“I doubt it. The city’s budget is so tight that I suspect they need the money from parking fines to fund what little investigation they are doing. They aren’t particularly motivated.”
“That ridiculous! They can’t do that!” He sprang to his feet.
She merely shrugged, her sensual movement distracting him.
“Cancelling the train display had a strong ripple effect throughout the town. Seems everyone from business owners to the government needs the tourism dollars it attracted. I’ve heard rumors people can’t pay off their Christmas layaways. My sales are down. Jo’s closing early because the lunch crowd is so light, and she has dropped off a frightening amount of leftover soup at my house. People are forgoing luxuries to contribute to the train fund, and it’s not much all told. In one way, your business sense proved right. I had no idea how much that rent-free space was worth in addition to other....” She trailed off as she met his gaze.
He stepped her direction, his body longing to be against hers, distracting him from her words. “Claire.”
With a hand she stopped him. “No. You might be able to separate business from personal relationships, but I can’t. I don’t like how you treated me and this town.”
An ugly thought entered his mind. When he opened the door, she held a rock large enough to smash a window. “Wait – you were going to throw the rock and smash the window.”
“I was aiming for the AC unit so it would clang not wreck it. The pebbles on the window didn’t wake you up. Besides, I told you, I’m not that kind of girl. But what’s going on with the tickets doesn’t sit right with me either. You confirmed my suspicions, so let me give you a bit of neighborly advice. If you used a surveillance camera, you could help the police find those vandals. You don’t need a whole home security system or even a doorbell camera–-too expensive to install since you’ll be gone in a month or two. A webcam or nanny cam should do, order something that you can check in on or that will record a few hours and maybe give you a chance to sleep. The police have no reason to investigate unless you give them a concrete one.”
Her words made so much sense, and not much had been making sense lately. “I’ll order something right away. I don’t sleep anymore.”
“And it shows. You look awful.”
She backed away as he stepped closer. “I miss you.”
“I’m leaving. I’ll probably see you later this week. At your work. To discuss a contract matter.”
He stopped her as she stepped onto the patio. “Your coat.”
He intended to help her into it, but she snatched it from his hands. Their gazes met as their fingers touched, her eyes reflecting his desire. His thumb drew lazy circles over her index finger. He hadn’t noticed the callous before. Her lips parted as her breath puffed into a cloud and warmed his face. Her eyelashes tickled his skin as he savored her mouth. She responded with a hunger he could taste.
A rumble rattled his throat. She managed to soothe and excite him at the same time. He ran his left hand up her arm and entwined her soft hair through his fingers. Her soft gasp broke something loose within him. He was happy and that strange feeling was all her fault. Something thumped – possibly a chair meeting the table.
Claire’s body tensed. She sprang back, away from him. She appeared dazed, blinking rapidly. Then, her eyes narrowed, and his reprieve vanished.
“Stop. It’s not just the trains. You aren’t the first guy to be put off by my passion for miniatures. You may like my physical self, but you think so little of me otherwise. No matter how good the roll in the hay, I have no tolerance for disrespect.”
“I don’t—”
“You’ve accused me of petty vandalism, and you have no interest in knowing me beyond the bedroom. Plus, you destroyed what little time I had for fun and games.”
“You’re—”
She raised a hand.
“You made this bed.” She snatched her coat from the back deck.
There was no point in responding. No matter what he said, she wouldn’t listen. She dashed off into the cold night air. Her kiss, still warm on his lips, grew bitter. The taste of goodbye made his stomach churn. Another sleepless night loomed before him.
Chapter 16
Even if she hadn’t brought the contract by his office, proving CJ’s ownership of the display, James would have gladly let Claire in to retrieve all the pieces taking up storage in his building. Anything else would have made his public relations nightmare even worse. She balked at his suggestion of calling in the media, even though he wanted to generate a bit of good press and balance the earlier negative images. In his office yesterday, she’d been all business. He couldn’t refuse her well thought out proposal, particularly when she phrased her request to collect the items after hours so as to not interfere with company’s normal workday.
At 5:30 pm, she rolled in as promised, parking a truck close to the lobby doors. Even though Walter volunteered to oversee the operations on the company’s behalf, James stayed. Several other people came in from the outside, water droplets clinging to coats and hats. Most of the men—although there were a few women—looked dry. He recognized them from around the office. He approached Claire.
“Mr. Fordham, you don’t need to be here.”
“I’m willing to help.”
“Only because he can’t wait to be rid of us train folk.” The voice came from an older man, one he recognized from photographs, but was neither Walter nor the Mayor.
“If we need you, I’ll let you know, but we have a great crew here.” Her gaze cast about the room. “We’ll start with the bases, load them into the van, and then George and Bob and a few
