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FAYE FUMED OVER FINDING those kids in the back seat of a locked car. Jail would be too good for their mom. She hoped the woman spent years in prison doing hard labor or something like that. Fortunately, the cop hadn’t been too far when she called it in and had the kids out of the heat.

If she didn’t have an important meeting she’d consider hanging around to make sure the kids were okay. Leaving them with the officer, she saw the tall, fine guy leaning against the silver SUV from her peripheral vision. He was tall, really tall, almost seven feet. She wondered what color his eyes behind his sunglasses were. Did he play basketball or something? Pity she didn’t have time to investigate.

Her new boss and the Office manager waited for her at a restaurant inside the mall. Why anyone would want to meet in a place like this was beyond her, but ownership had its privileges. Lengthening her strides, she entered the glass door, stopped and looked to see if the handsome guy still watched. Disappointment coated her throat as he returned to his car and pulled off. If the timing had been better, she would’ve approached him, started a conversation.

Oh well, win some, lose some. She looked at her messages for the name of the place where the meeting was being held and headed to the large screen with a map of the mall. Once she located the restaurant, she headed for the escalator.

In the distance, she saw Mr. Nelson, the owner of the real estate company where she hung her license. He seemed like a fairly nice man even if his eyes tended to wander. She shook his hand and smiled at his assistant while trying to recall the woman’s name.

“Ready?” he asked waving toward the restaurant. “Beth says they’re ready for us.”

“I asked them to hold it a few more minutes, so you’re right on time,” Beth said with a weak smile in an attempt to be friendly.

“Thank you, Beth, I really appreciate it,” Faye said, not addressing the fact she was eight minutes early. Being on time was something she prided herself on.

They were seated at a table that would seat six comfortably. The atmosphere was cozy; a person could forget it was the middle of the day and relax. She looked at the menu and was impressed by the variety and the prices.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to work with us. Your resume is impeccable; I’ll be pitching to some commercial clients to help you get started.” He said.

Faye nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate it. I’ve sent out a few notices to companies I’ve assisted in the past, telling them about the opportunities here. The land is beautiful and unspoiled, there’s a lot that can be done in the valley.”

Beth’s gaze flicked around the room before landing on the table.

“There are a lot of zoning restrictions in the city but other areas are opening up. I’ll make sure you get that information to pass along to your clients,” he said.

Faye looked at him. “Is there commercial land available in town?”

He took his time answering. “No. There can only be so many structures with height restrictions, for now, there’s a freeze. When we return to the office I’ll show you the best areas for commercialization.” He didn’t sound too convincing and she wondered about that.

“I was under the impression, from all the data I researched... this is a good place to expand. Was I wrong? I don’t recall reading anything about strict or stricter than normal zoning laws,” Faye asked.

“When we get to the office, we’ll go over it. For now, let’s enjoy lunch.” His tone held a touch of finality that rubbed Faye the wrong way. But she was new and wanted to get along.

No one spoke for a few moments. The waiter took their drink orders.

Faye looked around. It was a big mall, lots of foot traffic. The area wouldn’t support another one, but another strip mall would work, maybe a couple of professional buildings and offices. It was something she’d look into for sure.

“Have you shopped here?” Beth asked looking at Faye. “Here in the mall?”

“No, this is my first time here. It’s nice. I’ll look around when we’re done.” She paused and looked at the small woman. “What about you? Do you shop here?”

Beth nodded. “Sometimes they have really good deals. Just have to know where to look and look at the right time.”

“I heard that,” Faye said as she leaned back while the waiter placed drinks on the table and proceeded to take their orders. The boss informed the waiter he’d be paying the tab. That was always nice. Considering the percentage he’d be taking from her commissions, he should be buying her groceries as well.

Lunch was pleasant, her first opinion of Nelson and Beth hadn’t changed, she was more certain they were lovers. Their body language, hers more than his, betrayed them. The last thing Faye wanted to do was get caught up in office romances or politics. She’d seen that at one of her past jobs and refused to deal with it again.

For the most part, she kept the conversation on the community, gathering information. Beth had lived in the area for almost 20 years and was a well-spring of information.

Sensing the two needed to be alone and that there were better things she could do with her time, Faye pushed away from the table. “Thanks for lunch and all your advice. I’ll be in the office in the morning to go over the maps. I have a delivery in an hour, so I need to get back.” She smiled at Beth instead of her boss to make sure they were cool.

“One other thing,” he said. “There is a symposium on real estate trends coming up soon. I always take a couple people from the office; all expenses paid and would love for you to consider it. You’ll have an opportunity to network, possibly find new clients. Think you’d be interested?”

Excited, Faye smiled brightly. “That would be great. Give me a date and I’ll make it happen. Thank you, Mr. Nelson. I appreciate you considering me.”

“My pleasure, you’re going to be a hit, I can tell,” he said.

Beth returned her smile but didn’t say anything.

Elated by the positive vibes from Mr. Nelson and a free trip to Canada, Faye left the restaurant and window shopped at several stores while thinking what she would need to take on her trip. Once she had a date, she’d be back to pick up a few things but now she needed to get on the other side of town.

The cop was long gone, so was the hunk standing near his car. Faye preferred her men tall and strong, with soft hearts. Men who treated their women as precious gems. She’d experienced that once after high school and hated she’d ran him off.

Now that she knew such a love existed, she would never be satisfied with anything less. Dating satisfied one kind of itch, but giving her heart would require complete surrender from both of them. Which was why she was stuck in dating mode when she wanted to feel that love and passion again.