Soraya Lane - Mills & Boon Introduces - What Lies Beneath / Soldier, Father, Husband? / The Seven-Day Target

“I was in advertising, which I know isn’t like brain surgery, but I remember nothing about it. I don’t really have an interest in it either.”

“So what are you going to do? Become one of those society wives that organize fundraisers?”

“Uh, no,” she groaned. “Right now I’m just trying something out.”

“Do tell,” Gwen urged, taking a large bite.

Cynthia thought about the pages and pages of clothing designs she’d sketched over the weekend. At first, it had been a wreck. At least twenty sheets of paper had been crumpled into balls and tossed in the trash bin. But then they started getting better. She let go of her inhibitions and the ideas started flowing. The color combinations she put together worked even when she worried they wouldn’t. The pieces coordinated beautifully. She was itching to see some of them leap off the page and onto a hanger. But that was a whole other hurdle to climb over. She might be a good artist and a horrible seamstress.

“I’m trying my hand at designing clothes. Just sketches right now, but I did what you told me and I’m following my instincts. Trying to do what my heart tells me feels right.”

“Fashion design? Wow. Are you enjoying it?”

She couldn’t hide her smile. “I am. I just sketch and sketch and when Will comes looking for me, I’m shocked to find I spent hours working on it.”

“Sounds like you may be on to something.”

“I think so. I mean, right now it’s just sketches, but I’m thinking about getting a sewing machine and trying to actually make some of it.”

“You should open a boutique and show at Fashion Week,” Gwen encouraged.

Cynthia had to laugh at her friend’s enthusiasm. “You are way ahead of me on this. First thing I have to do is figure out how to thread a bobbin. Then, if what I make doesn’t suck, I’ll go from there. I’m a long way from Bryant Park.”

“But it’s progress in the right direction. You’re building your new life. I think that’s great.”

That made her feel good. She had Will’s support, but a part of her wondered if he felt obligated to be her cheerleader. Her mother had feigned interest at brunch, but Cynthia could tell she’d been hoping her daughter would settle for being a society housewife like she was or at least go work for the family company. Knowing Gwen supported the choice made all the difference. “It is. I just wish everything else was working out, as well.”

“Like what?” Gwen asked with a concerned frown.

“Like Will and me.” Cynthia sighed, the weight of her situation heavy on her shoulders. He was sending conflicting signals. One minute he’s discussing how she can support herself after he moves out and the next they’re kissing on a park bench and holding hands. But even then, there was a part of him holding back. He was determined to keep one foot firmly out the door for a quick escape. That wasn’t a good sign. “I don’t know where I stand with him. With us. He seems distant sometimes.”

Cynthia knew she couldn’t tell anyone, not even Gwen, that they’d called off the engagement. Or about Nigel. He’d started calling again after Will left in the mornings. She’d considered telling Will, but it just seemed like dragging up the past after they had agreed to set it aside. Eventually he would stop calling. He had to.

“Maybe he’s just not sure how to deal with the changes. You guys have been together a long time. It’s like being with a new person. Whether the changes are good or bad, it’s still an adjustment.”

She looked down at her half-eaten burger and fries, which she was pleased to discover she adored, and nodded. Gwen was right. This had to be just as hard on Will as it was on her. Even as they kissed in the park, she could sense an internal battle raging inside him. The part that wanted her and the part that held back for whatever reason had fought hard. She wasn’t certain which side won. They’d held hands in the park on the way home, but he holed up in his office after that.

“Has anything happened between the two of you since you went home?”

“Just a kiss,” she said, the memory of it flushing her cheeks like a schoolgirl. Given her amnesia, it was like having her first kiss all over again.

“A kiss is something. If he didn’t like you, I doubt he’d bother kissing you.”

“But nothing has happened since then.”

Gwen took a sip of her drink and shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about that. He might be concerned about your recovery. Or preoccupied with his company. But let me ask you a question. Do you want something to happen?”

Cynthia frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve sort of inherited Will by default. Yes, you were technically with him for years, chose to be with him, but to the new you, he’s a stranger. What if you just ran into Will on the street? Would you be attracted to him?”

Cynthia tried to imagine crossing paths with Will in an alternate universe where they’d never met. Perhaps she dropped something and he stopped to pick it up for her. The Will in her mind smiled and she found herself immediately drawn into the blue-gray eyes that watched her. The powerful aura that surrounded him was hard to resist, even in her fantasy. His strong build, his confident stride, the way he moved so gracefully yet with commanding purpose.

A pool of longing settled low in her belly and made her squirm uncomfortably in her seat. It was just like the memory of their kiss. Yes, she was attracted to Will. She couldn’t remember their past, but her taste in men had certainly not changed since the accident, even if everything else had.

The question was whether she could allow herself to fall for him. He’d told her to think about it. And she had. She wanted to give them a second chance, but she didn’t trust herself. She had no idea what she was capable of. She didn’t want to hurt Will again. Letting this relationship and its baggage go might be better for everyone concerned. But it was difficult to ignore a man like Will.

“I think under any circumstances he’d be pretty hard to resist,” she conceded.

“Then why are you fighting it? The hard work is done. You’ve already landed one of the most eligible men in Manhattan. Regardless of the past, I see no reason why you shouldn’t allow yourself to indulge in this relationship.”

Cynthia could think of a dozen reasons why she shouldn’t be with Will and only one reason why she should. Unfortunately, that one reason had the tendency to trump all her good sense.

She wanted him. Badly.

And whether she should or not, she was going to try her damnedest to build a new relationship and keep him.

* * *

George Dempsey sat across from Will, the large mahogany conference-room table scattered with paperwork. The lawyers had prepared everything they needed for the product collaboration on the e-reader; the finer details just needed to get ironed out.

Unfortunately, Will could tell they wouldn’t get very far today. His almost-father-in-law had more pressing issues on his mind.

“I’m worried about Cynthia,” he said, staring blankly at a contract.

“The doctors say she’s healing well.”

“I’m not worried about her face,” George grumbled, tossing down the page. “I’m worried about her head. Pauline tells me she’s not going back to the ad agency, but she still refuses to work for me.”

“I don’t think she’s passionate about electronics like you are. She never has been. Why would that change now?”

“Maybe because everything else has. She’s doodling dresses all day. I feel like I don’t even know my own daughter anymore.”

“That’s only fair. She doesn’t know you, either.”

George’s brow furrowed in irritation. “Don’t make light of this. I’m worried about her emotional health. And, frankly, I’m worried about this wedding.”