Thrill Me

by Susan Mallery

“Works for me.”

  She gave him her cell number.

  Mayor Marsha’s desk phone beeped.

  “Excuse me,” the mayor said. “I need to take this call. I’ll leave you two to work out the details.”

  They all rose. Del and Maya walked into the hallway. Once there, he half expected her to bolt, but she surprised him by pausing.

  “When was the last time you were back?” she asked.

  “It’s been a couple of years. You?”

  “I came home to visit Zane and Chase a couple of months ago and never left.”

  Her brothers, he thought. Technically her stepbrothers, but he knew they were the only family she had. While he’d grown up in a loud, close-knit, crazy family, Maya hadn’t had anyone but an indifferent mother. She’d made her own way in the world. Something he’d respected about her, until that trait had turned around and bit him on the ass.

  “You’re a long way from Hollywood,” he said.

  “You’re a long way from the Himalayas.”

  “So neither of us belongs here.”

  “Yet here we are.” She smiled. “It’s good to see you, Del.”

  You, too.

  He thought the words, but didn’t say them. Because it was good, damn her. And he didn’t want it to be. Maya was born trouble. At least she had been for him. Not that he would make that mistake again. He’d trusted her with everything he had and she’d thrown it back in his face. Lesson learned.

  He nodded at her, then swung his backpack over his shoulder. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  Her smile faltered for a second before returning. “Yes, you will.”

  He watched her go. When she was out of sight, he thought about going after her. Not that there was anything to say. Their last conversation, a decade ago, had made everything clear.

  He told himself the past was the past. That he’d moved on and was long over her. He’d gone his way and she’d gone hers. Everything had worked out for the best.

  He walked out of City Hall and toward the lakefront. There was a continuity to the town, he thought as he looked around and saw tourists and residents coexisting. City workers were changing the banners, taking down those celebrating the Dog Days of Summer Festival and hanging the ones proclaiming the Máa-zib Festival. This time last year, they’d been doing the same thing. And the year before and a year from now. While there were a handful of recent businesses opening, truth was the heart of the town never changed.

  Brew-haha might be a new place to get coffee, but he knew that when he walked inside he would be greeted, very possibly by name. There would be a bulletin board advertising everything from dog-walking services to upcoming civic meetings. That while some of the friends he’d had in high school had moved on, most of them had stayed. Nearly all the girls he’d kissed as a kid were still around. Most of them married. This was their home and where they felt they belonged. Their kids would grow up to go to the same elementary school, middle and high school. Their kids would play in Pyrite Park and go to the same festivals. Here, life had a rhythm.

  Once Del had thought he would be a part of it. That he would stick around and run the family business. Find the right girl, fall in love and—

  Talk about a long time ago, he told himself. Talk about being a child himself. He could barely remember what it had been like back then. Before he’d left. When his dreams had been simple and he’d known that he was going to spend the rest of his life with Maya.

  For a second he allowed himself to think of her. Of how in love he’d been. Back then he would have said they’d been in love, but she’d proved him wrong. At the time he’d been devastated, but now he was grateful. Because of her, he’d left Fool’s Gold. Because of her, he’d been free to leave and could return home the conquering hero.

  He waited for the flush of pride. There wasn’t any. Maybe because in the past couple of months, he’d started to realize he had to figure out a new direction. Since selling his company, he’d been restless. Sure there were offers, but none that interested him. So he’d come back to where it all started. To see his family. To celebrate his dad’s sixtieth birthday. To figure out where he went from here.

  For the second time in as many minutes, he thought about Maya. How nothing had ever been as beautiful as her green eyes when she smiled up at him. How—

  Del hesitated for a nanosecond before crossing the street, then he brushed the memory away, as if it had never been. Maya was his past. He was moving forward. Mayor Marsha wanted them to work together, which was fine by him. He would enjoy the challenge, and then move on. That’s what he did these days. He moved on. Just as Maya had taught him.

  * * *

  WHILE THE MITCHELLS couldn’t claim to be one of the founding families of Fool’s Gold, they’d only missed that distinction by a single generation. They’d been around longer than most and had the interesting family history to prove it.

  Maya had first met Elaine Mitchell over ten years before when she’d applied for a part-time job with Mitchell Fool’s Gold Tours. The friendly, outgoing woman had promised fair pay and flexible shifts. As Maya had been saving every penny for college, she’d been thrilled with the offer. There wasn’t going to be any help from her family, so it was up to her to get scholarships, grants and loans, then supplement the rest with whatever she could save.

  Two unexpected things had happened that fateful summer. Maya had met and fallen in love with Del—Elaine’s oldest son. But she’d also made a friend in the Mitchell matriarch. Elaine was married to famous glass artist Ceallach Mitchell and was the mother of five boys. She’d been born and raised in Fool’s Gold. Her life was the best kind of chaos—one defined by a growing, happy family.

  Maya had been the only child of an exotic dancer who had married for money and suffered the consequences. While Maya had felt badly for her mother, she had loved moving to Fool’s Gold and being a relatively normal teen for the first time ever.

  On the surface the two women had little in common, Maya thought as she hurried out of City Hall and headed for her car. They were worlds and lifetimes apart. Yet they’d always seemed to have something to talk about and, despite how Maya’s relationship with Del had ended, she and Elaine had stayed in touch.

  Now she got in her car and drove the six miles out of town toward the Mitchell family house. It stood on acres of land, separate from the town. Ceallach needed quiet for his creativity and space for his huge glass installations.

  So the family lived outside of town and the five brothers had grown up on the side of a mountain, running through the rugged terrain, doing whatever it was young boys did when outdoors and unsupervised.

  Maya thought back to all the stories Del had told her, when they’d been together. And what Elaine shared in their frequent emails. She knew her friend missed having all five of her sons at home. Del and the twins had moved away, and while Nick and Aidan were still in town, neither lived at the family house anymore.

  Maya turned left and headed up the long driveway. When she finally reached the house, she was relieved to see Elaine’s SUV parked in front.

  She’d barely made it up the front porch stairs when the door opened and Elaine smiled at her.

  “You’re an unexpected surprise. What’s up?”

  Del had his mother’s eyes. The rest of him—his size, his build—came from his father, but those brown eyes were pure Elaine.

  “You didn’t know?” Maya asked, climbing the porch stairs. “Del’s back.”

  Elaine’s openmouthed surprise confirmed what Maya had expected. Her friend hadn’t known. Which was so like a guy. Why tell your mom you were coming home?

  “Since when?” Elaine asked, hugging her, then motioning her inside. “He could have called. I swear, he’s the worst of them.” Her mouth twisted as she led the way to the kitchen, her athletic shoes making no sound
on the hardwood floors. “And the twins. I should disown all three of them.”

  “Or post their embarrassing baby pictures on the internet,” Maya offered, stepping into the huge kitchen.

  “That would be a better solution,” Elaine said as she crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “Then I’d hear from them for sure. So what happened? Where did you see him? What did he say?”

  “Not much. I was too surprised to ask many questions.”

  Maya took her usual seat at the big kitchen table. The overhead light fixture was made up of five pendant lights—each a rainbow of colors that swirled and seemed to move, even as they were perfectly still. She’d earned decent money as a senior producer back in Los Angeles, but there was no way she would have been able to afford those pendant lights. Or the stunning piece in the corner of the family room. Ceallach’s work was scattered throughout the house. One of the advantages of being married to a famous artist, she thought, accepting the glass of tea Elaine passed her.

  Her friend already knew about Maya’s new job as the Fool’s Gold communications director. Now Maya told her about the meeting with Mayor Marsha and the plans for the various videos.

  “We agreed there should be a host,” Maya continued. “Someone good on-screen.”

  “I know where this is going.” Elaine gave her a sympathetic glance. “What about you?”

  “You’re sweet to pretend I had a chance, but being in front of the camera...” Maya wrinkled her nose. “Anyway, I thought about some of the athletes who live in town. I mean why not? Or maybe Jonny Blaze.”

  “Too young for me, but still sexy.”

  Maya grinned. “I agree on the latter, if not the former.”

  Elaine laughed. “And that’s why we’re friends. So not Mr. Blaze?”

  “No. As if he’d been listening in the other room, in walked Del. I couldn’t believe it.”

  Elaine pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. “Me, either. I wonder how long he’ll be in town. He’s not texting me about staying here at the house, which means he’s bunking somewhere else.” Her mouth twisted. “Apparently I did a bad job with my boys.”

  “Don’t say that. You were a great mom.”

  Maya would know. Her own mother had been on the dark side of awful, so she had a frame of reference. While her mother had been busy making sure Maya understood that she was the reason for her every disappointment, Elaine had been raising happy, loved children.

  “Besides, isn’t the point of raising children to get them to where they’re contributing members of society?” Maya asked gently. “You did that times five.”

  Before her friend could answer, the doggie door moved a little. Maya caught sight of a brown nose, followed by a happy blur of colors as Sophie, Elaine’s beagle, raced into the kitchen.

  Sophie was a bright-eyed sweetheart. Her traditional white with brown-and-black splotches was very beagle-like but her personality was pure Sophie. She lived with gusto, pouring all her energy into whatever had captured her attention. Right now it was giving her mom a couple of quick kisses before moving to greet Maya. In a few minutes she would probably be figuring out a way to open the refrigerator and devour whatever was planned for dinner.

  “Hey, pretty girl,” Maya said, lowering herself to the hardwood floor and holding out her arms.

  Sophie raced toward her, her soft puppy mouth forming a perfect O as she bayed out her greeting. She then climbed onto Maya’s lap for a proper snuggle. Big paws scrambled as Sophie gave her best kisses and shimmied even closer for hugs.

  “You have the prettiest eyes,” Maya said, admiring the rim of dark brown, then rubbing the dog’s ears. “It must be nice to be a natural beauty.”

  “Unlike the rest of us,” Elaine murmured. “There are mornings when I swear, it takes a village.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Maya gave Sophie one last pat, then returned to her chair. Sophie circled the kitchen, sniffing the floor, before settling into her bed by the fireplace.

  Maya looked at her friend. She noticed dark circles under her eyes and an air of something—maybe weariness.

  “Are you okay?”

  Elaine stiffened. “What? I’m fine. I’m upset about Del not telling me he was coming home. He mentioned in an email that he might, but there were no firm plans.”

  “Maybe he wanted to surprise you.”

  “I’m sure that’s it.”

  Maya decided a change of subject would probably be a good thing. “How are the plans for Ceallach’s big party going?”

  “Ceallach won’t make a decision whether or not he wants a big blowout or a small family get-together for his birthday. At this rate, I’m going to have to lock him in a closet until he makes up his mind.”

  Maya smiled. Elaine’s words were tough, but there was a lot of love and time behind them. Del’s parents had been together over thirty-five years. Theirs had been a love match, when both Elaine and Ceallach had still been in their early twenties. The ride had been bumpy. Maya knew about Ceallach’s drinking and artistic temperament. But Elaine was devoted and they’d raised five kids.

  For a second she wondered what that must be like. To be married so long, it was hard to remember any other life. To know your place in the long line of family members who had come before and would come after. To be one of the many.

  She’d never had that. When she’d been little, it had just been her and her mom. And Maya’s mother had made it clear that having a child around had been nothing but a pain in her ass.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MAYA HAD HOPED that hanging out with her friend would be enough to chase all the Del from her mind. But she’d been wrong. The night had been an uncomfortable experience of being awake more than asleep. And when she finally did doze, it was only to dream of Del. Not current, sexy, stubbly Del, but the twenty-year-old who had stolen her heart.

  She woke exhausted and with memory hangover. Funny how, until she’d seen him, she’d been able to forget him. But now that he was back, she was trapped in a past-present rip in the space-time continuum.

  Or she was simply dealing with some unfinished business, she thought as she stepped into the shower. Because as much as she might like to think the universe revolved around her, truth was, it didn’t.

  Thirty minutes later she was reasonably presentable. She knew the only thing that would make her day livable was lots and lots of coffee. So she left her tiny rental house, pausing to give her newly planted flowers a quick watering before heading to Brew-haha.

  Fool’s Gold had grown in the ten years she’d been away. Giving walking tours of the city as a part-time job in high school meant she was familiar with the history and layout. She had a feeling the schedule of festivals she’d once memorized still existed in her brain. Probably stored next to all the words to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.”

  The thought made her smile and, humming the song, she walked into Brew-haha.

  The coffee place had been decorated simply, with bright colors and lots of places to sit. There was a long counter up front, a display of tempting, high-calorie pastries and a tall, broad-shouldered man at the front of a six-person line.

  Maya froze, half in, half out of the store. Now what? She was going to have to face Del at some point. Thanks to Mayor Marsha, they would be working together. But she hadn’t thought she would have to deal with him precoffee.

  The downside to an otherwise perfectly lovely town, she thought, sucking up her doubts and joining the line.

  As Del finished placing his order, whatever he’d said had the cashier laughing. He moved over to wait for his order and immediately started talking to the barista.

  Had he always been so friendly? Maya wondered, watching him, while trying to appear as if she wasn’t paying attention
at all. A trick that had her still slightly sleepy self struggling to keep up.

  The line moved forward. Several other customers stopped to talk to Del, greeting him and then pausing to chat. No doubt catching up, she thought. Del had grown up here. He would know a lot of people.

  A few words of the conversations drifted to her. She caught bits about his skysurfing and the business he’d sold. Because when Del had left town, he’d not only gotten involved in a new and highly risky sport, he’d designed a board, founded a company and then sold it for a lot of money. Which was impressive. And the tiniest bit annoying.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to have done great. But maybe he didn’t have to be so good-looking at the same time as being so successful. Was a disfiguring scar too much to ask for? Something to level the playing field?

  But no. With his three days’ worth of beard and easy smile, he was still movie-star handsome. She would know. She’d seen plenty of him on video and he was impressive. The camera loved him and that meant the audience did, too.

  She reached the front of the line and placed her order for the largest latte they had. She thought about ordering an extra shot of espresso, then acknowledged she would be most likely returning later. Better to spread out the caffeine.

  She stepped to the side to wait for her drink. Del was still talking with a couple of people. She expected him to finish his conversation and leave. Instead, he headed for her.

  “Morning,” she said as he approached. Her lingering sleepiness faded as odd tingles began in her toes and raced up to the top of her head. Horror replaced trepidation.

  No, no, no! There couldn’t be tingles or awareness or any of that. Uh-uh. No way. Not her. She refused to be attracted to Delany Mitchell. Not after ten years and thousands of miles. The miles being metaphorical for her and literal for him. They were done. They’d moved on. Okay, technically she’d dumped him in a cruel and immature way, but regardless of her failings, it was so over as to be a relationship fossil.

  Exhaustion, she told herself desperately. The tingles were the result of exhaustion. And maybe hunger. She would probably faint next and then everything would be fine.