Susan Connell - Tall, Dark And Temporary

She fanned a little faster. He’d probably already forgotten he’d stopped by last night That would be the best possible thing that could happen. In small-town Follett River, an absence of curious questions would make her plan for avoiding him a lot easier.

“So I hear you had a surprise visitor last night.”

The programs crumpled in her grip. She turned to her friend.

“He told you?”

“Well—”

Grabbing Rebecca by the wrist, she leaned toward her and lowered her chin. “He actually told you he caught me dancing by myself in the kitchen?” she asked in a choked whisper.

“Dancing?” Rebecca did a double take, then looked around before she leaned closer. “Meggie, Nick caught you dancing? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Oh.” Pulling back, she stared straight ahead. “I’d appreciate it if you’d forget I ever mentioned that,” she said, relaxing in her seat as she smoothed out the programs.

“No problem, Megan.”

She slapped a program into Rebecca’s hand. “Good.”

“Right. Thanks. So, then what happened?”

Megan twisted to face her again as someone took the empty seat on her right side. A trousered leg brushed against hers, sending her short skirt higher up her thigh.

“Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing,” she said, tugging down her hem as her friend’s face lit up with a suspicious smile. “Reb, if you tell one person I told you that, I will never forgive you.”

“My lips are sealed.” Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she looked past Megan.

“How about you, Nick? Are you going to tell anyone you caught Megan dancing alone in her kitchen last night?”

Megan felt her breath catch in her throat as his arm settled over the back of her chair and the broad and solid wall of his chest touched her shoulder.

“Consider my lips sealed, too,” he said, reaching in front of Megan to share a high five with Rebecca.

Megan’s gaze slid to one side. His lips were not sealed. They were open in a heart-stealing grin, now fixed on her.

She was trapped between a treacherous friend and temptation powerful enough to make her hands shake. She held back a groan. Why was nothing ever easy in her life? And wasn’t it time for someone to strike the gavel? For the floor to open up and swallow her? Or for aliens to beam her up to the mother ship?

She managed to give Nick a closemouthed smile before turning her face to Rebecca. “Give me a break here,” she silently mouthed, then quickly looked toward the podium.

“Oh, Nick,” Rebecca said in a tone too casual to be believed, “I finally remembered who it was that brought up your name at the reunion.”

Megan instantly tensed.

“Who?” he asked.

“You’re sitting next to her.”

“Is that right?” he asked.

Megan nodded. A moment later she felt the vibrations from the rumble of his soft, deep laughter. The masculine sensation played along every nerve ending in her body, making her feel as if they’d both been laughing. Laughing the way old friends laughed. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Or new lovers.

“What made you think of me?” he asked, leaning his head to fix a curious stare on her.

She managed a shrug as she dropped her gaze to the perfect creases in the trousers of his summer suit. He didn’t look like any construction worker she’d daydreamed about. He must have come straight from another meeting. She swallowed hard. Or a date. “I don’t remember what made me think of you,” she said, moving her leg away from his. That did little to stop the sensation of sparklers sending out their tiny explosions of stinging tickles beneath her skin.

Rebecca leaned closer. “I do. Jade Macleod and I were complaining about the bad time we had at our prom. You know, the one you took your cousin Rory to. Anyway, Megan insisted she had some very good memories from that night.”

He rubbed a growing smile from his mouth and nodded. “Yeah. It turned out better than I expected.”

It had turned out better than she expected, too. The memory of his tempting whispers and what they’d done to her had her breathing deeply. She smoothed her hand over her leg. Please, Lord, make him forget we spent all that time behind the crepe-paper curtain, and I swear I’ll never...

He looked at her and smiled. “We did a little dancing. Do you remember?”

“That was such a long time ago.”

“Really?” Rebecca asked. “It seems like yesterday to me.”

At the sound of her friend’s voice, the sparklers gave a sputtering hiss, then died Lord, was she losing it or what? The man had simply brushed against her and she had been imagining spontaneous combustion under her skin.

Turning away from Nick, she lifted the program from her lap. If she kept her hands busy, she would have a harder time strangling her friend for starting this conversation.

“When I got home last night,” Rebecca continued, “I pulled out my yearbook. Raleigh and I spent the rest of the evening looking through it. Nick, did you know that you’re in one of the prom photos?”

“No. I’d like to see that.”

“I’m going to New York tomorrow morning, but I’m stopping by Megan’s café first. If you want to meet me there, I’ll bring it with me.”

“Sounds great. Seven okay?”

“Perfect.” Rebecca closed her hands over Megan’s wrists. “Meggie, stop thumbing through that program and listen.”

Listen? Her ears were burning! They were coming to the café tomorrow morning and there was nothing she could do about it. And why hadn’t anyone started the meeting yet?

“Do you remember your line from the Girls Most Likely to... list?”

“No,” she said, giving Rebecca a warning look. “But whatever it was, I’m sure it was way off the mark.”

“Not necessarily. You were voted the Girl Most Likely to Surprise Us with Her Secret Fantasies.”

Megan managed to stop herself, just before giving in to a full cringe. Everyone, including her, had laughed at that line ten years ago. But she wasn’t laughing anymore. Rolling the program into a tight cylinder she tapped the edge on her knee.

“Your point, Reb?” she asked, turning a weak smile toward Nick before glowering at Rebecca again. “And I’m sure you have one.”

“Well, who knows?” Rebecca gave an overly dramatic shrug and widened her eyes. “With all this dancing I’m hearing about, maybe you secretly wanted to be a showgirl.”

Looking over at Nick, Rebecca kinked a brow. “What do you think, Nick? You’ve seen her dancing a few times. Has she missed her calling?”

Smiling to himself, Nick checked his watch, then stood up. Bracing his hand on the back of Megan’s chair, he leaned in, giving her the momentary illusion that he was going to kiss her. He wasn’t. At least, not tonight.

“Could be, Reb,” he said, looking directly into Megan’s eyes. “Then again, I’ve eaten one of her cream puffs. That was a mighty tasty experience, too.” Before Megan could close her mouth, he went on. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies, I have a speech to make.” Stepping into the aisle, he headed for the podium.

Those stolen glances she’d sent his way, the way she’d fidgeted, and that one long look that connected deep in his gut were all answers to his prayers. Whether Megan Sloan looked ready to admit it or not, she was as strongly attracted to him as he was to her.

Taking the steps to the stage, he walked across it to the lectern. The crowded room suddenly grew quiet. He knew what most of them were probably thinking. The same thing Megan was. Follett River’s notorious motorcycle bad boy, who once enjoyed the dubious distinction of scaring the hell out of every parent of a teenage daughter in the county, was back in town. But what was he doing there?

Picking up the gavel, he twirled the head against the palm of his hand as he looked out at his audience. “Since I already appear to have your attention, I don’t think I’ll need this.” During the light laughter that followed, he set the gavel aside.

“Good evening. Most of you know me. For those of you who don’t, I’m Nick Buchanan.” Murmurs started again, and he wondered how many different escapades of his teen years were being recounted around the room.

“Yes,” he said, nodding. “That Nick Buchanan.”

Again the crowd laughed, a little louder this time and a little longer. Even Megan couldn’t help herself.

He let the good-natured response continue for a few more seconds before holding up his hands to quiet the group.

From the corner of his eye he could see Rebecca whispering to Megan. Whatever Follett River’s resident rebel spirit was saying was turning Megan’s ears an impressive shade of red. Holding back a smile, Nick lowered his hands to close them over the sides of the lectern.

“Back to business. The good people of the Murano Group have asked me to welcome all of you to our program this evening. Before I tell you why they asked me and before I introduce our speakers, I have a few personal remarks.

“First,” he said, allowing his drifting gaze to settle on Megan, “let me say that it’s a pleasure being back in Follett River. I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with old friends.”

Megan still appeared to be in a mild state of shock that he was the one leading the meeting. Ten years back he would have found that hard to believe, too. Smiling at her, he waited until her green-eyed stare was locked with his. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Megan’s lips parted the tiniest bit.

That’s right, sweet girl, I’m talking about you and me.

As if she’d read his thoughts, she nervously moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, then looked down at her program. Her thick blond hair formed a layered curtain around either side of her face, but it was too late. He’d already seen the blush he’d caused. He had no desire to publicly embarrass her with unwanted attention; he’d suffered enough of that in his childhood. Enduring the humiliation of being known as a member of the neediest family in Follett River had nearly destroyed him. It had also, in the end, given him the impetus to move on to better things.

With the finesse of a seasoned politician, he turned his head for a polite cough before continuing. “I’m also looking forward to being job-site foreman on the River Walk project as well as the general liaison between you and the Murano Group.” The room hummed again. He arched a brow. “Unless the Murano Group tells me I’m desperately needed elsewhere, I’m here for the duration of this project.”

As another ripple of good-natured laughter filled the room, Nick’s hand made an involuntary pass over the pager at his hip. What appeared to be a casual gesture had become a second-nature response whenever thoughts about the promotion filtered through. If and when the home office decided to put him in charge of the company’s western division, he wanted to be the first to know. He’d worked hard for the position, proving to himself and his boss that he was capable of the challenge. He smiled at his next thought. The strangest irony was that he would probably find out about the promotion while he was here in Follett River, the very place where he once craved recognition and respect.

“If at any time you have a problem, a comment or a question about anything,” he said as he scanned the room again, “and I’m sensing by all that whispering out there that you do, feel free to come to me. I want what you want for the River Walk project. A good start to a new beginning for Follett River. So don’t be afraid to speak up. I’m here to listen. I’m here to help. Any time.” Playfully shaking his finger at the audience, he let his gaze move back to Megan. “But just remember, turnabout is fair play on any of those questions.”