I Can Make You Love Me. Karen White-Owens

grinned devilishly. She had the sort of curves he liked to hold on to while making love.

      Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony chimed from the interior of the woman’s purse. She unzipped the bag, fished inside, removed a cell phone, and answered, “Wynn Evans.”

      Suddenly, all the air gushed out of Adam’s lungs. He felt as if someone had punched him in the chest. Adam shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

      The name bounced off the cavernous hallway, resounding loudly in his ears. Wynn Evans.

      No way. Not after all these years. Adam took a step closer, examining her. The slim shape, height, and breadth of the woman seemed right. But he wasn’t sure if his suspicions were correct. After all, his Wynn didn’t have a copyright on the name.

      I’ll wait until she’s done with her call and then I’ll ask her, he decided, fighting the urge to interrupt. Instead, Adam eavesdropped on her one-sided conversation to glean more information. It wasn’t his shining moment, but he’d never use anything he heard against her.

      “Sounds good. How many shifts? Well, I’m on the road right now. You’ll hear from me when I get back to the office. Great! Talk to you soon,” she promised in a husky voice reminiscent of Kathleen Turner. Tiny shivers danced up and down his spine as he listened to the achingly special sound of her voice.

      The woman snapped the phone shut, slipped it back inside her purse, and took a step closer to the counter.

      He had to know. Straightening the knot of his tie, Adam drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly before tapping the woman on the shoulder. She turned, facing him with a polite but curious expression on her lovely face.

      Pure joy swept through him. Wynn! A smile spread across his face. His childhood babysitter stood in front of him.

      Wynn’s beauty was timeless. A short pixie haircut replaced the long ponytail she used to wear. Wisps of auburn hair feathered around the sides of her oval face. One silver lock fell across her forehead while long dark brown lashes shielded Wynn’s almond-shaped eyes. Adam’s gaze skipped over her straight nose before moving lower, settling on her full, lush, and kissable lips. She looked great; different, mature, but incredibly appealing and sexy.

      He put on his most charming smile and said, “I’m sorry to bother you. I heard you when you were on your phone and I wanted to ask you a question.”

      Wariness replaced the pleasant curiosity of a moment earlier, but she answered cautiously. “Yes?”

      “You said your name is Wynn Evans. Did you grow up in the Rosedale Park area?”

      Wynn’s forehead crinkled into a frown. She gave him a second, more thorough inspection. “Yes.”

      “I don’t know if you remember me.” He stabbed a finger at his chest, feeling the blood pound through his veins with anticipation. “I’m Adam. Adam Carlyle.”

      For a moment, there was no recognition, and then she gasped. Her eyes opened wide. Wynn threw her arms around his neck, hugged him, and then stepped back. “Adam from Outer Drive. My sweet pea.”

      Instantly, his body reacted to the softness of her slim frame. His arms dropped to his side and he took a step back to get a better look at her and give himself a moment to get his raging hormones under control. The intervening years had been very kind to her. Grinning, he answered, “That’s me.”

      She grabbed his hands and squeezed. Adam almost purred like a cat with pleasure. “It’s good to see you! You look fantastic!”

      “Next!”

      Startled, Wynn jumped and turned to the counter. “Sorry. Excuse me.” She brushed her bangs from her eyes and turned to the clerk, placing her order. As she reached inside her purse, Adam touched her arm, feeling her skin leap to life under his fingers.

      “I’ve got it.”

      “No. I’m fine,” she protested.

      Adam didn’t intend for Wynn to get away without giving up her telephone number or address. “My treat.”

      Wynn started to protest, “Oh, but—”

      “How many times did you feed me back in the day? We’ve got to sit, talk, and catch up.”

      Wynn caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She glanced around the open space and then back at him, smiling hesitantly. “Okay.”

      He grinned. “Good.”

      She zipped her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “You’re right. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up. I want to know how your family is doing.”

      Adam placed his order and paid for their meals. He turned to Wynn. “Why don’t you find us a table.”

      Nodding, she headed through the lobby to a table near the entrance for the Detroit Public Schools.

      He picked up the tray of food and followed, admiring the sway of Wynn’s hips in her fitted skirt as she strolled ahead of him across the beige tile floor. She chose a table in an area of the building that offered a bit of privacy but was within reach of others. As she seated herself gracefully on one side of the table, Adam removed the food from the tray and placed the tray on a nearby tray holder.

      He slid into the white plastic chair opposite her and studied her. “You look great.”

      Self-consciously, she arranged her plastic-ware around her plate and took special care to place the paper napkin in her lap. “Thank you. It’s been a long time.”

      “Yeah. It has.”

      “What’s going on with you?” Wynn reached for the yellow packet, added sweetener to her cup of green tea, and stirred. She stuck the red-and-white plastic stirrer into the corner of her mouth and chewed on the end. “Are you married? Do you have kids? What do you do for a living?”

      “No middle ground for you. Just the facts.”

      She laughed.

      The sound filled his heart and head with wonderful memories of the times she had spent with him, reading stories before putting him to bed.

      “You know me. I always want to know how things tick.”

      Adam added mustard and ketchup to his hot dog before biting into it, chewing slowly as he considered her questions. “Not married. No kids. I’m a real estate attorney and VP of Legal Services for Gautier International Motors.” He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and took a sip from his Pepsi. “What about you? Married? Kids?” His gaze rested on Wynn’s ringless fingers. “I heard you say something about shifts when you were on the phone. What’s that all about?”

      “Divorced,” Wynn stated and then shrugged a little sheepishly.

      Adam let out a relieved sigh. Good, he thought. That’s what I wanted to hear. “I’m sorry.”

      She smiled sadly, tearing a piece of lettuce from her chicken salad sandwich and nibbling on it. “Don’t be. It happens. Besides, things worked out for the best. My only regret is my sons don’t have a full-time dad.”

      “Sons?”

      “Mmm-hmm.” She wiggled two fingers at him. A loving expression replaced the sorrow of a moment earlier. “Two. Eight and six.”

      “You were always good with kids.” Adam tossed his hands in the air, grinning. “Look at me. I’m a prime example of your skills and know-how.”

      “Babysitting you came easy. You were always sweet.”

      “Thank you,” he answered, with a slight bow of his head. “What do you do for a living? I remember you were going to be a nurse. Did that happen?”

      “Yes, it did,” Wynn answered, picking up her sandwich and taking a bite. “I finished my degree at Michigan State. After I got my license, I decided to go back to school and get my master’s and I became a nurse