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      “You’ll be at church?”

      “If you agree to the meeting afterward,” he replied, smiling. He normally went to a much smaller church on Wednesday night, but he found he enjoyed talking with this woman. There was so much he didn’t know about her. He’d barely scratched the surface and he found himself compelled to dig deeper, get to know her more. Missing one Wednesday night wouldn’t hurt. His friend could take over the class for that night.

      “What if I’m busy?” she challenged.

      “But you won’t be, will you, Rebekkah? Because you want me to be in church.”

      She chuckled. “It’s not my job to see you show up.”

      “Nope. But it just might go a long way to helping me heal with my father, hey?”

      She groaned.

      He chuckled. “If you can’t meet Wednesday, Rebekkah, then any day is fine. I’ll still show up Wednesday night. How’s that?”

      “Why?” she asked, true puzzlement on her face.

      “Because, Rebekkah Hawkley, you intrigue me, and though I have an engagement on Wednesdays I’ll cancel it just to spend time with you.”

      He’d done it again. The woman was gaping. Quickly recovering herself, she replied, “Wednesday is fine for a meeting. I go in late on Thursdays, running errands, so actually that would be the best day.”

      He nodded. “Great.” To himself he added, Go ahead and think by agreeing to the Wednesday meeting that you can pretend I didn’t just say I was interested in getting to know you better. However, I’m not going to let you forget.

      Crossing swords with Rebekkah was turning out to be quite fun. He found he was looking forward to peeling back another layer of the prickly woman and getting to know the female beneath.

      For the first time since leaving his father’s firm, he found his interests lay in the direction of pleasure and amusement instead of revenge.

      What an odd, odd world, indeed.

      Chapter Five

      André was on the case.

      With Rebekkah Hawkley.

      He’d seen the sparks between the two.

      There was more there than simply a case.

      This could be used to his advantage.

      It would definitely keep André close to the firm.

      He would be able to watch the two, know what was going on, hear what was said.

      And if they got too close, he’d also be able to make sure the truth didn’t get out.

      It was up to him.

      And no matter what, he’d see the secret was safe.

      “How can I help you?” Rebekkah asked, seating herself in front of Drydan’s desk.

      Drydan sat, surrounded by paperwork, gruff and busy. He finished writing something on a notepad and then pushed it aside.

      Glancing up, he leaned back in his chair and rested an elbow on the armrest. “How’d the meeting with my son go last night?”

      Rebekkah tucked her feet under the edge of the seat and smiled. “We discussed the case and agreed to get together after church tonight to go through the records.”

      Drydan scowled. “He’s actually going to church?”

      Rebekkah’s smile stayed fixed, though she didn’t feel like keeping it there. “I am getting the feeling there’s a lot more to your son than meets the eye.”

      Drydan nodded and seemed to deflate right in front of Rebekkah. “Oh, there is. Believe me. I think the boy has finally decided on a path, and it doesn’t include me.”

      Rebekkah took a deep breath. “Perhaps if you give it time…”

      Drydan shook his head. “I have. And where has it gotten me? He’s opened up his own practice, works daily to prove how wrong my firm is and specifically how wrong I am.”

      Touchy area, Rebekkah thought uneasily. Still, she had become close to Drydan since he’d hired her. Out of all the people she’d ever met, Drydan was more like a father figure to her than anyone else. Though she knew it was touchy, she just had to broach it. “He’s still hurting over losing Sarah.”

      “Bushaw.” Drydan used his favorite word when he disagreed with others. “He was in love with the idea of marrying and settling down. It’s obvious. When it came out that Sarah was infertile, if he’d really loved her he wouldn’t have taken off like he did. I simply did him a favor by firing the girl.”

      “You know that’s not true, Drydan,” Rebekkah reprimanded lightly.

      Defensive, Drydan glared at her. “I was certain she was only out to get his money. At the time I felt it was the right thing to do.”

      “Have you ever considered you were wrong?” Rebekkah asked softly.

      Drydan shoved his chair back. He shot to his feet and stalked across the room to open a small icebox. Rebekkah waited as he pulled out a bottle of water. Distractedly he twisted off the cap and snagged a glass, which he filled. After tossing a slice of lemon on top of his drink, he only took time to slam the door of the fridge before turning.

      “I don’t know.” He finally answered Rebekkah’s question. “You know things have changed since André left. I’ve had time to reconsider my actions, to see many of the areas I’ve messed up in, but André could have trusted that I wasn’t purposely out to destroy his life.”

      “Perhaps he is old enough to make his own decisions, Drydan.”

      Drydan took a swig of his drink then shrugged. “I know that, but…”

      “But you can’t let go?”

      He scowled. “I don’t have much choice, do I?”

      Rebekkah decided to try a different tack. “Why don’t you tell him that you’ve changed? Tell him about what happened in church and that you’re consciously working to improve your business practices. Tell him that you made a mistake and if he’s amenable, you’re willing to try to start over.”

      “Religion is personal,” Drydan argued. “If he can’t see the change in me, then why tell him?”

      “Because he’s not working here and not around you enough to see what has taken place in your life,” Rebekkah countered. She stood and moved across the room to where Drydan stood. Resting a hand on his arm, she said, “I know you hired me simply to fill a quota, Drydan. But you’ve given me a chance. You’ve helped me and taught me things that I couldn’t have learned anywhere else. And during that time I like to think we’ve become…well, friends of a sort.”

      “You know I think of you more like a daughter than an employee,” he muttered gruffly and then, unable to stand the show of emotion, he crossed the room and started rifling through papers again.

      “Well, yes. And I feel the same way. That’s why I have to tell you, Drydan, that you gave me a chance, and I think this thing between your son and you has the ability to heal. But both sides are going to have to give.”

      “I’m willing to give,” Drydan retorted.

      “I know you are,” Rebekkah soothed. “But maybe not in the areas where he needs you to give.”

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