style="font-size:15px;"> Reluctantly, Chris let go of Macy’s hand. It seemed more than one thing hadn’t changed since he’d left Royal all those years ago. He wondered if he’d ever have enough money or be influential enough for Harrison to accept him. Because it was very clear to him that no matter what he’d done so far, Harrison Reynolds still didn’t believe Chris was good enough for Macy.
Macy glared at her father. Couldn’t she have one night that wasn’t marred by … what? Her father didn’t know that this was a date. He probably thought she and Chris were here discussing club business.
“What about, Harrison?” Chris said, turning that affable grin on her father.
She hadn’t realized that his smile was just part of an act and now she did. Was he playing her to maybe get back a little of his own after the way she’d dumped him? That hardly seemed likely since high school was eons ago, and Chris didn’t strike her as the kind of man to hold a grudge.
“Your prejudice against Reynolds Construction. Is there a reason why we aren’t good enough to win a place on any of your projects?” Harrison asked. He grabbed a chair from a neighboring table and sat down with them.
“Hello, Macy.”
“Hello, Dad,” she said.
“I’m sure you must have been high when you bid with us. I don’t give anyone preferential treatment,” Chris said.
“Bull. You and I have had past dealings, thanks to Macy here.”
“Harrison, I would never let anything stand in the way of making money. You should know that better than anyone. I’m sure your bids were too high. Stop by my office tomorrow and I’ll run through the records and see what we can find.”
Harrison nodded. “I’ll be there. I hear you are in the running to rebuild the headquarters and other parts of the club. I’d like a piece of that.”
“Dad,” Macy said, sounding extremely exasperated. It was clear she didn’t want to be sitting here with him while her dad tried to talk about business.
“Macy. Leave this to me and Christopher,” he said.
She rolled her eyes and once again tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be happy to, but you are intruding on my date. My first date in nearly three years, so I’d appreciate it if you’d move on.”
Her dad turned to her and she realized what she’d said. “Wait a minute. Did you say date?”
“Yes, I did,” Macy said a little defiantly.
“With Richardson?”
“He is the biggest developer in Texas, Daddy,” she said.
And just like that, Chris knew that, as the son of a working class man, if he hadn’t made something of himself, he wouldn’t be sitting here with Miss Macy Reynolds.
He shook his head. “I’m not sure how I feel about this.”
“Dad, don’t even think about saying anything else. This isn’t up for debate,” Macy said.
“Fine. We’ll discuss this tomorrow, Richardson.”
Her dad stood up and walked away as quickly as he’d joined them, and Macy could only watch him leave, incredulous that he’d managed to talk about business and threaten Chris in one breath. She never quite got used to her father and his larger-than-life business persona.
“Um … sorry?”
Chris laughed. “I don’t think anyone can apologize for that man. It was nothing. If my company is showing a bias against him then I need to know about it.”
“Okay. But what about us? I don’t want …”
“Things to be like they were before?” he asked. He didn’t have to be on CSI to figure out what she wanted. He wanted the same thing. A chance to date her and get to know her without her father and all of Royal looking on.
“Yes. I mean, I know they aren’t, but I wanted to make sure you knew. I’m sorry for the way I broke up with you,” she said, biting her lower lip as she waited for him to respond.
He nodded. “I am too.”
He smiled at her. He really liked this woman and her honesty. She was refreshing compared to the women he’d been dating lately who were always trying to be what he wanted them to be instead of just being themselves. Macy wasn’t like that.
“Not a problem. So, where were we? I believe you mentioned that you’d miss me if I weren’t here,” he said.
“Did I? I can’t remember. Why would I miss you?” she asked.
“Because we didn’t have a chance to really get to know each other when we were kids,” Chris explained. She’d always been the one girl he’d never been able to forget. He hadn’t spent the years pining over her or anything like that, but Macy would just pop up in his thoughts from time to time. Like in fall when the bluebells would blanket the fields near his office, he’d always remember the first time he kissed her and how sweet and innocent that kiss had been.
“You might be right. You were really into football back then,” she said. “I remember because that is how I first noticed you. Catching all those passes and making touchdowns. You gave me something to cheer about.”
“I remember you cheering me on to many touchdowns.”
“I sure did. My squad was the best … That sure was a long time ago. I thought the sun rose and fell on Royal and that the rest of the world was missing out on something,” she said.
“Did you ever leave?” he asked, and realized aside from the accident he didn’t really know much more about the “new” Macy.
“No. I like it here. I guess I’m just a small-town Texas girl at heart. I probably seem a little unsophisticated for the likes of you now that you’re a city slicker.”
“No one would ever call you unsophisticated,” Chris said. He thought that Macy hadn’t left Royal because she hadn’t needed to. She had always been part of the upper crust and she’d had more opportunities than he’d had.
“Well, I do read all the fashion magazines,” she said with a slight flush.
“And shop at the big stores?” he asked.
“Not recently. I … I really haven’t left the house much,” she said, putting a hand up when he would have interrupted. “I’m not saying that to make you feel sorry for me. I just read Vogue and Cosmo and InStyle and dreamed of a time when I’d look in the mirror again.”
He reached over and took her hand. Holding it in his bigger one. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles as a wave of strong emotion washed over him. Macy wasn’t putting up any barriers between them. He was getting the real woman and that made him want to protect her. To make sure that the vulnerable woman who was slowly rediscovering herself had the chance to grow. And he knew he would have to tread carefully with Harrison because he didn’t want Macy’s father to be an obstacle between Macy and him as he had
