“Well, I’m glad she’s back in town, even if it’s just for a little while. It will be good to see her again today.”
There it was, that odd sensual pull at his gut when Kaegan mentioned Vashti. “She will be at the meeting today?” he asked to make sure. He hadn’t expected to see her twice in the same day.
“Yes. I understand that Vashti and the developer will try to convince the board to lift zoning restrictions. Otherwise, the sale will fall through. I heard she’s been offered a lot of money for the place.”
Sawyer looked at his watch. “The meeting is about to begin, and I hope we’re not here too late this evening.” He liked being home to help Jade with any homework she might need his help with.
More people filed in and Sawyer finally got a chance to read the meeting’s agenda. There was Vashti’s name and the name of the developer, both slated to speak, no doubt to sway the board their way. Good luck on that. Just like Kaegan said, Reid Lacroix carried a lot of weight in this town and if he didn’t want anything to come to the town, it didn’t come. After living in the cove for four years, Sawyer had learned that about him. He liked the man. He had no reason not to as long as Lacroix operated within the confines of the law. But he knew the man was a staunch conservative who didn’t believe in change.
Sawyer agreed with what Kaegan said about some change being good. He would admit one of the things that had drawn him to Catalina Cove, other than the fact he’d inherited the house Johanna owned here, was the small-town atmosphere. He liked it. After living in large metropolitan cities, the small-town environment was what he felt he needed to raise his daughter. He had no complaints. Today, he would keep an open mind and vote accordingly.
“Hello, Sawyer.”
He glanced over at the woman who’d taken the seat next to him. He inwardly cringed. There was only so much he could take of Rachel Libby. The woman had done whatever she could to garner his attention. She couldn’t get the fact that he just wasn’t interested. It had nothing to do with her being ten years older than him since she did look good for her age. It had everything to do with her assumption that just because she was interested in him he should fall in line. Someone failed to tell her that the laws of sexual chemistry didn’t work that way.
“Hello, Rachel.”
She leaned in a little too close and he thought whatever perfume she was wearing was almost stifling. “Would you like to come to my house for dinner later?”
“No, thanks. I’ve cooked already. Besides, I have a daughter waiting at home for me.”
“She’s a big girl. I’m sure she can take care of herself.”
He almost told her the worst thing any woman could tell him was her thoughts of his daughter. “Maybe. But then that’s why I’m her father. I decide when she can take care of herself, as well as what’s best for my daughter. I don’t need anyone else suggesting otherwise.”
Evidently she had picked up on the annoyance in his voice that he wasn’t trying to hide. “Sorry, Sawyer. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He fought back the urge to tell her she was of no significance to upset him. Instead he said, “You didn’t.”
He went back to reading the agenda, letting her know as far as he was concerned, their conversation was over. He was glad she had the good sense to take the hint as she eased away from him to sit up straight in her chair and look over her own copy of the agenda.
Moments before the meeting was to start Vashti walked through the door. Sawyer felt a tightening in his groin as he looked at her and noticed several people had turned to peer in her direction as well. Some were smiling and there were several others who were whispering. Her return to the cove certainly was arousing interest with folks.
As she crossed the floor to take a seat, he couldn’t help checking her out. She had changed out of her shorts and tank top and was wearing a black pencil skirt and white blouse. He thought the skirt did a lot to emphasize her shapely figure and long gorgeous legs.
Her hair was not in the ponytail she’d worn when he’d seen her at the café, but was flowing down her shoulders in what appeared to be a bevy of soft curls. She was wearing makeup, but not enough to make her look made-up. It looked more natural on her and he thought it enhanced her radiant beauty.
Several older people approached her, and all but pulled her from the chair to give her hugs. He could tell by her expression she was surprised by the interchange. That made him wonder if perhaps she thought that even after fourteen years people would still concern themselves with the identity of her baby’s father. There was no doubt in his mind that there were some who might, but he would think most people would have the sense to move on and accept that although they had acted like asses before, they wouldn’t now.
He discovered how wrong he was in his assumption when Rachel leaned over to him and said, “If you’re wondering who she is, her name is Vashti Alcindor. Poor thing, she left the town in shame years ago when she got pregnant. She kept the baby’s father’s identity a secret, and of course, that made a lot of tongues wag.”
He had a feeling hers was one of those tongues. He glanced over at her. “Really? I never knew keeping your business to yourself was a crime. Besides, I’m sure she wasn’t the only person in this town keeping secrets.” There was no need to tell her that he’d been enlightened about a few of hers.
Again, she had the good sense to ease away from him. It was then the chairman of the board called the meeting to order.
* * *
VASHTI LEANED CLOSE to Bryce, who’d made it to the meeting just before the doors closed. “Why didn’t you tell me Sheriff Grisham was on the zoning board?”
“It’s just temporary while Henry Smith recuperates from hip surgery. Besides, I didn’t think it mattered.”
Vashti wanted to think it didn’t but each time she looked at the head table where he sat it seemed his gaze was on her. Or was she imagining it? No, she was certain she wasn’t. It might seem to others like he was looking out over the crowd, but she was convinced he was not. What other reason could there be for the way she felt like she was on fire, burning from the inside out? Or the way every single hormone in her body seemed to sizzle? More than once she tried breaking eye contact with him but as if with a mind of its own, her gaze unerringly went back to him.
“You and the developer are up next,” Bryce leaned over and whispered. “Good luck.”
Vashti felt she would need it, although she’d been surprised at the number of people who’d come up to her before the start of the meeting, saying how glad they were to see her and to welcome her back home. Evidently the reason she’d left meant nothing to them anymore. In truth, she’d left to go off to school. The reason she’d never come back was another matter, one they seemed eager to forget.
“Next on the agenda is Vashti Alcindor and a representative from the Barnes Group,” Larry Stillwell, chairman of the zoning board, who owned the only drugstore in town, said, his voice sounding loud through the microphone.
Drawing in a deep breath, Vashti stood and strolled toward the front of the room where she was joined by the man she’d met when she arrived, Palmer O’Connell of the Barnes Group. The entire room was quiet. Typically, Vashti wouldn’t be nervous speaking before a crowd of any size since she was used to doing so as part
