by Layla Holt
She inhaled deeply. "Today was almost a replay of what happened a few months ago. I entered my car, turned the key and it wouldn’t start. I knew nothing about cars, still don’t.”
He made a mental note to himself to teach her the basics of a car. It was important that every driver knew what to do and what not to do if their car stalled.
Corrine let out a humorless laugh. “I did know that checking the front was the first step. I opened the hood and noticed steam coming out from what I now know to be the radiator."
Lance cringed, sensing what was coming.
"In my ignorance, I grabbed a cloth and twisted the radiator cap open. Steam burst out of it and a searing pain covered one side of my face. That's all I remember," she said, her voice breaking at the last words.
He closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his chest as naturally as though it belonged there.
Lance smoothed down her hair as her body shook with sobs. Helplessness came over him. How could he ease her pain?
"I'm so sorry," he said unable to imagine the physical pain she had endured.
Burns were excruciatingly painful but a burn from scalding hot radiator fluid was unimaginable. She was lucky that she had got away with only minor burns on her face.
Lance knew someone who had been burned the same way. He was Dean and Max’s friend and he’d been fooling around in Max’s dad’s car repair shop on a car that had just been brought in. Oliver had not been as lucky as Corrine and his face had been horribly scarred. At sixteen, he’d had to undergo years of cosmetic surgery to reconstruct his face.
"I hate my face!" Corrine said, her voice bitter.
Lance was taken aback by the vehemence in her words. His heart squeezed, knowing that he did not have the right words to take away her pain. Instead, he hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up.
Her eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue. They reminded him of the ocean on a stormy night. His gaze dropped to the freckles that danced across her cute nose and then to her full lips. Lips that were made for kissing. Bow shaped.
Every feature in her face was perfectly made. How could she not know that she was beautiful, enchanting, alluring, sexy...there was no one word that adequately captured the essence of Corrine.
He didn’t have the words to heal her heart but he could show her. Warning bells rang in his head as he moved in to kiss her. She needed it, he told himself. She needed him and he was going to be there for her.
CORRINE LOST HERSELF in the sensual kiss. She held on to it as a drowning man held on to a floating plank of wood. She needed Lance to make her erase Mark's horrible words. She needed to know that a man could desire her.
And not just any man. Sexy, handsome as a sin, Lance. He pulled her onto his lap without breaking the kiss and when she settled, she threaded her hands through his har.
The skin on her back burned on every spot that his hands touched. Overwhelming desire came over her and suddenly Mark's words did not matter. Her past did not matter. What mattered was here and now.
She clung to Lance as the intensity of the kiss grew. His mouth was insistent, evoking sensations she had never experienced with another man. Delicious wild tremors ran across the nerves in her body, confirming that though her heart had been bruised, her body had not been affected.
She was still human, still capable of feeling desire and passion.
The sound of a key being inserted into the lock sounded from a distance followed by the opening of a door. Corrine broke the kiss and quickly hopped off Lance's lap when she heard the clear voice of Aunt Maureen.
There was no time to recover as, moments later, she hobbled in on her clutches. She looked from Corrine to Lance in surprise and then grinned.
"Lance, hi," she said. "If I knew you would be here, I'd have come a lot earlier."
Her aunt was a natural flirt, Corrine thought with amusement.
"I just brought Corrine home and she tempted me into a cup of coffee," Lance said, his voice sounding strained.
Her aunt turned her gaze to Corrine, a concerned expression on her face. “What happened with the car?”
“It was the battery,” Corrine said. “Lance organized for someone to pick it up.”
“Thank you for taking care of Corrine,” Aunt Maureen said. “Be sure to let us know the cost of the repairs so we can pay for it.”
“You’re welcome,” Lance said, his whole demeanor cool.
Was he regretting the kiss? Would he apologize to her again for kissing her? She could tell nothing by reading his face.
"Anyway, I'm glad to see you, " Aunt Maureen said. “Stay and have supper with us."
He stood up. "I can't, my parents are expecting me for dinner but thank you for the invitation."
"I’ll walk you out," Corrine said. She could see that he was eager to leave.
They did not speak as they walked to his car.
She wanted to ask him whether he’d attend class but as soon as they got to the car, he unlocked it and slipped in.
"'I'll have the car sorted and delivered tomorrow morning, if possible," Lance said.
"Thanks," Corrine said.
Before she could utter another word, the car roared to life and with a wave, he was off. She stood there staring until it disappeared from view. She didn't know what to make of what had just happened.
Chapter Nine
CORRINE PAUSED TO LISTEN every time she thought she heard footsteps. Each time it turned out to be noise from the ground floor rather than Lance.
“I don’t think Lance will come today,” Corrine finally said to her aunt.
Aunt Maureen stopped mixing paint and looked at her. “Why do you say that? Did he say something?”
“No,” Corrine said and shrugged.
She couldn’t explain to her aunt that they had kissed and Lance had appeared to regret it. She was sure that she was the last person he wanted to see.
“He’ll be here,” her aunt said and then chuckled. “There’s nothing like a man who is smitten. That man can’t take his eyes away from you. Sometimes I even feel sorry for him!”
Corrine’s face heated up when she remembered how close Aunt Maureen had been to walking in on her sitting on Lance’s lap.
“How’s it going with Sam?” Corrine asked.
Corrine was yet to meet Sam but she’d heard so much about him that it almost felt as though she knew him. Aunt Maureen had met him in the gallery and he’d invited her for coffee. They had taken to each other and now they went out regularly. Aunt Maureen’s broken leg was not a hindrance to their budding romance.
“He’s fine,” Aunt Maureen said happily. “He wanted to join the class but I said no. I won’t do any teaching with him here. I’ll just want to ogle him.”
Corrin giggled. “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
After some silence, Aunt Maureen spoke. “I never thought I’d find happiness again after Leonard.”
“I’d like to meet Sam,” Corrine said. “You’re not moving too fast, are you?”
Aunt Maureen burst out laughing. “At our age dear girl, you know what you want. We don’t have the luxury of dilly-dallying.”
Corrine heard footsteps coming up the stairs. This time she was not mistaken. Moments later, Ruby entered followed by a woman with big bright hazel eyes, flowing blond hair and a graceful manner.
“Hi, Aunt Maureen,” Ruby said, following Lance’s example and calling her as Corrine did.
“Hello dear girl,” Aunt Maureen said. “And who is this blond bombshell with you?”
The newcomer laughed and blushed. She gave a little wave. “My name is Leah Cohan. Ruby is my sister-in-law.”
Introductions were made all around.
“I told Leah how much fun it was and she wanted to come too,” Ruby said. “Dean won’t make it; he had a meeting somewhere in town.”
Aunt Maureen waved a dismissive hand. “He likes to see art on the wall not create it.”
&n
bsp; They all laughed. Leah was quiet and peaceful while Ruby was the opposite. She bristled with energy while Leah carefully took in her surroundings.
Male voices wafted into the room and Corrine’s pulse quickened. She tried not to show her disappointment when Sean and Jaime walked in.
“Dean finally accepted that his talents lay elsewhere?” Jaime said to Ruby who promptly mock punched his shoulder. He hugged both his sisters-in-law and the pulled Corrine in too.
The unexpected hug from Jaime and then Sean was surprising but sweet. It was difficult not to enjoy their easy camaraderie.
“Don’t look so worried,” Ruby whispered into Corrine’s ear at some point. “He’ll be here.”
Corrine’s mouth fell open. Was she that open with her feelings that a relative stranger could read her? Her face heated up and before she could form a denial, Lance walked in. She hadn’t heard his footsteps.
“I’m not the last one, am I?” Lance said.
“Yes, you are,” Sean said. “I have a feeling we lost Max.”
“Yeah but we’re a good crowd,” Lance said as he went to where Aunt Maureen was arranging small bottles of paint. He kissed her cheek.
“We weren’t sure you were going to make it,” she said.
“I wouldn’t miss the chance to spend a morning with my favorite art teacher,” Lance said smoothly.
“He’s a keeper,” Aunt Maureen announced.
He finally came to her. “Hi.”
Her insides trembled. She felt ridiculously happy to see him. “Hi.”
They stood staring at each other as if they had forgotten what the other looked like. He smelled so good, as if he’d just come from taking a shower.
“Lance and Corrine, are you planning on joining the class?” Aunt Maureen said in a crisp voice.
“Yes of course,” Lance said, unperturbed.
To Corrine’s shock, he took her hand and led her to a chair. Everyone noticed it and stared. She could feel her face heating up. Why was he holding her hand in front of his family? They would think there was something going on between them and there wasn’t.
Corrine slid into her chair and concentrated on rearranging her aisle. She couldn’t bear to meet anyone’s gaze. She was relieved when Aunt Maureen launched into a lesson on using complimentary colors to create shadows.
During the short break that Aunt Maureen gave them, Corrine found herself standing a little way away with Ruby and Leah.
“We’ve never seen Lance like this,” Ruby said. “It’s so exciting.”
“Like how?” Corrine asked.
Leah chuckled. “He can’t take his eyes from you.”
Corrine shook her head. “It’s not like that. We spend a lot of time together at the office and we’ve become good friends.”
“You’re good for him,” Ruby said as if Corrine had not spoken. “He’s even stopped admiring his own reflection.”
A giggle escaped Corrine’s lips. “Lance likes looking at himself?”
“Used to,” Leah said. “He couldn’t pass a mirror or glass without stopping to rearrange his hair.”
Corrine laughed again. She had not seen that side of Lance.
“Okay, ladies, spit it out, I hope you’re not poisoning my secretary’s mind,” Lance said as he, Jaime and Sean joined them.
“Not at all,” Leah said innocently. “We were actually inviting Corrine to go baby clothes shopping with us.”
Corrine’s glance shot to Lance. How would he take that? She was his secretary and belonged in the office, not encroaching on his family life. It did not appear to bother him. He smiled and gave a small nod, meant just for her.
“I hope she said yes,” Lance said.
They all turned to her. Ruby and Leah were so friendly and she loved their company. She also missed having friends. The friends she’d had back home were people she and Mark had known all their lives.
After Mark broke up with her, she tried to continue with the friendships but Corrine could tell that she made them uncomfortable. The rejection had stung and she’d learned to keep to herself.
“I’d love to, thank you,” Corrine said.
“Good. You can drive us,” Ruby said. “Dean dropped us off and we were planning on getting one of these dunderheads to drop us off. I’m assuming you have a car?”
Thanks to Lance, she did. Aunt Maureen’s car had been delivered to the cottage early in the morning and when she turned the ignition it had roared to life smoothly. She made a mental note to thank him.
After class, Corrine said goodbye to Aunt Maureen. Sam was picking her up and they were going on a short road trip to a town north of Lockwood.
Outside, they said bye to the boys and piled into Corrine’s car.
“Lance told us that you were new to Lockwood,” Ruby said. “Do you like it? I lived in New York for four years and when I came back, I was lucky to fit right in. Lockwood is a small town and it can take a while to grow on you.”
Corrine laughed. “Lockwood is a big city to me compared to my home town.”
She told them the superficial reason why she had come to Lockwood. To take care of her aunt.
“You must be talking about another aunt, not Maureen,” Ruby said. “She doesn’t look like she needs taking care of.”
Ruby was perceptive.
“I guess it was an excuse to leave home,” Corrine said.
Leah was born and bred in Lockwood. She told Corrine about the year and a half she had left after she got pregnant. Corrine was amazed at her candidness. She narrated how she had run away and then returned later and surprised Adrian with a baby.
Corrine’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t imagine having a secret baby and then having to tell the baby’s dad about it. “How did he react? Well, obviously well because the two of you are married, but still?”
Leah laughed. “He took to Matt immediately. It took a little longer for us to reconnect.”
“Wow. I’m happy for you,” Corrine said looking at Leah through the rear-view mirror.
Leah looked so happy and relaxed. Would she have her own love story to tell one day?
They shared a lot of laughs as they shopped for baby clothes. Ruby made them laugh with tales of her life in New York. Corrine was not surprised to learn that she had been a model. No wonder she was so chic and so self-assured. She was the most confident woman Corrine had ever met.
Her first impression of Leah was wrong. She was not quiet and had stories of her own from the hospital where she worked as a dietician. Time flew by and before Corrine knew it, they had a pile of clothes for Ruby’s unborn baby and were headed back to the car.
“I’m beat!” Ruby said when they entered the car.
Corrine glanced at her. Her skin was flushed and she did look exhausted.
“We may have overdone it,” Leah said. “I should have known better. Dean will scold me.”
“It’s normal to get tired quickly,” Ruby said. “Isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The combination of art class and shopping was too much,” Leah said.
“I think you should forgo the art classes for now,” Corrine said. “You’ll do them later. I hear that the first trimester is exhausting.”
“It is,” Leah said. “I agree. No more Saturday outings for you,” Leah said.
“But I’ll miss seeing Corrine and everyone else,” Ruby said.
Corrine was touched. She would miss Ruby too. They had become fast friends but her baby came first. “I’ll be coming to see you.”
“Drop me off first so you can see where we live. I might even tempt you into getting some jewelry.”
That launched a new direction in the conversation. Ruby told her that she made jewelry for a living.
“Don’t let her tone fool you,” Leah said. “Her pieces are sought after by celebrities. She made my wedding jewelry...it was beautiful.”
“Thanks Leah,” Ruby said.
Corrine grew silent as they drove into Glenn Acres. It was clearly a wealthy neighborhood w
ith houses set so far back from the road that you merely caught a glimpse of homes between huge towering trees.
“That’s home,” Leah said as they passed a huge imposing gate.
“Oh,” Corrine said as she drove past.
She was seeing Lance in another light. He had grown up in this neighborhood surrounded by opulence, while she had had a normal childhood in a middle-income family. They were so different.
“Ruby and Dean bought their own piece of land and built,” Leah explained. “Wait and see it, it’s a paradise.”
Corrine was rendered speechless as they drove through a similar imposing gate that opened automatically. As soon as she drove through, the home came into view. It was perched on higher ground and framed by a hill range and each side of it, woodlands. Corrine sighed loudly and the ladies laughed.
“That’s exactly how I feel each time I come here,” Leah said.
The home itself was a rustic design and it blended so well with the surrounding rocks and woodlands, that it looked like it had sprouted from the ground.
“Come on in for a quick tour,” Ruby said when Corrine brought the car to a stop in front of the home.
Corrine glanced at Leah. “Is it okay if I go in for a bit?”
“Sure, I’ll come too,” Leah said. “I never tire of admiring this house.”
Stairs led up to a porch that was only a porch in name. In reality it was more like a spacious open room. It was a complete outdoor entertainment area with a six-chair dining table, a swinging porch and a seating area with comfy seats.
“It took a whole year before it was ready for us to move in,” Ruby explained.
Corrine could understand why. The attention to detail was amazing. Real people actually lived like that? Corrine thought as she followed Ruby and Leah into the living room. Massive leather couches were arranged around a wooden coffee table and a fireplace that made a person want to curl up with a good book.
They went past the kitchen where a uniformed chef waved at them.
“This is my favorite spot,” Leah said when they stepped out the back.
