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“I accepted your apology last night. The flowers were a nice touch though. Why'd you come by?” she asked.

“I wanted to see you in your element. The way you talked about this place last night made me curious. You were so...passionate about the subject,” he said, his expression thoughtful.

“I'm very dedicated to these kids and the mission of the youth center,” Olivia said. “It’s important to nurture kids who don’t have the tools or the means to thrive.”

“I appreciate that,” Hunter said. “Especially since I know how it feels to be one of the have nots. I wish there had been a youth center here in town when I was growing up here.”

“Me too. For your sake,” Olivia said, feeling a twinge of sadness that Hunter and his siblings hadn’t been able to participate in enrichment programs.

“It’s okay. I think I turned out fairly well. And I’m on the board of several youth centers in New York. We’re doing great things there as well.”

Hunter smiled at her, throwing her off balance with his easy charm and relaxed vibe. He couldn't possibly be this easygoing running his Fortune 500 company. Business sharks like Hunter didn't make fortunes using their smiles and good-natured jokes. They were usually ruthless and fixated on the bottom line, which translated into winning. Winning at all costs. That had always been her father's mantra with Renault Industries, particularly in the years when he was riding high with the company. She could only imagine how a man like Hunter, who was successful on a much higher level, ruled his kingdom.

“This place is great. I would have loved spending time here as a kid. The arcade room, the pool, the arts and crafts room -.

She looked at him curiously. “It sounds like you checked out the place. Did someone give you a tour?”

“Er, yeah. I went to your office looking for you and someone named Carly offered to show me around the center.”

She was hit with a flash of annoyance at the thought of hot pants Carly showing Hunter around. “I'll bet she did,” she said dryly, imagining Carly hanging all over him like a dog panting over a bone.

Hunter's mouth twitched with laughter. “Not a member of the Carly fan club?”

“She's okay,” she said primly. If you like that kind of thing, she wanted to say.

“Really? Cause the expression on your face begs to differ.”

She let out a huff of air. “Okay, I can't stand her. She drools over anything in pants. She acts all dippy and syrupy sweet whenever a man is within a ten-mile radius. She's the fakest woman on the planet. And the worst part is she’s just not a very nice person. She’s mean-spirited and catty.”

Hunter started laughing so hard he had to hold his side. “And you would never act ditzy just to get a man's attention, would you?”

“No, I wouldn't,” she said huffily. “It is so annoying.” Hunter was barely holding back his laughter. His eyes flashed with merriment.

“Wait! Are you trying to say I did that with you?” she asked, feeling dumbfounded by the suggestion.

Hunter let out a loud snort. “Yes. You don't remember acting clueless around me?”

“No,” said Olivia blankly. “I don't remember that at all.”

He placed a hand over his mouth to hide his widening grin. “Do you remember why we started dating?”

Olivia shrugged. “We just started seeing each other, didn't we? I mean we were always at the same schools and we'd known each since forever.”

Hunter shook his head and let out a grunt. “No, we didn't just start dating. I was working part-time after school at that gas station over on Clinton and you used to drive over there every day pretending you didn't know how to pump your gas. You were sixteen and barely had your license. Finally, on the fifth day in a row I figured you weren't coming over just for the gas. We made plans to meet up at the dance and you blew me away. I don't think I've ever seen anyone more stunning.”

Olivia giggled at the memory. “I was pretty obvious, wasn't I?”

Hunter reached out and touched a lock of her hair, twirling a strand around his finger until it sprang free. “I always wanted to ask you out. Way before you started showing up at the gas station, months before that school dance.”

Olivia felt as if her mouth was filled with sawdust. “Why didn't you?”

“I was scared,” he said simply. “Scared you'd say no. Scared your daddy would think you were too good for me. Scared I didn't have anything to offer you. Scared I'd get so lost in you that I'd never want to leave this town.”

Shocked by his honesty and the words tumbling off his lips, she could do nothing other than stare at him and wonder what might have been had he stayed in town.

He glanced over at the kids, a wide smile plastered on his face as he watched the unfolding competition.

“This is bringing back a lot of memories. I used to love archery. I was pretty good too now that I think about it.”

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