Trinity Falls (22 page)

CHAPTER 34

Ean and the three outsiders stood, stepping away from their table. They wore their wealth, privilege and power like cologne. Megan swallowed hard. What were Ean's former law firm's partners doing here?

“Ramona, I thought you'd never eat here again.” Ean's easy smile faded when he noticed Megan.

Megan ignored the chill seeping into her bones. “I was surprised she picked this restaurant as well.” She sealed her lips to trap any further comments inside her mouth.

Ean's expression was guarded, as though he'd heard the questions. He gestured toward the tall, imposing silver-haired man beside him. “Let me introduce you. Megan McCloud, this is Hugh Bolden, my former boss.”

Hugh extended his hand. His laser blue eyes seemed to take her measure. “Pleasure.”

Ean continued down the line. “August Craven.”

Megan released Hugh's hand to accept August's greeting. The older gentleman's smile deepened the creases on his cocoa skin. “Nice to meet you.”

Ean moved on to the final introduction. “Jorge Arnez.”

Megan stepped forward to greet the youngest and tallest of the group. The thick waves of his inky black hair hinted at threads of gray. His large hand enveloped hers. “It is a pleasure.”

Megan released Jorge's hand. “It's good to meet you as well.”

“How long are you gentlemen staying?” Ramona made the question sound natural.

Jorge responded for the group. “This is just a day trip.”

“A day?” Ramona sounded surprised. “Trinity Falls may be small, but you won't get to see much in one day.”

Megan felt Ean's eyes on her. She turned to him.
Tell me they're not here to ask you to return to New York.

Ean smiled and cupped her cheek. “I'll see you later.”

Megan's breath caught in her throat. She'd gotten a brush-off when she'd needed reassurance.

“Enjoy your lunch.” She led Ramona back to their table.

Their server, a young man in need of a haircut, appeared. He traded a basket of fresh rolls for their drink orders. They both asked for iced tea with lemon, then he left.

Ramona opened her menu. “Breathe.”

“What?” Megan's thoughts were spinning so fast. She would either pass out or throw up.

“You're turning blue.” Ramona lowered her menu. “What's wrong?”

The restaurant was full. A quick look around confirmed Megan's suspicions. Most of the diners were looking from Ean, to his visitors, to her and back again. Their attention skittered away when they saw her watching them.

“What's wrong?” Megan struggled for composure. “Do you really think Ean's former bosses flew in from New York just to visit Trinity Falls, Ohio?”

“No-o-o.” Ramona gave the simple word a few extra syllables. “But why do
you
think they're here?”

“It's obvious. They want Ean to return to New York.”

Ramona frowned. “How is that obvious?”

Beneath the table, Megan clenched her fists to stop their trembling. “Why else are they wearing Lord and Taylor suits? This isn't a visit. It's a business meeting.”

Ramona slid a look across the aisle toward the table of very well-dressed men. “They do look fine.”

“Focus.” Megan's hands itched to shake her cousin.

“What?” Ramona gave Megan her full, wide-eyed attention. “Just because his former bosses are here doesn't mean they're trying to get him back.”

“Then why are they here?”

Ramona continued. “And even if they were trying to talk him into returning to the firm, that doesn't mean he would. He's in love with you.”

Shock punched her in the gut. Megan sucked in a breath. “How do you know?”

Ramona rolled her ebony eyes. “I'm not blind.”

Megan had hoped for a stronger endorsement, perhaps something like,
I can see it on his face. I could hear it in his voice; He told me.

Their server returned with their drinks and took their meal requests. Ramona asked for the grilled salmon and Caesar salad. Megan picked the chicken noodle soup and sandwich at random.

Megan sweetened her iced tea. “I know Ean cares about me, but does he care enough to stay in Trinity Falls?”

“Why wouldn't he stay here?” Ramona stirred the lemon slice into her drink.

Megan lifted her gaze toward Ean's table. “I—”

“Stop staring.” Ramona interrupted her.

Megan lowered her eyes. She sipped her iced tea. It was a struggle to keep her gaze from returning to Ean and his group. She squeezed her drink's lemon garnish into her beverage. “You've said yourself, repeatedly, that Trinity Falls is slow, boring and backward.”

“It is.” Ramona sipped her drink.

“Ean spent seven years in New York. How can he be satisfied with Trinity Falls after that?”

“Where have you been for the past two months?” Ramona set her glass on the table. “No one twisted Ean's arm to get him to return to Trinity Falls. He came back on his own.”

“I know that.” Her glass was cold and wet between her palms. “He'd had enough of the rat race and came home to spend more time with his family and friends.”

“So you
were
listening.” Ramona pulled apart a wheat roll and slathered it with butter. “His father was dying, and he didn't even know. Do you really think the firm's partners would be able to persuade him to go back to working for them after something like that?”

They sat in pensive silence for several minutes. Ramona finished a buttered roll. Megan toyed with her drink. Finally their server returned with lunch. Once Megan and Ramona assured him they didn't need anything more, the young man disappeared.

Megan stared at her soup and sandwich. “Maybe they wouldn't be able to change his mind this time, but suppose they try again?”

Ramona's sigh was short and irritated. “Now you're borrowing trouble.”

“Maybe because I'm scared.” Megan stirred her chicken soup as she watched Ramona slice her salmon salad into more manageable pieces.

Her cousin stabbed a forkful of the salad and chewed. She seemed deep in thought. “Let's say, for argument's sake, Ean does decide to return to New York. Why couldn't you go with him?”

The question caught Megan by surprise. “He hasn't asked me.”

Ramona rolled her eyes again. She spoke with exaggerated patience. “For argument's sake, let's say he did. What's keeping you in Trinity Falls?”

Megan spread her arms. “Our bookstore, our grandparents' house. This town is my home.”

“Home is where your heart is. Is a store and a house more important than your relationship with Ean?”

The server appeared to check on their meals and refill their iced tea. He then crossed to Ean's booth. Megan's gaze followed the young man as he returned Ean's credit card and left the receipt for the bill before going back to his station.

Megan looked away. A week ago, Ean had asked her to move in with him. Today he was having lunch with the principals of his former law firm. A meeting he'd never mentioned to her. What did Ean really want? Did he want to settle down to a small-town life with her? Or was he considering returning to his cosmopolitan life in the Big Apple?

Megan sighed. “I don't know if I could live in New York.”

Ramona forked up more of her salad. “It does take some getting used to. But perhaps a better question would be, could you live without Ean?”

Megan stared at her half-eaten sandwich and cooling chicken noodle soup. “I don't know if I can do that, either.”

She looked up as Ean and his companions stood to leave the restaurant. His eyes found hers as he drew closer. Ean offered a smile Megan couldn't return.

Ramona's voice cut through the fog in her mind. “You'd better figure it out.”

Megan knew her cousin was right. She also knew she was running out of time.

CHAPTER 35

Megan opened her front door to Ean later that afternoon. He wore the sexy grin that usually made bubbles pop in her stomach. Today the bubbles sat like bricks. She stepped back, pulling the door wider.

Ean shrugged out of his coat. “You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you I was having lunch with my ex-bosses.”

Megan locked her front door, then turned to watch Ean hook his winter jacket onto her coat tree. “I know what you were doing.”

His smile wavered. “You do?”

“Your firm wants you back.” Megan stepped away from the door. She crossed her foyer, past her cheery if overdecorated Christmas tree, into her living room.

“What makes you think that?” His voice seemed cooler.

“Their suits.” Megan faced him. More than the width of the living room separated them. “If they were here to visit with you, they would have worn casual clothes. Since they wore business suits, it was obviously a business meeting.”

Ean had changed his clothing since she'd seen him at lunch earlier today. At the restaurant, he'd worn a gunmetal gray suit. His cool green shirt and dark green tie had complemented his olive green eyes. Now, in addition to his dark blue jeans, he wore a bronze sweater that spanned his broad pectorals and hugged his washboard abs.

His smile disappeared. “And that business was offering me my old job back.” Ean paused in the archway between the two rooms, ironically beneath the mistletoe.

“What other business could they have with you?” Megan narrowed her eyes.
What does he have to be angry about? I'm the one being misled.

“They couldn't have any other reason for meeting with me. And, of course, I'd accept their offer, even though I've signed a yearlong contract on my town house and a three-year lease on office space.” Ean shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You're very insightful to deduce all of that from our business suits.”

Megan frowned. “Why are you angry?”

“What makes you think I'm angry? Is it because I'm wearing a bronze sweater?”

Megan crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you mocking me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” She hadn't expected Ean to be happy to have her confront him, but she hadn't expected mockery, either.

“Because your suit theory is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.” He dragged both hands over his hair.

“What?” Megan dropped her arms and clenched her fist.

“I've told you that I'm staying. I've shown you. I've even asked you to live with me. What more do I have to do to convince you that I'm not leaving?”

“How can you go from always wanting a successful career in New York and leaving that career to return to Trinity Falls, Ohio?”

“I'm fourteen years older.” Ean stood with his legs braced and his hands planted on his hips. “You're the one who told me people don't stay the same. Why won't you believe that I've changed?”

“Everyone leaves, Ean.”

“Not me. And, obviously, not you.”

Megan spread her arms. “What was I supposed to think when I saw you having lunch with your former bosses?”

“That I'd tell you later why I met with them. That I'd have a damn good reason not to tell you in advance about the meeting.” Ean tugged his jacket from her coat tree. “I never thought you'd consider me a liar.”

Megan gritted her teeth. “All right. Tell me now. Why were you meeting with them?”

Ean regarded her in silence as he zipped himself into his coat. “I asked you to move in with me. Did you tell me you wouldn't because you didn't have faith that I'd stay in Trinity Falls?”

“You're changing the subject.” Megan's cheeks burned.

“Am I?” There was pain in Ean's eyes. “All this time we've been together, I thought we were in a relationship.”

“We were.... We are.” What was he saying?

“But you never trusted me.”

“I . . .” All her anger drained away. Is that how it seemed?

“If we don't have trust, we don't have a relationship. All we have is sex. The sex is great, but I was hoping for something more.” Ean turned for the door.

Megan hurried after him. Her words rushed over each other. “Ean, you caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to see your firm's partners. I didn't know what to think.” She laid her hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd face her.

Ean turned to her. “You should have asked me.”

“I'm asking you now. Please.” Her eyes stung with tears. Her voice trembled with fear. “Tell me, why were you meeting with them?”

“No, I don't think I will.” Ean's face was expressionless. “You chose to believe the worst of me, instead of asking for an explanation. That's what matters now.”

Megan watched Ean leave, unable to stop him. She'd allowed fear to dictate her relationship with him. She'd actually believed she could fall in love and still protect her heart. The pain in her chest let her know just how stupid she'd been.

 

 

Christmas Eve, Books & Bakery reflected Megan's love of this time of year. Decorative snowflakes and stars swung from the store's ceiling. Bookshelves were trimmed with tinsel, ribbons or bows. A real seven-foot evergreen dominated the center of the store. Every inch of it was as overdecorated as the Christmas tree in her home.

The store was merry and bright with the holiday, but Megan felt like Scrooge. She'd wanted to cancel this emergency Tuesday-night association meeting so she could go home and sulk behind the closed door of her darkened bedroom. But Ramona had asked her specifically for the opportunity to address the group. She couldn't say no, but she wished she had.

“Good evening, everyone.” Megan waited for their attention. They all looked at her, looked at Ean, then looked away. Was their breakup that obvious?

“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight.” Megan started again. “It's Christmas Eve. I'm sure you all had other plans. But Mayor McCloud asked to address our group, so I'll turn the meeting over to her. Mayor?”

Megan sat as Ramona stood to address the six-member business association.

From the corner of her eye, Megan slid a glance at Ean. She hadn't seen him since Monday evening.

But tonight he sat on the other side of Doreen, close enough to touch. He looked as though he'd slept like a baby last night. She hadn't. If she looked the way she felt, she was probably frightening small children and animals.

Ramona cleared her throat. “Good evening, everyone.”

Murmured responses circled the two tables the group had pushed together prior to the meeting.

Ramona continued. “I won't keep you long. As you know, last spring, the original town center owners defaulted on their loan. Ever since that time, the town has been looking for new ownership for the center.”

Tilda Maddox shifted in her seat. “We don't need the history lesson, Mayor. Just tell us if you're going to raise our rent again.”

Perhaps Megan should have been used to Tilda's rudeness by now, but she wasn't. “Tilda, be patient. The mayor is putting her announcement in context.”

Ramona inclined her head toward Megan in silent thanks before continuing. “As I was saying, the town declared the default and hired a rental agency to collect the rents and a real estate agent to find a new owner.” Ramona paused to look around the tables at the members. “I'm pleased to announce that we have a new owner for the Trinity Falls Town Center, the limited partnership of Fever, Craven, Bolden and Arnez.”

Megan's jaw dropped. Her pulse was drumming in her ears. A look around the table revealed she wasn't the only one in shock.

“What did you say?” She wasn't even aware of asking the question.

Ramona's eyes were bright with laughter. “Ean and his friends, the partners of the law firm of Craven, Bolden and Arnez, are the new owners of the Trinity Falls Town Center.” Ramona gestured toward Ean. “Ean is the majority owner. The town council members and I are confident that Ean and the other owners have the best interests of the town and the center's businesses in mind.”

Megan managed to close her mouth. She turned to Ean. “Was this the reason for your business meeting Monday?”

“Yes.” Ean's olive eyes were blank.

Megan wanted to curl into the fetal position, pull a blanket over her head, hide under the table. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Ean's tone was cool as he stood. “Thank you, Mayor McCloud.”

“Thank you, Ean.” Ramona sent Megan an empathetic look as she reclaimed her seat.

Ean looked around the table, but avoided Megan's eyes. He feared he'd get lost in her gaze and not find his way back. “I realize this announcement comes as a surprise.”

“You've got that right,” Tilda barked. “Why didn't you tell us you were planning this stunt?”

Ean pinned her with a look. “I wasn't obligated to discuss my decision with you.”

Tilda's eyes widened. “Sounds just like a damn lawyer.” Her response was a low grumble.

Grady's frown was more perplexed than antagonistic. “We let you become a part of this group. It would have been common courtesy to let us know what you were planning, so this wouldn't come as a surprise.”

Megan leaned forward, setting her elbows on the table. “We didn't
let
Ean join the association, Grady. Every business in the center is invited to join the group, although each business has the right to decline our invitation.”

Doreen nodded. “For months, we've been trying to figure out an answer to this ownership problem. Instead of jumping down Ean's throat, we should be thanking him for coming up with a solution.”

The glow of pride in his mother's eyes eased his temper.

“Hold on, Doreen.” Belinda's voice claimed Ean's attention. “So, does this mean you're not running for mayor?”

“Oh no. I'm still running for mayor.” Doreen turned to Ramona. “Nothing personal.”

Ramona returned Doreen's smile. “Same here.”

“Ean.” Megan raised her voice above the cacophony of private conversations. “What plans do you and your partners have for the center?”

The store experienced sudden and complete silence. Ean met Megan's gaze. Her eyes held an important question. It showed she understood the significance of this business venture. It also meant she was willing to treat him as a professional regardless of what was happening in their personal relationship.

He missed her so badly. And it had only been one night. Does this get any easier?

Ean cleared his throat. “My partners and I have discussed the business center and our roles in it at length. We recognize that most of these businesses are family-owned companies that have served this town for generations. We want to preserve that.”

Belinda shrugged. “So what does that mean to me?”

Ean looked at each association member in turn, settling his gaze on Megan again. “It means we're rolling back rents to what they were prior to the town taking over the center.”

A startled silence descended on the table as though all of the air had been sucked from the store. Then a collective gasp rose, followed by a round of applause.

Through it all, Ean kept his attention on Megan. Her expression swept from puzzlement, to shock, to amazement and finally joy. She sprang from her chair. She took a step forward as though to embrace him. He knew the moment she remembered they'd broken up. The pain in her eyes matched the ache in his chest. Ean looked away.

Grady swept him into a surprise bear hug, which lifted him from his feet and realigned his spine. “Ean, my man, you are A-OK in my book. A number-one OK in my book! This is the best news I've gotten all year! The greatest Christmas gift I could ever get
ever
!”

That quickly Ean morphed from an interloper, who'd overstepped his boundaries, to the accessory store owner's best friend. The older man released him. Ean gasped for air. He saw Megan grinning and wiping tears from her eyes. Tears of happiness, as well as laughter?

The image was bittersweet. In his mind, Ean had pictured himself making this announcement, then sweeping Megan into his arms. Instead, Grady had squeezed the life from him.

Damn it! He'd never done anything to cause her to mistrust him. He missed her so damn badly. But, apparently, their relationship had existed only in his imagination.

 

 

About an hour later, Ean was asking himself for the fourth time,
Why am I putting myself through this?

He glanced at Megan seated beside him in his silver Lexus coupe. Her seat belt was secured across her slender body. After the meeting, they'd accompanied Doreen to her front door. They wished her a hasty “good night” before rushing back through the biting cold to his car. He checked his mirrors before pulling away from the curb in front of his mother's house.

He would drive Megan home before continuing to his town house. Ean had taken Megan home from the bookstore so many times in the two months since he'd returned to Trinity Falls. He'd enjoyed her company in the past. Tonight it was torture. In the quiet, warming confines of his car, with the darkness surrounding them, Ean sensed her beside him. He tugged his gaze from her elegant profile. He smelled her soft powder fragrance. He tasted her skin with his mind.

But it was only three blocks. Ean tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He could handle this, as long as they remained quiet.

“I owe you an apology.” Megan's voice broke the merciful silence. “I should have realized that you weren't meeting with your former bosses for yourself. You were meeting with them for the center.”