Page 59 of The Sound of Temptation

“You say house, I say death trap.”

She sighs. “I can’t believe the ceiling just fell in like that. Where is the realtor we’ve been paying to manage the property?”

“Oh, she’s here. And according to the plumber I hired this morning it’s likely it started with a burst pipe after a couple of unusually cold days last month. We won’t know for sure until they’re done. But it’s going to cost a boatload of money. I’m just glad it didn’t collapse on top of me. But now I have nowhere to put the piano I spent a whack on.”

“Oh, dear. That is dreadful. Are you sure you should be staying there yourself?”

“They’ve got the hole covered. And they’re working pretty much round the clock. I’m only there to sleep.”

“So, where are you now?”

“At the library.”

“What for?”

“Sir, did you need something?”

I turn around and smile in apology at the woman behind the circulation desk. Her smile is short and impatient.

“Penn I’ll call you back.” I slip my phone into my back pocket and turn to face the desk. “Afternoon. How are you—” I quickly read her name tag—“Dot?” I flash her my most charming smile.

She doesn’t return it. “I’m tired. How can I help?” Who ever said people were friendly in the South was lying. I drop the smile and just get to the reason I’ve come for.

“I was told that you keep an archive of the yearbooks for both Winsome and East Winsome High?”

“Yes, in our basement.” She grimaces. “There’s only one key, and I can’t let it out of my sight. Can you come back on Tuesday? The librarian who’s not 9 months pregnant can take you down.”

I can see why she’s reluctant. Heaving her heavily pregnant body out of the chair looks like a lot of work. But it’s Wednesday and I’m not waiting another week to get what I need.

I lean over the counter and smile my most winning smile. “How about you give me the key so you can put your feet up.”

Her frown deepens, and her eyes narrow as if I’ve offended her. “I would never put my feet up. And that key guards valuable county assets. It is forbidden for civilians to even touch it. But there is no way I can get down there right now. You’ll have to—” Her eyes move over my shoulder and a relieved smile fills her eyes. “Ah, there’s one of the volunteers.” She waves impatiently. “Elisabeth, this young man needs you to open up the microfilm room for him.”

My mood lifts immediately. Fortune has clearly had enough of making me its fool and is finally on my side.

Out of the seventeen thousand adults in this town, what are the odds she would be the volunteer to walk in right when I need it? Like my father used to say, “People with destinies don’t need to make plans. They need to be ready for the opportunity when it shows up.”

I wasn’t ready last time I saw her. But I’ve spent the past week replaying our encounter and getting answers ready for whatever scenario brought us together.

Out of all the ways I thought we’d meet, randomly with the chance to be alone never occurred to me. But I’m determined to make this happen.

Shit. When we are in public, I don’t have a choice. But if we’re alone and she looks like she needs a hug, how am I going to stop myself from giving her one? And if I do that, there’s no telling what could happen.

She may dress different, wear her hair different, but her eyes are the same. One look, and I’m a goner. They tell the truth, and I know she didn’t mean it when she said she didn’t have anything to say. Our chemistry is still the same, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to step back if she looks at me like she did when I was playing the piano.

I saw the truth then. If I’d kissed her she wouldn’t stop me.

If I thought there was a chance in hell she could be mine, again, I would take it. Nothing—not time, not her scar, not even my colossal fuck up and bad timing—could stop me from trying.

Except that ring on her finger.

It doesn’t matter if Etta is right about Duke being in it for money, Beth is marrying him.

And it doesn’t matter that one kiss from me would be all it’d take to transform that hurt in her eyes to heat.

It also doesn’t matter that the man I am today could take care of her the way I should have then. I don’t touch what’s not mine.

Just having the chance to see her again makes me feel like fortune is smiling down on me. But I plaster the most sedate, unaffected expression I can muster on my face. Cause I have a feeling seeing me happy isn’t what Beth is meditating on these days.

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