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like to see you again.” He looked deeply into her eyes for her reaction.
    She shook her head. “This has been fine, Bryce, but maybe we should just let it go. We can’t go back…”
    “No, but we can go forward.”
    “…Into what?”
    “I’m not sure, but can we leave it open? See what happens?”
    She looked at him, really looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.
    “I just know I’m going to regret this…”
    He started to smile. “…Yes?”
    “Okay. You can call me. No food…Just discussion. How’s that?” She dug a business card out of her purse to hand him. “This is my cell number.”
    He laughed. “It’s a start. Thanks, Beth. I’ll behave, I promise.” He tucked her card into an inside jacket pocket.
    Bryce signaled the waiter for the check, paid and they left the restaurant. He walked Beth to the elevator and punched the call button for her.
    “Thank you for meeting me. I appreciate it more than I can say.”
    She smiled at him. “I still don’t see why the reunion was necessary, but apparently you think so. I guess it’s okay with me then.”
    The elevator opened. He touched her arm.
    “Good night, Beth.”
    She looked up at him for a moment and thought she saw the old Bryce Barron peeking through. Dark hair… dark soulful eyes… It took her breath away… Then she swallowed.
    “Good night, Bryce.”
    She got on the elevator and touched the button for her floor. Bryce stood there gazing at her, while she stared back at him. When the doors closed, both exhaled big breaths and smiled.
    “That went well,” they said at the same time. It was a step out of both their comfort zones and possibly a step well taken…
     
     
    * * *

 
     
     
    CHAPTER SIX

    The next morning Beth woke up and stretched. Wow… This bed is comfortable … She felt pretty good and wondered briefly at her sunny disposition. The sun was shining through her partially closed window and birds outside were chirping. She could smell a faint aroma of lavender from somewhere. It was a pleasant way to start the day… Then she remembered her dinner with Bryce last night and frowned immediately. What am I doing with that guy? I’ve been burned once already – Why go back to get burned again?
    Beth got up and went in to take a shower. She decided she’d call William to go for breakfast with her. Could she resurrect any romantic inkling about him to block a possible onslaught of feeling she might have coming her way about Bryce?
    Letting the warm water flow over her, Beth turned around in the shower as her mind turned around unwanted thoughts. She put shampoo in her hair and started briskly washing it, while a picture of William flashed in her head . He’s safe…He won’t hurt me . Rinsing her hair, Bryce’s picture pushed William’s out . I’m in danger with him… And he’s hurt me once already .
    She soaped up everywhere and then rinsed off unseeing. She blinked several times getting the streaming water out of her eyes, until she realized it wasn’t shower water … Damn it! I’m crying? Beth angrily shut off the water and grabbed a fluffy towel, before stepping out of the shower. She quickly wiped off the excess moisture and slipped on a robe. After toweling her hair quickly and making a cup of coffee, she looked for William’s phone number in the contacts of her cell phone. When she started crying again, she looked up Eva’s number instead.
     
    * * *
     
    At work that morning, Bryce was deep in meetings about a new financial deal that his company wanted to do. It was the same sort of buyout that he’d just completed in Mesquite. – A successful business with too much cash on its balance sheets and in danger of takeover. He sat at the long conference table at one end with his boss, Nick, seated at the other. Nick was speaking excitedly gesturing with his hands.
    “How about a leveraged buyout this time, Bryce? If we offer a specific amount for the company, they’ll have to go into debt to counter