Trinity Falls (13 page)

Ean pressed the heel of his right hand against his front door seconds before Megan tugged on its doorknob. “I'm telling you the truth.”

Megan stared at his large hand pressing against the door above her head. If only Ramona had kept her clothes on, Ean's hand could have been on her, instead.
It still could,
a voice whispered in her ear.

“Let me out.”

A beat of silence passed before Ean dropped his hand. Megan pulled the door open, then shut it quietly behind her. She glanced down at herself to make sure her clothes were in order. That's when she realized she still clutched her cousin's bra. Megan jammed the underwear into her black handbag.

She strode to her Honda Accord, parked in front of Ean's town house. Megan strapped herself into the driver's seat and pulled away from Ean's home. She knew someone who was missing the bra's support. But she would wait until she'd calmed down before returning the lingerie to its rightful owner.

CHAPTER 19

Bright and early Saturday morning, Megan pounded on the front door of Ramona's condo, then leaned on the doorbell. She kept up the racket for a good seven minutes before her cousin finally answered her summons.

Ramona stood in the doorway, her right hand braced on the knob, the other pressed against the threshold. An ice pink silk robe wrapped her figure, baring her from midthigh. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

Megan plucked the flimsy black garment from her purse. She shook it out and waved it. “You left this behind.”

Ramona gaped. She dragged Megan across the threshold with one hand and slammed the door shut with the other. “Have you lost your mind?” She snatched the bra from Megan and stuffed it into the pocket of her robe.

“No, but you've lost yours.”

Ramona narrowed her eyes. “Well, listen to the little mouse roar.”

Megan ignored the taunt. “Why did you take off your clothes for a man who has no interest in you?”

Ramona planted her fists on her hips. “Of course he's interested in me.”

“Then why did he tell you to leave?”

Ramona's lips were tight with temper. “Aren't you full of questions? I have one. Where did you spend last night?”

“Alone in my bed, wondering why I was allowing you to hijack my happiness again.” Megan shed her winter coat. Ramona had a penchant for keeping her thermostat at desert climes.

Ramona snorted. “
Hijack your happiness?
That's rich. The town may be buzzing about how much time he's spending with you, but Ean's not yours.” She strutted barefoot across the white carpet and into the living room. “He may have returned to Trinity Falls, claiming that he's here to stay, but that doesn't mean you have what it takes to satisfy him any more today than you did when you were fourteen.”

Ramona's words delivered a sucker punch to her self-confidence. Megan ignored it.

She slipped off her walking shoes and followed her cousin, still in attack mode. “Did you ever care for Ean? Or did you chase after him only because you knew I had a crush on him?”

Ramona spared Megan a disdainful look over her shoulder. “I've never chased after anyone. I've never had to.”

“Did you ever care about him?”

“He was exciting, if you know what I mean.” Ramona's grin was wicked. She settled onto her overstuffed white armchair and crossed her legs.

Megan did know what Ramona meant, and that enraged her. “You went after him because you knew I liked him. The same way you stole my toys and my clothes. Why?”

“Poor little orphan Megan. Our grandparents' favorite.”

Ramona's words confused Megan. “Our grandparents didn't have favorites.”

“Easy for you to say.” Ramona's tone was dry. “You couldn't do anything wrong in their eyes.
Miss Perfect.
”

“Why do you say that?”

“You never got dirty, never stayed out past curfew, never did poorly in school.”

“You chose to do those things. No one made you do them. But our grandparents still loved you.”

“But I wasn't you, was I, Megan?”

“No, but you weren't orphaned, either. Both of your parents were alive.” She hated reliving this painful past.

“But they didn't dote on me the way our grandparents doted on you.” Ramona's tone was tense.

Was her cousin actually envious of her? She couldn't grasp that concept. Ramona had everything: career success, social success, confidence and beauty. Why would Ramona possibly envy her?

Megan sank onto the sofa. “Your Heritage High graduating class was right when they voted you most likely to succeed. You have a successful business
and
you're the town's mayor.”

“But you're trying to turn the town against me.” Ramona folded her arms.

“Because you're trying to put us out of business.” Megan sighed. “We were never in competition, Ramona. I thought you realized that when you decided to stay with me after Grandpa died.”

Ramona relaxed her arms and straightened in her chair. “You thought I stayed because of
you
?”

“We're the only family we have left. Why else would you stay here rather than go back to New York and Ean?”

“I don't have to explain myself to you.” Ramona looked away.

“No, you don't. But you should at least understand the reason yourself. Why did you come home?”

Ramona's café au lait cheeks flushed. Her lips tightened. Megan remained still and quiet, waiting her out.

Finally Ramona crossed to the far side of the room, facing the fireplace. “I wasn't ready.”

“For what?”

Ramona hesitated. “The demands of Ean's career. He was working all of the time. I barely saw him.”

It sounded like a plausible explanation. Ean's career was very demanding. That was the reason he hadn't been able to come home more often or stay for longer visits. Still, something in Ramona's voice made Megan realize her cousin wasn't completely forthcoming.

“That didn't mean you had to leave New York.”

Ramona turned to her. “I didn't have anyone else in the city.”

“Neither did Ean.”

Ramona shrugged a shoulder. “He survived.”

Megan's lips curved in a slight smile, as proud as though she had a right to be. “He did more than survive. He thrived.”

“And then he came home.” She gave Megan a considering look. “Is there any truth to Quincy getting a job in Philadelphia?”

Megan's brows jumped up her forehead. “Why? Are you looking for another ticket to a big city?”

Ramona returned to the armchair. “I'm just curious.”

Megan gave her a hard stare. “Ramona, don't play games with Quincy.”

“What? Are you his mother?”

Megan stood. “You should know that some people are tired of your self-serving antics, including me. Ean made his choice and he chose me.”

Ramona angled her head. “Are you actually color blind?”

Megan lowered her brows. “What?”

Ramona gestured toward Megan's outfit. “Your pantsuit is very nice. It flatters your figure. But that's a god-awful ugly color.”

Megan spoke through clenched teeth. “Stop chasing after Ean. He's mine.”

Megan left Ramona's condo feeling like the strong, assertive woman Ean saw whenever he looked at her. She should have drawn the line for her cousin years ago.

What was behind Ramona's crack about my clothes?
Megan shelved the mystery for another time.

She exhaled as she climbed into her car. Guilt at the possibility Ramona had given up her life in New York to stay with her in Trinity Falls had made her the passive one in their relationship. Ramona claimed that wasn't the reason she'd stayed. Megan didn't believe her. Nevertheless, she was done being the doormat. Today she'd fought for her man. Tomorrow she'd fight for her bookstore.

CHAPTER 20

Later that day, Ramona paused outside of Quincy's office. He was right where his neighbor had said he would be when she'd gone to his town house first. Why was he working on a Saturday? She'd much rather have entertained him in her condo or his town house. Having this conversation in his office was the reason she was out of sorts. It wasn't because of nerves. Why should she be nervous? She was about to make Quincy's day—his year. Ramona patted her flowing brown hair into place again and adjusted her formfitting emerald dress.

She stepped into view and knocked on his open door. “Am I interrupting?”

Quincy eyed her with suspicion. He laid his pen and papers on his already cluttered desk. “Are you lost?”

Ramona forced a laugh. It cracked in the middle. “I guess I can't say I was in the neighborhood.” She leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb with studied nonchalance. “It doesn't take long to get anywhere in this town, not even the college.”

“It's a university, Ramona. We offer graduate courses here. You're an alumna. You should know that.”

“That's right.” Why did he always have to be so superior? “It was a slip of the tongue.”

The silence grew brittle as Ramona searched for a better conversation topic. Quincy wasn't offering any help. The least he could do was stand. Chivalry was dead and six feet under the ground.

She stepped farther into his office and looked around. She'd never been here before. She didn't see much to talk about, though. Just a couple of bookcases crammed with stuffy books, a bulletin board littered with boring memos and the tiniest coffeemaker she'd ever seen.

She pointed at it. “Do you know how many pots I'd have to make with that, just to get through the afternoon?”

That comment earned her a smile that was gone in a blink. “Why are you here?”

Ramona spied his family photos beside a picture of the young Terrible Trio on a shelf above his desk. Inspiration struck. “How's your family?”

Quincy's coal black eyes narrowed. It was a good look on him, very virile. He often looked at her that way. “What do you want?”

It took Ramona a few seconds to shift her focus from his expression to his words. When she did, her anger stirred again. “I want to know how your family is doing.”

“Cut the crap, Ramona. We've known each other for more than twenty-five years. When have you ever asked about my welfare or my family's well-being?”

He was a bit sarcastic, a little amused. She'd heard that tone from him before. But it had never seemed as naughty as it did today. What had changed? Her? Was she manufacturing an attraction to him to make her plan easier?

“I'm interested now.” She couldn't help her defensive voice. Her mind was spinning too fast for a more sincere tone.

“Why?” He waited for her answer. When she didn't respond, he picked up the papers he'd been reading before she'd arrived. “I've got work to do, Ramona. Close the door on your way out.”

Ramona stared at the top of Quincy's bent bald head. No one had ever dismissed her before. No one. In her entire life. But Quincy had the obnoxious habit of treating her unlike anyone else. He frequently disagreed with her. He challenged her. He chastised her—in front of other people. And now he was dismissing her.

She stood for several moments in uncharacteristic indecision. Their encounter wasn't supposed to happen this way. Quincy should have been surprised, happy and excited to see her—like other men were. He wasn't supposed to send her home. She needed to be more direct.

Ramona cleared her throat. “I've been meaning to ask if the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?” His tone reeked of manly exasperation. Kind of cute.

“Ean told me that you'd interviewed for a faculty position with the University of Pennsylvania.”

Quincy was silent for so long, she didn't think he'd heard her.

“He's right.” Quincy's response was flat. Why wouldn't he look at her?

“Well, congratulations.” She tried a trill of laughter. It sounded better than her first attempt. “We should celebrate.”

“‘We'?” That made him look up.

Ramona wanted to trace his arched brow. “Let me take you to dinner.”

“Isn't that premature? They haven't offered me a job, only an interview.”

Ramona dragged her hand through her hair, a nervous habit she still couldn't break. “But you know that they will. So you should celebrate this opportunity.”

More silence. Quincy's dark gaze was steady and demanding on hers. “Why?”

Ramona's mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish. Why was he making this so hard for her? “Because this is a momentous occasion. It's life changing. You're leaving Trinity Falls.”

“That's the real reason you're here. Because you think I'm leaving town.”

“Of course.” Her cheeks stung with heat. “I'm going to miss you. Everyone will miss you. Really badly. I just want an opportunity to let you know that.”

“Because we've meant so much to each other for so long.”

“Yes.”
Oh, God, is he buying this?

“Bullshit.”

That answered her question. But he didn't sound angry. Was he laughing at her? Again? “You don't believe me?”

Quincy lowered his papers and pen once more. “You've known for years how I feel about you, yet you never said a word to me. Do you expect me to believe that my leaving town just happens to coincide with your sudden attraction to my magnetic charisma and movie star good looks?”

He
was
laughing at her. His cheeks creased with his smile. His eyes danced with humor as he stared up at her from the seat behind his desk.

Ramona's palms itched with the urge to smack him, but she also was inexplicably turned on. “It's like you said, Quincy. We've known each other for a long time.”

Surprisingly, she was telling the truth. They'd known each other since the first grade. Except for those years he'd spent away at college and graduate school, he'd been a fixture in this town. The town would feel his absence—including her. This all came as a surprise. How was she supposed to react to this?

Quincy leaned forward. “You probably thought your dinner invitation would make my day, if not my entire year.”

Ramona's eyes stretched wide. Could he read her mind? “Of course not.”

“Really?” Quincy sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “What would you say if I told you I'd turn down the University of Pennsylvania if they offered me the position?”

“But you won't.”

“I might. I'm kind of fond of Trinity Falls.”

Ramona spread her arms. “What's keeping you here? Your parents and sister moved to Florida years ago. This is a wonderful career opportunity for you. It's more money, a bigger more prestigious university. Why wouldn't you go?”

“Trinity Falls is my home. I'm happy here.” His smile drained from his eyes. “If you're unhappy, you should leave. But do it on your own. Stop attaching yourself to men's coattails.”

Ramona gasped. “How dare you!”

“When you were eighteen, you hitched yourself to Ean's ride. Now you're thirty-two. Instead of making your own opportunities, you want to tag along with me. That's pathetic, Ramona.”

“You're grossly mistaken.” Ramona's temper snapped. “I wouldn't hitch myself to your ride, as you so crudely put it, if you were the last man on earth.” She spun toward the door and strode across Quincy's office.

“Does this mean you won't be taking me to dinner?” Quincy's voice taunted her.

Ramona ground her teeth. Without breaking stride, she gave him the one-finger salute. Quincy's laughter followed her down the hall.