“Are you from around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
That comment made him smile. “And I’m sure I haven’t seen you before,” he said, avoiding her question. But there was something about her that looked familiar… Law narrowed his gaze on the woman, tried to remember, but sixteen years away was a long time and the few random visits he’d made to Magdalena had not included socializing.
“I grew up in this town, but I’ve been gone a long time.” She stood, held out a hand. “I’m Ava.”
Law shook her hand, noted the firm grip, the direct gaze. “Nice to meet you, Ava.” Ava? He’d known a girl by that name in high school: pretty, smart, a real do-gooder with big plans that would never include a loser like him. But there had been that one night–
“And you?” That voice turned soft and curious, the way it had all those years ago. “I swear you look familiar.” A smile pulled out the dimple in her left cheek, made her eyes sparkle. “Have we met before?”
In high school, girls like Ava didn’t talk to guys like him. But they weren’t in high school any more…“Ava Marie Ventori. Or would you prefer Saint Ava?” He held her gaze, waited for the exact instant she recognized who he was. It took all of three seconds, four if he counted the confusion that slipped into shock and disbelief.
“Law Carlisle?”
She said his name as though he’d turned into a rattlesnake. Law stepped back, shoved his hands in his back pockets. “That’s me.”
Return to Book Page
