Chapter Eleven

An elderly couple kept Norah occupied long past the official end of the tour. Luckily, it was her last of the day which meant she didn’t have to worry about keeping anyone waiting. When she returned to the main hall after showing them a quicker route to where their car was parked, she found Perry waiting for her. The sight of him leaning against the wall, muscular arms crossed and that pulse-racing half-smile on his face, caused her breath to hitch in her chest.

“You’re too late for a tour.”

“That’s okay. I just wanted to see where you work.”

“Why?”

He grinned as he walked over to join her. “Why do you think?”

“I don’t know. Are you in the market for a historic house?”

“If I was, would you come work for me?”

“I don’t know. I’m very fond of this house.”

“Just the house?” he asked, his eyes bright with mischief.

“We covered that subject last night. I see no reason to go into it again.”

He tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin. “I’m really starting to like the new, unpredictable Norah.”

“Time will tell,” she said more lightly than she felt.

“I did have another reason for stopping by. I recently bought an original Audubon. It was delivered today. I thought you might want to see it.”

The distraction of his fingers on her neck was forgotten. “Might want to? You know me better than that.”

Perry laughed. “How soon can you get out of here?”

“Twenty minutes, maybe less. You can wait in the garden if you like.”

“Afraid Lance might see me?”

She gave him a playful push toward the door. “He’s not here.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“That’s all the answer you’re going to get.” When she returned from seeing Perry outside, she saw Crystal standing in the doorway of her office, a look of avid curiosity on her face.

“Am I missing something? I thought you wanted to avoid him.”

“I…did.”

“But you don’t now?”

“The situation has changed. Perry and I had a long talk over dinner last night.”

Crystal continued to look skeptical. “That must have been some talk. What about your ace in the hole?”

“My what?”

“The made-up story about you and Lance being romantically involved.”

Norah wished she hadn’t been quite so forthcoming. Viewed from any perspective, the actions she’d taken to protect herself from Perry looked immature and downright silly. “It’s no longer necessary.”

“I wouldn’t be in a rush to remove your safety net. Once it’s gone, there’s no going back.”

As Norah went from room to room closing curtains and shutting doors, she tried not to let Crystal’s words dampen her enthusiasm for the evening ahead. The elusive dream she’d thought would never come true had suddenly reemerged like a lost signal on a radar screen. Maybe this time the story of her and Perry would have a happy ending.  

She was returning from locking up the gift shop when she almost collided with Lance. In spite of her preoccupation with her own affairs, she couldn’t help noticing the lines of fatigue around his eyes and mouth.

“Long day?” she asked, smiling up at him.

* * * * *

Lance could no more ignore Norah’s smile than he could stop his heart from beating. It didn’t matter that his fears about her getting back with Perry looked to be coming true. The sheer joy that seemed to radiate from every atom in her body brought a lump to his throat. It would be wonderful to know he was the one who inspired it, but that privilege belonged to someone else. The same someone who owned the SUV taking up two spaces in the staff parking lot. He could only hope she wasn’t making a mistake putting her faith in someone who’d broken her heart once already.

“Yep, and it’s not over yet. Do you have a few minutes? I’ve got a meeting in an hour with the board of directors for Fallen Heroes. I’d like to give them an update on the auction.”

“Of course I have time.”

“Let’s go to my office. I’m sure you’re as ready to get off your feet as I am.”

“You’re right about that.” She walked through the door he held open. “How was your weekend in Columbus?”

“Nonstop, but very enjoyable. My parents’ house was filled to the brim with relatives I hadn’t seen in fifteen years. It was nice to catch up with everyone. There was the usual battle for the bathroom, but I’m used to that from growing up with four sisters. What I still can’t figure out is why it takes so much time for a female to get ready to go somewhere.”

“I won’t say the obvious thing.”

He grinned. “That women have more to do?”

“That’s not a reason. It’s a consequence. Women want to look their best. It takes doing many things to achieve that.”

He didn’t imagine Norah had much to do. “Your efforts are always appreciated.”

“If not always necessary?”

“If you’re asking my personal preference, then yes. I think women are most beautiful when they don’t stray too far from their natural state.”

“That’s not a state most women are comfortable in. We have a desire to hide our flaws.”

“What most women see as flaws are the very things that make them unique and interesting.”

She laughed as they walked into his office. “It’s all about perspective, isn’t it?”

“Most things in life are. Help yourself to some of Jody’s almond brittle.”

“I really shouldn’t,” she said, even as she picked up one of the light brown triangles. “I have a terrible sweet tooth.”

“If I didn’t before, I’ve got one now. Jody is always in the kitchen fixing something.”

“Did you get in late last night?”

Not late enough. He arrived in town just in time to see her with Perry. “Around nine. Why do you ask?”

“You look tired. Are you burning the candle at both ends?”

“For some people, there is no such state.”

She laughed. “Nonsense. You’re as human as the rest of us and fully capable of working too hard. If I had any say in the matter…” she stopped, looking embarrassed.

He’d love for her to have some say in the matter. “Don’t stop now. This sounds like something I’d like to hear.”

“All I meant was…you always seem to be working. It’s not good to do that to the exclusion of everything else.”

Lance laughed. “I’ll take that under consideration.”

She colored up even more. “I’m sorry. I’m speaking out of turn. As far as the auction goes, the promotional fliers have been distributed. Radio and television announcements have been going out all week. I was able to get Jim Sampson, the host of Good Morning, Charleston to be our M.C. and auctioneer. At last count, we had eight bachelors signed up. I’m hoping to get four more. Tickets for the auction itself go on sale tomorrow. The next big thing is getting bios and pictures for the event program we’ll provide to the bidders. I was thinking of contacting a few restaurants and see if they’d be willing to offer special meal packages to the winners. If so, we can include that info in the program as well.”

“Sounds like you’ve got everything under control.”

She smiled suddenly, looking very pleased with herself. “That’s not all. I saved the best for last. Perry was able to get some corporate sponsors to cover our expenses.”

Lance was happy for Fallen Heroes, and he knew the board would be ecstatic. He just wished he didn’t have to be so grateful to the competition. “Wow! I didn’t see that coming.”

“Neither did I. When he told me last night, I almost fell out of my chair at the restaurant.”

“At the restaurant, huh?” he asked, forcing a half-way decent smile to his lips. “As the guy who’s supposed to be your boyfriend, should I be jealous?”

Her eyes fell from his. “I wish I’d never involved you in this. In hindsight, my actions were juvenile. I freaked out over nothing.”

“I wouldn’t call it nothing.”

“It was based on a…misunderstanding. The situation has changed.”

Lance knew what he was about to say wasn’t going to win him any points. “Things seldom change, Norah. What usually happens is our approach to them changes. The same thing goes for people.”

“I think your line of work might have colored your opinion. Just because it doesn’t happen often doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In any case, I’m sorry for dragging you into my personal affairs. It was nice of you to help me.”

“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for. I didn’t actually do anything.”

“Maybe not in an obvious way, but knowing you had my back meant a lot to me. If there’s anything I can ever do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

The irony of her offer had Lance laughing. “I’ll…keep that in mind. You better get going. I noticed Perry pacing in the garden as I came in.”

She rose to her feet. “It won’t hurt him to wait on me for a change.”

“You’ll get no disagreement from me.”

When she reached the door, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “You don’t like him much, do you?”

“His instincts as a businessman are unquestionable. As for what kind of person he is, I don’t know him well enough to have an opinion.”

“I hope I haven’t given you the wrong impression of him.”

“Only he can do that.”

She smiled uncertainly. “Well, have a nice evening.”

“You, too, Norah.”

Lance didn’t review the court documents stacked neatly on his desk. Instead he turned toward the window with its view of the staff parking lot. Five minutes later his vigilance was rewarded by the sight of Norah and Perry. They had a short discussion standing next to her car. Then they got into their respective vehicles and drove away.

It didn’t require the expertise of a lip reader to know they were planning to spend the evening together. Norah was getting her second chance, and he couldn’t blame her for taking it. He’d probably do the same thing in her place.

 * * * * *

The elaborate gate Norah had been admiring swung open to reveal a brick driveway leading to a three-story house built in the traditional plantation style. Through the lush foliage surrounding Perry’s sprawling estate, she could see glimpses of blue water.

When they came to a stop in front of an attached four-car garage, he reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt. “It doesn’t fit my high-tech image, does it?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“You were thinking it, though, weren’t you?”

Her lips twitched. “Maybe. Do your parents still live in town?”

“No. They moved to Hilton Head a few years ago.”

Together they ascended the double staircase leading to the porch. One side of the double front door opened to reveal a smiling man in his early forties.

“Norah, I want you to meet Roger. He and his wife Bonnie take care of this place for me. Roger, this is Norah Comstock. She and I knew each other in college.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Norah,” Roger said, shaking her hand. He looked back at Perry. “Dinner will be ready in a half hour.”

“Excellent. I’m starved. How about you, Norah?”

“I didn’t realize I was eating with you.”

Perry winked at Roger. “Did I forget to mention that?”

“Yes, you did.”

Roger laughed. “If you need me for anything, I’ll be in the dining room.”

“Thanks, Roger. See you in thirty.”

Once they were alone, Perry slid his arm through hers. “I can’t expect you to work on an empty stomach.”

“Looking at an Audubon isn’t working. It’s sheer entertainment.”

“You’ll be doing more than looking. I need help deciding where to put it.”

“If it was me, I’d hang it where I could see it most.”

“That would be my office, and that just happens to be where it is at the moment.”

Perry’s house breathed luxury on a level commensurate with its owner’s wealth, but it felt more like a stage set than an actual home. This wasn’t surprising given Perry’s single status. The addition of a wife and kids would add the warmth and character it was missing.

“You’ve come a long way from scribbling computer code on napkins.”

“I actually still do that.”

“I wish I’d kept some of them. They’d probably be worth a lot of money.”

He chuckled. “Would you like me to give you a few to take home?”

“You need to hold on to them for your children.”

“Why? So they can sell them on ebay?”

“When did you become such a cynic?”

“Right about the time I made my first million dollars.”

What he called his office was a rectangular paneled room with a towering ornamental ceiling, a huge cast stone fireplace and sliding French doors leading to a veranda. Norah’s entire apartment could probably fit inside its ample proportions.

He took her over by the fireplace. “Close your eyes.”

As she did as he asked, she heard him walk away and then the rustling of paper.

“You can look now.”

Sitting against the back of the chair opposite her was a folio size print in an old-fashioned dark wooden frame. A wide smile formed on her lips. “I can’t believe I’m standing this close to an original Audubon. I’ve only seen his work shrunk down to fit on the pages of a book, but this is how they should be viewed.”

“When I saw this, I remembered that book of bird pictures you used to carry around.”

“It belonged to my grandfather. Being a farmer, he didn’t have time for a hobby. Birdwatching was something he could do even when he was working. He could name every species of bird on his property. He was pretty good at bird calls, too.” 

“You weren’t so bad at it yourself. I’d never met a girl who could whistle.”

She laughed. “Do you remember that weekend you spent at the farm?”

“How could I forget the worst weekend of my life?”

“You complained about the smell before we even got out of the car.”

“Animals smell, Norah. Your nose just got used to it.”

“Then you got spooked by the chickens and ran out of the hen house.”

“They were attacking me.”

“Chickens don’t attack people. The funniest thing was watching you try to get on Daisy, my grandfather’s Clydesdale.”

“Daisy was like ten feet off the ground, and she kept nipping at me.”

“She was looking for sugar cubes. My grandfather always carried some in his shirt pocket.”

“I was trying so hard to make a good impression, and all I accomplished was giving everyone something to laugh at.”

“You didn’t have to worry about making a good impression on me. I fell for you the first day I walked into computer lab.”

“It was much the same for me. You were the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.” He stepped closer and slid his fingers into her hair. “Norah?” he asked softly, his eyes intent on hers.

“Y-yes?” she managed to get out over the frantic beating of her heart.

“We need to reintroduce the subject of Lance.”

“Wh-why is that?”

“Because I’m about to do something he won’t like.”

She swallowed, lost in his gaze as he lowered his lips to hers. If she’d been at all worried that his kisses wouldn’t live up to her memories, those fears were laid to rest. Perry had lost none of his ability to move her.

He drew back a few inches, his eyes fixed on her face. “No more evasions. Tell me the truth. It was never Lance, was it?”

She shook her head, unable to deny him the reassurance he sought. “It was you. It’s always been you.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “I can’t blame you for not wanting to get mixed up with me again. Not after the way I left things between us. Can I tell you again how sorry I am? I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know that now, and you don’t have to apologize anymore, Perry. It’s not necessary.”

“I think it is,” he said, lowering his head to take her lips once more. He kissed her until her lungs were screaming for air, and her heart felt as if it was going to burst. As he watched her attempt to restore some order to her appearance, he said, “Bonnie will take one look at you and know we weren’t just looking at a print.”

Norah’s cheeks turned every shade of red. “Couldn’t you have waited until after dinner to kiss me?”

His thumb grazed her cheek. “I’ve waited too long already.”