Valerie Hansen - Second Chances

Paul’s jaw clenched, but he kept his outward cool. “I was packing. I knew your father banished me from this town but I didn’t know he was timing me or I’d have hurried.”

“Leave my daddy out of this. Haven’t you done enough to hurt him already?”

“Me? Hurt him? All I did was fall in love with his daughter!”

Paul saw Belinda’s tear-filled glance dart briefly in the direction of the burning church before returning to him. Suddenly understanding, he nodded. “I should have known. I thought you were different but you’re just like the rest of them, aren’t you?” His arm swept in an arc that took in the whole chaotic scene. “You blame me for this. All of you do.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn leather jacket. “It figures. My father made a mistake and went to prison for arson, so I’m guilty by association. Right?”

The unfair accusation stung, made her even more defensive. “You said it. I didn’t.” Standing firm, she refused to let him off the hook. “You were supposed to be long gone by now. Admit it. You only hung around so you could watch my father suffer.” Pent-up emotion made her tremble. “Get away from me! I never want to see you again. Ever.”

“Fine with me. I’m glad your old man decided that I’m not good enough for you. He did us both a favor. Goodbye, Belinda. Have a nice life.”

With tears running down her cheeks, Belinda pressed her fingertips to her lips to stifle her sobs as she watched Paul elbow his way through the throng of hostile onlookers, mount his motorcycle and roar away. She realized she was saying goodbye to more than Paul Randall. She was also giving up the naive belief that her love was enough to change him, to save him from the negative effects of his dysfunctional upbringing.

Admitting she’d been wrong about him was breaking her heart.

Belinda Carnes was busy sorting local business files in the tall cabinet at the rear of her office when she heard the familiar ding of the electric eye that monitored the front door. She smoothed her skirt and breezed around the corner into the reception area with an expectant smile, recognizing her visitor immediately. “Sheila! Hi.”

“Aren’t you going to say, ‘Welcome to Serenity. How can the Chamber of Commerce help you’?”

“Nope. I save that speech for the tourists.” Belinda’s smile widened. “And I leave out the part about the ticks and chiggers eating us alive all summer. What’s up?”

“You mean you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what? What are you talking about?”

“He’s back.”

“Who’s back?” The fine, auburn hair at the nape of Belinda’s neck began to prickle.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” Sheila said. “You know very well who I mean. Verleen saw that lawyer, Paul Randall, coming out of the market downtown. He’d been buying groceries. Bags of them. I’d say that means he plans to stay with those ancient aunts of his for quite a while.”

Belinda blinked rapidly and paused to digest her friend’s comments. The whole idea of Paul being anywhere nearby tied her stomach in knots, made her pulse speed. “I’d heard he was going to help the Whitaker sisters with the legalities of their real estate deal but I didn’t think he’d actually come here to do it. What gall.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a long, complicated story.” She sighed. “Let’s just say Paul didn’t turn out to be the wonderful guy I thought he was.”

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“You mean you haven’t heard the gossip yet? Amazing. The way rumors fly in this town, I’d have thought you’d already know the whole story.”

“I’d rather hear it straight from you,” Sheila said with undisguised interest.

Belinda filled her in concisely, trying to leave out any supposition. She concluded with, “No one has ever proved who was—or wasn’t—responsible for setting fire to the church…but nobody had any real motive except Paul.”

“Wow. No wonder you don’t want to come face-to-face with him.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

“Yeah, well…” A sly smile lifted Sheila’s lips. “That’s really too bad. I hear Randall is the best-looking guy around. And rich. I was kind of hoping you might want to introduce me to him. There aren’t that many eligible men in this area, you know.”

Belinda was flabbergasted. “You’d be interested in him, even after what I just told you?”

“Why not? Lots of us do crazy things when we’re teenagers. It looks to me like he’s reformed.”

Shaking her head, Belinda made a face at her friend. “Not reformed. Just turned his talents to getting back at Serenity by legal means. Don’t forget the lawsuit against the town fathers a few years back. When he proved land-use discrimination and the councilmen had to back down, they all lost face. Half of them weren’t reelected.”

“So? That’s just business.”

“Not in a close-knit town like this one. Around here, it’s considered a vendetta. That’s another reason I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“Guilt by association, you mean? I’m surprised you don’t already have a problem with that. I hear that you used to tell everybody you were going to marry Paul.”

Belinda blushed. “I was just a high school kid with a stupid crush on the only boy in town my father refused to let me date. In other words, a typical teenager. Besides, that was ten years ago. Believe me, I’m cured and everybody knows it…especially me.”

“Being young doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love for keeps,” Sheila countered. “My mom got married when she was seventeen. She and Dad are still doing okay.”

“My parents had a wonderful relationship, too. Everything changed when my mother died, though. The only thing that saved Daddy’s sanity was focusing all his energy on his church.”

“The one that burned down?”

“Yes.” The memories of her late father’s subsequent slide into depression brought Belinda’s thoughts full circle. “The doctors said he died from a heart attack but I think he just gave up caring about anything, even his own life, after he lost the church.” She hardened her heart. “Getting back to Paul Randall. I don’t care where he stays or what he does while he’s here as long as I don’t have to deal with him. I’ll be delighted if I never lay eyes on him again.”

“You sound like you really mean that.”

“I’ve never meant anything more in my whole life.”

Paul managed to keep himself occupied all afternoon by strolling around town and stopping to make casual conversation whenever he got the opportunity. He was amazed at how few of the old-timers recognized him at first. And at how shocked they looked when he identified himself. Clearly, they remembered the punk kid with the perpetual chip on his shoulder and were having trouble believing the changes he’d made in his image. Good, he thought, satisfied. That was exactly what he’d intended.

Beginning at the Mom and Pop café and gas station located next to the only traffic light in town, he worked his way through the pharmacy and the farm bureau office, then strolled the last block to the town square. A green, close-cropped lawn surrounded the courthouse. Most of the benches in the shade of the maple trees were occupied by old men, heads nodding sleepily. As usual, Serenity was so serene it gave him the willies.

Paul snorted in self-derision as he entered the hardware store on the north side of the square. All the businesses on that block faced the old brick courthouse, which meant he could stand on the opposite side of the square and position himself to look directly at the door to the Chamber of Commerce without attracting undue attention.