo. Dexter’s unit was on the first floor and he was glad they didn’t have to deal with any stairs.
On one of the trips out, he slowed and glanced around his new community. Like him, Over-the-Rhine had once been in bad shape, but had gone through a major transformation. Dexter almost didn’t recognize the vibrant area.
Contentment rested in his soul. I’ve made it.
He climbed into the truck and grabbed a large box and a duffel bag that held some of his clothes. This move was the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
After taking the items in, he and Sean walked outside together for the remaining boxes. Sean climbed into the back of the truck and brought several containers to the opening and set them down on the floor of the truck.
Dexter reached for a large bag, but stopped when the hair on the back of his neck lifted. He turned and glanced around the parking lot. The moving truck was parked near the entrance, giving him a good view of most of the lot. At first, he didn’t see anything out of the norm, but then he spotted two women near the last row pulling a number of bags from a car.
Well, I’ll be damned.
Sean followed Dexter's gaze. “Mmm, nice-looking women. I take it you know them?” He climbed down and stood next to Dexter.
“I only know the one with the curly hair. That's Mona, the woman I was telling you about.” Dexter had first met Mona a few months ago at the Jenkins family Sunday brunch.
“That’s Mona?” Sean asked, disbelief dripping from each word. “There’s no way in hell you can pull a woman like that. Man, she is way out of your league. I can already tell she has champagne taste, which won’t work with your soda-pop budget. Look at her.”
Dexter was looking. And like the last time he’d seen her, he liked what he saw.
“There’s an air of royalty about her. She’s practically floating through the lot. Figures you’d fall for a high-society woman, knowing she don’t want nothin’ to do with your old, country ass.”
Dexter chuckled. “Man, shut up.”
“When you said you were ready to get back in the game, I had no idea you’d be trying to aim that high.”
Dexter studied Mona as she slowly headed toward the door, the other woman walking at her side. Was it too much to hope that Mona lived in the building?
She was as pretty as he remembered. Even at her age, there was an innocence about her that called to him. Her skin, the color of chocolate with a hint of cream, was blemish-free, but it was her mouth that drew his attention. Those lips. The raspberry-colored gloss only highlighted for him that she had the prettiest lips he’d ever seen on a woman.
As she moved closer, he took in the whole package. When they had met months ago, she’d been dressed conservatively and seemed shy. Now, though she still seemed a little unsure of herself, the denim outfit hugging her womanly curves hinted at a sensual and exciting woman. Her hair was shorter than the last time he’d seen her, but the long strands still brushed her shoulders with big curls framing her face.
