Читать книгу All He Needs - Shirley Hailstock, Shirley Hailstock - Страница 10
ОглавлениеHer last wedding. Renee watched as the new Mr. and Mrs. took their places on the dais as the reception began. Everything about the wedding had been technically correct.
Renee had had no complaints, hadn’t had to talk anyone down from a frantic rethinking of what marriage meant. She’d had no supplies arrive late, no mishaps with the bride’s gown, no groom needing to be reminded of when and where to stand and no issues with any of the bridesmaids. The mothers of both the bride and groom complimented Renee’s efficiency. Everything was going like clockwork. For a wedding consultant, it was nirvana—the type of execution they lived for. Perfect. The bride beamed and the groom’s smile was from ear to ear. It was exactly the swan song she wished for.
But all that efficiency did was leave her time to think about Carter. She’d tried for the last three years to put him out of her mind. She’d thought she’d done it. That was, until she’d seen him sitting at the dinner table last night. Her heart had thudded against her ribs so hard she’d thought he would be able to hear it.
It was frightening that he knew where she would choose to stay. The only reason she wasn’t at the Westley was because Weddings by Diana had an unoccupied guesthouse available. They used it for brides who were from out of town and needed a place to dress before the ceremony. Occasionally, brides came into New York to check out accommodations. The guesthouse was part of some of the high-end packages.
Renee had allowed Carter to believe she was at the Westley. She’d even gotten on the elevator, but only ridden it to the mezzanine. After ten minutes she’d slipped out the back entrance and taken a taxi to the guesthouse.
A burst of laughter brought Renee back to the festivities. The bride and groom were laughing, yet the love in their eyes as they looked at each other was visible. Renee felt her own eyes mist over. For a moment, she saw herself as the bride and Carter as her groom. She blinked, shaking the image free. It was time to go.
Her last act was to let the bridal party know she was leaving and to make sure there was nothing left undone. Renee’s smile was wide as she congratulated the couple, said her goodbyes and started the walk back to the car that would return her to the Brides by Diana guesthouse.
She hadn’t thought she’d be as emotional as she’d been throughout the day. Maybe it was because she knew it was her last wedding. She’d even repeated the vows to herself as the minister spoke them. Or maybe it was her mixed feelings about the changes ahead. Although she was excited about the magazine, there was also a certain amount of fear in her mind.
She also thought of Carter and Blair, and their question about her feelings on weddings drifted into her mind. As she’d listened to the couple’s vows, they seemed to have more weight than in the past. Did it have anything to do with Carter suddenly reappearing in her life?
There was a time when she’d entertained the thought of marriage. She’d fantasized about it, but that’s as far as it had gotten. Even after moving to Princeton, seeing all the brides in their gowns made her imagine walking down the aisle with Carter.
It was safe, she told herself—she was leaving New York in a couple of days, regardless of what she’d said to Carter. She’d be back occasionally, and it was inevitable that they would meet at the same events. But Renee would be able to see him across a room and not have her heart jump.
Carter had changed. Gone was that boyish quality that used to vie for dominance on his face. His expression was more serious than before. His hair was shorter and the mustache that used to tickle her nose had been replaced with a clean-shaven look. He’d been on the basketball team in high school and college, and his body today still had the lean hardness of a twenty-year-old.
Renee wondered where he’d been for the last few years. He’d blown her off as if she were nothing to him. So why was it she still felt as if there was some unfinished business that needed closure? Carter had told her there was nothing between them. And there wasn’t. They’d never gotten to the point where things change for better or worse. The place where you decide if you want to step over a line, or you realize the relationship has no place to go.
He hadn’t waited for that moment. Carter knew earlier than the launch. And he’d spared her from any further involvement. At least, that’s what she’d told herself. So what now? Why was her mind stuck on him and when she’d see him again? She thought their discussion last night would have discouraged him from trying to convince her to return to work at Hampshire.
Yet he’d called her cell phone during the ceremony and insisted on meeting with her at her hotel. No doubt he’d gotten the number from Blair. If she’d had time to banter with him, Renee would have refused the meeting. But in the back of her mind she knew she wanted to see him.
Back at the guesthouse, Renee changed from the suit she’d worn to the wedding. She wanted Carter to see her in control, happy with herself and commanding her own future. She put on a straight red dress and added a pearl necklace and matching teardrop earrings. She swung her hair up and to the side, anchoring it with a wavy pearl comb. Checking her image in the mirror, she left the town house in time to meet him in the hotel lobby.
Carter arrived through the revolving door just as she stepped off the elevator and waited. It was all she could do to keep her breath from leaving her body. The contrast of his dark suit and white shirt emphasized his skin. She took in the broadness of the shoulders she used to lay her head on. If he’d gained an ounce in three years, she’d need a microscope to find it. He started toward her. Renee remembered his easy gait, the confidence that wrapped around him like a second skin.
What hadn’t changed was his smile. White teeth gleamed at her, and try as she might, she had to return it. He stopped two feet away. Despite her five-foot-five-inch frame and the heels that raised her up four additional inches, she still had to look up at him to see his face.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured. It was a whisper, so low she barely heard it.
Renee felt the rush of heat flush her cheeks.
“Thanks. You’re quite the figure, too.”
He moved a step closer to her. Renee instinctively knew he planned to embrace her. The thought made her both excited and scared.
Taking a step back, she said, “Don’t.”
Carter stopped. “I was only going to kiss your cheek. Isn’t that what friends do? And we’ve known each other for years.”
“No, we haven’t.” She shook her head. “We’re strangers.”
“Strangers?” Carter’s brows rose.
“You’ve been gone for three years. For all I know, you could be married with three children. The same could be true of me. So we are strangers. You’ve changed. I’ve changed. We’re not the same people we were three years ago. You wouldn’t hug someone you’d just met. So consider me that someone.”
Carter took a step back. For a long moment he stared at her as if assessing who this new woman was. Renee withstood his scrutiny.
“I thought we’d go to Mile’s End.”
“My last wedding was today, and I’m leaving early. Would you mind eating here?” She gestured toward the restaurants that were at the back of the building on the ground floor. “I’ve already made us a reservation.”
Carter shrugged and smiled. Renee understood that she’d thwarted his plans. She had plans of her own, and traveling to a place they’d spent time together wasn’t on her agenda.
“I must admit, I was a little surprised to find you on the other end of the phone asking me to meet you for dinner,” Renee said when they were seated.
He smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m glad you came.”
“Why is that? What do you want to talk about? I was sure we’d settled everything last night.”
He took a moment to gather his thoughts. Renee wondered if this meeting had something to do with them as a couple. There was no them. There had never really been a them. She’d thought there was, that there could be, but obviously Carter had other plans.
“Your name has come up several times in the last few days,” Carter said.
She didn’t react. She waited for him to go on. “Come up where?”
“Along the avenues of publisher’s row. There’s a rumor going around that you’re going into competition with me.”
Renee leaned forward. “With you?”
“With my company.”
“What kind of competition? There are several different kinds of businesses you’re responsible for.”
“Magazines,” he said. “Specifically bridal magazines.”
Renee smiled. She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. Then she replaced it and sat back. “Not a rumor,” she said.
“It’s not a rumor?”
“Can’t be a rumor if it’s true.” She waited a moment, then asked, “Weren’t you listening last night when Blair mentioned my new job?”
His brows rose in surprise. “I didn’t think she was serious.”
Renee stared at him. “And the notice in the trades?”
She knew Carter read all the trade publications that detailed news about the various magazines Hampshire sold. He had a huge capacity for remembering and recalling what he read, and Renee knew he wouldn’t miss the small paragraph bearing her name.
“You are serious?” he asked rhetorically.
“Don’t look so surprised. I’m fully capable of running a magazine. You should know that. I ran Hampshire’s division for three years.”
“You’re very capable.”
“So, why are we here?” She spread her hands.
Again Carter waited a long moment before speaking. Renee wondered when he’d picked up that habit. He was usually decisive, in control, always knew what to say, how to act.
“I want you to come back to Hampshire Publications.”
“You have got to be kidding,” Renee said, her voice breathy and low. “We’ve already talked about this. I’m perfectly happy where I am. Why would I come back to Hampshire?”
“It’s a profitable company, and it’s a place where you fit in. You know some of the employees and they all respect you.”
Renee looked at him. She knew Blair Massey. But with three years gone, she might not know most of the people anymore. Magazine publishing was a place that lent itself to turnover.
“Is Hampshire in trouble?” He’d said it was profitable, but that didn’t mean the bridal division was afloat.
Carter shook his head. Renee looked for any sign of slowness, any inkling that he was hiding something. She found nothing to make her believe he wasn’t telling her the whole truth.
“You’re great at seeing what works and what doesn’t in the magazine. Your ideas are always good and sales took an upward climb when you put your mark on the magazine. You could have the whole package with us. I can’t imagine you would want to compete with us.”
Hackles went up on the back of her neck. “I’m just a little business,” Renee began. “In fact, at this point, I’m still scouting out the business. You’re a conglomerate with magazines, textbooks, novels, comics and a score of peripherals. You can’t be afraid of me.”
“It’s not fear. Hampshire wants you to be comfortable, and we don’t want your reputation to suffer with a start-up.”
“Well, that takes the cake. You believe that nothing outside of your control is worthy of doing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Didn’t you?” She stopped and narrowed her eyes. “You said Hampshire wasn’t in trouble. What about the bridal division? Has there been a dip in sales?”
Again Carter sat forward and looked at her. “I’ll be frank with you. The division could do better. When you were directing it, it was at the top of the market. We’ve lost some market share—not enough to be concerned about. But we don’t want to lose any more. Bringing you onboard would ensure that.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but—”
“Don’t answer yet.” He stopped her with one hand up. “Think about it overnight. Give yourself time to get used to the idea. We can meet tomorrow.”
“I won’t be here tomorrow,” she lied.
“Renee, can’t you give me a few minutes, lunch or dinner? Princeton can’t have that great a need for you that you can’t spare an old friend a few hours.”
Renee felt guilty, although she had no reason to. She wasn’t actually leaving until Sunday, and other than additional planning, she had a morning appointment tomorrow. After that, there was no one she could call, no arrangements she could make until Monday. But she didn’t want Carter to think his presence influenced her in any way.
“All right, Carter,” she said. “I’ll meet you tomorrow. After lunch,” she emphasized. He wasn’t going to convince her to return to Hampshire Publications over a New York steak or a salad at lunch.
He smiled. She saw a little of the old Carter in that smile. A momentary flash of the man who wrestled the sheets with her burst into her mind. The same man who’d told her he was leaving and not interested in pursuing a relationship.
That was Carter Hampshire.
* * *
Carter paced the floor of his spacious apartment on Fifth Avenue overlooking Central Park. The view was spectacular, but Carter wasn’t interested in it today. He punched the button on his cell phone disconnecting the call. Walking to the windows, he looked out on the traffic below. Was she down there? Renee Hart wasn’t registered at the Westley Hotel. She hadn’t been registered there and checked out. She’d never been there. Yet he’d taken her inside, seen her get on the elevator to go to her room. They’d had dinner in the restaurant last night, but she didn’t have a room in that hotel. Why had she let him think she did?
Where was she?
They were supposed to meet today. Carter glanced at his watch. He wouldn’t be able to meet her—he’d gotten word that his father was in the hospital and he needed to go to the Hamptons. His train left in an hour, but he hadn’t been able to reach Renee. She hadn’t answered her cell, and when he’d tried the hotel’s number he’d been told there was no one named Renee Hart registered.
She had a wedding, he remembered. Maybe the wedding party hotel was where Renee was staying. Quickly, he went to his desk and dialed the number of the Waldorf Astoria. Renee was not registered there, either. He calmly thanked the person on the phone and disconnected.
“She lied to me,” Carter said out loud. Getting up, he returned to the window. He needed to explain to her why he’d left three years ago. He’d wanted to do it last night, but the moment he’d seen her he’d known she wasn’t ready to listen. So he’d tried to convince her to come back to Hampshire Publications. He wanted her there, and her job was open. When she’d been in charge, the magazine had led the industry. He knew she’d regain the share they’d lost, but she wasn’t interested. Carter wanted to try and change her mind, see her again, but she’d evaded him. And now he had to go out to the Island.
He thought about how she’d looked. She was still the tall, thin woman he remembered, but there was more confidence in her appearance. And she was even more beautiful than she’d been three years ago. Her hair was black and glossy. When a curl had escaped, he’d almost reached across the table and threaded his fingers through it. Yet she’d told him he was a stranger. She couldn’t know that she’d never be a stranger to him.
He was used to seeing models. Renee wasn’t a model, yet her body mirrored that of the best he’d ever seen. Her waist was thin and nipped in at just the right angle. Her hips curved to exactly match the contours of his hands. Carter’s fingers trembled at the thought of touching her again.
A horn sounded below. He checked the time. He had to go now or he’d never make the train. Leaving Renee another text message, he left the apartment and headed for Penn Station wondering why she wouldn’t take his calls and why she’d lied to him.
* * *
Renee sighed, one hand going to her breast as she studied the text message from Carter. He’d canceled their meeting. She wouldn’t have to see him. Her shoulders dropped and she frowned. He hadn’t said why.
Her morning meeting was over. It had been long and productive. To keep from being interrupted, she’d put her phone on silent. It had buzzed several times, but she’d ignored it. People who knew her knew she wasn’t the type who instantly answered every call. With her brides, it was better to give them a little time before they reached her. By then, their crisis had been reduced to a minor problem or it had been resolved.
With nothing else to do, Renee returned to the Weddings by Diana guesthouse. The place was warm and inviting; however, it was not a place where anyone cooked. Renee had planned to have lunch before meeting Carter, and now she was hungry.
Opening the refrigerator she found only water and soft drinks. A few nonperishables were in the cabinets.
Carter had only said that something had come up. It must have been important, she thought, as she closed the refrigerator, or maybe he’d come to his senses and realized she couldn’t be persuaded to return to Hampshire Publications.
She felt deflated. She’d worked herself up for another meeting with Carter, and he’d canceled it without a reason. This was just like three years ago when he’d left with no real reason. At least today he’d sent her a text. Squaring her shoulders, Renee made a decision.
She picked her phone up from the kitchen counter. Most of the people she knew in New York also knew Carter. She wouldn’t call any of them. And Blair was out of the question. Then she had an idea. She sent a text message to her cousin Dana and invited her to dinner.
Often the two cousins shared a meal while they Skyped, but Renee wished she could see Dana face-to-face.
When? Dana’s reply came almost immediately. Unlike Renee, Dana was always on her phone. If she hadn’t answered immediately Renee would’ve wondered if something was wrong.
Six o’clock, Renee texted. It didn’t take long for them to work out the details. Dana loved New York and said she’d come in from Connecticut and meet Renee at Grand Central Terminal.
She spent the afternoon catching up on email, then met Dana’s train at the station. Taking a taxi, they got out of the tourist district and went to an Italian restaurant Renee was familiar with.
Dana smiled. “What’s up?” She popped a fork full of lettuce into her mouth. They usually ordered salads and wine when they had these talks. But tonight Renee had ordered fettuccine Alfredo and a sangria.
“Not much,” Renee said. “We haven’t talked in a while. I thought it was time.”
The two had grown up together and were closer than sisters. Renee had a twin brother, and she loved him, but there were things that only another woman would understand.
“So,” Dana dragged the word out. A conspiratorial smile curled her lips. “Did you see Carter?”
Just like Dana to cut right to the heart. “You know, every time I come to New York you ask me that same question.”
“And you evade it.” Dana took another bite from her salad.
“I’m not here to see him.”
“That wasn’t my question,” Dana said.
“He wasn’t at the wedding.”
“Again, not my question. Which means you saw him.”
“Dinner, last night.”
“Dinner! Do tell. Give me the details.”
“No details. Well, one. He offered me a job.”
“Back at Hampshire Publications?”
Renee heard the wonder in her cousin’s voice. She took a moment to eat part of her fettuccine before nodding.
“What did you tell him?”
“That I was happy where I was.”
“Are you?”
“Dana,” Renee admonished.
Dana smiled slowly. “How does he look?”
“Good enough to eat.”
“Well?” Dana prompted.
Renee said nothing.
Dana poked her bottom lip out like a child who wasn’t getting her way.
“You can’t want me to get involved with him again. After how he broke up with me. And what a basket case I was then.”
Dana’s face became very serious. Renee wondered if she was remembering her fiancé. He was a Marine who died in an explosion in the Middle East. Since then Dana had been alone, but she loved setting up her friends.
Dana leaned forward and said, “You wouldn’t be getting involved again. Because you’ve never gotten over him.”
“That’s no reason to put myself in harm’s way. I’ve survived the last three years. I can get through the rest.”
“But what about when you move back to New York? You’ll be in the same city and in the same profession. It’s inevitable that you’ll run into each other.”
“So, we’ll run into each other sometimes.” Renee thought it couldn’t be any worse than the meeting last night. Then she’d been ambushed. Next time she’d be prepared for his possible appearance, even expecting it.
“You can handle that?”
“Sure I can.” Renee’s voice was strong, but she wasn’t that sure of herself. She’d been tested last night, and she’d survived. It had to get easier as time went by. But even though it had been three years, her heart had jumped into her throat when she’d seen him.
She would have to weather whatever came.
“I’ll be fine,” Renee told Dana. “Besides, in the next few months, I’ll be too busy to think of anyone. Getting a new venture off the ground is a day-and-night proposition.” Renee hadn’t mentioned it to Diana and Teddy, but she wanted to launch in six months.
Dana gave her a long look, then dropped her eyes. “What’s happening with the new magazine?”
Her cousin had been the first person Renee had called when the project had been approved.
“Oh, good progress. And I found a place to live.”
“Where?”
“It’s a house. Not an apartment. And it’s in the museum district.”
“How’d you do that?” Dana’s brows rose.
“Remember my Aunt Olivia?” Renee asked.
“Vaguely.”
“She lives in the museum district.”
“You’re going to live with her?” Dana frowned.
Renee didn’t answer immediately. She knew Dana was trying to determine Aunt Olivia’s age. She was a spry eighty-three-year-old.
“You were never a favorite of hers, if I’m remembering correctly,” Dana added.
Renee smiled. “She mellowed after I started working at Hampshire. I used to visit her often.”
“And now you’re moving in with her?” Dana’s voice showed incredulity.
“Not exactly,” Renee responded.
“Okay, stop dancing around and explain it to me.”
“I called her a few weeks ago and she invited me to lunch. During the afternoon she told me she was leaving the city. She’d put the house up for sale but had no offers.”
“Where’s she going?”
“She’s got a brother in North Carolina. She’s going there to be near him.”
“Doesn’t she have children? I mean eighty-three is a hard age to pick up and move.”
Renee shook her head. “She had a son. He was killed in Vietnam.”
“So she’s selling you the house?”
She’s letting me rent it with an option to buy.”
“That was lucky.”
Renee nodded. “There are some legal papers I have to sign tomorrow.”
Renee’s cell phone rang and the photo of the caller appeared. Renee stared at it.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
Renee said nothing. The ringing continued, causing a high-pitched whine in her ears. A sound she hadn’t heard in years. It couldn’t be coming from the phone, but pinging back and forth inside her brain.
“Renee, are you all right?” Dana asked. “Who’s on the phone?”
Renee lifted the small device and held it up. Dana drew in a mouthful of air.
Carter’s photo stared back at her.
Renee hit Reject to stop the ringing. It rang three more times before she and Dana left the restaurant and returned to the town house.
As they stepped in the door, the ringing began again.
“You’re going to have to answer it sometime. Obviously, the man is persistent,” Dana said. “And it could be something important.”
A hundred thoughts flashed through Renee’s mind, but she couldn’t pin any of them down. Why was he calling still? Why hadn’t she deleted his photo from her cell phone? She hadn’t seen it in three years, hadn’t thought of it. It just stayed there, like some specter waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Renee pulled her phone out of her purse. She didn’t hear Dana leave the room, but as she inspected the phone, Renee noticed she was alone. The phone continued its insistent ring. Renee continued to stare at it. Her finger hovered above the reject button. Then she quickly pushed Accept. She wouldn’t let him intimidate her any longer.
“Carter,” she said, using her happiest smile, one she did not feel.
“You deliberately deceived me about where you were staying,” he began without a hello.
“I did,” she admitted. She heard him swallow. He obviously wasn’t expecting her to admit the truth.
“Why?”
“It’s a privacy thing. I didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“I disturb you?”
She saw the shadow of a smile on his lips.
“Not in the way you’re thinking,” Renee told him. “And you canceled our meeting today. So we’re even.”
“I had to cancel the meeting. My father is in the hospital. I had to come out to the Hamptons.”
“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. Is he going to be all right?”
“They’re still doing some tests, but you know my dad. He’s a powerhouse. And he’s not as bad as my mother made me believe.”
Renee knew Joseph and Emily Hampshire—Joseph had run the magazine empire for years. He was a fair man and loved by his employees. She liked him a lot. His wife, Emily, was a fashion designer, and she could be excitable. Having a sick husband qualified as a good reason.
“Please let him know he’s in my thoughts,” Renee said.
“He’ll like that. He always liked you,” Carter said. “When I get back, I want to reschedule our meeting.”
“Carter, we had a chance three years ago. You chose to end it. I’ve moved on with my life, and I suggest you do the same.”
“I didn’t call you to rekindle a love affair.”
Renee took a deep breath. She felt a knife slip into her heart. They hadn’t had an affair, and the love had only been on her side. “Then why are you calling?”
“We talked about a position at Hampshire last night. You were supposed to give me an answer tonight.”
“I respectfully decline,” she said.
“Respectfully?” he questioned. “Are we going to be that formal?”
“It’s considered good manners to be formal with people you’ve just met. Remember, we are strangers.”
“Oh, right. We’re strangers. So, if we are strangers, then why don’t we act like we just met and we can discuss my offer like adults?”
“We’ve already discussed it, and I’m happy with my current position.”
“I hear you have a house.”
Renee gulped. How could he know that? She hadn’t even told Blair.
“I guess that means you’re moving back to the city permanently.”
Did she hear hope in his voice? Did she want to hear it? Renee mentally shook herself. Carter didn’t want her, only her expertise in the bridal industry.
“I’ll be working and living here. But, like I said, I’m keeping the position I have. And how did you know?”
“So, you’re not leaving town as you said.”
“No,” she answered. And you didn’t tell me how you knew.”
“My mother told me.”
“Your mother?” Renee frowned.
He nodded. “My mother designs for Lealia Sauvageau. She and her husband own the house next to the one you bought.”
“I recognize Lealia Sauvageau’s name,” Renee said. “What does she got to do with this?”
“She’d ordered a gown from my mother and would no longer need it since she and her husband have sold their house and are moving. In the course of conversation, Lealia told my mom that the house next to them was being rented by a bridal magazine owner.”
“And you naturally thought I was the only owner of a bridal magazine in town?”
“Naturally,” he replied. “Especially since you’re the only one coming from Princeton.”
Renee closed her eyes.
“Small world,” she said flatly.
“Isn’t it? Lealia thought she was helping my mom by giving her a lead for another place to showcase her designs.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, now that you’re going to be here, we can have that dinner tomorrow night. It’ll be a small celebration, marking your return to New York.”
“Carter, I’m very busy and we’ve already met for lunch once. We don’t need to prolong this...” She didn’t know what to call it. It wasn’t friendship.
“You’re not afraid of being across a table from me, are you?” he interrupted.
She laughed. “You’re not going to play the fear card. You know I have no fear where you’re concerned. But I decide who I want to eat with and that has nothing to do with you laying down a challenge.”
“So the answer is...”
Renee weighed the invitation for a long time. She saw Dana in the doorway gesturing for her to accept. Dana could only hear one side of the conversation, but she could tell Carter had asked to see Renee. Renee knew it was best to stay away from him, but if she was going to live in New York and inevitably run into him, she would have to become comfortable in his presence.
“Fine,” she said. “Dinner tomorrow.”
“You’re not going to stand me up, are you?”
“I keep my word,” she said.
“Where are you staying?” he asked.
Renee was not about to give him the address. She knew he often showed up early for a date, and then they wouldn’t make it out.
“You discovered I’m renting a house, yet you don’t know where I’m staying.” She paused, then said, “I’ll meet you at the Rainbow Room at seven.”
She heard his sigh through the phone. “Rainbow Room it is.”
“Tomorrow, then.”
“Good night, Renee.”
She clicked the end button without saying anything. The tone of his voice with those three words had taken away her power of speech. Did he know he was doing that? Was it on purpose, designed to throw her off guard? She’d heard those words in the dark, after a fervent night of lovemaking. They’d wrapped around her, folded her in a blanket of warmth, the way his arms had. She’d voluntarily gone there, taken his hand and run with him into an unknown place that held the promise of forever.
Renee had never wanted to leave it. She’d wanted to see the next bend, open the next door and find what surprises awaited her. She’d wanted to jump from cloud to cloud and go with the man of her dreams.
In his arms, she had been blinded. She’d forgotten that dreams have the permanence of smoke. And it had blown up in her face. The relationship had hardly begun before the burning between them had been doused, leaving only smoke and cinders. It had taken her a while to get herself under control, to not open her eyes in the morning and find herself thinking of him. But she was at that point now. And there was no way she was allowing him back into her heart.
