Free The Better Man by Cerian Hebert Page A

it.
    True, she loved
him. Since the night they first made love, she’d had a lot of time to delve
into just how deep the emotion went, what sort of love it was, where it could
go if left to grow.
    But she’d also
thought about going back to Florida at the end of this trip. Deep down, the
memories of her life with Brian couldn’t overwhelm her or devastate her.
Whatever damage he had done had been accomplished early on. This entire trip
had been about healing, moving on. But did that mean she was moving on toward
Will? Or something completely new?
    No, she wouldn’t
make any decisions. Not yet. She’d see what happened here. There was no
guarantee she’d get a job, even if the owner decided to hire someone for the
front desk position. If that didn’t happen, she’d have to go back to Florida
and face everything.
    Maybe she
should do that anyway. Oh, why did these decisions have to be so difficult?
    Or did it?
    For whatever
was left of the night, she decided not to think about it. Not to worry about
what would happen as soon he left her in the morning.
    * * *
    When Will
closed the trunk of his rental, Lori wasn’t ready for the tears that slid down
her cheeks or the loss that nipped at her heart. She had asked him one more
time to stay with her, but again he’d declined. She knew why. He didn’t want
her to run away from her life in Florida.
    Will gathered
her into his arms and pressed his lips against her head. “Please come home.
After this trip is over.”
    Lori shook her
head but snuggled close to him. Already she loved his scent, the strength of
his arms and gentleness of his hands as he stroked her back. “I need a fresh
start, Will. I can’t go down there and face everyone.”
    Will chuckled
softly. “Honey, who cares what other people think?”
    “I do.” She
pulled out of his arms, but didn’t look at him. Being so close to him wore at
her resolve to stay. Instead, she glanced back at the inn and smiled. The whole
place soothed her. “I could be so happy here.”
    Will’s silence
didn’t really surprise her. Finally, she raised her eyes to him. His gaze was
pinned hard on her, but only sadness lurked in his eyes. “I could be so happy
with you, too,” she said. “Oh, Will, what am I going to do? I want both. I’m
afraid I’ll get stuck down there, not with you, but in a job I hate. I don’t
want that.”
    “There are
other things you can do down in Orlando. Be with me, find something new,
something you want to do. You don’t have to get back into the same old
rut.” He kissed her softly on the forehead before getting into the car.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
    For an hour
after he left, Lori sat on one of the Adirondack chairs on the back verandah
and stared out at the lake. The colors of the trees reflected vividly on the
glass surface of the water. Very little could compete with its beauty, and she
understood why so many people made this part of the world a mecca of sorts. For
her it had healing properties, but she wondered if she would ever get over
Will.
    “Hey, you’re
out early.”
    Lori looked up
and smiled at Tina. “Too nice to be cooped up inside.”
    “Where’s Will?”
Tina took the seat next to her.
    “He just left.
Had to get back to Florida. This was rather an impromptu visit. I hope I didn’t
break any hotel rules by having him stay last night. I’ll gladly pay for a
double if need be.”
    Tina waved her
hand. “Don’t worry about it. After the help you gave me, you should get the
room for free. And speaking of which, I did talk to Mr. Goss yesterday. He
wants to meet with you, even though he says he hasn’t ‘decided on a course of
action yet,’ whatever that means.”
    “Means he may
not be hiring for the position, after all.” Strangely, Lori was only slightly disappointed.
    In fact, Tina
looked more concerned about the prospect. Fear wrinkled her brow and she bit
her bottom lip. “Please tell me you’re kidding. Oh, Lori, if he keeps me