Will found absolutely riveting. Or was it tempting? His gaze wandered downward over her body again.
A sudden flush spread over her cheeks. She sucked in her lower lip.
Tempting. Definitely tempting.
She turned away, glanced behind her, then took a step to place a chair between them, hiding her lower body from his eyes.
Will frowned at the predictable reaction. He wanted to tell her to knock it off. He wanted to challenge her the way she had challenged him in the past. He wanted to rant at her for buying into the belief that if a woman’s body didn’t fit into that ever-narrowing mold, that she should feel ashamed of it.
Rita didn’t fit any mold, and that made her all the more remarkable. She was round and ripe and…full. That’s what he wished he could make her see. Her breasts were full, her hips, too, but more to the point her heart and mind were full and rich with the things that really mattered in life. If he could convince her of that, he’d have given her a gift greater than any business expertise he had to offer.
“Listen, Rita—” He stepped toward her.
“No, you listen.” She did not say it rudely, but more like someone sharing an idea. She pointed toward the ceiling, and her expression was no-nonsense. “Maybe you’ve forgotten the Palace is also my home for the time being. Having your car parked outside is bound to stir up some talk.”
“Talk? Why?” He laughed. “Nothing illegal or immoral is going on here. I’ll drive back to Memphis before dark and make a big show of coming back in broad daylight. Tool straight through the center of town with the top down and the radio blasting just like the old days if that’s what it takes.”
“Mercy, don’t do that! Only an untrained hound sinks his teeth in a decoy.” Rita slashed both hands through the air. “And there are no untrained busybodies in Hellon. The harder you try to fool people into thinking you’re on the high road, the more down and dirty the gossip is going to get.”
“Either way, my car won’t stay there overnight. If a few people with nothing better to do think they can spin that into some kind of scandal, let them try.”
“This is Hellon, Billygoat. They will try.” Jillie walked over to Rita, then turned to face him. They both folded their arms forming a would-be wall of feminine solidarity.
He hit his share of walls in his life, one more didn’t faze him. “Let them. What do I care about a bunch of idle gossip?”
“I care. I wish to God I didn’t.” Rita rubbed her forehead and sighed. “But after all I’ve gone through these last few years, can you blame me if I shy away from offering up one more juicy tidbit to circle town at my expense?”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“Why would you?” It was a question devoid ofbitterness, and yet it and her expression conveyed every ounce of her disappointment in him, or in something about him that touched the deepest hurt in her. “You’ll be out of here in a day or so, with all this left behind and forgotten.”
“Don’t count on that.” He met her gaze and held it, hoping he could convey even an inkling of the esteem he held her in.
She looked away first.
“I don’t understand why this is such a problem.” He hadn’t expected to hear the ring of hardness in his own voice. Still, he pressed on. “I’m here on business, plain and simple.”
“Yeah, but it’s my business.” She put her hand above her breasts and shut her eyes. “Your consultation not withstanding, Will, I haven’t decided exactly what I want to do with the Palace. I hope to spare myself a few dozen heaping helpings of ‘constructive’ input mucking up the process while I’m making up my mind.”
“Then don’t put up with it.”
“I have to. Don’t you understand that? I live here. Maybe you don’t recall what that’s like anymore.”
“Of course I recall it. Why do you think I live in Memphis?”
“You can take this lightly. It all rolls off you like
A sudden flush spread over her cheeks. She sucked in her lower lip.
Tempting. Definitely tempting.
She turned away, glanced behind her, then took a step to place a chair between them, hiding her lower body from his eyes.
Will frowned at the predictable reaction. He wanted to tell her to knock it off. He wanted to challenge her the way she had challenged him in the past. He wanted to rant at her for buying into the belief that if a woman’s body didn’t fit into that ever-narrowing mold, that she should feel ashamed of it.
Rita didn’t fit any mold, and that made her all the more remarkable. She was round and ripe and…full. That’s what he wished he could make her see. Her breasts were full, her hips, too, but more to the point her heart and mind were full and rich with the things that really mattered in life. If he could convince her of that, he’d have given her a gift greater than any business expertise he had to offer.
“Listen, Rita—” He stepped toward her.
“No, you listen.” She did not say it rudely, but more like someone sharing an idea. She pointed toward the ceiling, and her expression was no-nonsense. “Maybe you’ve forgotten the Palace is also my home for the time being. Having your car parked outside is bound to stir up some talk.”
“Talk? Why?” He laughed. “Nothing illegal or immoral is going on here. I’ll drive back to Memphis before dark and make a big show of coming back in broad daylight. Tool straight through the center of town with the top down and the radio blasting just like the old days if that’s what it takes.”
“Mercy, don’t do that! Only an untrained hound sinks his teeth in a decoy.” Rita slashed both hands through the air. “And there are no untrained busybodies in Hellon. The harder you try to fool people into thinking you’re on the high road, the more down and dirty the gossip is going to get.”
“Either way, my car won’t stay there overnight. If a few people with nothing better to do think they can spin that into some kind of scandal, let them try.”
“This is Hellon, Billygoat. They will try.” Jillie walked over to Rita, then turned to face him. They both folded their arms forming a would-be wall of feminine solidarity.
He hit his share of walls in his life, one more didn’t faze him. “Let them. What do I care about a bunch of idle gossip?”
“I care. I wish to God I didn’t.” Rita rubbed her forehead and sighed. “But after all I’ve gone through these last few years, can you blame me if I shy away from offering up one more juicy tidbit to circle town at my expense?”
“I didn’t think of that.”
“Why would you?” It was a question devoid ofbitterness, and yet it and her expression conveyed every ounce of her disappointment in him, or in something about him that touched the deepest hurt in her. “You’ll be out of here in a day or so, with all this left behind and forgotten.”
“Don’t count on that.” He met her gaze and held it, hoping he could convey even an inkling of the esteem he held her in.
She looked away first.
“I don’t understand why this is such a problem.” He hadn’t expected to hear the ring of hardness in his own voice. Still, he pressed on. “I’m here on business, plain and simple.”
“Yeah, but it’s my business.” She put her hand above her breasts and shut her eyes. “Your consultation not withstanding, Will, I haven’t decided exactly what I want to do with the Palace. I hope to spare myself a few dozen heaping helpings of ‘constructive’ input mucking up the process while I’m making up my mind.”
“Then don’t put up with it.”
“I have to. Don’t you understand that? I live here. Maybe you don’t recall what that’s like anymore.”
“Of course I recall it. Why do you think I live in Memphis?”
“You can take this lightly. It all rolls off you like
Similar Books
