"Oh. I've heard about you."
"That's what they all say," Lara muttered.
Shanna laughed. "Don't worry. It was all good. By the way, I'm Shanna. My daughter's Sofia. And you met my son, Constantine?"
"Yes." Lara smiled at the little rosy-cheeked boy.
"She's the one for Jack," Radinka announced.
Lara gulped. "I-I wouldn't say that. I hardly know him."
"Well, we'll just have to gossip about him then, won't we?" Shanna's eyes sparkled with humor. "Robby said you were very pretty. He was definitely right."
"Connor said you were trouble," Constantine added.
"Tino." Shanna frowned at her son, then turned to Lara. "Connor's just worried about Jack getting hurt. We're all sorta like family around here. Would you like to have supper with us? We were just headed for the cafeteria."
"I'm gonna have macaroni and cheese!" Tino pranced around the hall.
"I'd love to come, but Howard might expect me to stay put." Lara motioned toward the conference room.
"Oh, don't worry about that." Shanna waved a dismissive hand. "He'll see you on the monitor and know you're with us. Come on."
Lara grabbed her handbag, shut the conference-room door, and accompanied them down the hall toward the foyer. She hadn't eaten yet, so she was hungry, and she was eager to hear some of the gossip Shanna had referred to. At the same time, she figured she'd better eat light. Jack had a date planned for later that night, and it might involve dinner. And other things...
They went down the length of the foyer, then turned right, then left, then another left. The halls were lined with windows on one side, and Lara realized they were circling around a courtyard and landscaped area. The setting sun cast a glare off the windows and lit up the bright red and pink geraniums that bloomed in pots around the courtyard.
In the nearly empty cafeteria, they settled at a table with the baby stroller parked at one end next to Shanna. Lara sat across from her and ate a small salad while she admired the two-week-old baby.
"You want to see what I can do?" Tino asked.
"Of course." Lara figured the little boy wanted some attention, too.
"Tino." Shanna shook her head, frowning.
"Oh. Okay." His shoulders slumped, and he pushed his macaroni around his plate.
Shanna watched him, still frowning, then her face brightened. "I know. You wiggled your ears the other day. You can show Lara that."
Tino sat up, grinning. "Yeah." He turned to Lara. "You want to see?"
"I'd love to." Lara laughed when the little boy's ears moved slightly. "That's amazing. I was never able to do that."
"I can read, too," Tino boasted.
"That's wonderful." Lara pushed back her empty salad bowl. "How old are you?"
"I was two in March." Constantine gulped down some milk,
Two? Lara would have guessed he was more like four, but then she didn't know very much about children.
Sofia suddenly let out a wail, and Shanna lifted her from the stroller. "There, there." She paced around the table, cuddling the baby. "You just had your dinner. Can't you let your mama have hers?"
Lara realized Shanna was only halfway through her meal. Radinka wasn't finished either. She pushed back her chair and stood. "I'll hold the baby."
"Oh, thank you." Shanna transferred the baby to Lara's arms. "She likes to be carried around. I guess it reminds her of being inside of me."
"I don't remember being inside you, Mama," Tino said.
Shanna chuckled as she sat down to finish her supper. "You used to roll around, doing somersaults."
"Cool." Tino attacked a bowl of red Jell-O cubes.
Lara strolled slowly around the table, enjoying the incredible softness of the baby against her chest. Sofia gazed up at her with clear blue eyes. Lara smoothed a hand over the baby's head and felt the downy black hair. Jack's children would have hair like this.
She sighed. What on earth was she doing, imagining Jack's future children? As crazy as it was, she couldn't seem to get too upset. There was something about holding this baby that made her feel very calm inside.
"You're good with children." Shanna scooped some mashed potatoes into her mouth. "Jack is, too."
"He would make an excellent father." Radinka pointed her fork at Lara to add emphasis.
Lara snorted, but she couldn't help but smile. "You two are a couple of matchmakers. But as good-looking as Jack is, I doubt he needs any help in the romance department." She hoped they would come back with something like Jack hasn't been seeing anyone for years. Jack's been as chaste as a ninety-year-old monk.
Shanna reached for her glass of iced tea. "I have to admit, Jack is a very good-looking man."
"Youth," Radinka muttered and shook her head as she cut up the last of her steak. "What's really important is character. Jack is a good man. He's kind, loyal, and dependable."
That sounded all fine and dandy, but Lara still wondered how many busloads of women had chased after Jack. She continued to walk around the table. "I suppose a guy with both good looks and good character would have a lot of women pursuing him."
"I suppose he would." Shanna's eyes twinkled.
Lara blushed. She was so obviously fishing.
Shanna chuckled. "Don't worry. I've never known Jack to have a girlfriend. He always comes to parties alone."
Lara's lungs expanded with a breath of joy.
"But of course, once he arrives, he flirts something terrible with all the women," Shanna added wryly.
Lara coughed when her throat suddenly constricted.
"He's just being kind," Radinka insisted. "He flirted with me at the spring Gala Ball and even asked me to waltz with him. I knew he was just being polite, but still, it made me feel wonderful. Like I was forty years younger."
"How long have you known him?" Lara asked.
"Since I started working here," Radinka said. "About eighteen years now. I used to be Roman's assistant."
"But then I stole her." Shanna looked fondly at Radinka, then turned to Lara. "I met Jack three years ago at my wedding. He goes to all the weddings and parties."
"He's an excellent dancer," Radinka added.
Shanna nodded. "And a good friend. When Angus and Emma were in trouble, he came to help. He helped Ian and Toni, too."
Lara knew who Ian was, but she wondered about the other people. Still, she didn't want to veer off the topic of Jack. "I know he's a sweet guy, but there are some... odd things about him. Exceptional things."
"Like exceptional good looks?" Shanna asked with a sly grin.
"And exceptional loyalty," Radinka said.
"And exceptional availability," Shanna added.
Lara stopped pacing and faced them. "I realize you may not know this, but... Jack has some strange powers. He can actually teleport and move super fast."
Radinka patted her mouth with her napkin, then carefully folded it. "We know about that, dear." She gave Lara a pointed look. "We also know you have nothing to fear from him."
"That's true," Shanna said quietly. "I'm sure Jack's abilities must seem awfully strange to you, but please don't let it scare you away. What really matters is how he uses his powers, and he always uses them for good. You can trust him, Lara."
Was it that simple? Could she just accept him the way he was and trust him? Apparently, Shanna and Radinka did. Lara was tempted to, but at the same time, she wanted answers. And she wanted Jack to trust her enough to give her those answers.
"Well, speak of the devil..." Shanna nodded her head toward the cafeteria entrance.
Lara whirled around and saw Jack standing at the open door. Her heart lurched in her chest. He was definitely exceptional. He was everything she'd ever wanted in a man. You can trust him, Lara.
He walked toward her slowly. He was dressed in faded jeans, a black T-shirt, and black leather jacket. His hair was still damp and combed back from his face. Dark whiskers shaded his jaw. He looked as if he'd hurried here as quickly as possible. His gaze drifted to the babe in her arms, then returned to her face with a heated, golden gleam. She stepped toward him as if drawn by a magnet.
"Oh yes," Radinka announced behind her. "Those two will be very happy."
Lara halted as heat invaded her face. She knew the amused smirk on Jack's face meant he had overheard Radinka's remark.