Thrill Me. Сьюзен Мэллери

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      Maya parked and grabbed her oversize bag before heading toward the house. She knocked once on the front door, then stepped inside.

      “It’s me,” she called.

      Phoebe, a petite, curvy brunette, stepped out of the kitchen and smiled. “Yay. I love it being you.”

      They hugged, then walked into the kitchen, where Phoebe poured them glasses of iced tea.

      Maya sat at the old, battered table and watched her friend collect a salad from the refrigerator, along with tiny sandwiches.

      “You didn’t have to feed me,” Maya said, knowing Phoebe couldn’t help herself. She was born to take care of the world.

      “I thought you might be hungry.”

      Phoebe set the food on the table, then collected napkins and flatware.

      She moved easily—as if she’d always lived in the old house. Even better, Phoebe looked content. Happiness radiated out of her brown eyes. She was relaxed. Every now and then, she glanced at the diamond ring sparkling on her left ring finger. The beautiful solitaire would soon be joined by a wedding band.

      Phoebe sat across from her and grinned. “The ranch closed. I got my commission check.”

      It took Maya a second to make the transition.

      Recently, Phoebe had sold a nearby ranch to action movie superstar Jonny Blaze. It had been Phoebe’s last real estate deal before moving in with Zane and probably the only one where she’d made any money. Until the unexpected deal with Jonny Blaze, Phoebe had specialized in starter homes—a challenge in the expensive LA real estate market.

      “You’re rich,” Maya teased gently.

      “I am for me.” Phoebe sounded thrilled. “I have no idea what to do with the money. Zane told me to keep it in a separate account. That I earned it before the wedding, so it’s mine rather than ours.”

      Because Zane would always take care of her, Maya thought, still amazed at how falling in love had mellowed her usually tight-ass brother.

      “Are you going to listen to him?” Maya asked.

      Phoebe nibbled on her bottom lip. “I think it should be ours.”

      “Zane has the ranch. Keep the money. You’ll feel better having a nest egg.”

      “Maybe.”

      “You’re going to buy him something, aren’t you?”

      Phoebe laughed. “I haven’t decided. So what’s going on with you?”

      Maya told her about the videos planned for the town. “I’ll be working with Del.”

      Phoebe’s brown eyes widened. “Del, the guy you knew after high school? The one who wanted to marry you?”

      Maya shifted on her seat. If only it was that simple. “He’s the one,” she said, hoping her tone sounded light rather than guilty.

      “What’s that like?”

      “I don’t know. I thought it would be awkward, but he seems fine with us handling the project together.”

      “How do you feel?”

      “Confused.” Maya pulled the tablet out of her bag. “I told you that Del and I fell crazy in love that summer.”

      “Uh-huh. It was after high school, right?”

      Phoebe knew enough about her past that Maya didn’t have to explain about her mother or how difficult times had been before the move to Fool’s Gold.

      “I loved him,” Maya said, feeling the guilt forming a knot in her stomach. “But I was so scared. Scared of what getting married would mean. Scared of getting stuck.”

      “Scared you’d turn into your mom.”

      Maya nodded. “I always knew that there wasn’t going to be a white knight on a horse riding in to rescue me. I knew I’d have to rescue myself. But with Del, I started to believe.”

      “Loving him wasn’t enough,” Phoebe said quietly.

      “It wasn’t. The closer we got to the date when we were going to run off, the more I started to freak. I finally had an opportunity to break free. To make something of myself. Was I really going to give that up for a guy?”

      Phoebe leaned toward her. “Did you ask him about that? About going to college with you or finding some kind of compromise? Did you tell him you were scared?”

      “No.” Maya swallowed. “I dumped him. I told him he was boring and this town was boring and that I didn’t want anything to do with him. Then I left.”

      The truth was, she’d run. Away from Del, away from Fool’s Gold. Part of her wondered if she was still running. Fear was a powerful motivator.

      “Ouch. You never talked to him again?” Phoebe asked.

      “Not until a few days ago, when he walked into Mayor Marsha’s office.”

      “How was he?”

      “Fine. Friendly. Charming. He didn’t say a word.”

      “How do you feel?”

      “Guilty,” Maya admitted. “Like I have to apologize. But the timing is tricky. We’re working together. I don’t want it to be weird, but I owe him an apology and an explanation. Even if he has completely moved on, I need to do it for myself.”

      “Then you have a plan.”

      “I do. I also need you to look at a video I did. It’s a story about him. I have no idea how Mayor Marsha ever saw it, but she did and mentioned it to Del. So I’m going to have to show it to him. Can you watch it and tell me if it’s okay?”

      What she really meant was, were there signs of unrequited love or anything else remotely humiliating? But she wouldn’t have to say that to Phoebe. Her friend would understand what she meant.

      “I love watching your work,” Phoebe told her. “Let’s see what brilliance you’ve created.”

      Maya set her tablet on the table, then cued up the video. While Phoebe watched it, she crossed to the family room and took in the changes her friend had made.

      The chintz chairs and dark red sofa had been replaced with large couches covered in warm, family-friendly fabric. The walls had been painted and the artwork moved around. Fresh flowers in pretty vases had been scattered around the room.

      Phoebe couldn’t help improving everything she touched, Maya thought, a little envious of the skill. Phoebe had never cared about ambition. Her dreams had been about belonging.

      They’d met in college. Phoebe always told the story as if Maya had rescued her from loneliness and obscurity, but Maya knew it was the other way around. Her friend had been a rock—one of the СКАЧАТЬ