What The Heart Finds (25 page)

“What?”
Lena asked, standing up straighter, speaking too quickly. “No.
No feelings. Just a fling. I have to be back at work in a couple
days.”

“Ah,
yes,” Hannah said, nodding. “work.” She stood up,
putting her cup in the sink. “Work is very important,”
she added, her tone dry.

Lena
shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “So... what are you
planning to do now that you're in town?”

“Well,
I am going to go see my parents. And then I am going to go over to
the inn and have a talk with Emily, set the record straight. She
might take the news better coming from me.”

“Which
news? About my not being an identity thief... or about EM Corp buying
the inn?”

“Honestly?
EM buying the inn. I think she always thought the inn would be left
to her in the will. But her family got it I guess.”

“And
they're selling it?”

“Well
they aren't from around here. They wouldn't understand. She grew up
in that place.”

“Well
it it's any consolation,” Lena said, feeling bad for Emily. “I
don't think Elliott wants to change it that much. Just some updating.
He wants to keep it genuine. I guess to preserve it for you...”

“It
wont help,” Hannah laughed. “She'll resent it no matter
what. And she's just... not good with following orders.”

“Do
you think Elliott would consider sending me back here to oversee the
project?” She hoped. That would be a big deal. It would be a
huge show of trust. Plus, she was the one to be on the project from
the beginning. It was only fitting.

“No,”
Hannah said, taking in Lena's disappointment. “No I think he
has... other plans for you. In the company,” she added. “I
might have had to remind him that two years as his errand boy was a
bit too lowly a position for someone with a MBA. He can overlook
little things like that.”

“I
like my job,” she said, not wanting to sound ungrateful. She
knew Hannah was really the one who hired her, not EM. But, oh god, a
promotion. Finally.

“Of
course. But you'll like this new one better. Besides,” she
said, skirting around actually telling her what the position would
be. “I think that maybe we should send James here to handle
this.”

“James?”
Lena asked, disbelieving. James. The younger brother of EM. Full of
charisma and charm. And not one ounce of the work ethic his brother
had.

“Yeah,”
Hannah said, her eyes twinkling. “Can you imagine James and
Emily going head-to-head?” she laughed. “It would make
for great television.”

“You're
evil,” Lena smirked. Emily was going to fight him tooth and
nail on every issue. And James was just going to smile and say
something clever and cocky and tick her off all the more.

“Aint
I just?” Hannah asked, grinning. “Alright. I am going to
get going. I'll probably be out of her tomorrow. So... I'll see you
back in the city in a few days, okay?”

“Right,”
Lena agreed. “Oh, hey... Hannah?”

“Yeah?”
she asked, turning back.

“Thank
you. For... smoothing things over...”

“You
like it here,” she said, her head tilting.

“Yeah,”
she said, then, quickly. “I mean... who wouldn't like it here?”

Hannah
gave her a curious look, before turning and walking out the door.
“See you back in the city,” she called, going down the
stairs.

Lena
took a deep breath, trying to wrap her head around what was going on.
The absolute last person she had expected to see when she had walked
into that garage was Hannah. She would have been less surprised to
see EM himself and even that was the most absurd person she could
have thought of.

A
part of her felt almost guilty for having been a part of ruining the
surprise for her, but a larger part was so overwhelmingly relieved
that it canceled the other out. At least in a couple hours, she would
be able to walk around the town without having to hang her head in
shame. Her reputation would be restored.

Why
that mattered when she was days from leaving was completely beyond
her.

“So
that was an unexpected visitor,” Eric said, standing in the
doorway.

“You
could have warned me,” Lena scolded, squinting her eyes at him.
“I mean... just look at me.”

“I
am,” Eric said, taking his time moving slowly up her body.

“Don't
give me that look,” Lena said, less forceful than she had
intended. He couldn't possibly want her again so quickly. Could he?
“You know what I mean.”

“Hannah
isn't judgmental like that,” he said, moving toward the coffee
pot. “Besides, I like you like this. You wear those work
clothes like a shield,” he told her, turning around with his
coffee. “You're less... inhibited this way.”

“I
need by inhibitions around my boss,” she countered.

“She
didn't come here as your boss. She came here as a friend.”

Lena
looked down at her hands. “Were you two close when you were
younger?”

Eric
laughed. “No. Not from lack of trying, mind you. She was always
gorgeous. But Sam would have whooped by ass. Besides,” he said,
moving up close to her and touching her hair. “I seem to have a
thing for blondes.”

“Well,”
Lena said, a little breathless. “I seem to have a thing for
black hair and gray eyes... maybe I should make a try for her.”

Eric
chuckled, then closed his eyes. “Just let me picture that for a
minute,” he smirked and Lena swatted him in the chest. “Pretty
hot,” he said, opening his eyes.

“You're
impossible,” she objected.

Eric's
hand went up to her face, touching her chin despite his dirty hands.
“You're beautiful,” he said and her belly fluttered
helplessly.

She
would never be immune to that charm.

“So
your reputation in town is safe,” he said, moving away suddenly
as if she had shocked him. “Your job is safe...”

“Actually,”
Lena broke in, feeling a sudden disconnect between them, making the
two feet between them feel like two miles. “my job is better
than safe. Hannah was hinting at a promotion.”

Eric
nodded, his eyes cool, distant. “That's great. Long overdue I'm
sure.”

“Yeah,”
Lena said carefully, eyeing him as he looked from her to the door.
Like he suddenly couldn't wait to be away from her. “It was
great news.”

“Yup,”
Eric agreed, looking back at her. “well, I am going to go get
back to work,” he said and quickly made his way to the door.

Lena
watched him go, an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Something
like dread. Something completely at odds to how she wanted to feel
around him. But there it was, gnawing and insistent. Something had
changed between them.

Eric
made his way down the stairs quickly, walking over to her car and
staring down at it in dismay. It was done. He was going to have to go
tell her. Sooner rather than later.

He
grabbed a rag and scrubbed at his hands in frustration, walking out
of the garage. His mood was sour and the last thing he needed was a
drink, but he made his way down the street, opening the black door to
the bar and stepping into the dimness.

“Heya
Eric,” the bartender, a young kid barely old enough to serve
alcohol called as he moved up to the bar.

“Where's
Dane?” he asked, his tone curt.

“Oh,”
the bartender said, reaching for a rocks glass. “no one knows.
He just took off yesterday. Didn't say anything. Whiskey?”

“Yeah,”
Eric said, sitting down on the stool. Dane took off. Maybe that was
why Emily had been so angry.

The
bartender poured the drink and pushed it forward, watching Eric throw
it back before refilling it. “So what has you day drinking?”
he asked, putting the whiskey bottle on the back bar. As if he wasn't
going to give Eric anymore, even if he wanted it. “The city
chick?”

“Nah,”
he said, knowing he wasn't the least bit convincing. “she's
leaving tomorrow.”

“Boy,”
Maude's voice called from the doorway. He turned his head to look at
her, the light behind her making her look even more intimidating than
she usually did. “you best be getting your ass up out this bar
right now. You know this don't solve nothing.”

Eric
looked at the bartender, rolling his eyes, and pulled money out of
his wallet to put on the bar. “Well, I guess I've had enough,”
he smirked and slowly made his way toward the door. “Hiya
Maude,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “you beautiful
thing, you.”

“Oh
don't be wasting that silver tongue on me,” she said, not
moving out of his way. “Drinking aint gonna' fix what's ailing
you,” she told him, folding her arms over her chest.

“No?”
he asked, feeling the heat starting to spread across his belly. “then
what will?” he asked, his tone sad and defeated.

Maude
looked taken aback for a moment, moving to the side and letting him
pass.

Eric
left the bar, walking straight toward the inn and slipping inside the
woods. He needed to clear his head. Get his mind straight. He wasn't
that kind of guy. The kind who got worked up about something and went
drinking about it. That wasn't his thing. That was his father's
thing. And he wasn't his father.

He
took off toward and incline, his feet fast and merciless beneath him.
He needed to get away from her for a while. Create some distance. Get
his head wrapped around the inevitable truth:

She
was leaving tomorrow.

Twenty-One

Lena
had made dinner, setting the table and waiting for him to show up.
But after an hour, then two, then three passed and he hadn't shown,
Lena finally got up and moved from the table. She looked over at the
spaghetti and garlic bread with a sort of detachment before walking
away, leaving it there.

She
hadn't been hungry anyway.

She
moved toward the window, looking outside. The sky was dark, the town
deserted. Where had he been all day? Was there a call out to one of
the farms? But even then, he would have been back after dusk.

Maybe
he was out chasing another woman.

The
thought hit her painfully, a hollow fist in her gut. It wouldn't
exactly be out of character for him. That was what he did. He chased
women. He was the town rake.

Lena
walked toward the bathroom, turning the shower on too hot and quickly
getting under the spray, feeling the tears welling up unbidden and
insistent. There was really nothing to cry about. She knew what he
was like.

Maybe
a part of her had figured he only slept with one woman at a time. Or
maybe she thought it would be different with her. Lena snorted,
shaking her head at her own stupidity. Her own vanity. She didn't
change anything. He was who he was. He could screw whoever he liked.

But
he wasn't going to sleep with her again. That was for certain.

Lena
got out of the shower and slipped into her own silk pajama pants and
tank top. It felt wrong to wear his clothes. Too intimate. Too full
of private secrets. Ones she had no intention of reliving.

She
crawled into bed, laying on her side away from the door. Awake.

He
came in a few hours later, slamming the door unnecessarily. She heard
him pause in the kitchen for a long time, probably looking over the
cold dinner she had made for the both of them, before moving down the
hall. She felt a tightness in her chest, something like anticipation
or fear, until she heard him walk past her into the bathroom. The
water went on and stayed on for a long time.

She
heard his footsteps in the hall, stopping outside her door. She
curled up into herself, willing strength, when the door pushed open.
He walked over to the closet, grabbing a pair of pants and slipping
into the soundlessly. He turned, moving toward the other side of the
bed behind her and pausing. Like he was planning on slipping in.
Waking her. Making love to her.

Lena
took a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed tight. “No,”
she said, her voice cold and final.

He
stood there for a moment before walking out and closing the door
behind him.

Lena
sighed, laying there awake for hours, staring into the darkness. Not
wanting to admit that all she really wanted was Eric to charge back
into the room and make her forget about his distance earlier, the
cold dinner on the counter. Make her forget that he had been out
doing god-knew what with god-knew who.

But
he didn't come back.

–

Morning
came too quickly. Lena climbed out of bed, going to brush her teeth,
taking her time because she still heard Eric shuffling around in the
living room. When everything seemed quiet, she made her way out to
get coffee.

And
there Eric was, standing fully dressed in the kitchen, holding his
own coffee and holding a mug out for her. Lena reached for it,
careful not to touch him. She had spent all her sleepless night
trying to rebuild some walls, some kind of shield to guard herself
from him. She worried that if he touched her at all, they would all
just fall to the floor.