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a brain to get the address.
Gabe was here. With flowers. To see her.
When her mind stopped screaming like a teenage girl, she dug her purse out of the
desk drawer and ran a brush through her hair. Gabe was here.
She wished she had worn a suit with a jacket so she had pockets to shove her hands
into, to keep him from seeing how badly she shook. What should she say? How could
she ever apologize for leaving the way she did?
Turning the corner to the entry, she steeled herself and put on a practiced smile. She
could do this. He was just an ex-boyfriend. No, really, a vacation fling. That was all.
Who was she kidding?
Gabe glanced up as she approached, his face relaxing before breaking into that
smile that melted her& everything, whenever she saw it.
What a surprise. It s good to see you again. She stopped a few feet from him, not
trusting herself to get close enough to smell him. That would be the final assault needed
to make her throw herself at him and beg him to take her back.
You re as beautiful as ever. I see the sunburn has faded on your nose. He wore a
Hawaiian shirt and khakis, but he might as well be naked. His beautifully toned body
filled out the fabric, practically bragging about his physique. His eyes had a humorous
glint, not laughing at her but sharing a joke.
68
Maui Rekindled
Beside Maggie, Kelly subtly cleared her throat, bringing Maggie back to her
surroundings. What should she say? Where could they go to talk? She couldn t just take
the afternoon off on the spur of the moment. Why was he here? Ah, well, do you want
to come back to my office?
Actually, I was hoping we could go to lunch. I had a craving for a Kansas City
steak and Maui was fresh out. He held out the bouquet. These are for you, by the
way.
Accepting the bundle, Maggie buried her nose in the assortment of tropical blooms.
They re beautiful. I guess I need to put them in water. Come. My office is back here.
She led the way, not giving him a chance to catch up with her. If he got too close she
was likely to throw herself at him, wrap her legs around his waist and kiss him
breathless. That probably wasn t a wise move while still in her probationary period at
her job.
The staff offices were in a converted apartment that had a kitchen, where they kept
snacks, leftover vases, dishes and glasses for whatever might arise. She opened
cupboards until she found a pretty glass vase, and prepared the flowers for
arrangement.
The actions kept her hands busy, so he couldn t see them shake, but she knew she
needed to talk. How was your flight? So lame.
Uneventful. I was surprised by how warm it was here.
Yes, we re having an early start to summer. You re lucky the humidity hasn t hit
yet. She snipped the end off another bloom and placed it in the vase. Did you fly into
St. Louis or Kansas City?
St. Louis.
That s such a beautiful drive, isn t it? St. Louis to Joplin? God, she might as well
be talking with a resident s family. Why did she become brain-dead just because Gabe
was in her community?
69
Ari Thatcher
He cared enough to fly out here to talk. Shit, why didn t she realize he cared that
much? How did she get so fucked up where men were concerned?
Maggie, I m not going to make a scene. You don t need to put up a front. We don t
have to talk about anything important until tonight. I won t embarrass you.
Damn, he was too perfect. Why hadn t some woman snapped him up? She thought
only losers like her were still single, or single again, at their age. Why couldn t he be an
ass, so she could walk away and not look back?
Placing the last bit of greenery in the arrangement, she took a deep breath. She
glanced over her shoulder to see him leaning back against the counter. As always, his
essence filled the small space. Thank you. I m still fighting inner doubts that I have
what it takes to do this job. I mean, I know I can do it but those insecurities are hard to
kill off.
His expression softened. Something in his eyes tugged at her. Just be yourself.
They will love you. They can t not love you.
She was going to cry. Fool. Every emotion she d buried since boarding the plane for
her flight home gurgled up in her gut like sour milk. She couldn t do this. Why did he
have to show up at her work? Why couldn t he appear on her doorstep Saturday
morning, when she had an entire weekend to resolve her feelings?
Are you free to go to lunch now? If not, I ll wander around, maybe see if the
salesperson has time to give me a tour. This place is a lot bigger than I expected.
Maggie glanced at her watch. Let me just tell my boss I m heading out. I only have
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