LITMIR.BIZ

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times when they dated so he knew his way around. Without hesitation he headed for the kitchen. Anna followed him reluctantly. She paused in the doorway and watched as he swiftly poured the hot soup into a bowl and found a spoon. She gave up and went to sit at the table.

      “Eat up,” he said a moment later, placing the bowl in front of her.

      Anna took a taste. It was wonderful. Tanner waited until she began to eat, then rummaged around in the bag and withdrew some hot rolls. He took a plate down and put them beside her, along with a handful of wrapped butter pats.

      Anna looked at him. “Did you eat?”

      He nodded. Leaning his shoulder against the archway he watched her.

      She became flustered. Glancing at him, she frowned. “Could you stop staring at me?”

      He pushed away from the wall and came to sit beside her. Reaching out, he took one of the rolls, broke it open and buttered it.

      Mitzie came in from the bedroom. She walked toward Tanner, her tail high.

      “Hey, girl,” he said, noticing the cat. She showed no hesitation in coming over and rubbing herself against his ankles. He leaned over and scratched her back. The loud purr indicated her delight.

      “I wanted to explain about us,” he said, still leaning over a little. He glanced at Anna.

      She continued to eat. “It’s not necessary. I figured it out today when I saw you’re the new CEO. I have my own rules against dating fellow employees. You might have mentioned the reason at the time, however.” She wouldn’t tell him how hurt she’d been, how confused. She’d taken weeks to get over him. For one haunting moment that morning she feared she wasn’t over him. But she knew there was nothing to do but go on.

      Her focus now was totally on relocating to Brussels. The brief affair they’d enjoyed was relegated to bittersweet memories. The story of her life.

      “There was a lot of secrecy around the transition,” he said. “Both at the company I was leaving as well as at Drysdale Electronics.”

      “I know how to keep my mouth closed about secrets,” she said stiffly.

      “It wasn’t my secret to keep,” he said. “But I wanted to make sure you knew that it wasn’t because I didn’t enjoy being with you.”

      Anna felt a little spurt of happiness in his words. She had wondered at the time if he had just tired of her. Or if that one night that had been so magical to her—hadn’t be so special for him. She’d been totally swept away by the love they’d shared. Had he not stopped calling her, would she have convinced herself things could be different this time? Maybe she could find a man to love, who would love her.

      She frowned at her wayward thoughts and concentrated on eating. The soup was delicious and so far she didn’t feel queasy.

      “Thank you for clearing up the situation,” she said.

      He laughed. “I’ve missed that about you, the innate politeness. What have you been up to lately?” He settled back in his chair, watching her eat. Mitzie strolled over to the sofa and leaped up, soon settled with paws beneath her.

      Anna looked at him suspiciously as she reached for a roll. Taking her time to butter it slowly, she glanced at him again. “Pretty much the same as I did before I met you. I go work, I go to the gym. Occasionally I hang out with friends. I don’t see you at the gym anymore.”

      “Once I knew you worked at Drysdale, I stopped going. I’ll be starting up again now. Membership is part of my compensation package.” He waited a beat, then said, “No special man?”

      She almost responded but thought about it for a moment, shaking her head. “That’s really not any of your business at this point is it?” she asked. It sounded better than the truth, that she hadn’t even thought about seeing another man after him.

      “Ouch,” he said with a grimace. “No, it’s not, but I’m curious.”

      She shrugged. “Thank you for bringing the soup. I’m feeling much better for eating it.” He’d delivered the soup, seen that she ate it. Would he leave now? She wasn’t sure she wanted him to, but his staying would only lead her to regret the way things were.

      “You still see the doctor tomorrow?” he asked.

      “Yes, boss.”

      Tanner rose and leaned over Anna, resting one hand on the back of her chair and one on the table.

      “Don’t come into work until you’re completely well. Call and tell me what the doctor says.”

      Feeling trapped, she glared up at him. “Don’t get so close, you could get the flu.”

      “I’ll chance it,” he said and closed the short distance between them until his lips brushed hers.

      Tanner left the apartment building and plunged into the rain. He strode the two blocks to where he’d left his car, annoyed with himself for reacting so strongly to seeing Anna. She looked as pale as she had that morning. He was glad he’d thought to bring her something to eat. When a person felt bad, they often didn’t feel like preparing meals.

      For a moment he remembered the good times they’d shared. He’d enjoyed her company more than he had anyone else in a long time. When he’d met her, it had been months since he’d been in a relationship with a woman. Jessica had been pushing for marriage, and after the disaster of his early marriage, that institution was the last thing he wanted. He’d broken it off with her last winter and concentrated on work.

      Until he met Anna.

      Most women followed a similar pattern—date, have fun, begin to talk about commitment and long-term. It was at that point he always cut the relationships.

      But he and Anna had not reached that stage. In fact, she was the first one to ever ignore the possibility of a future together. Never once in the three or four weeks they’d dated had she even hinted. He’d been intrigued.

      Now that he knew she was planning to move to Brussels at the beginning of the year it made sense.

      He reached his car and climbed in, shaking some of the rain from his hair. Starting, he pulled out into traffic and headed home. He had a stack of files to review tonight, more interviews tomorrow. The thrill of the new job, the changes he planned, kept him keyed up.

      Taylor had told him about each of the managers, their strengths and weaknesses. He’d been glowing about Anna. Each word emphasized Tanner’s decision not to date an employee. But he missed her. He would like to discuss company strategy, to find out more how she viewed the European market. To see if she still indulged herself with Ghiradelli chocolates and then did an extra ten minutes on the treadmill.

      And, if he were honest with himself, he wanted more than a light brush of the lips.

      In fact, he was surprised at how much he missed her. He hardly remembered Jessica. Before her he’d been involved with a woman named Margo. While his focus had always been on business and the push to succeed, he did like having a pretty companion to go to social events with.

      With Anna it had been different. He was still attracted to her. He and Anna had laughed a lot, he remembered that. For a little while he’d thought he’d found the perfect companion—someone to relax with, to share interests and entertainment. And someone who would not expect to end up married. He should have known it was too good to last.

      His rule was hard and fast. He had certain standards he adhered to and not dating a fellow employee was one—especially when she reported directly to him.

      Still—she was leaving in a few weeks. Maybe they could work something out.

      He shook his head, astonished he’d even give thought to such an idea. Business was business and pleasure was entirely separate. He planned to see it stayed that way!

      Tonight he had a stack of files to review, tomorrow it would be back to business. Anna could

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