Million Dollar Valentine. Rita Clay Estrada

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      “How much?”

      “Thirty-three dollars,” Crystal announced calmly. “Marked down for the January sales.”

      The woman smiled. “I’ll take it.”

      With an efficiency of movement, Linda took the woman’s charge card and wrote up the item, then packed it carefully in wrap and bag. It wasn’t until the woman left the store with her new purchase that both of them burst out laughing.

      “Told you that it was unique. You’ve got talent,” Linda said in satisfaction.

      “That and thirty-three bucks will get you a floral arrangement from Entrée,” Crystal stated in a low whisper. “Let’s do one more before I take a break and stalk around the mall.”

      “You’re on.” Linda reached for another bowl, a brilliant purple one this time. “Get going, Ms. Tynan.”

      Crystal began choosing silk flowers from their holders, red, gold and a lighter purple; Mardi Gras colors. As she picked one, held it against the other and continued to choose, she decided it was about time to ask other questions. “Linda? What can you tell me about Blake Wright?” Not that she was interested. She was just curious. After all, she should be interested in her aunt’s friend.

      Linda pursed her lips thoughtfully, but there was a curious light in her eyes. “Well, he’s the manager of this mall, and has been for two years. They brought him in from somewhere up north. He’s thirty-something and strict on his rules and regulations about the mall. A little bit of a stuffed shirt, but the women don’t seem to mind. And he used to date one of the buyers of the main department store here.”

      “Is she still in Flagstaff?”

      “No, she was transferred.” Linda frowned. “He didn’t seem half as upset as she was, but you know how men are. When it comes to emotions, they never show anything.”

      Although a little on the shy side, Linda obviously held very firm opinions in a general kind of way. Especially about the male species.

      “I don’t run into too many men like that,” Crystal murmured, sticking another flower into the wire cage at the bottom of the vase. “I work with a lot of guys who do nothing but moan about women all day long.”

      Linda’s eyes widened, suspiciously. “Really?”

      Nodding her head Crystal laughed.

      They worked all morning, Crystal following Linda like a shadow as she learned the quirks and procedures of the shop and her Aunt Helen’s way of doing business.

      Having a myriad of jobs over the years made it easy to walk into a store and pick up the routine pretty quickly. Before she became a masseuse, she’d had a new job every quarter. It was fun. So was working in her aunt’s shop. It wasn’t for long, and then she’d be back at her own job and seeking the elusive millionaire who would fall in love and marry her, allowing her access to a whole new world.

      Hers was a simple plan, really. She would enjoy her life to the fullest, trying all the things she wanted to try in her quest for the perfect career opportunity—something that would fill her days with challenge and laughter and money. Hard work and enjoyment went hand in hand to her way of thinking. She was willing to search for the finest of relationships, never settling for something less than the best.

      She firmly believed that people made their own happiness. From what she’d seen, ninety percent of someone’s happiness came from the mate that he or she chose. For her, the best relationships had to do with the right man. The second ingredient for happiness was money. With it, many of the everyday problems of life were solved before they began.

      Ergo: she needed to fall in love and marry a millionaire who possessed a whole list of qualities Crystal required—trust, sense of humor, nice looks and a sense of adventure. And one who loved her as much as she loved him. That was a must.

      How hard could that be? When working at the exclusive hotel, she was in the right business and the right place to meet wealthy businessmen. In fact, she’d met several, but, as of yet, not the right one. It wasn’t that money was the only criteria. She needed more than money, but money was part of the equation. That sense of humor thing was really important, too. So was trust.

      Keeping her goal of the perfect relationship in sight left all thoughts of entertaining a deeper relationship with Blake Wright out of her personal picture. He was sexy and handsome, but he wasn’t wealthy. That meant she wouldn’t look any further.

      It wasn’t that Blake wasn’t worth a second look; it was that she had her heart set in a different direction. A different goal.

      “Lunchtime,” Linda said, touching her arm. “Shelly will be here in a few minutes to help cover for you. But if you want, why don’t you go now and look around a little? We don’t have any crunch to deal with right now.”

      “Thanks,” Crystal said, reaching for her small, crocheted purse. Slinging it over her shoulder, she gave a wave and walked out.

      Five minutes later, Crystal stared at the particularly unusual piece of art in a store window as she began walking away—only to walk right into Blake Wright’s arms.

      Her first reaction was a shiver of apprehension at the scent of danger.

      Her second reaction was an exhilarating sense of delight.

      But it wasn’t the same reaction for Blake Wright. The handsome man was frowning down at her, his hands holding her arms as if they were iron railings and he was falling….

      2

      “WE’VE GOT to keep meeting like this,” Crystal said, enjoying being in his arms even though his expression resembled a thundercloud. “I love surprises.”

      “You weren’t looking where you were going.” His frown made his thick, arched brows meet over the strong bridge of his nose.

      And, of course she hadn’t been watching, or she wouldn’t be in his arms now. The way he said it, it sounded like an accusation. “No, I wasn’t, was I?” she said brightly. “But I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d tried.”

      “What?” If possible, the crease between his brows grew deeper.

      “Well, I ran into the arms of a handsome man who is pure gentleman and with whom I’m safe.”

      He continued to frown. Where was this man’s sense of humor? Apparently, her words didn’t please him any more than her actions. “It could have been different.”

      Crystal gently pulled away. “But it wasn’t,” she reminded him firmly. “So I won’t spend time worrying about what could have been.”

      He dropped his hands to his sides and she continued to walk. “Where are you going?”

      Crystal raised her brows. “I beg your pardon?” It was her coolest voice, and it usually worked well with men in stalling any personal question.

      It didn’t seem to faze him. “It’s lunchtime. Where are you going?”

      “Eventually СКАЧАТЬ