the shelter house in Logan Square and the office space in Lincoln Park. They promised to make some calls and find some money. There were two other board members who were less opposed to selling the house. Their contacts were tapped out. The fifth and deciding member always voted however Paige wanted her to vote. She trusted Paige’s judgment unequivocally.
In order to prove to Paige that Safe Haven could be saved, Lucy had spent countless hours during the week brainstorming ways to raise the money to keep up with the payments. She had even enlisted the help of her sisters. Emma came up with the idea of having a live auction at the fund-raiser this year in addition to the small silent one they usually did. Kendall agreed to donate her time and talents to the cause.
Lucy was confident they could find a way to keep things going through the new year. That was why she wore an easy smile the morning of the meeting with the developers. They were going to show these people that the women who spent time in Safe Haven had been pushed around enough; they certainly weren’t going to be pushed out of a neighborhood that provided them with much-needed security.
“You look like you don’t have a care in the world. How do you do that?” Paige asked, appearing quite the opposite. Her hair was slipping out of its barrette and the worry lines on her forehead seemed almost permanent.
“They can offer us any amount they want. The board will side with us.”
“What if it’s a lot of money?” Paige wrung her hands as she paced around the reception area of Open Arms.
“We don’t need their money.”
Paige nodded and repeated Lucy’s words a bit less confidently. “We don’t need their money.”
The front door to the office opened and a parade of people waltzed in. Lucy hadn’t expected the buyer to bring an army. Perhaps they really were at war. She put on her game face until the last man stepped over the threshold. Her breath caught and her face fell. She hadn’t seen him since she’d told him to stay away from her almost five years ago.
Dylan Hunt had always been a golden boy. Blond hair, blue eyes, broad shoulders and a brilliant mind. He had also broken Lucy’s heart. It didn’t matter that she was the one who’d ended the relationship. He hadn’t fought for her, hadn’t cared enough to ask why. She’d been so easy to let go of, he had done it without a second thought.
“Ms. Clayton?” The only woman in the developer’s group approached Paige first. She was all glamour and gold. She wore her wealth like a shield, clearly separating herself from the underclass.
Paige ushered them into the conference room, where the board members were already waiting. At the same time, Lucy wrestled with the emotions threatening to destroy her nerves of steel. Her skin prickled with each step Dylan took in her direction. All the memories came rushing back. The warmth of his hand against her cheek, the smell of his skin after a shower, the sound of his heart when she rested her head against his chest.
His gaze was fixed on her, locking her in place. Dylan was ice-cold. He had that fake smile plastered on his face, the one that even he used to hate. He stopped in front of her and sank his hands into his pockets.
“Lucy Everhart, what a surprise to see you here.” There was no way he was as surprised to see her as she was him. If he was working for this buyer, he had done his homework on Open Arms and would have known the part she played.
Her heart pounded so hard the sound of it seemed to echo off the walls. If Lucy believed in things like fate and karma, she might have wondered what she had done to deserve this kind of punishment, but she was too rational for that. Bad things happened all the time; it was just the way the world worked. Except when bad things happened to Lucy, they often bordered on life-threatening.
“You’re as beautiful as ever,” he said. He flashed her another one of his award-winning smiles, complete with the dimple on his right cheek. Her looks had been what drew him to her the first time they’d met, and they were probably why he’d stayed with her for so long. That was the only reason Lucy could come up with for why he had walked away so easily. He had only cared about the wrapping, not the gift she had inside.
If he only knew how flawed she really was, he wouldn’t be so generous with his compliments today. Lucy was damaged goods, someone who wasn’t perfect enough to be Dylan Hunt’s significant other.
“You see the beauty, but you forget about the beast,” Lucy said, finally finding her voice. “Welcome to my jungle.” She gestured for him to lead the way into the conference room.
Dylan leaned forward, his lips so close she almost put her fingers on them so her own mouth wouldn’t be tempted. “You’re wrong, Lulu. That’s the part of you I’ll never forget.”
DYLAN HAD PRACTICED what he was going to say when he laid eyes on Lucy Everhart for the first time in almost five years, but nothing came out the way he had planned. As much as he wanted to play it cool and not give away the scar he still had on his heart, she provoked the truth right out of him. He’d always loved her tenacity, but today he could have done without it.
“I appreciate you agreeing to meet with us.” Elizabeth Kerrington was the epitome of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She dialed up her perfect manners and lovely pleasantries right before she went in for the kill. Today’s hunt was for the piece of prime real estate that Open Arms owned in Logan Square. Elizabeth’s company had already purchased the two properties on either side of it and all she needed to begin building her luxury condominiums was Safe Haven.
“I didn’t realize you would be bringing so many people with you.” The executive director of Open Arms was more than rattled. She called out to her assistant to bring some extra chairs before turning and accidentally knocking a stack of papers off the table. Dylan was concerned she might have a nervous breakdown at any moment.
Elizabeth had already taken a seat. “No worries, Ms. Clayton. My associates can stand if need be. I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’m sure there’s plenty of do-gooding for you to get back to.”
Lucy arched a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. “Us do-gooders are part of an impressive network. We called up all the local superheroes and asked them to watch the streets for us while we conducted our business with you, Mrs. Kerrington.”
Elizabeth scowled while Dylan restrained himself from chuckling. Lucy was sassy as ever. The assistant dragged in a couple of chairs and apologized as she shoved them into the already cramped space.
“Let’s just get right to it, shall we?” Elizabeth asked.
“Let’s,” Lucy answered, taking a seat on Ms. Clayton’s side of the table.
“Obviously, we’re interested in purchasing the property you own on Western,” Elizabeth said with a wave of her hand.
Lucy’s expression gave nothing away, but her counterpart swallowed hard and began to fidget. Ms. Clayton was the key to the success of this deal. Dylan had done his research. The board was split. There was one vote to win over and that member would be swayed only by the executive director.
She was nervous, possibly anxious to get to the bottom line. How much was Prime Developments willing to pay? Open Arms couldn’t deny they needed the money. There were signs of financial trouble everywhere Dylan looked. From the broken door when they
