Chapter Two

All the way to work the next day, Norah kept telling herself that this morning’s tour was no different than any other, but her practical side wasn’t buying it. Her only experience with an attorney hadn’t been a good one. She knew it wasn’t fair to judge everyone in the legal profession by one bad apple, but when it was the only one available, it was hard to keep an open mind. Furthermore, the man coming today had no loyalties to any of them. He didn’t know Crystal was a single mom, that Kathy was taking care of her elderly father, or that Todd was putting himself through college. To him, they weren’t individuals; they were just names on a piece of paper. He could reduce their pay, cut their hours, or let all of them go.

She completed her usual morning routine in record time. Not able to sit down, she grabbed the broom out of the utility closet and swept the already spotless floor of the staff room. She was cleaning out the mini-fridge when Crystal stuck her head through the door.

“What are you doing, Norah?”

“Trying to stay busy. I haven’t been this nervous since my first day.”

Crystal laughed as she reached into the cabinet for her Starbucks coffee cup. “You’ll do fine. Whoever this guy is, he can’t possibly know as much about this place as you do. Even if you forget a name or give the wrong date, he won’t know the difference.”

Norah returned the last item to the refrigerator. “Let’s hope so. My future employment might depend on it.”

Into the silence that followed her remark came the distinctive chime of the front door.

“One minute ‘til nine,” Crystal observed. “He’s punctual if nothing else.”

Norah walked over to the small mirror on the wall and peered at her reflection. Her hair looked all right, but she was as pale as a ghost. She pinched some color into her cheeks and straightened the collar of her shirt. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need luck. Just be yourself.”

The journey from the staff room to the wood-paneled foyer was over far too quickly. Just before she opened the door, Norah took a deep breath and summoned her best tour-guide smile. She didn’t know whether to blame her sputtering heartbeats on the man’s swoon-worthy looks or the fact that he was so different from the picture she’d formed in her head. Tall and broad shouldered, his slim, muscular physique was accentuated by a tailored suit that probably cost more than her entire wardrobe. His nut-brown hair was cut close to his head; a neatly trimmed beard covered his face. The lazy smile on his lips seemed at odds with the determined set of his chin and the direct stare from his indigo-blue eyes.

“Good morning,” she said, remembering at the last second to hold out her hand. “I’m Norah Comstock.”

He took her cold, slightly sweaty hand in his and shook it firmly. “Hello, Norah. I’m Lance Langston. Are you the unlucky person who drew the short straw and got stuck giving me a tour?”

The question was clearly designed to break the ice. Score a point for Mr. Langston. “Not at all,” she said, stepping aside so he could come in. His smile grew, and Norah’s heart skipped another few beats.

“I’ve got a confession to make. This isn’t my first tour of Wilson-Dawes House. It’s more like my third. I’ve never seen you before. Are you new?”

“I’ve been here since March. If you’ve had three tours already, you’re going to be bored with this one.”

He shook his head slowly, his gaze holding hers with an ease she wouldn’t have believed possible seconds earlier. “I doubt it. Distracted maybe, but not bored.”

Heat crept up her neck and into her cheeks. At least she didn’t have to worry about being pale anymore. “If you’re ready, we’ll start in the morning room.”

Giving a tour to one person should have been a piece of cake. Norah found the reverse to be true. There was no polite way to avoid Lance’s fascinating eyes, or ignore a playful smile that bore a disturbing resemblance to that of Rutherford Dawes. By the time they were returning to Crystal’s office, Norah was less worried about whether she’d still have a job and more concerned about her strange reactions to the man who could very well be her new boss.

* * * * *

Lance dipped his head as he followed Crystal into her office. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but he wondered how she could work in such a tiny room. When she waved him to the only other chair, he silently handed her a packet of brochures that looked as if they’d been resting there for some time. She laughed nervously as she took them from him.

“I hope Norah was able to answer your questions about the historical aspect of Wilson-Dawes House.”

He laughed inwardly. He hadn’t had time to ask any questions. He’d been too busy trying to keep his eyes from popping out of his head. Norah Comstock wasn’t the usual tour guide, at least not in his experience. The long, wavy hair framing her lovely face was dark blonde with lighter strands of gold that caught the sunlight coming through the beveled windows. Her greenish-brown eyes reminded him of the lodgepole pine trees in the forests he’d hiked through when he worked at Grand Teton National Park one summer. And the full lips she kept chewing…well, they kept him from hearing much of what she said.

“Er, yes, she did a great job.”

“She’s the best guide in Charleston. We’re lucky to have her.”

“I can certainly see why. How many people do you have on staff?”

“We have two other guides besides Norah and two part-time college students who take care of the gift shop.”

“Mr. Barrett shared the last five years’ earnings reports with me. Your management of Wilson-Dawes House is impressive.”

“Most of the credit for that goes to the guides. They’re on the front lines every day meeting the public. Word of mouth goes a long way in this business, and a good reputation pays big dividends.”

“I agree. If you create a good product, get people to try it, and give them more than they expect, you won’t lack for customers.”

“Mr. Barrett mentioned that you plan to live in the house.”

Lance nodded. “That’s right. I’ll also be moving my law practice here. I see no reason why the two businesses can’t coexist. What do you think?”

He could tell by the relief on Crystal’s face that Mr. Barnett had failed to mention Lance’s plan to keep the tours open. This lapse went along with his already negative opinion of the man. 

“It shouldn’t be a problem. There are several large rooms on the other side of the solarium that aren’t being used.”

“From what I’ve seen, those rooms will be more than adequate. I’ve been operating in a space half that size for the last two years.” He stood up and held out his hand. “I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to see me.”

Crystal rose to her feet and shook his hand. “No problem. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks again.”

On his way back to work, Lance stopped by the realtor’s office to confirm his offer for Wilson-Dawes House. Since he was giving them their asking price, he had little doubt about it being accepted. It was a nice feeling to be on the cusp of getting something he’d wanted for so long.

He ran into Carolyn in the parking lot outside their building. “Where are you off to?”

“My husband is taking me to lunch.”

“Rubbing it in?”

Carolyn laughed. “Just making sure you’re aware of what you’re missing.”

“I’m green with envy.”

“Your pork dumplings from Dragon Lady just arrived, and Tracie stopped by with that information you requested. I put the folder on your desk.”

“That was quick.”

“She said you owe her a manicure.”

“If we win this case, I’ll throw in a pedicure, too. Have a nice time, and don’t hurry back.”

“For a relationship skeptic, you’re very accommodating.”

“Just doing my part to keep the home fires burning.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. See ya later.”

Lance was looking through the juror report from Tracie when his partner Hunter strolled through the door.

“The attorneys for the school board in that grade-fixing case want to settle.”

“I’m not surprised,” Lance said. “They don’t care about Miss Colson or the student she tried to help. They just want this to go away. It’s been in the newspaper for months. What’s your opinion?”

“Settling would mean the end of Miss Colson’s career. That’s a loss for her and her students. We need to find people who believe breaking rules is justified if it prevents something worse from happening.”

“That’s the tricky part. Our society runs on people following rules; not taking it upon themselves to decide when it’s okay to break them.”

“I’ll start pulling together some potential juror questions. How did your morning go?”

For a reason he couldn’t explain, a picture of Norah Comstock appeared in Lance’s head. “Very good. The offer for Wilson-Dawes House has been made. I should be hearing back from Mr. Barrett soon.”

“That’s great. I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”

After finishing the dumplings, Lance reached for the fortune cookie. The words on the slip of paper had him laughing. “You often meet fate on the road you take to avoid it.” Was there a message for him in there?