of smoke and there’s nothing left afterward.”
“Don’t you at least want to find out?” Kelly asked. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering if you made a mistake, if you judged him too harshly?”
Trish regarded her curiously. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”
“No reason,” Kelly said hurriedly. “I just like you. I like Hardy. I think you’d be good together. You already have an unbreakable bond.”
“We’re not back to the fact that he delivered Laura again, are we?”
“Well, you have to admit there’s very little that’s more intimate than that.”
“It was an accident of fate, nothing more. I’m grateful. End of subject.”
Kelly sighed. “If you say so.”
“I do,” Trish said very firmly. Her expression brightened. “Now let’s talk about something I dowant. Do you think it’s too late to call your father-in-law and tell him I’m interested in the property?”
Kelly grinned. “For news like this, it’s never too late to call Harlan. He’ll want to rush right over and get you to sign the papers.”
“Well, maybe that part can wait till morning, but let’s at least tell him not to rent it out from under me.”
“Oh, believe me, I doubt there is any chance that would happen,” Kelly said wryly. “He has his heart set on having you stay right here.”
Trish hesitated, feeling that renewed sense of walking into a trap that she’d experienced earlier when she’d discovered that Harlan owned the property. “Why would he feel so strongly about that? We’ve barely even met.”
“Oh, for a man known for his business acumen, Harlan makes totally impulsive decisions when it comes to people. He’s taken an interest in you, and that’s that.”
She handed Trish the portable phone and recited the number.
Harlan Adams answered with a booming greeting, despite the late hour.
“Sir, it’s Trish Delacourt. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“No, indeed. I was hoping you’d call. What did you think of the store? Does it suit you?”
“It’s wonderful. And the rent—”
“We can negotiate, if you think it’s too high.”
Trish laughed. “No, it’s fine. If you’ll have thepapers drawn up, I’ll sign them in the morning. I’d like a year’s lease, if that’s okay.”
“Make it five,” he countered. “We’ll lock in the rent. Takes that long to see if a business will thrive. Can’t be opening and closing after a few months, just when folks are discovering you’re there.”
A five-year commitment, Trish thought warily. Could she do that? Should she? An image of Hardy popped up. He was already invading her thoughts entirely too frequently, despite all those firm declarations she’d just made to Kelly. What if she couldn’t keep him at bay? What if she let her hormones overrule her head and got another nasty taste of reality as she had with Jack? Would she want to stay in a town like Los Piños where she was bound to keep right on bumping into him?
“I’ll give you a release clause,” Harlan offered, as if sensing her uncertainty and very likely guessing the reason for it. “Something important comes up and you need to take off, you send me a letter and that will be that. Deal?”
She’d never get a better one, she realized. And a five-year lease at the terms he’d offered ensured that her overhead would remain stable until the store was on a sound financial footing.
“Deal,” she agreed.
“Then you come on up to the house in the morning and we’ll lock it in,” he said. “Bring the baby, if you like. Nothing makes my day like cuddling a little one for a bit. Come for breakfast. Only way I get anything decent is if we’re having company. Otherwise, my wife feeds me bran flakes and a banana every single day. You can help me sneak a cup of real coffee, too.”
Trish grinned at the thought of a powerful man like Harlan Adams having to sneak around behind his wife’s back to get anything. She suspected he enjoyed the
“Don’t you at least want to find out?” Kelly asked. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering if you made a mistake, if you judged him too harshly?”
Trish regarded her curiously. “Why are you pushing this so hard?”
“No reason,” Kelly said hurriedly. “I just like you. I like Hardy. I think you’d be good together. You already have an unbreakable bond.”
“We’re not back to the fact that he delivered Laura again, are we?”
“Well, you have to admit there’s very little that’s more intimate than that.”
“It was an accident of fate, nothing more. I’m grateful. End of subject.”
Kelly sighed. “If you say so.”
“I do,” Trish said very firmly. Her expression brightened. “Now let’s talk about something I dowant. Do you think it’s too late to call your father-in-law and tell him I’m interested in the property?”
Kelly grinned. “For news like this, it’s never too late to call Harlan. He’ll want to rush right over and get you to sign the papers.”
“Well, maybe that part can wait till morning, but let’s at least tell him not to rent it out from under me.”
“Oh, believe me, I doubt there is any chance that would happen,” Kelly said wryly. “He has his heart set on having you stay right here.”
Trish hesitated, feeling that renewed sense of walking into a trap that she’d experienced earlier when she’d discovered that Harlan owned the property. “Why would he feel so strongly about that? We’ve barely even met.”
“Oh, for a man known for his business acumen, Harlan makes totally impulsive decisions when it comes to people. He’s taken an interest in you, and that’s that.”
She handed Trish the portable phone and recited the number.
Harlan Adams answered with a booming greeting, despite the late hour.
“Sir, it’s Trish Delacourt. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“No, indeed. I was hoping you’d call. What did you think of the store? Does it suit you?”
“It’s wonderful. And the rent—”
“We can negotiate, if you think it’s too high.”
Trish laughed. “No, it’s fine. If you’ll have thepapers drawn up, I’ll sign them in the morning. I’d like a year’s lease, if that’s okay.”
“Make it five,” he countered. “We’ll lock in the rent. Takes that long to see if a business will thrive. Can’t be opening and closing after a few months, just when folks are discovering you’re there.”
A five-year commitment, Trish thought warily. Could she do that? Should she? An image of Hardy popped up. He was already invading her thoughts entirely too frequently, despite all those firm declarations she’d just made to Kelly. What if she couldn’t keep him at bay? What if she let her hormones overrule her head and got another nasty taste of reality as she had with Jack? Would she want to stay in a town like Los Piños where she was bound to keep right on bumping into him?
“I’ll give you a release clause,” Harlan offered, as if sensing her uncertainty and very likely guessing the reason for it. “Something important comes up and you need to take off, you send me a letter and that will be that. Deal?”
She’d never get a better one, she realized. And a five-year lease at the terms he’d offered ensured that her overhead would remain stable until the store was on a sound financial footing.
“Deal,” she agreed.
“Then you come on up to the house in the morning and we’ll lock it in,” he said. “Bring the baby, if you like. Nothing makes my day like cuddling a little one for a bit. Come for breakfast. Only way I get anything decent is if we’re having company. Otherwise, my wife feeds me bran flakes and a banana every single day. You can help me sneak a cup of real coffee, too.”
Trish grinned at the thought of a powerful man like Harlan Adams having to sneak around behind his wife’s back to get anything. She suspected he enjoyed the
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