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Vance snorted. So sweet she’d dumped him via a letter. She’d left town quickly after, and he hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to her. To beg her to take his worthless ass back. He hadn’t heard a word from her since, until now.
“Vance? You still there?”
“I’m here,” he grumbled.
“Anyway, like I was saying, Shayla mentioned that she was back in town and wanted to get in touch with you. I told her where you lived.” There was a slight pause before his mom added, “I hope you don’t mind.”
And bull’s-eye, Vance thought, a direct hit from Wanda the Cupid. “Mom.” He said her name in warning, knowing it was futile.
“Sorry, dear, Julie’s here. I need to go. Love you!”
Vance barely had time to bite back a curse before he heard the dial tone in his ear. He couldn’t really blame his mom, though. She didn’t know what Shayla had meant to him back then. How much he’d loved her. How he’d imagined marrying her. He’d been good at playing it off, acting as if it was all just good fun. And for sure, Vance hadn’t let on how much Shayla’s betrayal had cut him. He’d hidden the hurt well.
Her unexpected return brought all those feelings out of hiding, the good and the bad. He’d loved her so much, but when she’d dumped him, Vance had grown to almost despise her. Now she was back and looking better than ever with her cute shoulder-length red hair and hourglass figure. The grown-up Shayla had a body that didn’t quit. The girl he’d once known with the modest curves had developed into quite a woman. His cock flexed in his jeans as Vance gave in to his imagination and thought of how good she’d feel tucked up close to him. Then again, how long would she be around? Was she in Blackwater to visit or to stay?
Vance took a moment to regroup before heading back into the other room. What did Shayla possibly hope to accomplish after all these years by showing up on his doorstep? Too damn many questions, and the only way he was going to get any answers was if he stopped dicking around in the kitchen. He’d let her say whatever it was she had to say. She had something to get off her chest? Fine and dandy by him. After she was finished, he’d show her the door. He planned to make it crystal clear that she wasn’t welcome back through it too, because no way was he getting involved with the woman again. Once was enough. He’d learned his lesson the painful way.
Chapter Two
Shayla watched Vance stride back into the room, anger turning his hazel eyes cold and distant. The firm set of his powerful shoulders brought Shayla to her feet in an attempt to feel less vulnerable, not that it helped. Vance’s six-foot-plus frame dwarfed her, sitting or standing.
“If you have something to say, then you best get to it,” he ordered in an irritated voice. “I have somewhere to be.”
“The diner, I know,” Shayla replied, recalling the lovely talk she’d had with Mrs. Jennings earlier. She’d always liked the woman with the gentle smile and kind eyes. Shayla had been surprised Mrs. Jennings hadn’t hung up on her when she’d given her name, considering how she’d treated Vance.
“That’s right, you spoke to my mom.” He crossed his arms over his chest and quirked a brow at her. “Have a nice talk, did you?”
“Yes, actually, I did. Your mom is really kind.”
“She’s also not up to par, considering she had a heart attack in November.”
Shayla sucked in a breath. “Oh, Vance, I had no idea. She’s okay now? And how’s your dad doing?”
“Dad passed away a few years back. A stroke.”
She flinched at the pain she heard in Vance’s voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
He nodded stiffly. “Yeah. And to answer your other question, Mom thinks she’s just peachy, but the doctor doesn’t want her stressed.”
Ah, now she saw where he was going. “And my being back in Blackwater is stressful. Is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying you should say whatever it is you came here to say, then leave.”
“First of all, I’m not going anywhere. I’m back in Ohio for good.”
For the first time that Shayla could remember, Vance Jennings seemed truly speechless. “Huh?”
“I’ve been back for a month now. And I’ve moved my business here.” She smiled. “So you see? I’m pretty much here to stay, whether you like it or not.”
“Jesus, I can’t deal with this right now.” He strode across the room and grabbed a pair of black work boots from the front door. “Just say what you wanted to say and go.”
Shayla’s heart sank at the finality of Vance’s tone. “No, not like this,” she said, frustrated at herself for believing the visit would go better. For believing they could be civil. More than anything, Shayla was mad that even though Vance was sending her the “go away” vibes, she still felt something for the man. “I’ll come back when you aren’t so busy.”
“I’m always busy,” he gritted out.
Shayla merely stared at him, unwilling to be browbeaten into giving him a clipped version of why she’d dumped him. Of why she’d come back after all this time. “I’m not about to try and condense it into a few short, easy-to-swallow sentences just so you don’t have to deal with me,” she said, feeling bolder than she should. “You’re just going to have to make time.”
“Fine.” He sat on the edge of the couch and started to pull on his boots. “But don’t expect me to stop whatever I’m doing just to accommodate your newfound conscience. I did that once. Never again.”
