Chapter 12

Alexandra approached the community center with not an ounce of hesitancy that might have been expected of a woman who had spent more than six years homebound away from the river of commerce.

As she walked toward the stucco building, she wore snug-fitting black denims and a turquoise V-neck sweater. The only jewelry she wore included her gold wedding band, gold stud earrings, and a simple gold chain around her neck. She tucked her black boots beneath her pant legs, but the exposed toes revealed new, suede leather. She stood straight, self-assured, with her recently trimmed hair swinging gently over her shoulders as she walked. One hand held a note pad and pen, the other a purse.

Her first Chamber of Commerce meeting—it was not that big a deal. Ryan made it seem as if it was such a brilliant idea. For goodness sakes, it was only a local meeting. Why should she be nervous? She had grown up with many of the people who now held prominent positions in the community.

The community center itself was as familiar to Alexandra as her own church (that was of course, if she had attended church on a regular basis). Since childhood, she had come to the community center for a variety of reasons, such as Girl Scout meetings, art bazaars, Lion’s Club Pancake Breakfasts, plays—the list was endless. Wednesday mornings, it held the Chamber of Commerce meetings. She could honestly say she had never attended one of those until now.

After taking a brisk skip up the five steps leading to the entrance, her hand reached for one of the double doors and pushed it in. She entered the large, rectangular room. The stage, flanked on either side by flags, was at the opposite end of the room. The last time she had been in the building, rows upon rows of folding chairs had sat in neat lines, facing the stage. Today, most of the chairs were folded and stacked, stored on a long rolling rack to the left of the room. Instead, banquet tables were pushed together to make a large square in the center of the room. Chairs were positioned around the entire outer edge of the square. It reminded Alex of a modern version of the round table.

The meeting was not scheduled to begin for another fifteen minutes, but she wanted to come early and get a seat. Yet, she was not the first to arrive. Alex noticed several people standing in conversation at the far end of the room, next to the American flag. To the right, near the hallway leading to the public restrooms, was a lone banquet table. It was pushed up against the wall and held a large coffeepot, disposable cups, and packets of sugar and creamers. There was also a large platter of donuts. Several people were standing by the refreshment table.

She glanced around the room and walked toward the square grouping of tables. No one had sat down yet, although note pads, pens, and other personal items had already been set at various spots. She noticed an empty seat on one end table. Alex laid her notebook and pen on the table and went to get a cup of coffee.

He noticed her the moment she came through the double doors. It was not until she walked toward the tables that he realized who she was. He smiled over his coffee, which he held up to his lips, when he saw that she had placed her things next to his. Over the years, he had seen her around, watched her grow up. Yet, they had never been introduced formally, nor had he ever gotten within ten feet of her since their first meeting.

Surprisingly, her figure had actually improved over the years. Gone were her slender, girlish curves. Instead, she possessed a woman’s body, soft, round, yet not overweight. Her full breasts overfilled her sweater, causing more than a few male Chamber of Commerce members to glance her way appreciatively. She seemed oblivious to the attention. She took long strides as she went to the refreshment table. Her black pants fit tightly over shapely hips, the kind of hips a man likes to take hold of, one full palm on each side, and pull closer. He enjoyed the rear view as much as the front, as her sexy little bottom, beneath the hem of her sweater, swayed provocatively, making him wonder how she would move beneath him. Damn, had she grown up!

Alexandra returned to her seat with a fresh cup of coffee and a chocolate donut. She simply could not resist chocolate donuts. So far, she had not recognized anyone, nor had she gone out of her way to introduce herself.

Just as she pulled off a hunk of gooey donut and slipped it into her mouth, she looked up and saw a tall man walking toward her from the direction of the stage. He held a steaming cup in his hand and stared directly into her eyes as he advanced. She could not seem to pull her gaze away from the approaching deep blue eyes that intently fastened on her.

He was well over six feet and wore snug-fitting denims, which outlined extremely masculine legs and hinted at other masculine body parts. Silver points of his leather cowboy boots peeked out at her with every step that brought him closer. His flannel shirt covered broad shoulders and a slim waist and was tucked neatly into the belted waistband of the denims.

He stopped directly in front of her and smiled, revealing one charming dimple on his left side. His eyes continued to hold hers, and she did not stop to think how strange it was to be locked in such a stare down. His eyes were incredible sapphire blue and fairly sparkled when he smiled. She could not help but notice the thick, wavy, dark brown hair that needed trimming nor the two-day’s growth of beard that needed shaving. In spite of that, he was a devilishly handsome man. Alex forgot for a moment that this man was watching her as intently as she was him when she absently placed her fingers into her mouth and licked off the donut frosting.

Overcome by embarrassment, she closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that the strange man would disappear. He did not, of course, and was now seating himself in the empty chair next to her. Although he was no longer blatantly staring at her, his eyes continued to flash in her direction and his smile was firmly in place. He was thinking of what to say.

Alex, her fingers clean of frosting, wiped the edges of her mouth and glanced at her neighbor when recognition dawned. She knew who he was. They seemed to turn toward each other at the same instant, yet it was Alex who spoke first.

“Hello, Mr. Coulson. I’m Alexandra Keller.” She smiled, holding out her hand in greeting.

He took her soft palm in his and gave a gentle squeeze instead of a shake, wondering if she could feel the same jolt of excitement at his touch that he felt at hers.

“Yes, I know,” he said as he released her hand.

Her brows shot up in curiosity. He knows?

“The last time we spoke—” His eyes began to twinkle. “— I believe you threw yourself in my arms and declared your love for me.”

Alex’s eyes grew wide, and then she remembered. Instead of blushing, as Garret had expected, she began to laugh.

“I was a terribly dramatic child,” Alex explained, amusement filled her voice.

“Terribly adorable, too.”

She greeted his compliment with another laugh. It was not a coy or practiced sound but sincere and fresh.

“Tell me what I’ve been dying to know all these years.” Garret lowered his voice in mock seriousness. Alex’s curiosity was piqued. “Just why were those three boys chasing you?” Again, he smiled. His blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

She considered his question a moment and then answered.

“My brother, Tommy, was sick that day. I believe one of the three said something nasty about him. I kicked him in the shins.” Alex smiled and Garret laughed.

“All this time I thought I rescued an innocent damsel in distress. Now I find out you were the instigator!”

They both laughed. He noticed the way Alexandra absently brushed her shoulder length hair away from her face. She still had freckles lightly dusting her small nose. She had the most expressive, large, hazel eyes. They were lively eyes, full of mischief and merriment.

“So, you also remembered me?” Garret asked. Was he fishing for compliments?

“Don’t be silly, Mr. Coulson.”

Garret brought up his hand as if to silence her for a moment. “Please, it’s Garret.”

“All right. As I was saying, Garret, everyone in town knows who you are. As you are well aware.”

Her last sentence was spoken as if she were scolding, but her eyes sparkled in good humor. She reached down and picked up her coffee cup and took a small sip, then glanced over at Garret. He was thinking about her comment. She placed her cup back on the table and picked up the donut. She tore it in two and then offered half to Garret. He accepted and then wished she would lick the frosting from his fingers.

“Are you married?” Garret asked impulsively and then took a bite of the donut.

“Very,” Alexandra answered firmly and then smiled at Garret as if he were a naughty schoolboy. Actually, he already knew the answer. He was exploring new territory, testing the ground. But she made it perfectly clear where she stood. And it was not in his bedroom.

“That’s right, your husband owns the Lucky Lady Restaurant.” Garret didn’t miss a beat.

“We own the Lucky Lady.” She smiled, finishing off the last of her doughnut. Instead of licking off the sweet goo, she wiped her fingers clean on the napkin, then wadded the paper and stuffed it into her empty coffee cup.

“Good restaurant. I like your bar.” He paused a moment. “How’s your mom?”

“She’s great. Retired last year.”

“She was my algebra teacher,” he explained. Turning in his chair, he rested one elbow against the table and leaned slightly to get a better look of Alex. She was utterly feminine, yet not the helpless, piece of fluff type of femininity. There was strength and purity in her demeanor. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and bury his face in her hair, nuzzle her neck and absorb her fragrance. Instead, he tried to sit there calmly and hold up his end of the conversation without allowing the sexual innuendoes, which were lurking in his mind, to slip out in his words.

“Yes, I know. Actually, you were one of my mother’s favorite projects.” Alex grinned.

“Is that so?” He smiled at the thought and once again revealed his lone dimple. “I suppose I proved to be a challenge for most of Coulson.”

“Are you speaking of the town or your family?” she teased.

“Both.” Again, they laughed.

“Your brother, Russell, used to be a good friend of my brother and my husband,” Alex explained. “Do you know them?”

“No.” Garret shook his head. “I know who your husband is. But I don’t really know him. My brother is eight years younger than I am. I was out of the house long before Russy started high school.”

“I guess Tommy and Ryan sort of drifted apart from Russell after high school.” She fidgeted with the empty coffee cup as she spoke, remembering what Ryan had once said about the younger Coulson. He’s too good for us. We’re just regular Coulson trash! Both Tommy and Ryan were deeply hurt by the snub.

Garret thought about Alex’s words for a moment. He could imagine the real reason the friendship ended. His bitch sister-in-law, no doubt, had her own ideas who should be Russell’s friends. For as much as he loved his younger brother, he dearly wished Russy had more gumption where his wife was concerned. Garret decided to change the subject.

“So, are you joining the Chamber for the Lucky Lady?” She nodded the affirmative. “I know you haven’t been members before. What made you decide to join?”

“Soap operas,” Alex said instantly.

“Soap operas?” Garret puzzled, wondering what in the hell this adorable woman was talking about.

“I was beginning to watch soap operas,” she whispered guiltily. Then she grinned.

“I thought all housewives were supposed to watch soap operas? It’s required, isn’t it?” Garret returned her tease, only to be met by a quick slap on his arm. He realized he liked this woman, genuinely liked her. Garret had never had a woman for a friend before.

“What time does this thing get started?” Alex glanced at her watch and then looked around, noticing that the room had filled considerably since she had begun talking to Garret.

“About five minutes.”

At that moment, a slender young woman walked up to the empty place next to Garret and dropped a briefcase to the floor. Although Garret had not paid much attention to the woman’s arrival, Alex was already turned in his direction and noticed the newcomer standing behind him.

“What in the hell happened to you?” the woman demanded as she sat in the empty chair. Although her words were quietly spoken and intended only for Garret’s ears, Alex managed to overhear.

Garret swung around and found the gray-blue eyes squinting in disapproval. He merely grinned. His hand instantly flew to his chin and touched the stubble affectionately.

“Great fishing trip. Nice to see you, too, Emily.”

This woman he called Emily only snorted her disgust before reaching down to open her briefcase. Alex continued to observe the couple, noticing the woman, who seemed to be younger than her. Emily wore an attractive business suit, a stark contrast from the casually dressed man at her side.

“And you couldn’t change your clothes first and shave?” she hissed under her breath.

“You’re my assistant, not my mother, Emily,” Garret said coolly, then gave Alex a quick wink. While Emily’s comments were not intended for Alex’s ears, Alex could hear the words and found it amusing that Emily’s unprofessional outburst did not match the assistant’s overall professional physical appearance and dress.

It was silent for a few moments. Emily seemed absorbed in whatever she had removed from her briefcase. Alex felt comfortable to once again talk to Garret.

“Do you always come to the meetings?” As she asked, Alex opened her note pad, pushed the empty coffee cup to the far edge of the table and held her pen in hand, clicking it open and shut in rapid succession. Her gesture was a product of restless energy rather than nerves.

Emily glanced over, looking past Garret. She eyed Alexandra suspiciously.

“Unfortunately. I’m on the board.” Garret abruptly straightened, opened his own notebook and looked forward.

“Oh,” Alex replied softly, then noticed the meeting was being called to order.

Alexandra tried to concentrate on the meeting, yet found her mind continually drifting back to the handsome man at her side. She had heard stories about Garret Coulson all of her life. The day Garret had come to her rescue, Alex had told her mother about her hero. Alex remembered Beth telling her father, that evening, “I always knew that boy wasn’t all spit and fire. He has a little softness, and I’m hoping to find where he’s hidden his brains.” Alex’s father had retorted by saying, “I imagine it’s where most sixteen-year-old boys have their brains.” As a child, Alexandra did not have a clue as to her father’s meaning and had wondered why her parents had laughed.

Later, Alex heard the other stories about a man who liked women, many women, who made bad choices, who lived life recklessly yet found his niche in the family business. She did not feel threatened by Garret Coulson. As a happily married woman, she was not on the playing field. She was an observer, and she would not mind having him for a friend. She liked him.

What Alex didn’t know was that she was about to be called back into the game.