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“I would like to think that we have reached a point where you can say whatever you want.”
Deacon gave him a wry look. “You have pushed yourself into my life and refused to be locked out.” His expression sobered. “I appreciate the friendship.”
“You are welcome.” Liam inclined his dark head gracefully. “There is someone out there for you, my friend.”
Deacon felt his black mood getting lighter. “Is that a prediction?”
“It is more of a hope.” Liam grinned at him. “I never thought I would fall in love, and here I am, hopelessly tangled and loving it.”
“Love.” The single word was spat out like something vile. “I don’t believe in it.”
“You were never in love with Janice.” Liam pointed out quietly.
“I was attracted to her in a big way, and I would have learned to love her over time.” He took a sip of the drink to wash away the bitterness. “She fooled me. I swallowed everything she told me and refused to accept the rumors.
She told me that people were jealous of her – that the women who were spreading the rumors wanted me, so they were trying to destroy the marriage. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, even when every instinct was screaming at me to see the signs right before me.” Leaning forward, he sucked in a tortured breath and felt as if his chest was on fire.
“Hey.”
“I am okay.” Struggling for control, he took several more breaths and felt himself settling and the cold control returning. “You are a handy venting machine.”
Liam gave a startled laughter. “I have to remember that. I found love when I was not even looking and in the most unexpected place. Things have a way of working out when we least expect it to.”
He was subjected to amused derision. “Cliches? That’s the order of the day?”
Liam grinned, not in the least bit offended. “Just stating facts, my friend. How about a late afternoon supper?”
“I would not say no to that. Where is that lovely wife of yours?”
“Attending some antique show with several of the other wives. Missing her already.”
“When did she leave?” Deacon inquired as they made their way through the side entrance and into one of the less formal dining areas. It was past supper time, and most of the members and their guests had already eaten and gone into other areas of the vast building.
“This morning.” Liam grinned at the wry look on his friend’s face. “I make no apologies for loving that woman to pieces.”
Chapter 3
Delores dressed carefully for her first day back. She spent several minutes inside her giant closet, debating the appropriate attire. She was not only going to be arriving at the publishing house after almost two weeks of being away, but she was also going to be involved in the change that was going to take place.
Deacon Manchester had explicitly asked that she be part of the meeting, and as much as she was dreading it, she would be prepared and well-dressed for it.
She selected a cherry red pantsuit with a decadent champagne lace inside the blouse. Her thick dark brown hair was brushed back and secured in an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck.
Her makeup was minimal - her friends had always complained that she did not need makeup with her skin tone. "You make the rest of us look like old hags." Angeline had told her dryly. "I cannot leave the house without putting my face on, and you look as fresh as a fricking daisy. It's so damn unfair."
Discreet diamond studs were at her lobes, and she was wearing the gold necklace with the diamond pendant David had given her last Christmas. She was ready for whatever will happen today. Or she hopes she was.
Standing inside her office half an hour later, she looked around at the neat space. The desk was scarred, but she did not mind. The office boasted a genuine fireplace, something she took advantage of during the winter.
She had found a beautiful painting of a girl riding a horse at an antique shop a few years ago, and the painting was mounted over the fireplace.
A large window with a window seat allowed her to sit there sometimes to take in the lovely grounds and the benches placed under the wide branches of the sycamore tree. Flowers bloomed in heady profusion, and the grass had been treated recently.
The publishing house was set back from the road and shrouded in privacy. It had been a large residence at one point and looked more like a genteel family’s home than a business place.
There was a stream gently running through the property. Delores loved the setting and thought it was perfect for this business. She had told Jerry that the place had character and did not care how that sounded. He had agreed with her.
"My ancestors got rid of the barn and the other buildings, which I think is a crying shame."
