Second Chances. Valerie Hansen

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      “I’m afraid that won’t do,” Paul said, stepping through the half-open door.

      She gave ground. “I told you. The office is closed.” The spicy aroma of his aftershave affected her strongly and made her want to put even more distance between them.

      Paul’s smile grew into a self-satisfied grin as he looked her up and down. “Humor me. I have as much right as anybody to be treated with respect. All I want from you is a few facts.”

      Whether she liked it or not, he’d made a good point. Fair was fair. Besides, it wouldn’t do to let on that she was still mad enough at him to make her blood boil. A contrary man like Paul Randall would probably enjoy seeing that she was upset, and she wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

      Circling him widely, hurriedly, Belinda said, “All right. What can the Serenity Chamber of Commerce do for you? I’ll give you two minutes.”

      Paul’s gaze met hers, challenged it, held it. “I’m good, but I’m not that good. Perhaps I’d better come back tomorrow when you have more free time.”

      And make me go through this emotional turmoil all over again? No way! The smartest thing she could do was give him the information he wanted, right now, and be rid of him.

      “That won’t be necessary,” she said, pleased at how calm and businesslike she sounded in spite of her quaking insides and righteous indignation. She rounded the end of the counter to put a solid physical barrier between them. “What is it you need?”

      “Well… A list of the commercial property within four blocks in any direction from my aunts’ estate, for starters.”

      “You need to go to the county office for that and you know it,” Belinda said, scowling. “What do you really want?”

      Inwardly tense, Paul kept his posture relaxed, his smile as enigmatic as he could make it. He’d known that facing Belinda again would be difficult but he’d had no idea what a strong, gut-level reaction he’d have to her. That had been such a surprise he found he could hardly think straight, let alone come up with reasonable-sounding excuses for tracking her down while he was in town.

      The most sensible option was probably to tell her the plain truth. The minute he’d set foot in Serenity again he’d felt he had to see her, to talk to her, to make her understand that he hadn’t been responsible for the loss of her father’s church. He was good at arguing court cases. It should have been easy to present a logical defense of his innocence.

      Unfortunately, Paul had to admit he was currently standing on a foundation of emotional quicksand and sinking fast. Any notion he’d had about being permanently immune to Belinda’s charms had vanished the moment he’d faced her again. If anything, the attraction he felt now was stronger than ever. That conclusion didn’t astonish him nearly as much as the fact that the memory of her rejection still hurt.

      If it hadn’t been for her cautious expression and stiff, standoffish posture he might have foolishly relaxed his guard and told her how he felt, then and there. Which would have been the dumbest thing he’d done for ten years. Sharing some information about his professional concerns, however, didn’t seem like such a bad idea. At least it would give him something intelligent to say.

      “I was hoping you’d have time to bring me up to speed on the way Serenity is developing. You know. New business trends, population demographics, that kind of thing. Sort of an overview of what you see as the future of the town.”

      “Why me?”

      “Because you’ve not only lived here for a long time, your job has put you right into the center of commerce.” He quickly pressed on, hoping to sway her decision before she had a chance to think it through. “So, since you’re about to close the office, how about I make reservations at Romano’s for tonight? We can relax and talk over dinner.”

      “You’ve got to be kidding. No way!” Belinda’s heart was racing and her mouth was as dry as the bottom of Lick Creek in mid-July! Didn’t he remember anything about their last day together? About their quarrel? About the things she’d said to him? The passage of time had not changed her mind. Too many unanswered questions remained. Important questions. Questions she wasn’t sure she wanted to ask because hearing the answers might prove too painful.

      “Why not? Got a date with your doctor friend? I hear you two are quite a couple.”

      Obviously, Paul had been prying. “That’s none of your business,” she said stiffly.

      “I see.”

      Belinda was surprised when he didn’t immediately argue or try to manipulate her. As a practicing attorney he was obviously used to getting the results he wanted. Waiting for his counterattack, she pressed her lips into a thin line.

      “Well, maybe some other time,” Paul said, straightening and smiling woodenly. “I’ll call you.”

      She noticed that his smile no longer brought a mischievous sparkle to his dark, compelling eyes. His gaze had grown shadowy, brooding, the way it used to be. The way it had been the night of the awful fire.

      That memory was enough to keep her from holding back any longer. “No. I don’t want you to call.” Belinda shook her head firmly for emphasis. “We have nothing more to talk about.”

      Smile fading, he turned to leave. His voice sounded emotionless when he said, “For once, you may be right.”

      Belinda stopped by her grandmother Eloise’s that evening. Eloise had sprained her ankle and was supposed to stay off her feet as much as possible. She wasn’t behaving, of course. Belinda hadn’t expected her to listen to medical advice, not even Sam’s, which was why she’d decided to drop in and volunteer to cook the evening meal.

      Standing at her grandmother’s stove, Belinda got more and more distracted as she began to contrast the differences between Sam and Paul. Sam was steady, comfortable, and he fit effortlessly into her daily life. She’d never had a moment’s worry about what he might be doing or who he might be with. On the other hand, being around Paul had always made her feel disquieted, as if she were standing at the edge of a precipice in a stiff wind and was about to be blown over the edge. Even now, though he’d looked as refined as any other professional man, his presence had sent a chill up her spine and made the hair on the back of her neck prickle.

      Daydreaming, she nearly burned the black-eyed peas she was fixing as a side dish.

      Eloise hobbled up to rescue the smoking pot and stirred rapidly. “Goodness me. That was close.”

      “Sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

      “No problem. I got to ’em in time.” She paused, then asked, “So, tell me, how was Paul Randall?”

      Whirling, Belinda stared. “How did you know I’d seen him?”

      “Lucky guess.” Eloise set the pot off to the side and plopped her slightly overweight body into a kitchen chair. “Well? Was he polite? Did he show his raisin’, or did he manage to behave himself?”

      “If you mean, did he grab me and kiss me senseless the way he used to, the answer is no. He’s more out-of-place in Serenity than ever, but he didn’t say or do anything embarrassing.”

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