Rekindled Read Free Page A

Ross beat her to the mike.
    “I believe,” he said in a hard voice, “that your question has no relevance-“
    “Excuse me for interrupting, Mr. Stephenson.” She leaned toward the mike, looking at Ross for the first time entirely in the context of the present. “I would like to respond to the gentleman.” Her expression brooked no argument. She was determined. Ross straightened and backed off, seeming bemused.
    She looked back at the man in the audience. “First things first, Mr.-“
    “-Younger,” he supplied, dropping the r at the end of his name in true New England form. “-Mr. Younger. I have a bachelor of science in geology from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and a master’s in geology from Boston College. I spent three years working for Conarn Petroleum, performing geological studies on oil deposits in the Gulf of Mexico. I was then able to co-found Earth Science Education, Inc., the consulting firm that was contacted by Senator Wolschinski to study the pros and cons of the Rye Beach Resort and Condominium Complex.” Holding the man’s gaze steadily, she pushed on. “I have control over neither my age nor my looks. And I never worked for Senator Wolschinski prior to the day he retained my services for this project.” She tipped up her chin a hair. “Have you any other questions?”
    Again a collective murmur went through the crowd. Just as the man shrugged and stepped back, Chloe saw the hand on the podium lift. Ross pressed his chin with his thumb, looking satisfied, respectful.
    He wasn’t the only one she had impressed. A different voice rose from the audience. “The taxpayers’ money has been well spent for a change. Thank you, Ms. Macdaniel!”
    Chloe directed a full smile across the ocean of heads as she leaned toward the microphone a final time. “It’s been my honor. If my effort here has helped to preserve the natural bounty of your state, then we’ve all benefited. Thank you.”
    It was the perfect time to make a gracious, if not sweeping exit. With Ross still standing aside in deference to the crowd applauding its appreciation of her, she should have quit while she was ahead. Her mistake was in looking back at him.
    His smile was devastating. Chloe felt her chest tighten, as she was caught in the throes of memory again. She was suddenly immobilized, suspended in a matrix of desire and guilt that canceled out the years that had come between, until there was only yesterday, Ross, Crystal, and the toss of a coin.
    When a last-minute surge brought members of the audience to the stage, a shaken Chloe returned to the present. She had to concentrate again, listening to questions, offering answers. She stood at one side of the stage with her followers, Ross stood at the other side with his. She gained strength with each new question, so that when the last of the locals left, she felt more herself-felt more herself, that is, until she realized that she and Ross were alone.
    He showed no sign of sharing either her awkwardness or her apprehension. Rather, he smiled at her, looking older and wiser perhaps, but no less alive. The air between them hummed, just as it had eleven years before.
    Looking at him, Chloe grappled with a world of inner demons, but the past was better left alone. She was determined to make this reunion as brief as possible.
    “How are you, Chloe?” he asked, crossing the stage to where she stood.
    He was that much taller than she was. She had to tip up her head. “Fine. And you?”
    “Not bad. You’re looking well.” He gave her a warm once-over. “Very different.” Humor tugged at the corners of his lips.
    “So are you.” Even in spite of an inner trembling, she could appreciate the humor. “When I last saw you, you were distinctly antiestablishment. This is a switch.”
    His stance was a casual one, the hand in his pocket not only emphasizing the solid wall of his chest but pulling the fabric of his trousers across his thigh in a way that showed