Trinity Falls

by Regina Hart

Doreen locked her shaking knees. “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been lost. You’re a good friend.”

  “But I want to be more than friends.” Leonard pushed his fists into his front pants pockets. “I want to be your husband.”

  Doreen’s grip on the sturdy armchair was the only thing keeping her standing. “I have no intention of getting married ever again.”

  “You can’t say that. You could change your mind.” A hint of desperation edged his words.

  Doreen maneuvered her way to the front of the chair and sank onto its cushion. “Leo, I’m glad you’re in my life. I enjoy our relationship—both in and out of bed. But that’s all I’m looking for right now.”

  “Why?”

  Doreen threw up her hands in a nervous gesture. “I’m still looking for myself. I want to know who I am, who I’m becoming now that my life has taken such a devastating turn.”

  “Do you think you’re going to find that in the mayor’s office?”

  She gave him a sharp look. But his tone and expression was more confused than condemning this time. “I’d like to try.”

  Leonard pulled his hands free of his pockets and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s hard to hear that the woman you’re in love with would rather be mayor of a town than your wife.”

  Doreen stood and crossed to him. “I’m honored that you think of me that way.”

  “I was hoping for a different reaction.”

  She took hold of Leonard’s hands and gently squeezed them. “Before I can be a couple with anyone, I need to know who I am by myself. Can you understand that?”

  Leonard heaved a sigh. “I can try.”

  “And I would really like for things to stay the way they are between us.”

  He squeezed her hands in return. “If that’s all you can give me for now, I’ll take it.”

  “And for the election, I could really use your vote.”

  Leonard chuckled. “You’ll have to work for that one.”

  “Fair enough.” Doreen laughed with relief. Her friend, and lover, was back.

  “Have you heard from Penn about your faculty position?” Ean asked the question of Quincy in a voice loud enough to be heard in the crowded sports bar.

  He, Quincy and Darius were watching the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears face each other in a Sunday-afternoon competition. He washed down the bite of spicy buffalo wing with a swig of weak beer.

  “They’ve asked me back for an interview.” Quincy didn’t seem enthusiastic.

  “When were you going to tell us?” Darius froze as he plunged a celery stalk into Quincy’s blue cheese dressing.

  Quincy shrugged. “I’m telling you now.”

  Ean read Quincy’s conflict beneath his studied nonchalance. “What’s bothering you?”

  Quincy exhaled an irritated breath. “Why do you think something’s bothering me?”

  Ean gestured with a hot wing. “First, I can hear it in your voice. Second, you’re letting Darius eat your celery and blue cheese.”

  Quincy’s jaw tightened. He moved the blue cheese away from Darius. “Would it kill you to buy your own food?”

  Darius dropped the remains of a buffalo wing in an empty bowl and reached for a leg this time. “Ean’s right. You seem even weirder tonight. Talk.”

  “Nothing’s bothering me.” Quincy grabbed a potato chip, avoiding their eyes. “You two are like nagging old women.”

  “It’s Ramona, isn’t it?” Ean watched closely for Quincy’s reaction.

  The professor tensed. “What’s Ramona?”

  “It must be Ramona.” Darius stretched across the table to scoop a celery stalk once more into Quincy’s dressing.

  Ean drank some of his watered-down house beer. “Are you thinking about staying in Trinity Falls now?”

  “I don’t know.” Quincy’s smile was bittersweet. “It figures I’d get this opportunity when one of my best friends returns and the woman I care about realizes I exist.”

  Ean’s lingering concern over their strained relationship disappeared when Quincy referred to him as one of his best friends. “You don’t have to take Penn’s offer, if you think you’d be making a mistake.”

  Darius gestured with his mug of beer. “No one would think any worse of you than they do now.”

  Quincy cut the reporter a look before addressing Ean. “It’s a smart move for my career. No one’s heard of Trinity Falls University, but everyone knows the University of Pennsylvania. More prestige, more money, better location—”

  Darius interrupted. “Since when did you want to move to the big city?”

  “Since I realized you were staying here.” Quincy’s response was long-suffering. He moved his celery and blue cheese farther from Darius’s reach. “I love Trinity Falls. But there’s a lot of history in Philadelphia, a lot of visiting exhibitions. I’d have better access to those things if I were at Penn.”

  The fact that he’d come home just as his childhood friend was leaving bothered Ean as well. “It’s a tough decision. I don’t envy you. But luckily, it doesn’t have to be a permanent one.”

  Darius nodded. “Ean’s right. You can always change your mind.”

  “Just don’t wait as long as I did.” Ean thought back to New York. “It took seven years to realize I may have made a good career decision, but it was at the cost of things and people who were a lot more important than my career.”

  The three friends were silent as they watched the Browns run several plays against the Bears. The Browns struggled against the Bears’ defense, though, and had to punt. Ean was only partially aware of the on-screen action. His mind still processed his regrets—the lost time with his parents, the near loss of a lifelong friendship. How different would his life be today if he’d put those relationships above his ambition and stayed in Trinity Falls?

  Darius clamped a hand on Ean’s shoulder. “Who would’ve thought all those years ago when you were planning to become a hot-shot corporate lawyer in the Big Apple, you’d return to hang a shingle in the Trinity Falls Town Center?” Darius’s jovial smile didn’t mask the concern in his eyes.

  Ean slapped the reporter’s back. “Here I have my friends and family, as well as my career.”

  Darius gestured for their server to bring another round of beer. “How long do you think your shingle will remain up?”

  That was a sore subject with Ean. “I don’t know. It depends on what happens with the center.”

  Quincy selected a buffalo wing from his basket. “The election isn’t for another year. And even if your mother wins, she won’t take office for another two months. That’s a long time.”

  Darius grunted. “In the meantime, Ramona could sell the center out from under the business owners, and some other evil overlord could jack up the rent again.”

  Quincy frowned across the booth at Darius. “Ramona’s not an evil overlord.”

  Darius gave the professor a wide-eyed look. “Did I say, ‘Ramona is the evil overlord’? You’re too sensitive.”

  Ean ignored his friends’ exchange. “I think the best solution is for the business owners to buy the center ourselves.”

  Darius’s brows knitted. “I thought they’d already considered and rejected that plan.”

  “They wanted everyone to put in an equal share, and not everyone could afford to.” Ean rubbed the back of his neck.

  “And that bothers you.” Quincy made it a statement.

  Actually, he thought the business owners’ objections were ridiculous. “What does it matter if someone puts in twice as much money as I do and gets a bigger vote? We all have the goal of preserving the center.”

  “The bottom line is you need a buyer.” Darius waved a buffalo wing. “But the association doesn’t trust the new owners to have their interests in mind.”

  “I can’t blame them.” Quincy received another beer from their young server.

  “Neither can I.” Ean thanked the server as he accepted his mug.

  Dari
us winked at the young woman as he exchanged his empty mug for the full one. “The solution is obvious.”

  Quincy sighed. “Do you want to share it with the rest of us, Obi-Wan?”

  Darius chuckled at Quincy’s Star Wars reference. “Ean should get some of his fat-cat friends to invest in the center with him.”

  Ean was intrigued. “The other business owners wouldn’t want outsiders to own the center.” He was thinking specifically of Megan.

  “You’re not an outsider.” Darius dropped the remnants of another wing into the bowl. “As long as you’re at least an equal partner, the association would trust you to look after their interests.”

  Quincy sat back in his booth seat. “I hate to say it—I really do—but his idea makes sense.”

  “It does.” Ean’s pulse kicked up. He slapped Darius’s back again. “Let’s hope I can pull it off.”

  He knew just the men to whom he should present his proposal. It would feel good to use his former law firm’s resources to help the little guys for once.

  CHAPTER 33

  “Megan, move in with me.” Ean’s husky invitation came out of the dark.

  Megan’s heart somersaulted into her throat and stuck there. In the aftermath of their lovemaking, she had curled against him in his bed. Now she shifted away. Cool air slipped between them. She hugged the thick comforter closer, shielding her from the cold and his invitation.

  It was Sunday night and the room was dark, but Megan could make out the clean, sharp lines of his face. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon for that? We’ve only been seeing each other for two months.”

  “But we’ve known each other practically all of our lives.” Ean rolled onto his side, facing her.

  “For seven of those years, you were in New York.” His time in New York might be a sore subject between them, but it was the truth.

  So why did he want to set up house with her? Was he thinking about the future and planting roots in Trinity Falls? Or did he just want to live together for as long as he was here?

  Ean’s fingertips feathered across her cheek. “Time is relative, Megan.”

  His touch was very persuasive. Still . . . “I’d rather wait awhile longer before moving in together.”

  “How much longer?”

  “I don’t know, but two months seems too soon.”

  Megan returned Ean’s silent regard. She felt the seconds ticking by. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking and hard to concentrate with her pulse thundering in her ears.

  “What’s the real reason you don’t want to live with me, Megan?” His quiet question made her palms sweat.

  “I’ve told you the real reason.”

  “I think you’re holding something back.”

  “In whose house would we live?” She was grasping at straws. She knew it, and she was pretty certain Ean did, too.

  “Wherever you’d like. I can move into your grandparents’ home with you.”

  “But you’ve signed a one-year contract for this town house.”

  “Then move in here with me. Either way, I don’t care. I’ll be fine as long as we’re together.”

  Who wouldn’t want to hear that? “I don’t want to sell my grandparents’ house.”

  “Then don’t. Does that put your mind at ease?”

  The silence grew. Ean continued to play with her hair, massaging her scalp, twirling strands around his fingers. Her body was so comfortable, balanced between being soothed and being aroused. But the pressure of their conversation kept her from feeling settled.

  “It’s too soon, Ean.” Although part of her wanted to rush home and pack. She would love to move in with Ean—wake up together, go to bed together, share closet and bathroom space—but for how long? And, after all of that sharing, how much harder would it be to say good-bye?

  “Try again.” Ean’s voice was easy.

  Megan exhaled a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  “Yes, I would really like to know.”

  “All right. I think we have a dearth of trust in our relationship.”

  Megan frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “I think the reason you don’t want to move in with me is that you still believe that I’m going to leave Trinity Falls.”

  She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t believe he was staying. She’d grown accustomed to people she cared about leaving. Even Quincy was preparing to move to Philadelphia.

  Megan swallowed. “I do trust you, Ean.”

  “I don’t think you do. I’ve told you I’m staying. I’ve shown you I’m staying. If you don’t believe what I’ve said or what I’ve done, what else can I do?”

  Megan blinked to ease the stinging in her eyes. “Why are you so anxious to move in together?”

  Ean rose on an elbow, holding his body above hers. “Because I love falling asleep with you beside me. I love waking up with you in my arms. I want to spend every moment that I can with you. And I don’t want to waste time traveling between our two homes.”

  His intensity threatened to sweep her along. But she needed to protect her heart, didn’t she? “I’m just asking for a little more time.”

  Ean rolled onto his back. His sigh was deep and long. “All right.”

  Megan rested a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Ean grunted. He slipped an arm beneath her and tucked her closer to his side. “Could we at least exchange keys?”

  “I’d like that.” Megan laid her hand over his heart and rested her cheek on his shoulder.

  He wasn’t the only one disappointed. But wasn’t it easier to bear disappointment now than to suffer even greater heartache later?

  A week later, Megan locked her front door after letting Ramona into her home Monday afternoon.

  “Another new outfit?” Ramona tossed the amused question over her shoulder as she hung her coat on the coat tree in the foyer. “The brighter colors really do suit you.”

  Megan glanced from her lemon yellow jersey and rust canvas pants to Ramona’s scarlet sweater and skinny black jeans. “I didn’t know you owned jeans.”

  “More than one, and in more than one color.” Ramona faced Megan.

  This new Ramona would take some getting used to. Her elegant café au lait features had the barest sketch of makeup: lip gloss, powder and eyeliner. She’d styled her glossy raven tresses in a simple flip.

  “Did you run out of hair spray?” Megan followed Ramona through the archway into the living room.

  “If we’re going to critique each other’s appearance, could we at least sit down? This could take a while.” Ramona settled into the red velvet armchair and crossed her legs.

  “You’re as beautiful as always.” Megan made herself comfortable on the sofa. “Shrink-wrapped minidress or skinny jeans, makeup or no makeup, teased hair or not—it doesn’t matter.”

  Ramona’s expression sobered from her usual condescending derision. “And so are you.”

  Megan’s eyes stretched wide at the unusual compliment. “Thank you.”

  “But I hope you’re doing it for you, and not for Ean.” Ramona waved her hand to take in Megan’s appearance. “Your brighter wardrobe, styled hair and makeup are very flattering and definitely overdue. But you should make the effort for yourself, and not for some man.”

  Megan lost the struggle against her smile. “And who were your fashion choices for, before you decided to reduce the effort?”

  “They were for me.” Ramona dropped her gaze to a spot on the Berber carpet. “But I wasn’t using them to boost my confidence. I was hiding behind them.”

  Had she heard Ramona correctly? “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t think I was good enough.” Ramona’s sigh was self-castigating. “That’s why I hid behind heavy makeup and provocative clothes. And before you ask why, I’ll just tell you right now that I don’t know.”

  Megan studied Ramona. Her minimal makeup mad
e her look more approachable. “What made you realize that’s what you were doing?”

  “Not what, who.” Ramona hesitated several seconds before answering. “Quincy.”

  “Oh?” Megan thought she masked her surprise very well. “What did he say?”

  “When I asked him why he was attracted to me, he didn’t say my face, my figure or my hair. He talked about things I’d done.” The faint blush that highlighted her cheekbones was more appealing because it was natural.

  “Quincy really cares about you, Ramona. How do you feel about him?”

  “I like the way he sees me.” Ramona’s ebony eyes were troubled. “But suppose that novelty wears off and he realizes I’m just a shallow bitch—the way everyone else in Trinity Falls sees me.”

  Megan’s lips tightened. “A shallow bitch wouldn’t have run for mayor when no one else in town would.”

  Ramona arched a brow. “That’s what Quincy said.”

  “‘Great minds think alike.’ Quincy’s had feelings for you for years. He sees what’s inside you. He always has.”

  Megan understood Ramona’s uncertainty. She also liked the way Ean saw her. His characterization of her was very different from the way she saw herself. But in a good way—a way that made her stronger and more confident.

  Ramona sighed. “It’s been years since we’ve talked like this.”

  “I like it.” They were sharing confidences like . . . family.

  “So do I.” Ramona checked her gold Movado wristwatch. “Are you free for lunch?”

  “Yes.” Megan stood. “Where do you want to go?”

  “How about Trinity Falls Cuisine? I’ll drive.” Ramona slipped back into her coat.

  A burst of surprised laughter escaped Megan. “Just don’t interrogate the server again.” She zipped her winter coat, then held the front door open for Ramona to precede her.

  “I won’t.” Ramona’s cheeks flushed again. “What’s Ean doing?”

  “He has a business meeting.” Megan locked the front door behind them, then followed Ramona down her walkway to her car. If it wasn’t thirty degrees with snow on the ground, they could have walked to the restaurant.

  “With a client?”