“Definitely a ballbuster,” he said. “This is my lucky day.” She flinched as he reached toward her, but when he touched the base of her throat with the tip of his finger, a tiny shock zipped along her skin. “You and me are going to be great together…as long as I keep that dog collar snapped good and tight around your neck.”

Another jolt zapped her nerve endings, and she jerked away. Fortunately, three of the men who’d been hanging out at the bar chose that moment to approach. They were all young and respectful. Bodie introduced her, but they were only interested in him. She learned he’d played pro football, and as the men talked sports, she experienced the unusual, and not unwelcome, feeling of being invisible. She let herself relax a little. When the youngsters drifted away, however, she knew it was time to take control. “Tell me about yourself, Bodie. Where are you from?”

He studied her, almost as if he were making up his mind how much he wanted to reveal. “A dot on the map in southern Illinois.”

“Small-town boy.”

“You might say. I grew up in a trailer park, the only kid in the place.” He took a sip of beer. “My bedroom looked out over a junkyard.”

His rough background was written all over him, so she wasn’t surprised. “What about your parents?”

“My mother died when I was four, and my father was a good-looking drunk who had a way with the ladies. Believe me, there were a lot of them around while I was growing up.”

It was all so sordid that Portia wished she hadn’t asked. She thought of her ex-husband, with his impeccable pedigree, of the dozens of other men she’d dated over the years, some of them self-made, but all polished and well mannered. Yet here she was in a sports bar with a man who looked like he made his living stuffing dead bodies in car trunks. One more sign that her life was veering away from her.

Bodie excused himself, and she checked her cell. A message had come in from Juanita Brooks, the director of the Community Small Business Initiative. Portia immediately returned it. Volunteering with the CSBI had helped fill the hole left in her life by her divorce. Although she’d never confess it to anyone, she wanted validation—proof that she was the best—and mentoring these new businesswomen was giving her that. She had so much hard-earned wisdom to offer. If only they would listen to her.

“Portia, I’ve spoken with Mary Churso,” Juanita said. “I know you were excited about advising her, but …she’s asked to be assigned to someone else.”

“Someone else? But that’s not possible. I’ve spent so much time with her. I’ve worked so hard. How could she do that?”

“I think she was a little intimidated,” Juanita said. “Just like the others.” She hesitated for a moment. “I appreciate your commitment, Portia. Truly I do. But most of the women who come to us need to be nurtured a bit more gently.” Portia listened incredulously as Juanita explained that she had no one else currently in mind for her to work with, but that she’d let her know if someone “special” came along. Then she hung up.