Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(31)

She cast another long look around while Denny waited patiently, holding the front door open for her. From a professional standpoint, she was intrigued. This was the kind of place she’d envisioned working when she’d still been in school. From a personal standpoint, was there enough here to hold her in Abilene? She wasn’t sure. And she was willing to admit that part of her didn’t want to be sure.

She shook her head at her mental ramblings. The voice of reason that had dogged her all day told her to give this place the chance it deserved before discounting it.

“Everything okay?” Denny asked as she turned and passed through the door into the blasting heat of Abilene.

Love that wind, girl. That’d take some getting used to for sure.

Denny drove her around the city, sticking mainly to the major thoroughfares, in order to acclimate her to getting around easily, he said. He pulled in to an apartment complex a couple of miles from the store and drove through slowly. “I’ve done work in some of these units over the last couple of years. They have lots of luxury features and good security systems. These at the end would probably suit your needs perfectly, at least short term, anyway.”

“Short term?”

“Well, you may decide to make a…more permanent move here, and then a house and all that entails would be nice. You know, roots.” His cheeks became a little ruddy as he said it and she looked out the window both to give him time to recover from whatever thought had embarrassed him and to give herself time to look the complex over.

The apartments were nice on the outside and the complex was recently painted and super clean-looking, with no junky cars in the recently resurfaced parking lot.

“Looks great.”

He took her to a restaurant located on the main thoroughfare near the store and she hesitated when he held the door open for her. She’d thought it was a steakhouse but the interior looked much more cozy and intimate, the kind of place you’d take a loved one for a special occasion.

When she glanced back at him, he grinned and lifted a hand in surrender. “I promise I’m not trying to date you, Leah. I just wanted to show you the best side of Abilene. I think you’d like it here.”

She chuckled, thinking he deserved points for trying. He was a nice guy. He was good-looking and had an open demeanor that told her he could be trusted. In short, he was one of the good guys. But she didn’t find him appealing as anything other than a friend. His personality, his looks, even his scent, were appealing, just not to her.

Similar thoughts occupied her as she looked over the menu and ordered a steak and salad combination that sounded good and not overly filling.

“What do you think of the construction so far?” he asked after the waitress had collected their menus and left them with their chips and salsa and sweet teas.

She was relieved that he was no longer dropping hints about choosing to stay in Abilene and instead focused on the work at hand. “I’m pleased to see that you’re not just putting a bandage on an older building.”

“Your dad was pretty specific about what he wanted. I liked that. I imagine he’s where you get your attention to detail from?”

“Yes. Did he tell you that?”

He tilted his head and shrugged. “He hinted at it, saying you were a stickler for details but it’s also pretty obvious.”

“Is that a problem? I thought you’d want my opinion.”

“Not a problem at all. I want you to be happy.”

That unsettled feeling in her gut returned and she silently wished for the meal to be over with soon. She still hadn’t checked in with James and Vincent. Her cell phone signal had been nonexistent at the tiny bed-and-breakfast she’d stayed at the night before, so far off the beaten path she’d needed to stop for directions to find it. The name, Boondocks Bed-and-Breakfast, should’ve been a clue.

Every time she thought about leaving town like that and then not communicating with James and Vincent directly about it, her heart ached. She’d checked in with Evelyn during the day and she’d mentioned that James had come by with flowers for her and she’d only felt worse. She was praying her cell phone worked when she tried to call them once she got back that night.

“Leah?”

“Yes?” She realized he’d been talking while she’d been worrying.

“I was asking about flooring materials for the office space. Your dad told me to leave the choice up to you. Are you okay?”

She smiled. “I’m sorry. What were my choices again?”

“The designer suggested ceramic tile or wood laminate in the lower traffic office areas.”

She didn’t even hesitate. “Wow. Expensive.”