Tangled Up in You

by Samantha Chase

  He hated the look that came across her face: defeat. There had been a time in his life when he’d known that feeling all too well. Most days he was over it, but every once in a while—like now—it was easy for it to creep back up on him.

  “I’m really sorry, Jen. I wish there was more I could do. I’ll run a check on this guy and see if anything turns up.”

  Once they had covered that, Jen had visibly relaxed in her chair and smiled. “I still can’t believe it’s you,” she said easily. “I mean, I knew I was going to find you here; I still keep in touch with your cousin Kent. He was the one who suggested I come and talk to you. I guess I hoped there was something that could be done even though all of my online research told me there probably wasn’t.”

  “I’ll start a file about it, and I’ll check in with you to keep up to date on what’s going on and if this guy’s pattern of behavior changes or gets more aggressive.”

  “Thank you.” She paused and then considered her next words. “So, how have you been? It’s been a really long time. How long have you been a cop? Where are you living now?” She must have thought she was throwing him too many questions and blushed. “Sorry. I’m just really glad to see you. But really, how are you?”

  How was he supposed to sum up his life since they’d last seen each other? Was he supposed to tell her about all the ways he’d been to hell and back? That he’d been working his ass off to prove to the world—or at least to one person in particular—that he was good enough and that he’d made something of himself? Probably not. Rather than go on a rant, James decided to keep it simple. “I’m good,” he said. “I’ve been a cop for the last eight years. Actually, I’m a detective now.”

  She nodded. “Do you enjoy it? I mean, not that it’s a fun job or anything, or maybe it is. You never know.” She stopped her rambling again and smiled. “It suits you. You look good. Happy.”

  James shrugged. Happy? He wasn’t sure he’d go that far, but he wouldn’t argue with the fact that being on the force had him feeling somewhat satisfied. “How about you? What are you doing with yourself?”

  “I am an elementary school teacher now, third grade. I love it.”

  Even if she hadn’t added those last words, her face and smile said it all. Jennifer Lawson had changed very little: her blond hair was a little shorter, her clothes more conservative, but she had an aura about her that bristled with energy and enthusiasm. Years ago, she had always greeted everyone with a smile and had been nothing but kind to him. It hit James then how much he had missed her friendship. Her smile. Her optimism.

  “That’s great, Jen. I bet your kids love you.” He could easily picture her in a room full of eight-year-olds—laughing and smiling and doing projects with them. She had often talked about her desire to teach even when she was still in school, and James was proud of her for following through on her dream.

  “Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” she said. “They like me fine when it’s recess or we’re doing art projects, but once it’s test time, then I’m the meanest teacher on the planet.”

  James smiled at her. “I remember feeling that way myself back in the day. Teachers were great just as long as they weren’t handing out a test.”

  “I’m teaching at the same elementary school I went to, and it’s kind of weird walking those halls as an adult. When we were students, everything looked so big, and now I walk around and feel like a giant.”

  “You couldn’t pay me to go back to school,” he said, his tone a little more serious than he intended. “I couldn’t wait to get out. I give you credit for doing what you do, Jen. Not many people want to do it. Once the diploma’s in your hand, you just want to take it and run and never look back.”

  She shrugged. “I always enjoyed school…and not only for social reasons, although I guess that was a definite perk. I know it makes me sound a bit nerdy, but I enjoyed the friendly competition between me and my classmates and the sense of accomplishment I felt when I got good grades.” She heard herself and almost cringed. “Wow, that definitely made me sound nerdy, didn’t it?”

  James chuckled before agreeing with her. “It’s okay. Nerdy works on you. So, what challenges are you finding in the third graders?”

  “Other than behavioral stuff, nothing too exciting. We have a curriculum we have to follow, so I don’t get to be as creative in the classroom as I’d like, but it’s fine. Right now I have a bigger challenge at hand. I’m actually planning our ten-year reunion. Gosh, can you believe we’ve been out of school for so long?”

  “Well…” James began.

  “Oh, right. Sorry.”

  James had dropped out of high school at sixteen, so all this talk about reunions and whatnot was lost on him. Still, he could see that it was something Jen was excited about, so he figured he’d grin and bear it and hear her out. “No big deal. So, what are you planning?”

  Jen ran through a list of details, including the venue, the theme, the response from classmates, activities for the weekend, and even the menu.

  “That seems like an awful lot of work. I hope you have a big committee helping you.”

  Jen nodded. “We have about two dozen people pulling it all together. It’s amazing how many people are stepping up and volunteering their time and services to help out. A lot of the graduates stayed in the area and have businesses of their own, so we have someone volunteering printing services for the invitations, another person donating balloons, flowers, and decorations, and we even have someone offering the use of the bowling alley for a get-together. It’s going to be such a great weekend, but there’s so much to do to make it all happen.”

  “It certainly sounds like it,” he said with a chuckle. “So what are you, chairman?”

  That made her laugh. “I am great at following instructions and delegating, but I’m not organized enough to pull off something like this. It’s just too huge.”

  “Oh, come on,” he said playfully. “You have to be organized, being a teacher and coordinating lesson plans and all that, plus you teach a roomful of eight-year-olds. You can’t tell me you’re not organized. It’s not possible.”

  “Well, it’s true I’m organized in my classroom, but that’s different from putting together an event of this size. With my students, I have a curriculum and lesson plans. I can mix things up a little bit with them, but for the most part, the organization is done for me. With the reunion, it’s so much more, and there’s no formal plan to follow. Luckily, we have a chairman…or chairwoman, and I’m perfectly okay with following orders. It makes me happier, and I’m sure the graduating class as a whole will appreciate it just as much.”

  “As long as you have fun with it, how bad can it be, right?” he asked.

  They sat in silence for a moment while James wrestled with the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since Jen had walked in the door. Knowing he would never have peace unless he asked, he took a calming breath, willed his heart rate to slow down, and did his best to sound casual. “So, you must be excited to be getting together with everyone. Is your old crowd going to be there?”

  Jen wanted to smirk but did her best to keep her expression neutral. She was surprised it had taken this long to get to the subject. “Well, Kent is coming, and I think Tom, Russ, Chris, and Kerry are going to be there too.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Selena wasn’t going to come, but I talked her into being our chairwoman so now she has to. I spoke to…”

  James knew Jen was still speaking, but all he could hear was a loud buzzing in his head. His heart pounded, and he was pretty sure he was starting to sweat. She was coming home. Finally.

  She’d be close enough to see.

  Close enough to talk to in person.

  Close enough to touch.

  “Well, anyway,” Jen said as she stood, “thanks for taking the time to see me. I’ll do like you said and start keeping a journal of any time Todd calls or I
see him. I’m hoping that he’ll just get bored and move on, but you never know. I would’ve thought he’d get bored by now. Clearly he has nothing better to do with his time. It’s pretty sad actually.” She smiled. “Anyway, it was really good to see you again, James, and I hope it isn’t another ten years before we see each other again.” Before he knew it, she had her arms around him and was hugging him and placing a quick kiss on his cheek. The whole thing took him by surprise and the next thing he knew, she was waving and walking away.

  By the time Jen left, James was sure he’d come off without sounding too much like a babbling idiot, and if he could remember correctly, he was sure he had said he might stop in on some of the reunion activities…just to see the old crowd, of course.

  Right.

  If Jen suspected anything different, she had kept it to herself. James looked at his calendar and saw that he had about six weeks to prepare himself and to come up with some kind of excuse to put himself in Selena’s path that wouldn’t seem like he was trying to be there. He had no idea what that would entail or what he was going to do once he saw her again. It had been a long time, and although not a day had gone by when he hadn’t thought about her, he had no idea about the woman she had become. Would she be happy to see him? Would she even be coming to this thing alone? That thought made his fists clench. He may not have any claim on Selena anymore, but that didn’t mean he’d be happy to see her walking around town with another man.

  She was his.

  It didn’t matter how much time had gone by since they’d last seen one another; James would always consider Selena to be his. He just couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, he had six weeks to figure out what he was going to do about it.

  Part of his job in law enforcement was having confidence and not shying away from a challenge or a dangerous situation—even at the risk of his own life.

  And there was nothing more dangerous to James Montgomery than coming face-to-face with the woman who had essentially destroyed his whole life.

  For more Samantha Chase check out

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  Return to You

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  About the Author

  Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than fifty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug, Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of twenty-five years and their two sons in North Carolina.

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  Welcome to Blessings, Georgia

  Sharon Sala, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

  For more info about Sourcebooks’s books and authors, visit:

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  Also by Samantha Chase

  The Montgomery Brothers

  Wait for Me / Trust in Me

  Stay with Me / More of Me

  Return to You

  Meant for You

  I’ll Be There

  Until There Was Us

  Suddenly Mine

  The Shaughnessy Brothers

  Made for Us

  Love Walks In

  Always My Girl

  This Is Our Song

  A Sky Full of Stars

  Holiday Spice

  Shaughnessy Brothers: Band on the Run

  One More Kiss

  One More Promise

  One More Moment

  Holiday Romance

  The Christmas Cottage / Ever After

  Mistletoe Between Friends / The Snowflake Inn

  Novellas Now in Print

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  Exclusive / A Touch of Heaven

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