Say You Love Me (Pine Valley Book 3) Read online

  The problem was, Dawson wasn’t interested in a woman who’d jump to his every request. Maybe it was because Clara deflected his teasing that he was curious about her. Curiosity wasn’t a bad thing, was it?

  “Are you sure?” Leslie placed a hand on his arm. “The green razzleberry is perfect after a workout. And my next class doesn’t start for thirty minutes.”

  Dawson didn’t need to rethink his decision. If he hurried, maybe he’d catch Clara still in the parking lot. “Thanks for the offer,” he told Leslie. “But I’ve got a pretty busy night ahead of me. I’ll see you around the complex.”

  “Oh, okay,” Leslie said, giving him what he could only term puppy-dog eyes. Then she leaned forward and hugged him again.

  This second hug wasn’t entirely necessary, but Dawson didn’t want to be rude. Overall, he hadn’t minded the yoga, especially right after running. It had helped with stretching that he usually neglected.

  He strode out of the workout room, then down the hall and through the lobby. By the time he reached the parking lot, he knew he’d already missed Clara. He didn’t think any of the cars remaining were hers. It had been worth a try, although he wasn’t entirely sure why he’d felt so determined to catch up with her.

  Dawson climbed into his new truck—well, new since the divorce. It was something he had bought just for himself. Romy hated trucks, so he’d sold his old one before they married. But now . . . Romy was no longer in his life, and he could buy a truck if he wanted to. Besides, it reminded him of his childhood and how his grandpa would pick him up in his old truck on Saturdays for their fishing trips.

  Before Dawson started driving, he checked his whole list of incoming emails. No texts. One voicemail from his mom.

  He cringed as he played the message back.

  “Dawson, dear. I need you to call me right away. Dad and I have four tickets to the spring symphony, so we were thinking you could come with a date. Madge Smith told me Paula is in town for the week—I guess her kids are out of school for fall break. I ran over there today and met Paula’s kids. They’re adorable. Although I never thought I’d tell my son to date a divorced woman with kids, you know that the divorce wasn’t Paula’s fault. And her kids are perfectly well-behaved.” His mother released a happy sigh.

  It made Dawson feel slightly ill. Not that he was opposed to having his own kids, or even possibly dating a woman who had a kid. But he was absolutely opposed to Paula Smith, or whatever her last name was now. They’d dated his senior year in high school, and when he’d found out she was dating two other guys at the same time, he’d vowed to steer clear of her.

  His mother was still leaving her very lengthy message when the voicemail cut off. Dawson chuckled to himself. Only his mother could leave such long messages.

  He’d call her after he got something to eat. Even though he’d turned down Leslie’s invitation, he was hungry. And since he was too hungry to spend extra time cooking, it looked like he was getting a chicken sandwich at a drive-thru.

  He connected his Bluetooth, then called Jeff Finch as he drove. Jeff was as much of a workaholic as Dawson, so he doubted the man would be out and about. Besides, Jeff always answered calls from his lawyer.

  “Bad news?” Jeff said, picking up on the second ring.

  “What?” Dawson was momentarily confused. “Oh. No. We won’t hear back from Kyle’s lawyer for another few weeks, but like I said, I don’t think the lawyer’s going to work pro bono.” Jeff Finch had recently won a lawsuit against his business partner, Kyle, who also happened to be his cousin. Kyle had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Jeff’s realtor business. And Kyle had threatened to countersue. The problem was that Kyle was broke, and any decent lawyer could see that Jeff’s case was solid.

  “Oh, okay,” Jeff said. “I was just worried when I saw your number on my phone on a Friday night.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not calling about work stuff,” Dawson said. He was suddenly wondering if he’d made a mistake and acted too hastily. “I was just in a yoga class at the rec center.”

  Jeff laughed. “Yoga? You? That would be entertaining to see.”

  “Funny,” Dawson deadpanned. “My neighbor was teaching the class. She’s been begging me to come for months.”

  “She? Do I sense an interest?”

  “Leslie? Not unless you like a woman who has more energy than a Chihuahua.”

  Jeff laughed again, then said, “Did you change your mind about golfing tomorrow? Cameron’s confirmed.”

  “Uh, no. I still can’t come.” Dawson cleared his throat. “I saw your secretary tonight at the yoga class. You know, Clara.”

  “Don’t call her a secretary,” Jeff said with a scoff. “She’ll bite your head off. She’s an office manager, or you might be able to get away with calling her an executive assistant.”

  “Duly noted.” Dawson swallowed. He might get a lot of crap when he asked his next question. “Is she, uh, in a relationship?”

  Dawson turned down the volume of his Bluetooth while Jeff laughed.

  When Jeff regained control of his delight, he said, “Clara? I dare you to ask her out, but don’t come crying to me with your hurt ego after.”

  “Why? What’s up with her?” Dawson said. “Is she into other women, or something?”

  “Is that the only reason you can fathom that a single woman would turn you down?”

  “No,” Dawson was quick to say, but he hadn’t missed the laughter still in Jeff’s voice. “Look, tonight was the first time I met her in person. We seem to get along great over the phone, but I never really . . . Well, let’s just say I wasn’t all that curious until I met her in person.”

  Jeff was quiet for so long that Dawson wondered if the call had been dropped.

  “Hello?” he said as he pulled into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant. He got into line behind a few other cars.

  “Okay, I’ll give you the scoop, but just because I don’t really see the two of you together anyway,” Jeff said. “I mean, you’re a great guy, Dawson, and you’re very gregarious—if you know what I mean—and it’s perfect for the courtroom. But Clara is . . . she actually keeps to herself a lot and is a private person. She’s great with clients though. On the phone she’s perfectly charming.”

  Dread pooled in Dawson’s stomach. Maybe the good feelings he had toward Clara were only because he was being sweet-talked as well.

  “But there’s another side to her,” Jeff continued. “One I haven’t figured out yet. I think she’s battling some heavy stuff. Whenever I ask about her past, she shuts right up. I finally put a couple of things together and realized that she moved to Pine Valley on a fluke. Like packed and moved in one night. Stayed at a hotel until I hired her, and then she found an apartment to rent.”

  “Interesting,” Dawson said. “Do you think she’s running from someone? Maybe her name’s not really Clara?”

  “Nothing like that,” Jeff said. “I saw her driver’s license when we did the hiring paperwork. But whatever happened, she’s very private about it.”

  “Hang on,” Dawson said. It was his turn to order at the drive-thru. He put in his order, then said, “So, bottom line, she’s not dating anyone, but she’s not interested either?”

  “I’ve heard her turn down plenty of dates,” Jeff said. “But none of them were a tenacious lawyer who can talk a judge and jury into seeing his side of a case.”

  Dawson chuckled. “Perhaps I do have something going for me.”

  “You’re free to try,” Jeff said. “Like I said, don’t come crying to me when she turns you down.”

  “As long as you don’t have an issue with me asking her out.”

  “Go for it,” Jeff said. “It will be entertaining on my behalf. If I was a betting man, I’d make some money.”

  “Keep your money,” Dawson said. “But you’re going to owe me dinner.” After he hung up with Jeff and paid for his meal at the drive-thru window, Dawson drove the rest of the way home, wondering if Clara
liked symphony music.

  Clara loved Saturday mornings at the real estate office. It was strange, because she never thought she’d want to work on a Saturday. But there was something different about the day, and she always felt revitalized.

  Since Saturday was one of their busiest days of the week, as far as Jeff showing clients and answering phone calls, Clara made sure to get to the office early. As usual, she had the coffee pot going by eight. And by nine, she’d already drilled through quite a few inquiries that had come in overnight. It seemed that Friday night was a popular time to browse real estate listings.

  By ten, she was pouring her second cup of coffee and debating if she should make a run to the Main Street Café and bring in muffins. A potential client, Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, said they’d be stopping by the office to meet with Jeff.

  Clara sent a text to Jeff about the appointment, and then she grabbed her purse. She’d leave the office open, since she’d only be gone a few minutes.

  The café was a half block away, and the cool March morning felt good against her skin. She stifled a yawn and wished she had slept better last night. In fact, she was surprised she hadn’t. Usually on yoga nights, she slept longer and more deeply.

  But she’d awakened several times, thinking about the yoga class and how Dawson Harris had introduced himself. And how she’d disappeared as soon as she could. Dawson Harris was the last man she could let herself be attracted to. He was Jeff’s lawyer, and now that she’d met Dawson in person, not only did he have a girlfriend, but it was clear he was one of those guys who probably had women ogle him everywhere he went.

  And Clara refused to join the masses. She kind of wished Dawson would have been less . . . good-looking? Less friendly?

  After months of turning down any man who’d asked her out, or hinted at asking her out, she was attracted to her boss’s lawyer? She didn’t know anything about Dawson’s relationship history, but since he was obviously dating Leslie, Clara might have to rethink going to that particular yoga class.

  Clara’s phone rang just as she reached the café. “Hi, Jeff,” she answered before stepping inside. She stopped to the side of the doors as someone passed her by and went into the café.

  “I’m going to be about ten minutes late to the appointment with the Tuttles,” he said. “Can you grab some muffins from the café?”

  “Already on it,” Clara said with a laugh.

  “Of course you are,” Jeff said, his warm voice coming through. “Thanks, Clara. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Clara smiled. It was nice to be appreciated, and it was in moments like this that she wanted to be the best employee ever. If Jeff Finch hadn’t hired her, who knew where her life would have ended up? Pine Valley had given her the new start she needed.

  “Oh, by the way,” Jeff continued. “Dawson said he met you last night.”

  “Yeah,” Clara said, her mind racing. What had Dawson said about her to Jeff? Did they usually hang out on Friday nights? “He came to my yoga class. His girlfriend’s the instructor.”

  “Girlfriend?” Jeff said. “Dawson doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

  Clara’s face heated. “Well, whatever. I just thought that he and Leslie were . . . never mind.” Dawson doesn’t have a girlfriend kept running through her mind. “Do you want me to get anything besides muffins?”

  “Um, donut holes?” Jeff said. “Clara, I just need to tell you something before the day gets away from me. And you can take this however you want, but when Dawson called me last night, he asked if you had a boyfriend.”

  All the air seemed to leave Clara’s body, and she leaned against the outside wall of the café.

  “Make of it what you will,” Jeff continued. “But since you’re my employee, and I don’t want to lose you for any reason, I don’t want you to feel like you have to go out with Dawson if he asks you. I mean, he can be fairly, uh, persuasive, but lawyers are a dime a dozen. Good office managers aren’t.”

  Clara inhaled. She was still breathing, apparently. “Thanks for the heads-up,” she finally said. “I’m not really interested in dating right now. I’m sort of on a break.”

  “I get it,” Jeff said. “Dawson’s been a tremendous help to me, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in any way while working for me. So if I have to, I’ll hire another lawyer.”

  “No, that’s a bit drastic,” Clara said. “I mean, it’s not like he’s calling me to ask me out, or anything.”

  When Jeff didn’t respond, Clara said, “What else did he ask?”

  “Just what I told you,” Jeff said. “But I could hear the interest in his voice. He’s been through a recent divorce, and his mom keeps trying to set him up on dates, but from what I know, he’s not dating anyone. Dawson is an extremely busy man, and he’s never called me for any personal reason. Until last night.”

  Clara let that sink in. “Okay,” she said with what she hoped sounded like a breezy voice. “Like I said, thanks for the heads-up. And just so you know, Jeff, I love my job, and I’m grateful that you hired me.”

  “Believe me, you’ve been a godsend,” he said. “Especially since I’ve been dealing with this lawsuit. And you’ve put in a ton of extra hours. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

  Clara nodded, even though Jeff couldn’t see it. “No problem.” After they hung up, she waited a moment, collecting her thoughts, before she entered the café. Jeff was an amazing guy, a great boss, and if there was any attraction between them, she’d probably be a blushing mess. But, although Jeff was close to her age, and a very nice-looking man, there was nothing between them.

  On the other hand . . . Dawson had asked if she had a boyfriend. Clara was having a hard time comprehending that Dawson Harris would call up Jeff after the yoga class and ask about her. Yes, they’d had several conversations over the phone, but they’d never talked about anything beyond Jeff or business. Their conversations had been light, friendly, and Clara had never felt like he was flirting.

  But now, knowing that Dawson had called Jeff last night to specifically ask about her, she was suddenly nervous. What if he called the office again and she answered? She’d probably sound like an awkward teenager.

  Clara exhaled and moved to the doors of the café. She entered the restaurant and placed her order. She had to refocus her thoughts. She already knew that if Dawson asked her out, she’d turn him down. She wasn’t ready to trust guys, not yet. The night Max had broken off their engagement still seemed like a horrible dream—but it had been real. Having the man you were in love with confess that he’d fallen in love with his co-worker, and that they’d been seeing each other for over a year, had ripped out Clara’s heart.

  She’d felt such the fool. She’d felt like a piece of discarded trash.

  The only thing good that came of that horrible night was that after crying half the night, she’d called in sick to work and gone back to bed. If she hadn’t been home, she wouldn’t have been there when her grandma collapsed in the kitchen. Clara wouldn’t have been there to call 911 and get her grandma to the hospital. And even though her grandma had never recovered, Clara would have never forgiven herself if she hadn’t been home to call the paramedics.

  “Clara?” someone called out.

  Her order was ready, and she stepped forward to collect the box of muffins and donut holes. She hurried back to the office; she’d been gone much longer than planned. She wanted everything set up before the Tuttles arrived.

  Once she had the mini breakfast arranged, she returned to her laptop and continued answering e-mail inquiries about various properties. At the end of each e-mail, she always included the invitation to stop by the realtor office and meet Jeff in person. Jeff had a natural charisma that put clients at ease, and his laid-back approach didn’t make them feel pressured to make quick decisions.

  With the Tuttles coming soon, Clara knew the rest of the day would fly by, so she took a couple of guilty moments and googled “Dawson Harris lawyer Pine Valley.” Several hits cam
e up, the top one belonging to his law firm. Clara clicked on the link, telling herself she was only doing a professional search. It wasn’t like she’d look him up on Facebook or Instagram.

  His picture was the top one under the “Our Lawyers” drop-down menu. There he was. Dark-brown eyes, nice smile, hair more neat than it had been at the yoga class.

  Clara exhaled and read through the bio. He’d gotten his law degree from Berkeley. Well, then. What was he doing in small-town Pine Valley? She guessed him to be at least thirty, with all the credentials that made up his bio. To stay fair and objective, Clara read through some of the other lawyers’ bios. All of them mentioned families, wives, or wives and kids. Dawson’s didn’t mention anything about his family.

  Okay, Clara was getting way too curious. She was already wondering what his ex-wife was like. Why had they gotten divorced? And . . . did he have any kids?

  The front door of the office opened, and Clara looked up to see a man walk in, then hold the door open for a woman who must be his wife.

  They looked to be in their sixties, and Clara welcomed them inside. “Jeff Finch will be here in about ten minutes,” she said, waving them toward the breakfast foods. “Help yourself to muffins and coffee.” Her phone started ringing, and Clara answered it.

  The rest of the morning and afternoon proved busy, with Jeff meeting with clients and Clara manning the phones. It wasn’t until about 3:00 p.m., when Jeff left for a showing, that Clara finally caught a breather. And she was starving.

  She set a sign in the window that read “Be back in 20 minutes,” then walked to the Main Street Café to grab a sandwich. The line wasn’t too long, and she only had to wait a few minutes for her ham and Swiss on wheat. As she walked back to the office, she sipped her lemonade and ate the sandwich. She was too hungry to wait.