The bell above the door rang. Looking down at her watch, Elizabeth noticed the lateness of the hour and couldn’t help but gasp out loud. “I can’t believe it is so late. Are you sure you don’t mind driving me home?”

  “Not at all.”

  They walked outside, and he led the way to the car again, the perfect gentleman, he made sure to open her door. When he shut it, Elizabeth mumbled, “Who says chivalry is dead?” She settled back into the seat as he walked to the other side and slid in with a satisfied smile on his face.

  “Where to, little lady?” he said with a John Wayne accent.

  Elizabeth covered a giggle behind her hand before giving him directions. It was an interesting car ride. Each time she gave him a new street name he would repeat the name, then add a phrase from a movie star using their voice. With a Clint Eastwood accent, he said, “You want to pull pistols or whistle Dixie”; with Elvis’ voice he said, “You ain’t nothing but a hound dog crying all the time”; then when they finally reached their destination, he used Porky Pig and said, “That’s all, folks.” Elizabeth laughed so hard tears streamed down her face.

  Before exiting the vehicle, she had to get control of herself. Elizabeth wanted to tell him maybe he should have been a comedian. But she couldn’t stop laughing long enough to speak before he arrived at her side.

  When he opened her door, Bruce had to help her get out. When the cool night air hit her face, Elizabeth leaned back into the side of his car, finally sobering enough to speak. “Bruce, I believe you missed your calling.”

  “Really? Should I’ve done television drama or cartoons?” His big grin told her he’d had as much fun as she on the ride home.

  “Oh, both, most definitely,” Elizabeth said, as she started walking toward her door. He followed her up the steps in front of her townhouse.

  Bruce looked around the neighborhood and across the street. “You have a nice view here.”

  “Yes, I do. It reminds me a little bit of home. I’m used to having a big yard, and having the park directly across from my door helps.”

  Bruce scratched his head and hesitated a moment before saying, “Do you need me to come in and bang around to make sure no one is inside that shouldn’t be?”

  “No, thank you.” She’d had a really good time, and she didn’t want the evening to end, but this was the way that getting to know one another was supposed to work. Elizabeth looked at him bathed by the street lamps. His black hair glinting in the light. His blue eyes shining with hidden mirth. “Bruce, I had a nice time. Thank you very much for the dinner, the company, and most of all, the laughs. I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.”

  Elizabeth walked through her door and looked out at him, smiling as the door eased closed.

  He said, “Yeah, tomorrow at nine.”

  She watched through a crack as he bounded down her stairs two at a time, whistling all the way.

  ****

  Bruce returned to his car and slid behind the wheel. He waited. How had this happened? He watched to make sure Elizabeth’s door was closed. Now how should he get to his own place? Running a hand through his thick, dark hair he thought about how far away his own home was. The fact of the matter was he lived so close he could leave his car here for the night!

  Bruce pulled out on the road, made a loop, and wound up two townhouses down parked in front of his own new home. Bruce had just bought the place last week, before he’d met Elizabeth. Divine providence wasn’t something he’d believed in the past, but maybe it was something he needed to investigate a little farther. Fate seemed to be taking him in directions he never thought he would go.

  An overwhelming sense of protectiveness swelled within him as he stepped from his car and glanced back at Elizabeth’s townhouse. Could she be the one that his brother spoke of? Admittedly Cole hadn’t given him a lot to go on. Just a faint indication that a lady who worked at the Hampton firm could be in some danger. Surely it wasn’t Elizabeth. Why would she be in danger?

  Perhaps a phone call to his brother was in order. First thing tomorrow morning should be soon enough.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning dawned bright and clear. The peals of the alarm hammered Elizabeth’s brain like a jackhammer at promptly five o’clock. What had possessed her to stay up so late?

  Getting home at eleven the night before, Elizabeth had been so wound up from the evening that sleep had been unattainable. She’d pulled out her Bible and started reading. It had been around one a.m. before she’d finished and been able to relax. Struggling to push herself up and out of the bed, Elizabeth turned on the coffeepot. She dropped a piece of whole wheat bread in the toaster and opened her Bible on the counter, pulling out the homework for the Wednesday night Bible study class.

  The toast pinged and Elizabeth got up to retrieve it, giving it exactly five squirts of butter spray. She picked up her coffee, careful to measure her creamer out to an exact number of tablespoons. A netbook computer set in front of her. She entered her calorie intake, then settled back at the counter to finish reading.

  After about forty-five minutes, Elizabeth peeled herself up from her stool and hurried upstairs. The Bible study was getting good. It had caused her to go a tad over on her allotted time. She dressed quickly in sweats and a sweat shirt, added her keys and cell phone to her pocket, and she was ready to go.

  As Elizabeth left her home, she shook her door knob to make sure it was locked before heading out to the trail she ran each morning. She told herself each day she wasn’t a runner, just a jogger. Most of her friends called her crazy. Up at the crack of dawn to get exercise? Elizabeth knew the best way to have a good day was to wake up and exercise your faith with the Lord, as well as your body with movement. Though weariness overwhelmed her, Elizabeth knew she would feel ten times better when the run was finished.

  The exercise gave her lots of time for reflection. It was a quiet time Elizabeth had come to enjoy. No MP3 player filled her ears during outside exercise. Not because she didn’t own one. Peter, her brother, had bought her one last Christmas. It wasn’t because she didn’t appreciate music. The reason Elizabeth didn’t use the device was more the fear of covering her ears. If she drowned out the noises around her, she couldn’t tell if someone was following her.

  On several occasions, she’d thought someone was behind her, only to turn and discover she was all alone. Convincing herself she was being paranoid, Elizabeth decided to revert back to parental advice.

  When Elizabeth moved to the city, her parents had given her specific instructions. They called them instructions, but they were more like rules. One: Always check your door twice to make sure it was locked. Two: Never run with noise in your ears.

  There were many more. Elizabeth had attempted to follow their counsel in most cases. Especially the practical suggestions. This was common sense. Besides the fact it was dangerous to run alone and to cover one’s hearing ability, she would also be blocking out the sounds of nature. Why would she want to do that?

  The birds singing each morning filled Elizabeth’s soul with a hopefulness that she could get nowhere else. It told her that no matter what had happened yesterday, today was a brand new day. The sun would rise and life would go on.

  Today, however, was a little different. The sun still rose and the birds still chirped, but other things were on her mind.

  Elizabeth couldn’t stop thinking about Bruce.

  Normally she didn’t let things interfere with her reflections, but today he was her reflection. All she could think about was his kindness. How considerate he’d been to take her home and not let her ride the bus. How he’d walked her to the door and offered to check her home for what her mother would have called wooly boogers.

  Not only was he funny, sweet, kind, and considerate, but he was also very handsome. When they’d sat in the restaurant together every woman in the room had sent her gaze in his direction at least once. Some even did a double take. Elizabeth didn’t know if that was because they needed a second dose of him or because they were looking at who he was with and saying how unworthy she was to be in his presence.

  Last night was the first in a long time she could remember having fun with someone of the male gender, besides Wesley of course. She always had a good time with Wesley. But, he was more like a brother than a potential suitor.

  Potential suitor? Had that thought just floated across her mind? What was she thinking? Elizabeth couldn’t get involved with the boss. This was all around a bad idea. She was going to be with him every day, for most of the day, and now she was thinking of him as husband material. This could only lead to disaster.

  When Elizabeth finished her run, she went to the park bench that sat directly across from her townhouse door. She leaned forward, placed her elbows on her knees, and drew in deep breaths. She reached to her side and grabbed her water bottle. Leaning back, she took a swig of the drink. Some of it missed her mouth and she let it dribble down her chin and onto her neck. The cool water after the run felt good against her skin. Elizabeth sat there for a few moments looking out at the pond, trying to muster up the energy to go inside and clean up for the day.

  ****

  Bruce was on the trail running when he noticed a familiar figure in front of him. He thought it was Elizabeth but wasn’t completely sure. That was until he heard her humming elevator music. Wonder if Elizabeth knew she had a habit of doing that?

  Bruce followed behind her at a safe distance. He didn’t want to spook her. On the other hand, now that he’d seen her, he wanted to make sure no one else dared to get near.

  She ran and ran, much farther than he had intended. Finally, when they arrived back at their row of townhouses, she sank down onto a bench. Bruce stopped at a tree some distance away. He planted a hand on the rough bark, steadying himself as he gasped for air. He would have to get in better shape if he hoped to keep up with her. She picked up a bottle of water and even from this distance he could see it hit her neck and cover her flushed skin.

  Bruce would need to move soon to get inside, and clean up, in order to make it to work before she did. Honestly, he didn’t want to leave her out here by herself. He kept telling himself she’d probably done this dozens of times and she’d been alone before. Who watched out for her? Where was her family?

  Elizabeth appeared to be settling in. He had to go. Reluctantly he cleaned up, grabbed the newspaper and his briefcase and headed outside. Had she seen his vehicle sitting just a few doors down? Bruce hoped not. He would have to tell her where he lived and soon. If Elizabeth found out before he said anything she would think him a liar. The thought of that didn’t sit well with him.

  Squinting, Bruce looked both ways before stepping out in the blinding sun and heading to his house.

  ****

  Today was Friday. The last day of the workweek. Elizabeth dressed in a knee-length black skirt, red button-up blouse, and a pair of tennis shoes. Glancing at her appearance in the mirror, she headed out her door right in time to catch her bus. She grinned broadly at the passengers, finding her usual seat available. No one had noticed the change in her physical appearance. Could they sense a change in her mood?

  Arriving on the tenth floor, the elevator dinged open at precisely five ‘til nine. Her head angled down, she walked to her new desk. Bending over to place her purse in a drawer, she was shocked by a silky drawl. “Well little lady, how are you?”

  “Mr. Hampton?” She straightened, her eyebrows knit in confusion.

  Removing his propped feet from the corner of her desk, he stood. George’s nose was level with her own. “I thought I would drop by and see how you’re enjoying your new position.”

  Backing up a few steps, she said, “I like it. Thank you.”

  “That’s good. And what do you think of Mr. Malone? He comes highly recommended.”

  George Hampton’s eyes twitched at the corners with hidden mirth. His hands steepled under his chin as he glared intensely in her direction. Behind his words was a veiled meaning which Elizabeth didn’t understand.

  “Sir, he is a very capable lawyer. I’m sure I’ll adjust to working for him.”

  Standing, George moved in close. “Good. Good. If you have any problems or concerns you know you can come to me. Right?” Waywardly his hand strayed to her shoulder, roving up and down in a soothing motion.

  “Umm, yes, of course.” Gulping deeply, Elizabeth moved away from George’s grasp. “Would you like some coffee, Mr. Hampton?”

  “Uh, no thank you, Ms. Smith. I just wanted to drop by and check on you.”

  As he walked toward the elevator, Elizabeth said, “Yes, of course. Tell your father and your mother I said hello.”

  “Of course, my lady,” came his reply with a sweeping bow. Standing up straight, he looked into her eyes, and said, “Before I leave Elizabeth, Tina and I would like to invite you to our engagement party.”

  “Of course. Thank you, sir.”

  George swaggered back to Elizabeth, stopping mere inches from her person. His hot breath hit her boldly in the face. A wisp of hair had escaped her chignon. George reached forward and grasped the stray hair, twirling it around in his finger before casually placing it behind her ear. Elizabeth swallowed.

  With a serious tone, George said, “And dear, do stop calling me sir. It makes me feel dreadfully old.”

  A smile covered his face as he dropped his hand and headed back to the elevator. Elizabeth placed her hand on the desk to steady herself. As the elevator doors opened, George stepped on and Mr. Malone stepped off. They shook hands and whispered a few words Elizabeth couldn’t hear. Avoiding their gaze, she went to the counter and made coffee before heading to the restroom. Going inside, she locked the door behind her.

  Putting her hands on her face, a rush of heat infused her cheeks. George, Mr. Hampton, had never been so forward with her. And to do so while at the same moment inviting her to his engagement party! Outrageous! Was he trying to get her attention?

  Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth wet a paper towel and washed her flushed face. Standing tall and straightening her spine, she decided she would have to avoid George from now on. His familiarity would only cause problems.

  Chapter Ten

  Shaking hands with George Hampton was like shaking hands with a slimy eel. The smile that spread across the man’s face never quite reached his dark brown eyes. Bruce had seen more expressions like that on his clients than he cared to admit. It was the expression of guilt. By the look on his face, Bruce wondered what Mr. Hampton had been up to.

  The two men finished shaking hands. When their arms dropped, they both stuffed their hands casually into their pockets. They each strutted around one another. Who would speak first?

  Clearing his throat, Bruce said, “Thank you for hiring me, Mr. Hampton.”

  George grimaced but quickly covered it with, “No problem.”

  Not easily deterred Bruce continued, “I’m happy with my office, my secretary—” There it was again, that look, causing Bruce’s curiosity to pique further. “However, there is one issue I wish to address while you’re here.”

  George guffawed. “Already? It usually takes a few weeks for the new lawyer to become disgruntled.”

  Bruce’s lips twitched, and he scratched an imaginary itch above his brow. “You misunderstand. I’m not disgruntled, Mr. Hampton. More like confused.”

  “Confused?”

  “Yes. I thought you hired me because I was a criminal defense attorney, a notorious one at that. So imagine my surprise when I get here, and the only case I receive of any substance is a wrongful death suit. Care to explain?”

  George shuffled his feet. His finger edged a tight collar away from his throat. As suddenly as the concern had taken hold, Bruce saw George regain his composure. When Mr. Hampton spoke his voice was calm and steady. “Do you have a problem with the case? Is it more than you can handle?”

  “Hardly. I’m almost certain I can win. I only asked because I was curious.”

  George leaned forward, his finger was posed to poke Bruce’s chest, but changed course and instead went to tapping his chin. “Just leave it up to me on who gets what cases. And trust me, this case is bigger than you can imagine.”

  Bruce couldn’t staunch his reaction as he elevated his brows.

  George pulled off his jacket and placed it on his arm, his cool easy-going manner returned once more. “Before I forget, I dropped by to invite you to my engagement party. Here is an invitation with all the details.”

  After he handed over the white paper with gilded letters, George turned on his heel and walked to the opened elevator door, raising his hand in farewell as the door closed.

  What a strange conversation. He would ponder later on what George said, but right now, Bruce had other things on his mind. Like where was Elizabeth?

  He’d stepped out of the office to retrieve a forgotten file. Now glancing around the room in a wide arc, his secretary, Elizabeth, was decidedly absent. Bruce was sure he’d caught a brief glimpse of her just moments before. Why, there was the hint of fresh coffee in the air so he knew she’d been here. Where could she have gone off to?

  The rub of a door on carpet alerted him. Turning Bruce saw her. He wasn’t easily startled by beauty, but Elizabeth took his breath away. His heart leapt, and he cleared his throat before speaking. “Elizabeth, Mr. Hampton, stopped by to tell me about his engagement party.”

  “Oh.” Elizabeth’s pale cheeks took on a rosy hue.

  “Did he invite you?”

  “Well…” Elizabeth looked down to the ground.

  Bruce understood. She was evading his question. Briskly walking toward his office door, he announced over his shoulder, “You and I will attend this party together, of course. I’ll pick you up promptly at eight next Saturday night.”

  Bruce closed the door on her incredulous gaze and continued to his desk. Plopping down in his seat, he turned to look out at the Manhattan skyline. He was surrounded by tall glass buildings. The early morning sun glinted off them and reflected back at him. Looking out of the window reminded him, he’d never wanted to be anywhere else. That’s why he’d sold his small firm and joined the Hampton’s. They’d made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The only problem: now he was no longer in charge of what cases he took. He was under the thumb of a boss, and he didn’t know if he liked it one bit.