Chapter One

     The dreaded day had arrived. Maria Sanchez was finally facing Grady Reynolds, who sat across from her at a shiny cherry conference table. Twisting her hands in her lap, she gathered her courage and weighed her words. “Let’s just get the past out of the way.”

     Grady narrowed his gaze. “And what do you mean by that?”

     The forced smile Maria was trying to hold in place faded as she read displeasure in the frown that creased his brow. “You know what I mean. About what happened when your wife died.”

     “I don’t want to talk about Nina’s death. It doesn’t have anything to do with here and now.”

     “Then you won’t let it interfere with our working together?”

     “No. I believe we can make this a smooth transition. The past won’t interfere.”

     She should have been satisfied with that answer, but his expression made her doubt his willingness to put their history behind them. “Okay, but why do I get the feeling you still hold some resentment?”

     “Because I do. But it won’t be a problem.” He stared at her, his blue eyes and the set of his shoulders conveying his discomfort.

     Could she convince him that tiptoeing around the past was only going to make things difficult later on? “Don’t you think we should clear the air?” she asked.

     “Rehashing what happened isn’t going to change anything.” His chin jutted out. “So let’s drop it.”

     Crossing her arms, Maria pressed her lips together in an effort to keep from saying something she’d regret. The last time they had spoken, the day of his wife’s funeral more than four years earlier, his cruel and untrue accusations about Maria’s part in his wife’s betrayal had crushed her heart. And she had made no attempt to defend herself against the grieving, angry man.

     Now he didn’t want to talk. Possibly he was right, but she feared his view of what had taken place would interfere with their working relationship. Maybe she just needed to give it time—to get to know him again and see how things went. “If that’s how you feel, then I won’t discuss it. After all, I haven’t talked about it since then. Why should I start now?”

     “I appreciate your silence.” Sitting back in his chair, he seemed to relax. “I’m trying to put the past behind me. Talking about it just resurrects the whole mess.”

     How could she respond? She believed a person had to get the past out in the open, not shove it in some corner. But that was her way of dealing with the past, not Grady’s. With God’s help, she’d try to see things Grady’s way.

     Maria watched as he opened a folder with the JMR Charitable Foundation logo on it. He looked much the same as he had the last time she’d seen him, except that the lines around his blue eyes had deepened. His light brown hair was still cut in the same short style, and his charcoal gray suit showed off his broad shoulders.

     She had forgotten what a handsome man he was. Or maybe she had never seen him as attractive, because of his wife’s complaints that he was a man who cared more about his job than his family. That had struck a chord within her because her father had been that way, too.

     Good looks couldn’t cover a flawed character. But no one else seemed to hold the opinion that he was flawed in any way. Everyone else thought he was wonderful. Ever since Jillian Lawson, her boss, had hired him as the administrator of the new assisted-living facility, everyone had sung the praises of the high-powered attorney.

     Maria had been fretting about this day ever since she heard the news. Trying to manufacture some confidence about working with Grady, she opened her portfolio and pulled out several brochures. “Here’s the promotional material.”    

     Still not meeting her gaze, he picked up one of the brochures and studied it. He motioned to the other brochures on the table. “Could you bring me up to speed on the opening?”

     “Okay,” Maria said, and proceeded to tell him about the program that the hospital auxiliary had planned for the opening.

     “Sounds like everything’s in order,” he said when she’d finished.

     “Yes, it is. We have residents ready to move in as soon as they give us a certificate of occupancy.”

     “When do you expect that to happen?”

     “As soon as we pass the final inspection.” Standing, she opened a folder and spread its contents on the table. “Here’s a list of the inspections.”

     He joined her and glanced at the papers, then looked at her. “In a week?”

     “Yes.” Despite the past conflicts between her and Grady, she had to admit that having him on board made her job a lot easier. He could deal with the assisted-living facility, and she could now concentrate on her own responsibilities with the foundation.

     “There’s nothing like plunging into the job,” he said.

     “It’ll keep you busy.” Was he the same workaholic he’d been when Nina was alive? Hoping to gain insight into his present circumstances, Maria asked, “Where are your girls?”

     “Amanda and Kelsey are staying with Nina’s mother. I’m going back at the end of the week to get them. They aren’t very excited about leaving California and all their friends.”

     “I can understand that. It’s hard for kids to move. Where are you staying while you’re here?”

     Grady straightened the papers in the folder, then glanced at her. “At Clay’s. Little brother’s letting me stay in his apartment since his family went with him on his consulting job.”

     Maria’s heart sank. “I guess Clay told you I live in the upstairs apartment.”

     “Yeah, he mentioned it.”

     “You’re staying there now?” she asked, wondering how she would deal with working with him and having him live so close, too. But he didn’t seem bothered at all. “I didn’t see your car. How did I miss you?”

     “I got into town after midnight and got up very early this morning to come to the office.”

     “Are you planning to rent the apartment after Clay and Beth move out?”

     “Yeah, until we find something more permanent.” He picked up one of the brochures and put it in his briefcase. “And it’ll have to be soon, because I’m not sure how long the girls can survive sharing a room. Sometimes there’s no love lost between them. Maybe it’s the age difference.”

     “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t have a sister, just brothers. Four of them. Growing up, I often wished for a sister.”

     “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Sometimes when my girls fight with each other, I think they wish they didn’t have a sibling.”

     “They’ll outgrow that.” Maria remembered the last time she’d seen Amanda and Kelsey. Amanda had been nine, Kelsey only four. Now Amanda was a teenager. Hard to believe. “So they’re not looking forward to the move?”

     “No, but I bribed them. I told them they could learn to ski and ride horses.” He smiled wryly, and a dimple appeared in his right cheek.

     Maria didn’t want to admit this man was absolutely gorgeous when he looked at her that way. And she’d been worried about not getting along with him? Now she had to worry about gaping at him when he entered the room. She gave herself a mental shake, reminding herself that his good looks wouldn’t make up for the way he’d treated her.

     “It’ll be nice to see them again. I’m sure they’ve grown a lot since..." She bit her lip and glanced out the window. Here was the past again, intruding even when the subject seemed safe.

     He finished the sentence for her. “Since their mother died.”

     “Yeah, since Nina died.” Turning, Maria looked at him. What must it be like for those little girls to grow up without a mother? Her heart ached for them. “I wanted to know how they were coping. I prayed for them. And for you.”    

     He stared back, his expression blank. “Maybe your prayers helped them, but they didn’t do much for me.”

     “Prayers always help in some way.”

     “Maybe you think so.”

     “Yes, I do.”

     He gripped the back of the chair, his knuckles white. “Well, I don’t.”

     “Even if you don’t agree with me about prayer, I think you have to agree that the past is going to be an issue for us. All I did was ask about your girls, and there it was. The past.”

     Silence filled the room. Reading animosity in Grady’s gaze, Maria turned away again to look out the window at the streets of the town of Pinecrest. A cloud momentarily cast a shadow across the landscape. What should she say now? She and Grady were the only ones who knew the awful truth about the death of his wife. Not even Clay knew about her affair with another man. And as far as Maria was concerned, no one ever needed to know.

    Still, she wanted answers about why Grady was willing to work with her when he’d told her back then that he never wanted to see her again. Did she dare ask? God, please help me say the right things. I don’t want to alienate Grady.    

     Maria pivoted on her heel and faced him. “Why did you take this job when you knew I was working here? You made it quite clear at Nina’s funeral that you didn’t approve of me.”

     Before he could answer, a jangling ring captured their attention. She glanced at the phone on the conference table, then back at him. With a sigh she picked up the receiver. “Maria Sanchez. May I help you?” She paused and listened. “I see. I’ll take care of it right away.”

     “Problems?”

     “Yes, with the inspection.” She gathered her papers and shoved them into her portfolio. “We need to go over to the site right away.”

     “What’s wrong?”

     “The plumbing. They’ll show us when we get there.” Maria sighed again. “I’m not sure how this will affect the people who are ready to move in and the opening celebration. We’ve built in extra time, but if this turns into something major, all those plans may have to be axed. That’s the last thing we need.”

     “We’ll get it worked out.” Grady picked up his briefcase and followed her into the hallway.

     “I hope you’re right.” She turned to look at him. “Did Jillian issue you a hard hat?”

     He shook his head. “Do I need one?”

     “Yes, when we get to the site. I keep mine in my car, but I have an extra in my office. I’ll get it. And I’ll get you a list of phone numbers for the contractors you’ll be dealing with on the project.”

     “Great.” He held up his briefcase and the brochures. “I need to put this stuff away and make a phone call before we go.”

     “Okay. I’ll come down to your office after I pick up the hard hat.”    

     Minutes later, Maria walked down the corridor, her footsteps echoing in the quiet. The door to Grady’s office was open, and she hesitated before entering. With his back to the door, he was standing in front of his office window and talking on a cell phone. Not wanting to interrupt his conversation, she stepped away. Even at a distance, she could hear his part of the exchange.

     “I have to leave the office. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. So if you need me, you can reach me on my cell phone.” Then there was silence. Maria moved toward the door but came to a sudden stop when she heard his voice again. “I love you, too. I miss you. I’ll call you when I get home. Bye.”        

     Maria wondered about the object of his affection. His kids? A girlfriend? Shaking off the speculation, she knocked lightly on the doorframe and poked her head into the room. “Ready?”  

     Turning, he shoved the cell phone into his pocket. “Sure.”

     “Here’s your hard hat,” she said, noticing that he had discarded his tie and suit coat. It made him seem more approachable. Maybe it was a sign that their working relationship could get off to a good start.

     “Thanks.” Smiling, he took the hard hat and draped his coat and tie over his arm. “That was my girls on the phone.”

     “How are they?” Maria didn’t want to think about her relief that it wasn’t a girlfriend. She forced herself to think about something other than the way his smile made her feel.     

     He closed his office door. “Fighting as usual.”

Copyright@2007 - Merrillee Whren
Harlequin Enterprises