Desire September 2017 Books 1 -4. Yvonne Lindsay

facade away. “But I can’t fix what’s wrong until I know what it is.”

      Matthew studied him for a moment, then cautiously offered, “Obviously you aren’t trying hard enough.”

      “What? I’ve texted, called, gone by the house.”

      “Come on,” Matthew admonished, the tension in his body easing up some. “Where’s the guy who beat out every shipping company in Savannah to get Jefferson’s contract? I’m pretty sure you stepped out of your comfort zone to accomplish that.”

      Boy, had he. “But this is a woman.”

      “No different...except you might need a little more finesse. Use some of those personal negotiating techniques Jasmine taught you.”

      “A little more finesse, huh?”

      Royce thought about that the rest of the day. Jasmine’s techniques had really just been about seeing people for who they were, treating them with respect as human beings. She’d drilled that into him, but he still needed a little more work in that area.

      Starting now.

      Even though it was about an hour before he normally left the office, Royce headed for the door. “Take the rest of the day off, Matthew.”

      He had to smile at his assistant’s gasp. Those words hadn’t been uttered in Royce Brazier’s office, well, ever.

      So why was Royce grinning as he got into his car?

      Today was a Thursday. Jasmine always volunteered at the mission on Thursday evenings. She had for the entire two months he’d known her. Why not use that knowledge to his advantage?

      As he drove toward the mission, he experienced an unfamiliar sensation of freedom. So this was what playing hooky felt like.

      Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had some business to discuss with Francis Staten. Royce hadn’t changed his stripes entirely.

      He walked into the mission’s large dining area just as the line was forming for dinner service. Sure enough, Jasmine stood behind the steam tables. Their eyes met across the room. He could read the jolt in her body, even from this distance.

      The pull to go to her was strong. He wanted to be near her, beside her. But he had to make things right first.

      So he crossed the room to find Francis, instead. The director stood with several visitors, chatting before the meal. He greeted Royce with a smile and a warm handshake. “So good to see you here.”

      “Thank you,” Royce replied. “I wonder if you would spare me a few moments of your time.”

      “Absolutely.” Francis said his goodbyes to the others, then gestured for Royce to follow him out of the room. “I hope this isn’t bad news.”

      Royce was quick to reassure him. “Definitely not.” But he waited until they reached Francis’s office before filling him in.

      “Everything has been tallied and totaled, and we had some very generous donors at the masquerade,” Royce said.

      “That’s good,” Francis said with a smile. “And I can’t remember ever enjoying an evening so much. What you and Jasmine put together was pure magic.”

      “Yes, it was, wasn’t it?” He and Jasmine were magic together, too, if only he could get her to see that.

      “Now, why do the two of you both turn so solemn when I say that?” Francis’s gaze was a little too astute.

      And here Royce had thought he was going to be able to stick to business, at least for this part of the evening. “Just a little misunderstanding that I’m hoping to clear up.”

      “I hope so, too. Jasmine deserves to be happy. And so do you, young man.”

      “Happiness never factored into the equation for me before,” Royce said with a sigh. The happiness he’d found with Jasmine would leave a hole in his life if they weren’t together. Please let me be able to fix this.

      “What about now?”

      Now, Royce was determined to make Jasmine the happiest woman on earth. If he had to give up every dime to do it.

      But instead of saying that, Royce simply smiled and returned to the original subject. “The truth is, we made far more than our goal at the masquerade.”

      “Oh?”

      “It will mean you’ll have more to work with when you build the men’s sleeping quarters. But I have an idea I would like to propose.”

      Francis beamed at Royce as he explained his plan. The money he gave wasn’t going into this man’s pocket, yet it still made Francis happy because it meant he could help more people every day. That humbled Royce.

      “There isn’t enough to cover all I’m suggesting, but I’m willing to donate the additional funds myself,” he said, waving away Francis’s protests. “But I have a confession to make.”

      Francis was all ears.

      “I’m going to need your help.”

      Thirty minutes later, Francis was more than on board.

       Twenty

      Jasmine watched the men approach, her mouth dry and her heart pounding. Her hands shook as she tried to maneuver the hot pan of food into the empty slot on the steam table.

      They sure looked chummy.

      Not that she wanted Francis to be angry at Royce. She’d deliberately told no one except her sisters about the break because the responsibility was hers. Royce had told her, warned her in many different ways, that he wasn’t built for family or forever. She’d chosen to listen to her heart, instead. And she’d paid the price.

      Now, part of her felt violated that he was here, in her space, her territory. Not that she owned the mission. The feeling was ridiculous. But it was there, nonetheless.

      She also needed to face the fact that she might be seeing a lot of Royce during the upcoming construction. Or maybe not. Certainly if he returned to his normal way of conducting business, it wouldn’t be a problem.

      He’d just put someone in charge and go on his way.

      But she never would have imagined him coming to the mission of his own accord, so anything was possible. And something in his expression told her that he was going to choose a hands-off approach.

      “Jasmine,” Francis started, “Royce brought delightful news today.”

      Her smile felt unnatural, like hard plastic. But it was better than crying.

      In contrast, Francis looked ecstatic. “We’re not getting just one new dormitory, but two.”

      Shock rippled through her. “Excuse me?”

      “Royce himself is donating the cost of a new women’s dorm—in full. We will be able to provide better accommodations and turn the original housing into small private rooms so families can stay together while they’re with us.”

      “Um...” Speechless didn’t begin to touch it. This was a dream she and Francis had discussed for several years but they’d figured it was forever out of reach.

      “And he wants you to work with him on it.”

      Whoa. What? “I do events, not buildings.”

      “But you know more than anyone what these women need,” Francis pointed out. “You could offer great insight into planning and utilization of the space to meet those needs.”

      Why wasn’t Royce saying anything?

      “You two talk about it. Then come see me.” Francis laid a hand on Jasmine’s arm and gave her the same comforting smile he’d been offering since she first walked through