She’d also come to realize the importance of seeing each person as an individual with unique desires and dreams. You had to see all the kids as seeds of hope and the volunteers as gardeners who would nurture them and let them grow to their full potential. Some had already blossomed and moved on to better lives but there were always new ones who showed great promise, who tugged at your heart strings and made you want to give them the world.
Robert was one of them. His greatest dream was to become a professional basketball player and so he spent hours on the court, practicing long after everyone else had departed. He was dying to be discovered and Asia prayed that one day he would. She smiled as she watched him rake his fingers through his curly blonde hair and slouch back in his chair, his ritual after a good meal. It was the sign that he was ready for dessert. Where he put all that grub, she could never tell. He was as thin as a pole. It had to be a combination of naturally high metabolism, daily manual labor and practice sessions that went on for hours.
As she stared over at Robert her eyes went out of focus and her mind wandered back in time to another man who was tall and lean but older and with hair the glossy black of a raven’s wing. Enrico Megalos. Her renegade mind kept taking her back to him, making her relive every moment she’d spent with him. It didn’t matter that all her interactions with him had been on a professional basis only. No, crazy brain that she had, it kept playing back each scene in her head and each time it ran the movie it was sexier than the time before.
The movie ran in slow motion, giving her a close-up view of his broad forehead, the thick dark brows, the lashes any warm-blooded woman would lust for, the long lean nose that spoke of his heritage and the piece de resistance - the firm yet sensuous lips she was dying to taste.
“Who is he?”
“Uh, what?” Asia blinked, dragging herself back to the present, and turned to stare at her partner in the food line.
“Who is he? The guy you’re mooning over?” Shelley cocked an eyebrow at her and her lips trembled like she was trying not to laugh. “This is the first time I’ve seen you spaced out like that and it can only mean one thing. You’ve found a man. Finally.”
“I…didn’t,” Asia protested but her voice was too weak, too airy, for her statement to be true. She knew it, and she knew Shelley knew it. Or at least she could guess very easily.
“Mm-hmm.” Shelley rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, looking so comical that Asia burst out laughing.
“I didn’t find a man,” she said again, her voice stronger this time. “Really, I didn’t.”
“Tell that to the birds,” Shelley said dryly then turned toward a lone straggler who approached with a tray. She loaded the girl’s plate with food then watched as she headed off to a free table. Only then did she turn her attention back to Asia. “Girl, I’ve known you since you were still beating the books on campus. I know every expression on that sweet face of yours. And psychologist or not, you’re no good at hiding your feelings.” Shelley dropped her ladle back into the mashed potato and reached for a napkin to clean up a blob that had fallen onto the counter. As she wiped she continued speaking. “What I see is love, honey. No use denying it. You’ve got a heart full of love.”
“But it can’t be.” Asia shook her head vehemently. “He’s a client.”
“Ah ha!” Shelley pointed a finger in Asia’s face. “I knew it. You’ve found a man. And thank God for it. You’re finally listening to me.”
“Shelley,” Asia whispered, “that’s not how it is at all.”
“How is it then?” She demanded, hand on hip.
“Carol, can you come here a minute?” Asia waved a hand at the white-aproned woman who was chatting with the cook. As Carol approached she began untying her apron. “Can you hold the fort for a while? Shelley and I need a break.”
“Sure,” Carol said with a shrug. “Most of the kids have already eaten, anyway. Nothing much to do.”
“Thanks,” Asia said then grabbed Shelley’s arm and marched her out the back door. Only when they were outside and out of earshot did she release her.
“Okay, Miss Nosey Parker,” she said, “here’s the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” She took a deep breath. “I admit it. I know I’ve been picky but I’ve finally found a man who actually…makes my heart race."
Shelley rolled her eyes as she always did but now she was shaking her head in what looked like exasperation. “You can’t say it, can you?” She put her hands on her h*ps in classic Shelley pose. “You finally found a man who turns you on. Say it, girl. Come on.” Then she gave her laugh, the one that sounded like a dog yelping. “I found a man that makes my heart race,” she said in a singsong, mocking voice. “Say what you mean. The man turns you on.”
“Alright, alright,” Asia said, looking around. “Will you keep it down? Are you planning to announce it to the world?”
“So what’s his name? What does he look like?” Shelley said, ignoring her plea. “Is he hot? He’d better be. After your everlasting wait I don’t want you bringing me any old-”
“Will you stop?” Asia felt like gagging the woman. Nice though she was, Shelley had no clue about speaking softly. She pulled her away from the door. “I will not under any circumstances tell you his name. He’s a client.”
“Client, schmient- ”
“Stop.” Asia put up her hand. “All I’m going to tell you is yes, he’s hot and yes, he turns me on. Big time. But there’s nothing I can do about it. Not as long as I’m working for him.”
“So quit,” Shelley said with a shrug. “Then ask him out.”
“I can’t do that-”
“Yes, you can. Asia, you are twenty-five years old, going on twenty-six. When are you going to find a man and settle down? Those eggs of yours won’t be doing much in a few years.”