The Cinderella Scandal

by Barbara Mccauley

  "I see." Regaining her composure, she nodded. "Well, shall we go have a look, then?"

  The woman had certainly come back with a different attitude, Reid thought as he followed Tina into the hallway. She'd gone from Miss Tempest to Miss Hospitality in the space of about five minutes.

  Not that he was buying her facade of serenity. Reid could see just a trace of tension in her eyes, hear the edge of stress in her silky-smooth voice. Under the surface of all that so-called calm, a storm was brewing.

  No doubt about it, she intrigued him. Made him wonder what all that pent-up energy would be like in bed.

  They stepped out the back door of the bakery into a lovely garden framed by high walls of aged brick and stucco. Lush ferns and plants surrounded stone benches, statues of smiling cherubs and a small rock pond.

  "There's a private alley between the buildings," she said as they walked across the patio, her tone clipped and matter-of-fact.

  She opened an iron gate and they stepped into the alley. Reid noted the wrought-iron stairs leading to the second and third levels above the space he'd rented. "Are the upper levels rented out?" he asked.

  "My aunt's apartment is on the second floor and she has a photography studio on the third." They moved past the alley, stepped through a second gate into another garden. "She's traveling most of the time on shoots, if you're worried about her disturbing you."

  As Reid followed Tina through the second garden to the back entrance of the building, he couldn't help but notice the sway of her slender hips and the fact that she had nice legs. Something told him that it wouldn't be Tina's aunt who would be disturbing him, he thought.

  He forced his attention back to Tina, realized he'd missed part of what she'd been saying, something about the buildings being built in the early 1800s, then renovated in the 1970s.

  Over the next year, there'd be numerous receptions for donors and volunteers, Reid knew. For the smaller, more private gatherings, the brick patio, with its stone benches and two-tiered fountain, would be perfect. "Will I have use of the garden area?"

  "Of course."

  She moved to the bevelled-glass back door of the building and inserted the key into the lock. He watched her visibly square her shoulders and draw in a breath as she turned the knob.

  The smell of fresh paint filled the cool and damp air inside the wide hallway they stepped into; Reid realized that the layout was very similar to the bakery's. The afternoon sun spilled in through the back door and glowed golden off the recently refinished hardwood floors. "The back half is split into two offices, a bath and a kitchen." Tina moved stiffly down the hallway. "The front half is one large room."

  As they stepped into the front area of the building, Reid saw the longing in Tina's eyes as she glanced around the room. A sense of possessiveness, he thought. It suddenly dawned on him why she was upset.

  "You wanted this space, didn't you?" he asked quietly. "For yourself."

  She stilled at his words, then lifted her chin. "What I wanted is unimportant at this point." She held the key out to him. "The space is yours for one year. Congratulations."

  "I'm sorry." He closed his hand around hers as he took the key. Her skin was soft and warm against his. "I didn't know."

  "Would it have mattered to you if you had?"

  "I wouldn't have changed my mind, if that's what you mean." They both knew he'd be lying if he said anything different. "What were you going to do with it?"

  "Nothing that won't keep." Determination shone in her eyes as she glanced around the room. "For another year, anyway. Good luck to you and your father, Mr. Danforth."

  When she tried to pull her hand from his, he held tight. Arching one brow, she leveled a questioning gaze at him.

  "We are going to be neighbors, Tina," he said. "How 'bout you call me Reid?"

  She cocked her head and studied him, and though he wouldn't exactly call it a smile, her mouth wasn't quite so firm, her eyes so cool.

  "Good luck, Reid," she said with a nod, then added, "I'll be counting the days."

  "So will I, Tina." He grinned at her, then released her hand. "So will I."

  * * *

  From the second-story window of her aunt's apartment, Tina watched the moving van—Miller's Home and Office Rental—pull out of the busy, early-evening traffic and slide into a parking space on the street directly below. A burly, bald-headed man carrying a clipboard and wearing lead-gray overalls stepped out of the van's cab, then disappeared into the first floor.

  "Grass certainly doesn't grow under Reid Danforth's feet, does it, Delilah?" Tina said to the longhaired tabby currently winding its sleek, lithe body around her bare legs. "It's hardly been five hours since I handed him a key, and here he is, bringing in furniture."

  Damn him.

  Logically, Tina knew she shouldn't blame Reid. It was, after all, her parents' decision. But the fact was, she wasn't feeling especially reasonable—or forgiving—at the moment. Besides, it was much easier to be angry with a stranger than her mother and father.

  Tina had made one last-ditch appeal to her mother to reconsider leasing out the space to the Danforths, but her effort had proven futile. Convinced that Abraham Danforth's campaign headquarters would be a hotbed of handsome, wealthy bachelors, Mariska was practically doing handstands.

  And speaking of handsome, wealthy bachelors, Tina's pulse jumped when Reid stepped out onto the sidewalk with the burly man.

  He'd stripped off the denim jacket he'd been wearing earlier, and looking at his wide shoulders and thick-muscled arms under the T-shirt he wore, she might have thought him one of the movers. When he dropped one large hand on a lean, denim-clad hip and gestured toward the doorway, her eyes traveled downward over his tall, well-sculpted body, then back up again.

  She told herself the flutter in her stomach was hunger, not lust.

  "Most mothers would warn their daughters about a man like Reid Danforth," Tina huffed, then knelt down and picked Delilah up in her arms. "My mother is already planning a wedding."

  Bored, Delilah twitched her whiskers.

  Though she knew she shouldn't be peeping out the blinds, Tina watched Reid walk to the back of the van with the movers. In spite of herself, she couldn't help but admire the confidence that radiated from the man. His stance, his walk, the tilt of his head. Even now, in her mind, she could hear the steady, deep tone of his voice, could feel the firm grasp of his hand over hers.

  And that smile, she thought. That smile should be banned from public display.

  "All the more reason to stay away from the man," she said emphatically to Delilah. "He knows perfectly well the effect he has on women. I, for one, have no intention of encouraging his already inflated ego."

  Still, Tina watched Reid glance at his wristwatch, she could look, couldn't she? As long as he didn't know she was looking, what was the harm?

  That's when he glanced up.

  With a gasp she jumped back, praying he hadn't been able to see her through the half-open blinds.

  Darn it, darn it.

  "That's what I get for being nosy," she told Delilah. "And you know what they say about curiosity."

  As if annoyed by the comment, Delilah jumped from Tina's arms and strode away with a flick of her pretty tail.

  "It's just an expression," Tina called after the cat. "No need to be waspish about it."

  Resisting the urge to creep back to the window again, Tina headed for the bathroom, stripped off her work clothes and stepped into the shower. It felt good to let the hot water pound on her shoulders and neck. Slowly, her tension from the day eased.

  A year, she told herself. Surely she could manage twelve short months. Fifty-two weeks. She smiled, remembering the look on Reid's face when she'd told him she'd be counting the days. When he'd looked her in the eye and told her he'd be counting them, too, she'd almost felt as if it were a challenge.

  God help her, she couldn't resist a challenge.

  Yes, you will resist, her mind yelled at her. Determined t
hat she'd spent enough brain space on the man, Tina stuck her head under the spray of water. The time would pass quickly enough. Before she knew it, the man would be out, and she would be in.

  The thought lightened her mood immensely.

  After she toweled off and passed a blow dryer over her hair, she slipped into a pair of jeans, a pink cotton T-shirt and, because she was going out this evening, a bra. Dinner and a movie with Rachel would take her mind off Reid, Tina told herself.

  She found a black leather ankle boot under the end table beside the sofa and was searching for its mate when she heard the sound of muffled voices drifting up from a floor vent. She could almost make out what the men were saying. Was that Reid's voice, too? she wondered, then got down on her hands and knees and listened. They were saying something about turning the desk at an angle.

  It was utterly rude to be eavesdropping, of course, and she started to move away until she heard a deep voice say something about the blond babe at the bakery. They were talking about Sophia, Tina knew, but when the man made a crude comment and the rest of the men laughed, Tina gasped.

  How dare they talk about her sister like that!

  "Hey—" she shouted into the vent "—you down there. That's right, I'm talking to you."

  She waited a beat to get their attention, but before she could say anything else, she heard Rachel's voice behind her.

  "Tina, what on earth are you doing?"

  Startled, she slammed the top of her head on the end table and swore. Rubbing her head, she crawled out backward. "Rachel, for heaven's sake," Tina said, glancing over her shoulder, "you could at least—"

  She froze.

  Standing next to Rachel, his brow lifted and a smirk on his face, was Reid Danforth.

  Please let this be a dream, was her first thought, the next one was to compose herself as quickly as possible.

  "—help me look for my shoe," she finished her sentence, though that wasn't what she'd been about to say.

  When Reid's gaze drifted down and lingered a moment on her behind, Tina scrambled to her feet.

  Why should she be embarrassed he'd caught her on all fours, yelling like a crazy woman down an air vent? He'd invaded her space—again—and she could act any way she wanted. What this man thought about her didn't matter in the slightest.

  "Mr. Danforth needs the key to the service panel," Rachel said awkwardly.

  "Reid," he corrected Rachel, then smiled.

  Rachel blushed and glanced away.

  Tina was certain she could bean him with her boot at ten paces and wipe that smile off his face.

  "I'm not sure, but I think it's in the kitchen somewhere." Tina hooked an arm through her sister's and smiled. "Rachel, why don't you help me look?"

  "I—" Rachel blinked, then met Tina's glare and nodded. "Ah, okay."

  When they rounded the comer and were out of sight from Reid, Tina dragged her sister to the laundry room on the opposite side of the kitchen and closed the door. "Why didn't you warn me?"

  Rachel furrowed her brow. "Warn you about what?"

  "That you were bringing him here," Tina hissed.

  "I actually did call, but you didn't answer the phone." Rachel chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm so sorry, T. Did I do something wrong?"

  Shame had Tina releasing the tight grip on her sister's arm. "I'm sorry, Rach," she said with a sigh. "I'm just a little upset over losing the space downstairs, that's all. It makes me crazy that Dad and Mom both treat me like a child."

  "At least our mother isn't constantly looking to find you a husband, a man that she approves of." Rachel's eyes filled with tears. "Why can't I marry the man I want?"

  "You can and you will," Tina said firmly.

  "I'm not strong like you," Rachel said quietly. "Or independent like Sophia. I don't know how to say no."

  "Then you'll learn." Tina hugged her sister. "We'll go out tonight and work on a—"

  Rachel shook her head and stepped away. "I can't go out tonight, T."

  "Rachel, if this is because of—"

  "I don't want to talk about it." Rachel put up a hand and shook her head. "Please."

  "Rachel, please, don't—"

  "I've got to go." Rachel wiped away a tear, then opened the door and hurried out of the laundry room.

  Frustrated, Tina started to follow, then realized she still had Reid standing in the living room. The key, she remembered. He'd come here for a key to the service box.

  She pulled the key from a hook inside the laundry room, drew in a slow breath to steady her nerves, then returned to the living room.

  She found him studying the wall where several of her aunt's personal photographs were displayed. Purring loudly, Delilah was weaving her way in and out of Reid's legs. Hussy, Tina thought and frowned at her aunt's cat.

  "These pictures are amazing," Reid said when Tina walked into the room. "Your aunt has quite a gift for capturing a mood."

  "She's extremely talented." To Delilah's annoyance, Tina scooped the cat up and dropped her on the sofa. "She just had a book of her work published."

  "Any of these?"

  Tina shook her head. "These are personal. Mostly of my family."

  "I like this one of you sitting by the pond reading a book," he said, pointing to a black-and-white photo. "How old were you?"

  It embarrassed her a little, felt strangely intimate looking at photographs of herself with a man she barely knew. Especially Yana's pictures, which seemed to capture the very soul of a person.

  "Eighteen, I think." She shrugged. "It was a candid shot, taken with a telephoto lens from my aunt's studio. She's always sneaking around taking pictures of the family when we're not looking. It drives us crazy."

  To distract him, she pointed to another picture. "That's my aunt."

  "She's a beautiful woman."

  With her dark hair and exotic looks, Yana Alexander, even at forty-eight, could still make men forget their own names and stumble over their feet.

  "She was in Spain at the time, photographing bull fighters," Tina said. "One of the toreadors took her camera and shot this picture of her."

  The man had also been her aunt's lover, Tina knew, but she didn't think she needed to mention that.

  "I see a resemblance," Reid said thoughtfully.

  It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. She had to give it to him. He was smooth as glass. "I don't look anything like my aunt, Mr. Danforth."

  "You have her eyes." He turned to study her face. "And her mouth."

  Tina felt her pulse shudder when his gaze lingered on her mouth. Very smooth. It irritated her to no end that she was not immune to the man's charm. But, in all fairness to herself, Reid Danforth was certainly not your average man. He was a prime male specimen, with just enough of an edge to make him a touch mysterious.

  Working at the bakery, she came into contact with a lot of the local businessmen. Occasionally there'd be an exchange of harmless flirting or innocent banter. She'd even dated a couple of the men. She'd never thought it a big deal or wanted to take it any further.

  With Reid, though, something told her it wouldn't be quite so innocent or harmless. Warning flags were waving in her head, signaling her to take another road.

  Still, she thought, lifting a brow and meeting his steady gaze, as long as she didn't lose touch with reality—reality being the fact that there was no chance of any kind of relationship between them—then she had no reason to worry. She could hold her own against the likes of Reid Danforth.

  She held out the key in her hand. "I believe you came here for this."

  "Are you hungry?"

  "What?"

  "Are you hungry?" he repeated. "I'm going to grab a burger down the street."

  Not only smooth, she thought in disbelief, but he moved fast.

  But then, she already knew that.

  "I made plans." The fact that they'd been changed were none of his business. "But thanks, anyway."

  One corner of his mouth tilted up, then he took the key and nod
ded. "See you tomorrow, T."

  She frowned at the closed door after Reid left. How did he know her nickname? Unless…

  She glanced at the vent beside the sofa. It did back up to the laundry room, she realized. On a groan, she closed her eyes. Had he heard her conversation with Rachel? If he had, then he knew she'd been lying about having plans.

  Well, so what if he had? She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. It wouldn't hurt the man to find out that there might be a few women left in Savannah who weren't completely taken in by that damn smile of his. You're being ridiculous, she told herself. He'd asked her to get a burger with him. That was hardly what anyone would call a date, for heaven's sake.

  She knew she was overreacting and decided that was another reason to keep her distance. She'd known him less than a day, and already he'd seriously slanted her equilibrium.

  But as she moved past an oval, wood-framed mirror on the wall, she stopped and looked at herself. Her eyes, then her mouth.

  Just for a second she wondered.

  Oh, for heaven's sake. She shook her head and frowned.

  "Idiot," she said out loud, and wasn't certain if she was speaking to herself or Reid.

  * * *

  Three

  « ^ »

  A cup of coffee in his hand, Reid stepped out of his car the next morning and breathed in the titillating smells wafting on the cool, predawn air. Though the lights were not yet on in the bakery or the Open sign in the window, it was obvious that while most of the city was still sleeping, Ivan Alexander was busy baking for the day ahead.

  On the deserted sidewalk, Reid paused and glanced up at Tina's apartment. A soft light edged the closed blinds, and he wondered if she'd already left for work or if she was still up there.

  He had an odd feeling that she was.

  It was strange, but he'd had the same feeling yesterday, when he'd been standing on the sidewalk with the furniture rental people. The blinds had been partially open, and though he hadn't actually seen her, he'd felt her. Sort of a prickling sensation at the base of his neck.