No Strings Attached by Jaci Burton Page A

you—?”
    “Asked him about you? No. I’m not poking the bear just yet. But I will.”
    “Oh, I don’t know, Tish. I don’t know about any of this. Clay just isn’t the type
     to want to settle down with one woman.”
    “He wasn’t the type before. My guess is he’s changed his mind about that. But you’ll
     never know unless you try.”
    Trying scared the shit out of her. She didn’t know if she even wanted to try, because
     Tish was right. The thought of loving and losing someone again terrified her.
    “I’ll think about it.”
    Tish nodded and went to pick up her purse. “You do that. Oh, and the reason I came
     here?”
    “Yeah?”
    “The annual Trades charity ball is Saturday. I’m supposed to remind all the contractors
     about it.”
    She grimaced. “Do I have to go?”
    “Yes. You have to go. I have to go. We all have to go. Suck it up.”
    “I don’t have a ball gown.” She hadn’t been to the ball since James died. It was…too
     festive. The contractors all brought their wives or dates. It was a huge deal since
     it was their annual charity fund-raiser. Ella usually sent a check instead.
    “No excuses. We’ll go shopping because this year you’re going. It’ll be good for you
     to get out.”
    She sighed. “All right. Shopping? I have to go shopping?”
    “Yes.”
    Once Tish set her mind to something, there was no getting around it. “Fine. I’ll need
     drinks first.”
    “You got it. We’ll go tomorrow.”
    After Tish left, Ella stared down at the files on her desk. Paperwork could wait until
     tomorrow. She needed some air. She went outside and headed toward her truck, rolled
     the windows down when she got in, grateful for the constantly changing Oklahoma weather
     that had brought a springlike day in the middle of winter. Maybe the fresh air would
     clear her mind and blow away thoughts of Clay.
    She loved this city. Big enough for progress, for constant changing and reshaping,
     which meant her business thrived. Small enough for suburbs and getting from one end
     of town to the other in a hurry. Tulsa had growing industry and the feel of a major
     city without any of the congestion or drawbacks. Yet there were enough surrounding
     small towns that you could feel as if you really were in Middle America and get away
     from it all. That was what she and James had wanted, why they’d bought a house outside
     Tulsa. Ella had wanted the escape, had loved the small-town feeling of their little
     place in the suburbs with its quiet street where children played without worrying
     about cars zooming by.
    She and James had talked about having kids, but the time hadnever seemed right. She had jumped into the construction business with both hands
     and had loved it, and the whole having-kids thing had fallen by the wayside. Someday,
     they kept saying. They had plenty of time. And someday never happened.
    She was glad they hadn’t had children. She’d been devastated when James died, couldn’t
     imagine trying to cope and handle grieving children at the same time. She’d had to
     grow up herself at the age of twenty-five, had to learn to manage a business and take
     care of herself.
    Now, five years later, she was a different person than she’d been then. When James
     had died her entire world had fallen apart. She had never lived alone, had never had
     to stand on her own. But she’d managed it, and she’d grown the company. She had the
     respect of every man and woman at Hicks Construction. She loved her job. It had filled
     her nights and days. Mostly.
    And she’d managed to fall in love again, despite thinking she never would.
    So maybe she didn’t end up with Clay in her life. And maybe that did hurt a little.
     Okay, a lot. But she’d set the ground rules for their time in Hawaii. And she’d chosen
     the man—a man she knew didn’t want strings attached to their time together.
    But at least she knew now that she could love again. And she would fall in