Almost Perfect (4 page)

A wave of grief threatened to engulf her, so she straightened her shoulders to shake it off. A part of her would cherish Nigel forever, but the time had come for her to move forward with her life.

Up ahead, a little red sports car turned onto the drive for the camp. One of the other coordinators, she supposed, as she followed the car over a rustic wooden bridge. On the opposite side of the river, an elderly man stepped out of a guardhouse. After peeking through the windshield, he waved the sports car through the open gate, then motioned for Maddy to stop. Rolling down her window, she gave him her name.

A broad smile broke over his craggy face. "Ah yes, the new A and C lady. Mrs. Fraser told me to expect you. You just follow Sandy on up to the office. I'll tell Mama you're here." Leaving the window down so the breeze ruffled her hair, Maddy followed the other car along the drive until it pulled into a gravel parking lot before a long, one-story adobe building. Two college-age girls were standing in the lot chatting, one a tall black girl, the other a plucky-looking brunette. They let out a squeal when a perky blonde stepped out of the sports car.

Maddy watched, amused, as the girls raced over to greet the newcomer with arms wide. Just before they all collided, they bent forward at the hips for a hug that allowed no part of their bodies to touch below the shoulders. It was a ritual that surely dated back to the dawn of time. If cavegirls had gone to summer camp, Maddy was certain they would have greeted each other with exactly the same squeal, run, hug.

I When the girls headed inside, Maddy stepped out I of her own car and inhaled a breath of pine-scented air so dry it stole the moisture from her lungs. The brilliant sunlight stung her eyes as she stared at the office.

Joe was in there. She was sure of it.

Eagerness and fear warred in her stomach, making it ache. She bolstered her courage with thoughts of Amy and Christine and headed for the open doorway. Just before she reached it, she heard Joe's voice—and stopped dead.

"Welcome, ladies. I see you've returned for another summer at Camp Enchantment."

"You say that like you're surprised," one of the girls said.

"Not in the least." Joe laughed, a deep, rich sound that sent Maddy tumbling back in time. God, how she'd loved his laugh. Her secret challenge had been to coax a laugh or two out of him whenever they were alone. "Sandy, I have no doubt you'll die of old age right here leading a fireside sing-along."

"One can only hope," the girl responded in a light, flirtatious voice.

Maddy stepped closer to the building and peeked around the doorframe into the shadowy interior. The viga ceiling, terra-cotta tile floor, and beige adobe walls gave the room a rustic feel. Joe stood next to a mission-style desk, clipboard in hand, smiling at the three college girls.

The smile caught Maddy so off guard, for a moment that was all she noticed. He looked happy and relaxed, completely unlike the intense, moody rebel he'd been.

Then she took in the rest of him, and oh dear God! He didn't match her mental image of a starting-to-go-soft man in his thirties at all. He was gorgeous! With a hard body that had her pulse pounding with something more than nervousness;

He stood in profile, wearing a green polo shirt that stretched over big shoulders, bulging biceps, and a chest so well defined she could make out a hint of his pecs through the knit fabric. His khaki shorts hugged narrow hips and showed off rock-solid legs.

He laughed again at something the girls were saying, then turned and bent forward to set the clipboard on the desk. Maddy's mouth fell open as she gazed at the sexiest male butt she'd ever had the privilege to see.

"If you girls will just sign these release forms," he said, "you can get settled. Carol is already here and waiting for you in the Chief's Lodge."

Maddy tore her gaze away from Joe's backside to find the college girls checking him out as well. All three of them smiled and blushed as they took the pen he handed them and signed the forms. No wonder these girls had returned for another year. They all had the hots for the camp director!

Returning her gaze to Joe, Maddy remembered Christine's suggestion that she spend the summer having wild sex with her old flame. The idea aroused her and horrified her at the same time. She couldn't let a man that physically perfect see her naked. It was one thing to be blase about wide hips and wrinkles when she was around normal people who were aging too. But get naked with a man who looked better now than he had as a teenager? Not in this lifetime!

Although why would a man who looked like that even want to get naked with her when he had a whole camp full of nubile twenty-somethings to pick from?

A thought popped into her head, full blown. Was this why he hadn't objected to her coming? He wanted her to see what she'd turned down all those years ago? Show her that other women—younger, prettier women—lusted after him in droves? Maybe lead her on, make her want him again—then turn her down flat? That would certainly be a nice revenge for him, now wouldn't it?

"All right," Joe said, picking up the clipboard. "You three go settle in. We'll rendezvous on the patio at four o'clock for our first staff meeting."

Maddy jerked away from the door as the three girls headed out an opposite doorway that led to a covered patio and the camp beyond. She stood there, fighting the urge to jump in her car and race all the way back to Texas.

Okay, slow down
, she told herself, trying not to hyperventilate.
Think this through
.

The revenge theory was just that: a theory. The Joe she'd known would never be that petty. Although people change. Lord knows she had; she liked to think it was for the better. She'd matured into a responsible, self-reliant adult. Definitely not the sort of woman who would take a job, then not show up. If she left before Joe saw her, that was what he and Mama Fraser would think—that she was an inconsiderate ditz who hadn't bothered to tell them she wasn't coming so they could hire someone else.

Except she'd talked to the guard, so Lord only knew what they'd think.

Plus she'd made that bet with Christine and Amy. If she hightailed it back to Texas without getting at least one piece of her work into a gallery, they'd blow off their own challenges. Damn! Why had she agreed to that dare? Well, she had agreed, and she couldn't get out of it now.

Besides, if she was totally off base on her revenge theory, then maybe Joe was equally eager to put their past to rest. Maybe he'd even be happy to see her. The only way she would know was if she went in there and faced him. And now would be a good time, since he was alone. They'd have privacy, at least, for this first meeting.

Just do it
, she ordered herself.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to take a step. Then another. Before she knew it, she was standing in the doorway. He'd taken a seat at the desk and was working at a computer. The sound of the keyboard covered up her approach until she was almost to the desk. He looked up—and froze.

Her lips trembled as she smiled. "Hello, Joe. It's been a long time."

"Maddy?" He stared at her, his expression blank. He looked unbearably handsome with his tan skin and dark-chocolate eyes.

She felt her cheeks flush. "It's, um, it's good to see you."

He shot to his feet so fast his chair toppled backward, landing with a clatter against the tile floor. Anger blazed from his eyes in hot waves. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The blood drained from her face.

He hadn't expected her.

And he definitely was not happy to see her.

Chapter 3

Adrenaline pumped through Joe's body as he stared at the woman before him. His senses on full alert, he took in everything in a flash: wild red hair, heart-shaped face, green eyes, lush mouth, and an hourglass figure that had forever set his personal standard for how a woman should look. Beneath a yellow tank top and a long, rust-colored skirt, with a wide leather belt riding her hips, she looked as curvaceous as ever.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered. "I thought—"

His gaze snapped back to her face, and he saw her skin had gone white, making her hair and eyes even more vivid. Was this as big a shock for her as it was for him?

"What are you doing here?" he repeated, barely able to think over the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

"I'm going to work here. As the arts and crafts coordinator."

"You're going to
what
?" he barked in his battle voice. But this wasn't a battle. He wasn't shouting to be heard over gunfire, and his body wasn't in immediate danger of getting shot. He was standing in one of the safest places on Earth—the office of his mother's summer camp. The scent of pine and sage drifted through the open windows and doors. Outside, a bird was singing.

And Maddy was standing right in front of him.

Maddy Howard. Not Madeline Mills, the name of the woman his mother had hired. The answer hit him like a blow straight to the chest. His mother had done this. Deliberately! "I'm going to kill her!"

"I'm sorry." Maddy had the grace to blush. "I thought you knew."

"Did she tell you I run the camp for her? Did she mention that you'd be working for me?"

"Of course. I assumed… you wanted…" She took a step backward toward the door to the parking lot as if ready to bolt. "This was obviously a mistake. Maybe I should just—"

She was leaving.

His heart kicked back into high gear. He'd wanted to never see Maddy again, but now that she was here, more dazzling than ever, like some torturous fantasy brought to life, he didn't want her to just walk away. Jesus, how twisted was that? And how embarrassing to realize he still wanted her. Fifteen years after she'd cut him off at the knees, he still wanted her.

"This was definitely a mistake." He made his voice as flat as possible. "And yes, I think it would be best if you did 'just.' " He motioned toward the door, telling himself to leave it at that. She was already turning, already moving away with her head bent. A few more steps and she'd be gone from his life again. An invisible fist squeezed his chest. "Christ, Maddy, you never were good at thinking things through, but this takes the cake, even for you." Why the hell was he still talking?
Shut up, idiot, and let her go
. "What made you think you could breeze in here and spend the summer working for me as if nothing ever happened between us?"

That stopped her. Her head came up and her eyes flared as she turned back to him. "Maybe the fact that it happened
years
ago and I thought you'd be mature enough to be over it by now."