Chapters (36)
That wasn’t true. Once he and Adriana got involved, he hadn’t seen Electra at all. They’d talked on the phone maybe twice a year, but that was it. After he’d lost Adriana, seeing Electra had been the last thing on his mind.
“I thought we could have dinner,” she said, lightly touching his arm. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I have plans tonight.”
The light touch became a slap. “No, you don’t.” She glared at him. “I want to talk about us working together. Come on. I know you’re not writing, and we used to be a great team. We could be again.”
She wasn’t going away. He should have remembered that she could be persistent. He shifted his guitar case to his other hand and gave her his full attention.
“I’m writing just fine,” he told her. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested in going backwards. You have a lot of talent. You’ll find someone else to write with.”
“No one’s as good as you.”
He faked a smile. “I appreciate the compliment, but it’s not going to happen. I’m sorry.”
She would think the apology was about the songwriting. Later tonight she would find out that he wasn’t going to be singing “Moonlight for Christmas,” and then it would all hit the fan. But by then, he would be surrounded by his manager and agent and counting down the hours until he returned to Wishing Tree.
As if she could read his mind, she said, “Something happened in that stupid little town, didn’t it? It’s where you started writing again.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“We both know that’s not true.” Her sharp gaze searched his face. “You’ve really changed.”
He thought about teaching Dena’s class how to play guitar, and the B and B, and Reggie telling him to be careful with Dena’s heart.
“I have.”
“I don’t like it.”
She turned and stalked away, her high-heeled boots clicking on the concrete floor. He watched her go, thinking he’d made a lucky escape.
When he was back home, he would tell Dena about the encounter. Then he would pull her into his arms and kiss her. He would tell her how he felt, and they would talk about the future. Maybe they would go back to her place and make love for the first time. He wasn’t sure of the details or how it would all play out, but he knew for sure that he’d found something solid and precious, and he was never going to let it go.