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“Good afternoon,” she said as she stretched out of the driver’s seat. Recently, she’d started feeling stiff after driving long distances. When had age crept up on her? She went through her packing list in her head one more time, sure she remembered her anti-aging cream, multivitamins, and oils.

“Good afternoon. I’m Connor Kincade. Welcome to Wayside. Why don’t you come into my office first. We have a few things to discuss before you get started.” He held open the door for her.

Ali carefully walked across the large rocks in the gravel in her pointed heels. She never allowed herself to feel uncomfortable in her surroundings, preferring to always be the best dressed and most knowledgeable in a room, but something about being so far outside her comfort zone had her grasping mentally for her usual poise.

Connor led her to his office and indicated she could either sit in the chair in front of his desk or on the sofa along the wall. “Can I get you a water?” He glanced back at her.

“No, thank you. I’d like to get settled in before I get started, and it’s already later than I planned.” Somehow the drive had taken longer than she’d thought it would.

“About that…” Connor opened a file on his desk, then closed it. “Cole and his new bride just left two days ago on a three-week honeymoon. Her son went with them as a vacation before school.”

He couldn’t have surprised her more had the floor dropped out from under her. “Three weeks? I only took three weeks off, thinking that would be more than enough time to file the paperwork to get Cole’s name changed back and to work on getting his social security number reactivated. There’s paperwork involved, but three weeks should’ve been more than plenty of time. Please tell me why you didn’t let me know of this change before I arrived.” She had cases back home that couldn’t wait for any additional time away. They were already angry she was going to be gone that long.

“I figured you could spend the time working on the paperwork without Cole.” Connor dismissed her worry with a slight raise of his brows.

Something wasn’t right about this, and she suspected it had to do with Eric. Had he wanted her all to himself? Was it possible he missed her as much as she’d missed him? “I see.”

“Do you? I don’t think you do. This isn’t going to be easy for you, and trying to do everything in three weeks… You may not get it done. You might want to contact your superior and ask for more time.” He slid the folder toward her.

Ali grabbed it but left it closed. “Even if that were possible, which it’s not, why would I need more time?”

“Eric is not willing to talk to you.” Connor tilted his head slightly. “I wasn’t originally even going to tell him you were coming, but now I’m glad I did. He’s had a few days to process the idea.”

He had to process the idea of her coming to see him? “Why don’t you show me to my room?” This was not how she’d planned for this to go. She’d expected Eric to be hesitant, but she was a litigation attorney so changing people’s minds was her job. She could say just the right thing in just the right way, and then all would be fine. That was her gift. Eric might take some time to come around, but she could do it.

“I can do that. Right this way.” Connor stood and headed back out to her car.

Ali popped the trunk and let him help her gather the large bags, but he again surprised her when he headed for the second row of four strings of cabins. Rustic cabins.

“Where are you going?” The alarm in her voice was far too evident, and she cleared her throat to hide it and calm herself.

He glanced over his shoulder and tipped his head toward the cabins. “This is our housing.”

But the huge ranch house looked a lot nicer and more accommodating. “You want me to stay out here?” Ali stopped in her tracks and waited for him to answer. Did the cabins have running water? Bathroom facilities? How rustic was this ranch?

“I do. This is the only housing we have, and I promise you it’s nicer than the one motel in town.”

She wasn’t going to erupt. Yes, the little houses were a lot like the lake cabin she’d had to endure as a child. Probably very similar inside. But she could manage. That had been a little more than twenty years ago. She was now a grown woman in control of her emotions.

He opened the door, and a scream lodged in her throat as she saw the familiar red indoor/outdoor carpet. “I can’t…”

“Of course she can’t. It’s not nice enough for her.” Eric appeared from a path along the side of the cabins. “She probably assumed you had a hotel room for her.”

Seeing Eric for the first time after so many years took her heart a few moments to catch up to her thoughts. He’d filled out in the shoulders. Age creased the skin beside his eyes. The very same lines she fought so hard against looked good on him.

As pleasant as he was to look at, he wasn’t exactly happy to see her. She refused to feel contrite about wanting a nice place to relax. She’d worked her whole life to be comfortable. Why should she expect less now?

“The room is just fine.” Ali took her bags from Connor’s hands and headed inside, then closed the door so they couldn’t see what she knew would be a weak moment. Everyone else could have them, but not her.

She let the bags fall from her hands the moment no one could see her and gripped her stomach. Why did all little cabins, whether by a serene lake or nestled away on a ranch, all have the same smell? Why did they all feel the same, look the same?

Control your breathing. Control your inner self. Control your mind.

There was no giving up. Not now. Not ever. She could overcome this. She always did.

ChapterTwo

Eric refused to hang around and witness the fallout from his comments. Connor was bound to say something, and Eric had no time or interest in hearing what Connor had to say. Eric had regrets when it came to Ali, but unlike any of the other guys at Wayside, his regret was that he’d ever met Ali at all. In all the other cases, they’d made choices to leave their women behind. Whether the choice was forced or personal, it was still a choice.