waved at a few people inside the restaurant, ordered coffee and noted that Sheriff Kemp was at the counter, flirting with Delia again. Ellie had to concentrate on not crying now; otherwise, everybody in Banner would know something was wrong and start grilling her. So she stared into space, barely noticing when her best friend came in and seated herself in the booth.
Susannah was the sister Ellie had never had. As much as Ellie loved her, though, she was always embroiled in some new drama surrounding her husband, J.D. Ever since he’d become a country star, the marriage had been heading south, and all the arguments about leaving the man had been discussed before today. So, even though Ellie was numb, her mind reeling from her own life-altering circumstances, Susannah didn’t even notice, due to her own difficulties. This made it easy to order breakfast while murmuring all the usual consolations.
Even when Susannah announced she was finally leaving her husband, Ellie merely kept nodding. Susannah threatened this at least once a month, after all. Almost as often as she threatened to kill J.D.
The man was still breathing, however, and Ellie doubted Susannah would ever free herself from the increasingly problematic relationship. Suddenly, Susannah pushed unruly wisps of blond hair from her eyes, and said, “You’ve been crying, Ellie.”
Only then did Ellie notice she’d removed her sunglasses. She guessed she’d removed them when Delia had put down their breakfast plates. Eggs could be a little unappealing seen through dark lenses. “All morning,” she said, although it wasn’t strictly true.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been so fixated on J.D. What’s wrong?”
The story came pouring out. When Ellie was finished, Susannah gasped. “And Robby accepted the job?”
Ellie nodded.
“That snake in the grass! What are you going to do?”
In that instant, Ellie knew. “Go to New York and start another polling business to compete with Daddy and Robby.”
She’d been considering a vacation, but why not make it permanent? She’d done business in New York and had contacts there. Maybe such a plan would work. Had Susannah, herself, been sincere about her own plans to leave J.D.? “Come with me, Susannah.”
“To New York?” Susannah said. “To do what?”
Ellie’s mind was racing as she started offering ideas, then she finished by declaring, “To have sex with a lot of men. Every guy I can.”
She could see Susannah’s throat working as she swallowed hard. “That…uh, sounds ambitious.”
Ellie almost smiled. “I’ve always been ambitious,” she agreed.
“Well…okay. Yes. I’ll come with you.”
“Good.” But could Ellie really make this work? Could she build a competitive polling company from the ground up, then maybe even use it to take over Lee Polls? More important, could she find a man sexy enough to replace Robby Robriquet?
Chapter Two
Eleven Months Later
NEWSPAPER BUSINESS REPORTER Derrick Mills wasn’t nearly as good-looking as Robby. He was taller, less stocky, with dark hair and eyes. Still, Ellie assured herself as she took in his tailored gray suit, she would have jumped into the sack with him, if not for one little problem. Derrick was married. So she’d just have to stay on topic and continue answering his questions. Most important, she needed to gauge when it would be best to drop her bombshell.
She’d been planning her strategy for months, and now the moment was near. She had to fight not to grin. Yes, the gimmick she was going to announce would kill a few birds with one stone. She’d generate business, create media buzz for herself and erase the memory of Robby Robriquet from her life forever. And why not? She believed in her skills of statistical analysis, didn’t she? And she wanted to find someone she’d like as much as Robby.
Love as much. When the words entered her consciousness, she tried to ignore them. But she had loved the man. Surely, no one would ever turn her on in the same way. Besides, for so long, she’d just unconsciously assumed she and Robby would have…
A wedding.
A house with a picket fence in Banner, Mississippi.
Babies.
And, of course, share the joy of combined careers. Lastly, the sparks of their passion would never burn out. With one look, Robby had always set her on fire. In the office of Lee Polls, they’d shared so many laughs, too, especially since they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Now, just thinking about her ex-lover, her skin warmed, her heart missed a beat, her palms started to sweat…
“Ms. Lee?”
She snapped to attention, then searched her mind, trying to remember what the interviewer had asked. “Was my decision to start Future Trends influenced by my father’s appointment of Robby Robriquet to run Lee Polls?” she prompted.
“Yes,” Derrick returned. “Was it?”
“Of course not!”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. I’m very happy here. Who wouldn’t be?” She waved a hand to call his attention to the surroundings. She’d revamped a two-bedroom apartment in a brownstone, the same one she’d initially shared with Susannah when they’d first arrived in New York nearly a year ago.
Since then, Susannah had reunited with J.D. and Ellie had retooled the place into an office. New gray carpet, simple black lacquer desks and classic plum window treatments had made the apartment look trendy and upscale.
“But it was assumed you, not Robby Robriquet, would have that position?” Derrick Mills prompted.
Silently, she damned the reporter for rubbing salt in the old wound. “Not really,” she denied. “Or, to whatever extent I assumed that, I’m not sorry.” She offered a wry smile, hoping Derrick would fill in the blanks.
“Not sorry that Lee Polls has trended downward in sales and contracts? Some of its oldest customers have jumped ship since you left, you know.”
“Sometimes it’s either sink or swim.”
“And you’re swimming while Lee Polls is sinking?”
“You said that, Mr. Mills, not I.”
“But where do your ultimate loyalties lie?”
“With myself.” She arched a brow. “I mean, do you think I should retain family loyalties merely because Lee Polls has been run by Lees for so long?”
“I wondered.”
“None whatsoever. Business is business, Mr. Mills. We all know that.”
“Clearly, you do. No wonder you’re so successful. Many might have experienced the Robriquet appointment as a setback, but instead, you opened Future Trends within a week of your father’s decision. There have even been rumors, saying that you now
