Love at Last. Irene Brand

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      She wasn’t keen about sitting beside him, but she moved to the maroon leather couch and answered, “That will be fine. I take it black.”

      “Yes, I remember.”

      He turned on the intercom, gave the order and joined her at a discreet distance on the couch. Now that she’d gotten over her initial surprise at seeing Perry, Lorene had her emotions under control, and she was eager to find out what he’d been doing, too.

      When Alma entered with a tray and placed it on the low table in front of them, Lorene smiled at her and said, “I’m not usually so short-tempered, and I apologize for my rudeness. I know it isn’t ethical to break the verbal contract our company made with Woodston, so I’ll not back out of our agreement. But since I’ve gotten off on the wrong foot already, I’ll send another representative to work with the commission.”

      A pleasant smile lighted Alma’s face, transforming her rather plain features. “Professor Saunders is chairman of his department, and many salesmen and others drop in to chat when he’s busy. I try to steer people away when I can, but I do get carried away sometimes. I had no idea who you were. Mr. Cranston was the initial contact from your agency.”

      Lorene sipped gratefully on the hot beverage Alma had poured. “Kenneth Cranston accepted another job quite suddenly and didn’t give me any advance notice. My other employees are busy elsewhere, so it was up to me. But I shouldn’t have let my anger at Cranston govern my attitude toward Woodston. Forgive me?”

      “Certainly,” Alma said as she left the office, closing the door behind her, but not before her eyes shifted appraisingly from Perry to Lorene.

      “Alma had been the secretary to my predecessor, and she has a tendency to mother me. I have a standing invitation to her house for dinner every Sunday, or any other time I want a home-cooked meal.”

      Concluding from his comments that he lived alone, Lorene glanced at his left hand. No ring on the third finger. Her heart fluttered slightly at the implication and her fingers tightened on the coffee cup. “You aren’t married?”

      “No.”

      She met his eyes briefly, but lowered her gaze when he continued, “You don’t have a ring, either. Why?”

      “That’s a question I’ve often asked myself,” Lorene admitted, “but I’ve never come up with a satisfactory answer.” Her eyes clouded with memories of the past, and Perry moved toward her.

      “Mr. Kincaid wants to see you,” Alma said over the intercom, breaking the tension between them. The door opened immediately and a thin beanpole of a man barged into the office.

      “Are you Miss Harvey?” he said, coming toward Lorene with outstretched hand.

      Perry cupped Lorene’s elbow and helped her to stand.

      “Lorene Harvey, meet Gaston Kincaid, chairman of Woodston’s bicentennial commission.”

      “I’m sorry I wasn’t on hand to meet you,” Kincaid said, pumping her hand. “I contacted the bank by phone and learned you were in town. I’d received the e-mail message that you were replacing Cranston, but I didn’t know when to expect you. I trust Professor Saunders has taken care of you.”

      Perry flushed slightly, but Lorene answered smoothly, “I’ve only been here a short time, and we haven’t gotten around to discussing the PR agenda.”

      “I have an engagement tonight,” Kincaid said, “but I’ll notify the commission members that we’ll meet tomorrow evening. Perry can give you a file outlining our plans, or do you have what we sent Cranston?”

      “Unfortunately, Kenneth deleted his records from our computer system before he left. But I can read through the file tonight and look around town tomorrow. Perhaps you and I should have a private conference before the meeting?”

      “I’m a very busy man, so I can’t give you much of my time,” Kincaid said, “but Perry can help you. Will you take Miss Harvey out for dinner tonight?”

      “It will be a pleasure. Since the fall quarter has started, my schedule is flexible. I’ll give Miss Harvey all the help I possibly can.”

      “Good! Good!” Kincaid said, and hustled out of the office with an abrupt wave of his hand. Shaking his head, Perry moved to close the door.

      “Kincaid is one of the college trustees, and he twisted my arm to serve on the celebration commission.” With a slight grimace, he added, “His first priority is promoting himself and his business, and then he turns the rest of his attention to steering the course of this college. He has his good points, but he can be overbearing.”

      He sat beside her again. “Now, where were we?”

      The phone rang, and with a look of annoyance Perry picked up the receiver on his desk and answered. He concluded that call, started back to the couch and the phone rang again. Perry’s handsome features faded into a frown when he took the second call. What was the matter with Alma? She usually held all calls when he was in a conference. Was she deliberately interrupting his conversation with Lorene? It must have been obvious to her that they knew each other. He didn’t need Alma’s interference in his attempt to prevent Lorene’s immediate departure from Woodston.

      “We’ll never manage any privacy here,” Perry said when he finished that conversation, “so we’ll talk this evening over dinner. I prefer a restaurant out of town. If we stay in Woodston, we’ll meet too many people who know me and want to visit.”

      Lorene knew it wasn’t prudent to have dinner with Perry, but she’d seldom displayed any caution in her relationship with him.

      She looked at her watch. “I’ll enjoy having dinner with you. After all,” she added with a grin, “Mr. Kincaid practically ordered you to entertain me. It may take quite a while to go over Woodston’s plans, but I can work late tonight.”

      “Where are you staying?”

      “At Riverview Ridge, the B and B on the outskirts of town. My travel agency gave it a four-star rating. The apartment I’m renting is in the back wing, facing the river.”

      “You made a good choice. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”

      Already having second thoughts, Lorene panicked at the thought of spending an evening alone with Perry. “Do you think it’s wise for us to do this?”

      “Probably not,” he admitted honestly, “but I have to know why you deserted me. It’s weighed on my mind for years.”

      “That period of our life is over, so maybe we shouldn’t rake up painful memories that won’t do either of us any good, but…” Her lips trembled and she pressed a hand against them. “But I do want to spend some time with you, Perry. I’ll be ready.” She gave him her cell phone number. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

      “I won’t change my mind.”

      An eager light flickered in Perry’s black eyes, filling Lorene with conflicting emotions. Apprehension swept over her, and she knew she should cancel this dinner. If Perry wanted to resume their previous relationship, did she have the willpower to resist him? Or did she even want to resist?

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