by A. C. Arthur
“Ms. Clarice makes a wonderful latte,” Gray told her as he resumed shutting down all the windows he’d opened on his screen. He’d closed the document he’d been writing the moment Kym sat down.
“I don’t want a latte,” she told him. “I want an extra-hot grande caramel macchiato with extra caramel and I don’t need anybody asking me if I’m going caroling tonight, either.”
Caroling was tonight, Gray thought as he sat back in his chair. Clarice had told him about it when he’d first come in. She said they’d start at city hall and walk down Main Street so that all the shoppers could hear them as they mulled about in the local stores.
“Joya and Martina will have hot cocoa and hot soups at the church afterward,” Clarice had added with a wide grin. “You ain’t had nothing ’til you’ve tasted Joya’s Maryland crab soup.”
Gray had nodded and thanked her for telling him, but until this moment when Kym mentioned it, he hadn’t given much thought to attending. Now, he found himself wondering if Morgan would want to go with the children. Not as disturbed by that thought as he should have been, Gray reluctantly returned his attention to Kym.
“Did you bring the contracts for me to sign?” he asked her, already knowing what her answer would be.
She shook her head, then frowned as the young waitress—instead of Clarice—brought Kym her cup of coffee. When the woman walked away, Kym leaned over to sniff the beverage and rolled her eyes.
“No. I don’t have the contracts and obviously I don’t have a good cup of coffee, either,” she snapped.
“I’d really like to get those contracts signed, Kym, since you’ve come all this way. Then you can make arrangements to head back to the office,” he told her.
“When are you coming back to the office?” she asked.
She was wearing beige pants and a jacket with a peach turtleneck today. Her hair was pulled back neatly, gold earrings at her ears. She looked crisp and efficient, a bit rigid and way too attitudinal. Gray had never made that assessment of her before.
“There’s more to work here than I originally thought,” he told her. “So I’m going to stay a little longer.”
Last night, before he’d put Jack to bed, and before he’d had sex with Jack’s mother on their couch, Gray only thought he’d stay in Temptation for a few more days while he figured out what exactly his father had planned. This morning when he’d heard the children speak of their father and saw the pain of losing her husband still so clear in Morgan’s eyes, he’d decided to work through his business a little quicker. He figured he’d need another day or two just to get all the facts straight in his mind. That’s how Gray liked to make decisions—with all the facts and a thorough list of pros and cons before him. There had never been memories or emotions in the mix. Hence the reason he hadn’t been able to give Kym the exact timeline of his return.
“Then I’ll stay and help you,” she immediately offered. “What do you need? I can pull the numbers on property taxes and values in this area. We can also do a study on the town’s viability as a tourist destination and historical landmark. While I was wandering around with nothing to do last night, I heard from many of the townspeople about all the battles fought in Temptation. Some of them were also talking about an outlet mall possibly being built here to help bolster their economy. There were two women in particular who had more details than the others. I told them that would be a wonderful idea. That’s exactly what they need here, a blast of the twenty-first century.”
“A mall? Where would they put an outlet mall?” Gray asked, his attention now firmly back on the town and what his father’s plans were.
“The first woman said something about the land behind the community center was the prime location. I don’t know where a community center is here, but she seemed hopeful. The other woman—I didn’t get either of their names, but she was the loud and bossy one, with a bad highlight job—interrupted, declaring the community center was vital to the town and should stay where it is.” Kym shook her head. “Old people hate progress.”
“Progress shouldn’t always entail forgetting the past,” he said thoughtfully.
Gray wasn’t totally sure where those words had come from, or why he’d felt the need to say them. The look Kym gave him said she couldn’t believe he’d said them, either.
“You do know our business is about future innovation,” she said, her brows lifted in question. “I mean, that’s what we do at Gray Technologies. We’re constantly trying to stay three steps ahead of anyone else. Developing the most high-tech and revolutionary ideas around. If you have the chance, why wouldn’t you wish the same for the town where you were born?”
He didn’t have an immediate answer. That did not deter Kym. In fact, Gray thought as he watched her lean forward, a familiar gleam appearing in her eyes, she already had something specific in mind.
“What we should do is find out who the developer is for the outlet mall. We can meet with him and secure its biggest lot for the Gray Café. Think of all the publicity behind Grayson Taylor returning to his hometown to open the first brick-and-mortar Gray Technologies store. It would be phenomenal! And most of the publicity would be free. The town would probably foot the bill since this will definitely increase their revenue,” she said, her excitement evident.
Gray frowned. Maybe because Millie Randall and Otis had just walked through the front door and the first thing Otis said was his name.
“Damned if I didn’t talk the city slicker up,” Otis said as he begin making his way back to where Gray and Kym were sitting.
“Mornin’, ma’am. You’re looking pretty as a picture today,” Otis said, pulling a worn herringbone cap from his head as he made a mock bow in front of Kym.
She didn’t scowl, but the smile she gave him was less than enthusiastic. “Good morning,” she said.
“Mornin’ to you, son,” Otis said when he was once again standing as straight as he could and looking over to Gray. “You keeping this woman busy with all your work and stuff? She needs time to get out and see the sights. Maybe she wants to go caroling tonight? If not, couple of us grown folk will be down at Pat’s Bar. Nothing like hot chocolate with a dash of tequila.”
Gray almost chuckled. He totally believed this man would have a bottle of tequila sitting right beside his mug of hot chocolate.
“I don’t think we’ll be stopping by the bar tonight,” Gray told him.
“But you should come out for the caroling,” Millie added as she joined them.
“Hello, Ms. Millie,” Gray said. “Let me introduce you to my assistant, Kym.”
Millie was already shaking her head, heavy gold-and-orange earrings moving at her ears. “We already met last night,” Millie informed Gray without giving Kym a glance.
“You were out with Morgan last night, right? How did you like seeing your old home? Olivia and Theodor were so happy there,” she continued.
Gray gritted his teeth at that presumption, then decided it was better to be cordial to Millie, especially since he would need to speak with her husband regarding his father’s dealings in the last year. Besides, it wasn’t her fault that his father had fooled the citizens of this town.
He was just about to respond when he noticed Kym staring at him. It was a look that he wondered if he should address. He didn’t, of course. There were too many ears around. He did, however, try to reroute the conversation.
“Ms. Millie, if you could let your husband know that I’d like to stop by his office this afternoon to speak to him about the properties and my father, I would really appreciate it,” he told her.
Millie smiled and nodded. “Of course, I’ll give him a call right now.” She began fumbling through a purse that looked more like a piece of carry-on luggage.
“You going down to the real estate office?” Otis asked.
“Yes. I have a few calls to make
right now so I’m going to head back to my room. But I’ll be back in town a little later this afternoon so I can see Mr. Randall then.”
Otis began scratching his head. He looked as if he was trying to figure something out, but Gray had no idea what.
“Oh, I just thought you’d be heading over to the school this afternoon. You know, to pick up Morgan and the kids. Heard you dropped them off this morning,” Otis said.
Kym put down the cup she was sipping from with a loud clanking sound. Not only did Gray look her way, but Otis and Millie did also.
“I thought her car would be fixed by now,” Gray replied when he turned back to face Otis. “She said she was going to have it towed.”
Otis nodded. “Yep. I got right over there this morning after she called me. Got it all hitched up to the back of my truck and took it down to Smitty’s. He owns the garage, you know. But Smitty said he’s got to order some part, seeing as the car’s so old it might be a while before it comes in.”
“Oh, it’s going to be brisk this afternoon,” Millie chimed in, obviously putting off the phone call to her husband. “I told Georgia down at the church to make sure there was plenty of blankets and hot chocolate for tonight because people are going to be downright chilled to the bone when they come in. Those kids shouldn’t be walking home in this weather,” she said with a knowing nod to Gray.
“No,” he said. “They shouldn’t.”
“We were going to meet with the real estate man this afternoon, correct, Gray? Are you going to call your husband and confirm his availability?” Kym asked Millie.
Millie not only ignored Kym’s question, but she also turned so that her back was now facing Kym as she looked directly at Gray.
“I think Fred’s only available after four today. That’ll give you plenty of time to pick up Morgan and the kids,” she said.
If he wasn’t sitting in the middle of this very odd scenario, Gray might find it funny. It was obvious what Millie and Otis were trying to do. When in actuality, all Morgan had to do was call him and let him know she’d need a ride. He would have immediately told her he’d be there. He then realized she didn’t have his phone number and he did not have hers, either. He’d had sex with this woman and had no way of communicating with her afterward. On any other day, when he was back in Miami, that might have been the ideal situation for Gray. Today, not so much.
“Tell your husband I’ll be at his office at four,” Gray told Millie. “After I pick up Morgan and the kids.”
Kym huffed and then let out a little yelp as Otis traded places with Millie and now stood close enough that he could’ve lean over and sniffed Kym’s hair.
Gray smiled then. This was definitely not a scenario that would have taken place back in Miami.
* * *
Morgan’s first-grade classroom was located on the first floor of the old schoolhouse building. The structure had been renovated ten years ago, when there was an increase in enrollment—which came as a direct result of a blizzard six years prior that dropped three and a half feet of snow onto their tiny town. Prefab or modular structures, as some people called them, similar to the one Morgan lived in, had been situated in a U formation around the original building to add additional classroom space. The same had happened to the middle and high schools, which were originally two old mills that had been converted.
On Wednesdays, the last hour of her class time was normally quiet as her students were in the music room with Mrs. Ellersby. Earlier she’d found her holiday music playlist on her phone and was now playing it as she graded homework. The hope was that the music and the work would numb her mind to the nagging thoughts of Gray and last night—and having what was easily the best sex of her life on a couch, no less!
Her cheeks warmed and her stomach clenched each time the thought surfaced in her mind. How could she have been so careless? Lily had nightmares sometimes and Jack didn’t always go to the bathroom before he got into bed. Either of them could have come out of their room and wandered into the living room, where they would have undoubtedly seen the light. Of course, they would have also seen something else. She cringed at the thought.
Gray was everything she’d thought he would be, taking into consideration that most of what she knew about him had come through secondhand stories from numerous people in town. The first time she’d seen him—well, actually, she’d bumped into him and felt every hard and tantalizing muscle of his chest—she’d known he would be a good lover. Not that she was all that experienced in the area. James hadn’t been her first, but there had been only a couple before him. So, no, she would never consider herself to be a sex expert. Still, she could tell by the way he stood, with his legs partially spread and the strength in his arm as it had circled her waist. Morgan wasn’t even going to add into the equation the moment she’d first felt his thick erection the night of the charity event. Yes, she’d been thinking about sleeping with him ever since that night. So what happened last night should not have come as any surprise.
Yet it did. She’d loved James with all her heart. How could she now so easily fall into bed—or wherever—with another man? Okay, she told herself with a heavy sigh, James died three years ago. She had not been with any other man since then, had not even thought of dating, let alone sleeping with someone else. Until Gray. So logically, there was no reason why she shouldn’t have jumped that fine-ass man’s bones. None at all.
Then why did she feel like she’d made a colossal mistake?
“Hey there. You’re much too pretty to be in such deep thought about anything,” Harry said as he entered the room.
Morgan looked up from her desk to see his familiar face. He was wearing dark pants and a button-front shirt with the hardware store’s logo on the front pocket. His boots made a dull sound as he crossed the tile floor, his face sporting the smile he almost always carried.
“Grading papers on who has the neatest coloring techniques is not as easy as you may think,” she joked with him.
It was easy to joke with Harry because she’d known him forever. They talked as easily as brother and sister, but got along much better, she figured. Harry had taught her how to drive a stick shift. He’d given her and James a two-hundred-dollar gift voucher to his store. He’d also brought over the famous lasagna and tuna-mac casserole his mother made the day after James was buried. There wasn’t a time in her life that Harry Reed had not been there and Morgan truly appreciated his friendship. But today, he was the last person she wanted to see.
“Well, you should stop grading those papers,” he said as he came closer to the desk and looked down at her. “We can get the kids and head on over to the B and B, where my mom’s cooked up her famous barbecue spare ribs, collard greens, and mac and cheese. Have dinner and then go out caroling. I know Lily’s been looking forward to that. She couldn’t stop talking about it the other day.”
Yes, Lily loved to sing. The fact that Harry knew that made Morgan feel just a bit sadder. She was beginning to think that Wendy was right after all. Remembering the way that Harry had looked at Gray the other night when she’d picked up the kids had opened her eyes to something she felt guilty about not noticing before.
“That sounds wonderful,” she told him. “But Granny’s been making salads and sandwiches all day for the church. She has chicken salad and homemade bread. She called me earlier to tell me to stop by and get some leftovers.”
Granny had made sandwiches for most of the celebrations in Temptation because everyone loved her chicken salad. The one time she’d tried to switch it up and brought tuna salad instead, there’d almost been a revolt.
Harry’s smile didn’t falter. “That sounds just as good. Nothing like Ms. Ida Mae’s chicken salad on fresh white bread. I can take you over there and then we can head down to the town square. I had asked Otis about your car when he came into the store today and he said it wasn’t ready yet.”
&
nbsp; “Ah, actually, I already have a ride,” she told him.
Now Harry frowned. “I hope it’s not with that Taylor guy. I heard you let him drive you in this morning. Look, you really need to be careful around him, Morgan. He’s not who you think he is.”
Morgan sat back in her chair then and simply looked up at Harry. This was the second time he’d warned her against Gray. The first time she’d brushed it off as him being another citizen who didn’t want Gray interrupting their flow in Temptation. Now, she wasn’t so sure that was all Harry was trying to say.
“Well, who is he then?” she asked out of curiosity. Maybe he knew something she didn’t. Perhaps someone had told him something that was so ridiculously untrue that Morgan would have no choice but to set him straight.
Harry sighed, wiping a hand down his bald head. “I don’t mean like that,” he told her. “I’m just saying that he’s not the type of person you’re used to dealing with.”
“Right. Because I have absolutely no experience dealing with grown men.” She hadn’t been offended when he’d said something similar the day before, but now she was. Did Harry really think she was some bubblehead who didn’t know how to handle herself?
“Not that,” he continued. “You do just fine around men. I mean, you know, you do just fine around town with all the people you’ve known forever. But nobody knows a thing about this guy. He left Temptation when he was just a kid and now he’s back. Just like that. And we’re all supposed to go around kissing his ass and making sure we suck up to him just so he won’t sell some old run-down buildings. That’s just bull!”
Now she was angry. How could Harry, of all people, act as if losing those buildings was no big deal to this town? One was actually the hospital, which they desperately needed since it was the only one in town.