Okay, then. Definitely a past there.
“Yes. I’m surprised Zach didn’t mention it to you.”
“I haven’t spoken to him in a few days. I was out of town for that seminar, and then I decided to fly straight here for the trial.” She stood, seeming to forget all about her coffee.
Amy rose, too, but before she could try to convince Gabby to sit back down, a flash of metallic black paint passed her front window, and the shadow of a big pickup truck slid by.
Sam was here.
“I’ve got to go, Amy.” Gabriella picked up her sweater. “I’m so sorry to leave awkwardly. I just— I need to go.”
She darted out so fast, she barely acknowledged Sam inthe driveway. Amy’s heart was racing now for completely different reasons anyhow. What was Sam doing here?
She couldn’t seem to pull her eyes off him as he stepped out of the truck and said hello to Gabby.
Struggling to catch her breath, Amy ran nervous fingers over her hair. She’d expected him to be busy with work while she finished up on the house and quietly left town. But the way his stormy gray eyes zeroed in on her, she had the feeling he wasn’t here for any quiet goodbyes. There was a tense set to his shoulders. A determined jut of his chin.
And, yes, she could read the man that well, a skill she had probably developed long ago because he simply didn’t say much. He expressed himself in other ways. Like now, when he wore that fearsome expression.
What on earth had set him off this morning?
“I wasn’t expecting you.” She folded her arms across her chest to ward off the morning chill as she stood in the doorway.
“And I sure as hell wasn’t expecting you to turn tail and disappear right out from under my nose. Not after everything that’s happened between us.” He didn’t stop until he stood a hand’s span from her, so close she could feel the heat of his frustration and his raw, masculine appeal. So close she could almost forget her nobler instincts that told her he deserved a chance to be a real family with Aiden and Cynthia.
“I wasn’t going to disappear.” She fought the urge to touch him. Or to step back so she didn’t touch him. Either option would send the wrong message and reveal how very much he affected her.
“Can you deny you’re leaving town again?” His hands seemed just as restless as hers when he rapped the back ofhis knuckles against a porch post in a quick, anxious rhythm.
“I never planned to stay.” It was the truth, although she might have entertained the thought briefly after she’d spent the night with Sam. So many things in her life had started coming together—her relationship with her mother, her siblings...herself. “I have a life in Atlanta.”
“Oh? Tell me about it.” He sidestepped her to sit on the porch swing, keeping his feet planted on the plank flooring, his elbows on his knees. “I want to hear about this life in Atlanta that you want to return to so damn badly that you moved up the time frame of your renovation project just to get out of here faster.”
Ah. That explained why he was on edge. He must have heard something from the woman who worked in the permit office. No surprise in a small town.
“I have my own business. Doing accounting for people. Some consulting. Some tax preparation. Whatever it takes to stay afloat.” She shifted to stand near the porch post farthest from him, needing that distance to keep perspective. To prevent herself from throwing herself at him and losing herself in the chemistry that had always sparked between them.
“A job you could do anywhere, if you chose to.” He templed his fingers together, never taking his eyes off her as she moved.
“I guess. Although Atlanta is a bigger city where I could hopefully find more clients.”
Though suddenly she didn’t want to return to her tiny apartment, where she’d scrimped and saved every penny for years.
She’d been too proud to ask her family for any kind of support, needing to prove to herself she could be strong.Independent. She actually had solid savings and a few good clients. Plus the profit from her share of the cabin would help her expand the business. She’d planned it all carefully.
“Maybe, but a bigger city means far more competition,” he pointed out, as if this conversation would have any bearing on what she chose to do with her future. “Here, the Finley name is trusted, respected and well-known.”
“True.” But it didn’t matter that he made reasonable arguments. Or that he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. That she loved him and wanted to be with him.
She loved him too much to think about herself.
“Your family has missed you, Amy. I’ve missed you.” The sincerity in his voice was reflected in his eyes.
He was a man of few words, but she knew he meant what he said.
Her throat tightened up.
“It’s been really good seeing you again.” She owed him that much, didn’t she? She couldn’t just pretend this time with him hadn’t affected her, even if she was still going to leave.
