He’d shaved. Gone was the three-day growth that looked so good on him. Now his skin was smooth, his features clearly defined. The look suited him, even if it might be hell on the video continuity.
Stubble Del was dangerous and maybe a little wicked. Clean-shaven Del was more like the guy she remembered. He seemed a bit younger and more approachable, but just as sexy.
Her gaze settled on his mouth as she wondered how the two Dels would be different in the kissing department. Would the stubble scratch or just be delightfully abrasive? Would the smoothness be more or less appealing? Was it wrong to want to find out?
Instinctively she glanced at the camera and saw he was perfectly framed. She pushed the button to get a test shot.
“Maya?”
His impatient voice snapped her back to the present.
“What? Oh.” She released the camera already sitting on the tripod. “It never crossed my mind.”
“Asking me to help? Do you really think I’m that much of a jerk?” He swore. “When did I become the bad guy?”
“No, you’re not. I’m just used to handling this sort of thing on my own. It comes with my job.” She studied him. “Del, why are you mad about this?”
He waved to the setup. “This says you think I’m showing up to do my part and nothing else.”
She crossed to him. He’d dressed as she’d requested, and the faded blue shirt looked as good as she’d hoped. The color was perfect on him, and the camera was going to have a mini meltdown from all the sex appeal. Worse, the camera might not be alone in its reaction.
But first, she had to figure out what was going on. She stopped directly in front of him and put her hands on her hips.
“I don’t think so,” she said quietly. “You’re not mad at me. You’re right. I should have mentioned when I was getting here. I genuinely didn’t think about it. Next time I’ll offer to let you fetch and carry. I promise. So tell me what happened?”
She knew he hadn’t found out about his mother. That would have scared him, not made him furious.
He ran his hand through his hair, rumpling it delightfully. She so was not going to comb it back into place before filming.
Del sighed. “You’re right. This is only part of what’s wrong.”
She lowered her arms to her side and waited for him to continue.
He sucked in a breath. “It’s Aidan. He’s pissed. Seriously pissed.”
“At you?”
He nodded. “For leaving ten years ago. I honest to God never thought about it from his perspective, but he’s right. I took off and all of it got dumped on him. The business, the family. There was no warning. He got stuck because I took off.”
“And you got stuck before him.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“You did. You grew up knowing you had to take care of everything. You had to be there for your mom and your brothers. No one asked you if that was what you wanted. There wasn’t a discussion.”
“Why are you taking my side?”
She gave him a slight smile. “You’re the Mitchell brother I like best. You know I’m right. You were expected to take care of everything. What if you wanted something different? No one asked.”
“And I took off, leaving Aidan to pick up the pieces.” He swore again. “I’m a selfish bastard.”
Something prickled her skin. While the attraction was still there, she had a feeling that wasn’t the cause. It took her a second to recognize what it was. Guilt.
“It’s not your fault,” she told him, wondering how much he was going to hate her when he realized the truth. “It’s mine.”
“How do you figure?”
“I’m the reason you left.”
His dark gaze settled on her face. “I wondered if we’d get to that.”
“We had to,” she whispered. “It was inevitable.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “I’d love to dump this on you, but I was a big boy. I made my choices.”
“No, you reacted to mine. To me breaking up with you.” She reached for him and rested her fingers on his forearm. “Del, I promised to marry you. We were going to run off together.”
“Yeah. So either way I was leaving. Why didn’t I see that before?”
She shook his arm. “That’s not the point. I’m trying to apologize here. If you could listen?”
“No apology required. You changed your mind. You’re allowed. I wish you’d been honest with me— You could have told me you had concerns. But you didn’t. It’s not like I was the love of your life.”
She listened for bitterness and heard only resignation. Which made her feel awful. Why did he have to be so accepting? Anger and resentment would be a lot easier to deal with.
So here it was. Her moment to come clean.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. “About what happened. About what I said. I know it’s too late and that hearing it now doesn’t change anything, but I want you to know, I lied.”
His gaze sharpened. “About?”
She glanced down at the wild grass and flowers below, then forced herself to stare directly into his dark eyes. “I didn’t have concerns. Not the way you think. It was... I was terrified. I loved you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. You were my entire world. But I couldn’t trust you.”
He started to pull back, but she held on to his arm. “It’s not personal,” she told him. “Watching my mom and how she was with men. The things she said. I was so afraid that no one could love me. At the same time I believed you did, and that was more than I could handle. I guess the truth isn’t that I didn’t trust you, I didn’t trust myself.”
She dropped his arm and wanted to turn away. But this apology had been ten years in the making. She had to see it through to the end.
“You were my first love and my first time and when you asked me to marry you, I was thrilled. And so frightened. What if it didn’t work out? I knew having you leave would destroy me. Plus, I wanted to go to college and have a career. What if I asked for that and you said no? So in my eighteen-year-old logic, I decided I had to end things in such a way that you wouldn’t try to talk me into staying.”
She swallowed against the emotion tightening her throat. “That’s why I said you were too boring. To hurt you and make you hate me. It was never true. I loved you and wanted to be with you. But I didn’t know how. I’m sorry. I was cruel and I regretted what I did immediately. I knew the outcome was right, but how I did it was horrible. And I apologize for that.”
Del’s expression tightened. She braced herself for the well-deserved explosion, only there wasn’t one. He reached out and gently stroked her face.
“Well, damn,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t have thought it would matter to hear that, but it does. I get it. What we had was intense.”
“That’s one word for it.”
He smiled. “You were my first time, too.”
Her eyes widened. “What? No way. There were other girls.”
“Not like you. Not like that. I was shaking, Maya. Couldn’t you tell?”
“I was too nervous. What if I was horrible in bed?”
“Not possible.” The smile returned. “I came in eight seconds.”
She laughed. “I was a virgin. I didn’t know any better. Besides, you made up for it later. Over and over again.”
“To be that young again.”
Their tones were light, but she was feeling a lot of subtext. Maybe it was just her, but it seemed the cloudy morning had just gotten a little warmer. Del seemed to be standing close. Closer than he had been.
Danger signs flashed, but she ignored them all. Because this was Del, and maybe a girl was always supposed to have a special place in her heart for that first guy.
“I did love you,” she told him.
“I hope you know that.”
“I loved you, too.” The sexy smile returned. “Talk about a lot of confessions for a very early-morning shoot.”
With that, he stepped in and kissed her.
Maya had about two seconds to brace herself, but instead of retreating, she leaned in. Maybe it was closure, she thought, as his mouth brushed against hers. Maybe it was simply something that had to happen so they could move on. Maybe it was the perfect light of a cloudy morning.
His lips were warm and soft with a hint of firmness. The kiss was exactly right. Not too demanding, not too sweet. There was a dash of heat and plenty of promise.
She put one hand on his shoulder. He rested his fingers on her waist. There was no reaching, no tongue. Just the perfect, wonderful I used to love you kiss.
They drew back at the same moment and stared into each other’s eyes.
Wanting was there, along with regret, she thought. But also a sense of rightness.
“I take it that means you accept my apology,” she said.
He chuckled. “Sure. Because I’m one of the good guys.”
“Ready to get back to work?”
He nodded.
She retreated to behind the camera. The red light was on, which meant she’d recorded the whole kiss. Talk about incriminating evidence.
She reached for the delete button, then reset the camera to record what they were here to do. She had enough memory to get through the shoot. She would deal with the wayward clip later.
CHAPTER SIX
THE COUPLE SITTING in front of Del had to be the oldest people he’d ever seen. Albert was ninety-five and his wife, Elizabeth, was ninety-two. They’d been married seventy-six years. Together they looked like those apple dolls, with wrinkled faces and tiny raisin eyes. They were small, bent and walked so slowly, Del wondered how they ever got anywhere. But despite their outward infirmities, they were both still mentally sharp and verbally outspoken.
Del sat on their front porch on the warm afternoon. The overhang provided enough shade for Maya’s liking. The C stands for the 3-point lighting she favored barely fit on the porch, but it softened the faces of the older couple.
He and Maya had already discussed the best way to handle the interview. They’d agreed that the technology might be intimidating and distracting. So they’d decided to simply do a two-camera setup and get what they could in a single long shot.
“Tell me what it’s like to be married for seventy-six years,” Del prompted.
Albert shook his head. “I know what you really want to know, sonny. Do we do it? You know what? We do. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Albert, he’s our guest. Be polite.”
“We do it,” Albert repeated. “A little slower because of our bones, but the deed gets done.”
Del held in laughter. He remembered he was on camera and kept his attention on the older couple. “Thanks for the inspiration,” he replied. “What’s the secret to a long, successful marriage?”
Elizabeth looked at him. “What makes you think our marriage is successful?”
“You haven’t killed him yet.”
She laughed. “You’re right. I haven’t.”
“She’s threatened to plenty of times,” Albert said. “But I knew she didn’t mean it.”
They sat next to each other on a padded bench. Their hands were clasped loosely together, fingers laced. Del wondered how many hours of their lives had been spent holding hands. Could it be measured in weeks? Months?
“Don’t take love for granted,” Elizabeth said. “Don’t assume he’s annoying you on purpose.”
“Talk a walk,” Albert added. “Clear your head. And don’t always have to be right.”
Although they were here to talk about romantic relationships, the last comment made him think about Aidan. Del wasn’t trying to be right, but he also wasn’t sure he’d been listening. While Aidan’s outburst had seemed to come from nowhere, he knew he’d heard the complaints in one form or another over the years.
They wrapped up the interview. Del thanked the couple for letting him speak to them, then he helped Maya load up the equipment. By noon they were heading back to Fool’s Gold. He’d driven his truck up the mountain and now she relaxed in the passenger seat.
“They were impressive,” she said, leaning back against the headrest, her eyes closed. “Married for seventy-six years. How did they do that?”
“They married young.”
“It was probably considered normal, back then. Today everyone wants a career first.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Female economic success is changing the social structure of our country.”
He grinned. “I heard that, and no.”
“What?”
“There was a challenge in your voice. As if you expected me to step into your trap. I’m not getting involved in a discussion about equal rights for women with you, Maya. I still have another interview to do, and I’m not showing up bruised and bloodied.”
She laughed. “As long as you admit I’d best you.”
“You’d hold your own.”
She relaxed against the seat again. “I’d win.”
She probably would, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Maya was tough when she had to be. Meticulous when it came to her work. Although it was the town’s win that she hadn’t gotten the network job, he thought whoever had made the decision not to hire her had been an idiot. She was obviously brilliant and a hard worker.
There was a lot about her he liked and admired. Which meant even as a kid, he’d had good taste. Because it was all about him.
He smiled as he drove, thinking that while his relationship with his family was totally screwed up, hanging out with Maya was turning into one of the best parts of coming home. They’d cleared the air between them. That was good.
Things could have been awkward after that kiss, but they weren’t. They’d said what needed to be said and now they could move on. The fact that he wanted more than a chaste kiss was his problem and not something he would share with her.
But ever since his mouth had touched hers, he’d been unable to forget the heat of her, the sound of her breathing. He wanted to do it again, only this time kiss her deeply. He wanted to taste her, to touch her. He wanted to make love with her until they were both satisfied.
Not going to happen, he reminded himself. Because they were friends now. Nothing more.
* * *
MAYA LOOKED THROUGH the camera lens at the couple seated at a bench. Del had suggested the location for their second interview of the day and she had to admit it looked good. From the various props they’d dragged along in the back of his truck they’d pulled out an old chair for Del to sit in. He looked delightfully masculine on the small seat supported by spindly legs.
He was obviously older than the teenagers he was interviewing, but in the best way possible. Talk about appealing, she thought, her mind trying to drift back to their brief kiss. She had to remind herself she was here to do a job and not daydream about her close encounter with a yummy man’s mouth.
“Okay, let’s start,” she said. “You two ready?”
Melissa, a pretty redhead, leaned into her boyfriend. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready.”
The young couple looked good together. Percy had medium brown skin and short, dark hair. His broad shoulders contrasted with Melissa’s more delicate build. They were obviously comfortable with each other, which was part of their appeal. Sometimes when she looked at a couple she had the feeling there was nothing beyond the sexual tension. But with Percy and Melissa, she had the sense they really got along.
“How did you meet?” Del asked.
“He came up and talked to me at a festival,” Melissa said with a laugh. “It was last
summer. I was home from college. Here was this skinny boy who thought he was all that.”
Percy looked at her. “I wasn’t a boy.”
“You’re younger than me.”
“Only in years, babe. Only in years.”
They stared at each other for a second. There was a flash of silent communication, of something significant shared. The moment was so personal, Maya felt she should look away, but knew that didn’t matter. The camera would capture the glance and turn it into viewing gold.
Two hours later, they completed the interview. The young couple had explained how they met and that they both believed that without the magic that was Fool’s Gold, they never would have fallen in love. While Melissa was going away to college, Percy had stayed in Fool’s Gold to get his GED. He was now registered in community college. Despite the distance, they’d stayed close.
They were charming, articulate, sensible and completely in love.
“They were perfect,” Maya said with a sigh as she and Del packed up after the interview. “I really liked them. They know what they want and they’re making it happen. I’m about a decade older and not nearly that together. It’s intimidating.”
“You’re doing just fine,” Del told her.
“I wish, but no. Did you see how they looked at each other?”
“Yeah. They’re in it for the long haul.”
“So in seventy-five years, they’ll be Elizabeth and Albert, out in the woods.”
He grinned as he closed the truck gate. “I don’t see those two living out in the wilderness, but otherwise, they’ll be the same.”
His gaze lingered on her and she wondered what he was thinking. That if they’d stayed together, they could have been the little old couple?
She wanted to say yes, but she wasn’t sure. As a teenager, she hadn’t been willing to trust Del. Lessons learned early were difficult to overcome. Maya had grown up with the sense of being in the way. Of never being loved or even vaguely important to anyone. She’d vowed she would never wait to be rescued, that she would take care of herself. A promise that made it difficult to give her heart to a young man she’d known for two months.
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