Chapter Six

The next day, Grant sat in a folding chair outside the grocery store, his camera set up on a nearby card table. Apparently this place was the social hub of the town, everyone stocking up on groceries and stopping to chat up all their neighbors and friends on a busy Sunday.

He’d been talking to people for three hours, searching for stories that would prove that small-town America was in big trouble. Anything juicy so he could make his damn documentary and get out of small-town jail.

Except he had a problem—everyone he’d met appeared to love this place. The store owner, a tall guy named Pete, gave him the card table and a chair, even though he had to ignore the Girl Scout Cookie poster taped down to the top that had probably been there for years.

Many people shook his hand. Told him they’d seen him on TV and some even said they prayed for his safety. The baker brought him a ham and melted cheese croissant for lunch and an amazing coffee. Many thanked him for his bravery and his work in broadcasting the injustices of the world for all to see.

When he asked people if the big-box store they were building on the outskirts of town was a problem for their businesses, they flat-out laughed. He met a family medicine doctor and a minister and the owner of a trendy farm-to-table restaurant that had just opened in a reclaimed factory building. Employees of the shoe company Liz’s family owned were thrilled that the company was booming since her sister Maddie and Maddie’s husband’s grandfather had taken charge of the design department over the past few years.

The town was freaking thriving.

And that was not his only problem.

A certain gorgeous brunette was messing with his mind.

In coming here, he’d intended to prove to himself that she’d been just a fling, that their affair had been little more than a passionate, romantic adventure. But the more time he spent with her, the more he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

He never became obsessed about women; it was always the opposite, trying to get rid of the ones who fell for him despite him letting them know up front he was not looking for a relationship.

He thought about their kisses in the garden, certain that if they hadn’t been interrupted, he’d have taken her to his bed, peeled off her clothes one by one, and explored every blessed inch of her satiny skin—with his tongue. Did wicked things until she begged him for more and cried out his name.

His name. No one else’s. Preferably over and over, if he had his say in the matter.

“Grant Wilbanks?”

The sound of his own damn name startled him. God, what the hell was he doing?

“Hello,” he said, looking up at a shapely blonde with frosted hair and startling blue eyes.

“I’m Dr. Paula Prentiss,” she said, extending her hand. He recognized the name immediately—Liz’s partner. The one who, according to Liz, had a major branch up her arse 99 percent of the time. Liz told him Paula would refuse to take calls from patients that weren’t her own even if she was the only doctor left in the office. Once when she went on vacation and was expected back on Monday, she didn’t show up until Tuesday even though she was fully scheduled for the entire day.

“I hear you’re interviewing our townsfolk about what it’s like living here,” Paula said. “I’d be happy to subject myself to your questions.”

“Of course,” he said, mostly to be polite. “Have a seat, then.” He flipped on his tripod camera by pressing the remote.

Before he could ask a question, she started talking. “I love living in a small town. It’s homey and friendly, but some of the people aren’t very educated. Plus, the selection of eligible men is awful, if you know what I mean.”

“Have you considered going back to the city?” Couldn’t hurt to ask. It would certainly help Liz if she would.

“I got offered a good chunk of money from the town council to practice here. I’m stuck here for another few years at least. I bet you have that same problem.”

“I beg your pardon?” he asked.

“About not being surrounded by professionals. Let me tell you, I’d be happy to offer a cure for those stuck-in-a-small-town doldrums anytime. And I do mean any time.” She’d wrapped her hand around his arm and lifted a brow suggestively. Then she dug into her purse and pulled out a business card. “My cell number’s on the back. Feel free to call if you get lonely for a city experience.”

Someone plunked a large bag of dog food down on the table. He looked up to see Liz standing in front of him, wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail.

Even dressed casually for Sunday morning shopping, her beauty struck him in the gut as always.

“Oh, hi, Paula,” Liz said. “I see you’ve met Grant.”

“Why, Elizabeth,” Grant said, looking at his watch. “You’re just in time for your interview. I’m sorry, Dr. Prentiss, but I’ve scheduled your partner for an interview next. Thanks so much for your time.”

“You two know each other?” Paula asked. “You never mentioned that, Liz.”

“Yes, we know each other quite well,” Liz said.

“One might even say in the biblical sense,” Grant said under his breath, to which he received a sudden shin kick under the table.

“Well, it’s been great chatting with you, Grant,” Paula said. “Don’t forget to call for some intellectually stimulating conversation.”

“I’m certain that would be quite stimulating,” he said under his breath as Paula walked off.

“You know what, I’m leaving,” Liz said.

He tugged on her arm, pulling her down into the chair next to him. “Sit down, I’m teasing.”

She frowned. “She’s very attractive.”

“And quite forward. I’ve never seen such a desperate woman.” He flashed her a smile. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, and meant it. “And now that you are, will you let me interview you?”

“Interview me?”

“Yes, you’d be perfect. You grew up here, went away for your education, and now you’ve come back. Sit across from me and let me do a light check.”

Suddenly he had to have her on film, because she would light up the camera. He couldn’t wait to record her.

“Well, all right. But could I have some Thin Mints and Samoas while I’m waiting?” she asked.

“Ha ha, very funny,” he said, adjusting the lens.

“Are we going to be serious? Because I’m going to give you serious answers.”

“I want you to give me serious answers,” he said. It was so easy to banter with her in this joking way. If only it were just as easy to talk truthfully with her about what had happened between them. He’d never been a very open person, and heart-to-heart talking was always difficult. To the point where he’d rather have a limb amputated without anesthesia.

“Okay, we’re all set. Ready?”

He started the camera. She looked into the lens self-consciously. “What would you like me to do?”

“Just be your beautiful self,” he said, smiling.

That made her blush. He stopped looking through the lens and looked at her instead. “Why did you want to come back here, to this town? After you’d been to the finest schools in New York City, you could’ve got on famously there. There was no need to come back.”

“I never felt like going away to college was an escape. I mean, I loved New York, but part of me was always homesick. For my family, for this place.”

“Why?”

She shrugged. “It’s part of who I am. It’s in my blood. I love knowing nearly everyone when I walk down the street. I love taking care of the people I grew up with. I love hearing about people’s kids and grandkids, and I’m so happy I could give back to the town that nurtured me when I was growing up. I love being in a practice where the clock’s not running—where I can spend a half hour with someone who’s distressed or who needs some extra help. I know the other doctors in town, so I can refer to someone very easily. And people care about one another. It’s personal, and I love that.”

Her words touched him. They were spoken passionately. It was obvious she’d found the place where she belonged. Unlike him, who belonged nowhere and probably never would.

“It’s not all good,” she continued. “I mean, I think deciding to come back was in part why I made the mistake of marrying Parker. We’d dated since high school, knew each other’s families, had all the same friends. Wanted the same things from life—to stay here in the community. He was the safe choice, the easy choice, but he wasn’t the right one.”

Their gazes met across the table. Heat pumped through his veins. In that moment, he wanted to show her he could be the right kind of man for her, far better than that asshat she’d married. A yearning ripped through him—to want to give her what she needed, if only he were capable.

“A lot of people on the coasts think they’re the important part of America,” she said. “That rural areas and small towns like this are flyover country. But people are so sincere here. Unlike guys in New York who spend twenty dollars on a drink and try to impress you by telling you all about their Goldman Sachs investments. You can talk to someone and share a burger together at O’Reilly’s, and you’ve made a friend for life who will always have your back.”

He hadn’t had her back. He certainly hadn’t treated her like she deserved to be treated.

He turned off the camera. “Thank you.” There was so much he wanted to say. His eyes caressed her, tried to tell her he was sorry for how he’d treated her, but in his heart he knew she wouldn’t believe a word he said.

She needed a man of action.

Someone unafraid to be the man she needed.

And that was simply not him.