He extended his hand and gave a toothy grin.
“I’m Otis,” he said. “Welcome to Sunnydale and to Temptation.”
“Ah, thank you,” Ava said and shook his hand.
He was still holding her hand seconds later when a younger man entered the lobby area.
“The paint’s still wet, but the job’s done, Mr. Otis. I have to head back out to Harper’s place, but just let Nana Lou know we’ll be sending her an invoice in the mail,” the second man said.
There was a big contrast between the two men, and Ava, always one to pay attention to the details, picked up on it immediately. The first man, the older one who had just been called Mr. Otis, wore dark gray pants that were baggy on his slim frame. Black suspenders helped to keep the pants from falling down, and his short-sleeved light blue dress shirt was wrinkled, with a floral trimmed handkerchief in his breast pocket. His skin was a very weathered almond complexion, and his hair—what was left of it—was short, gray and curled close to his scalp.
The second man was much younger, probably in his early to mid-twenties. He was at least six feet tall with a short bush of brown hair, and he wore faded jeans and a plaid shirt with drops of paint all over it.
“Pardon me,” the younger guy said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your check-in.”
They would know instantly that she wasn’t from Temptation, and it had nothing to do with the cream-colored pantsuit she was wearing. Ava had left the jacket to the suit on the back seat of the rental car so that her arms were bare in the peach tank top she wore. Her shoes were comfortable leather flats, and the flashiest piece of jewelry she wore was the diamond tennis bracelet her father had given her as an eighteenth birthday present.
No, they knew she wasn’t from here because they knew everybody in this town. She could see it by the way they were assessing her.
“Hi. I’m Ava Cannon,” she said and was finally able to ease her hand away from Mr. Otis’s grip. She extended it to the young man, who smiled as he shook it.
“I’m Craig Presley,” he said. “Welcome to Temptation.”
“Thank you,” Ava said. Both of them were actually very welcoming and genuine.
“No thanks necessary. In fact, since you’re new to town, I would like to personally offer my services to show you around,” he said.
Craig Presley had a nice smile and warm, happy eyes. He was cute and friendly, but he wasn’t her type. Nor was hooking up with a guy in this town on her agenda.
“Presley? Are you any relation to a Harper Presley?”
“Yes,” Craig replied. “Harper’s my cousin. Are you looking to have a house renovated or built? Presley Construction can definitely take care of that for you. We’re the best in town. Here, let me get you a card.”
He was digging into his back pocket now, pulling out his wallet as he hunted for a card.
Mr. Otis scratched the side of his head. “If you’re thinking about planting roots here in Temptation, you should talk to Fred Randall about purchasing some land or a house. Then you get in contact with Harper. She’s a wisp of a pretty gal, and she’s mighty talented, too,” Mr. Otis stated.
“I’m just visiting,” Ava said and then thought quickly of something else. “But I like what I’ve seen of this town so far.” She shrugged. “Would be nice to maybe have a vacation home here.”
Craig handed her a card. “Then Presley Construction is definitely here to work with you. Phone numbers, email and address are on the card. Harper does all the intake for new clients. I can introduce you to her. I just need to make a quick trip back to the warehouse and clean up a bit. Then I would love to take you to dinner to tell you more about Temptation.”
Ava looked down at the card and nodded. Harper may be the head of Presley Construction, but she was also the fiancée of Garrek Taylor, the navy pilot. How lucky was she to have made this connection to the Taylor family so quickly?
“Or she can just take a little walk down Sycamore Lane. Three blocks past the traffic light and to the left—you’ll probably bump right into Harper at Gray Taylor’s house. They’re having a barbecue tonight.”
And the luck just continued to flow, Ava thought with a smile.
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to intrude on a family gathering. I can just call tomorrow to schedule an appointment.”
“Nonsense,” Mr. Otis said. “Nana Lou baked some cookies for Jack and Lily. I told her I’d run them over there, but you can deliver them in my place. Gives you the perfect opportunity to meet up with Harper.”
It certainly did. Almost too perfect, but Ava decided she would take it. This wasn’t LA or New York; people here were just friendly, she reminded herself. Nobody was going to be suspicious if a stranger just showed up with a plate of cookies. At least she hoped not.
“Tell Harper I sent you to her,” Craig added. “I’ll take a rain check for dinner.”
Ava found herself liking Craig Presley because she could definitely relate to his tenacity.
“I sure will,” she said. “Thanks, Craig, and you, too, Mr. Otis.”
Craig headed out, leaving Ava and Otis alone.
“Like Craig said before, no thanks necessary, ma’am,” Otis replied with a shake of his head. “I’ll just run out to the kitchen to get those cookies for you. Then I’ll take your bags up to your room.”
“That would be great,” Ava told him. “Oh, wait, don’t you need to swipe my credit card, get my ID or have me sign something?”
Otis chuckled. “I can get all that when you come back. If you’re thinking of getting a place here, we definitely don’t want to put that off.”
No, Ava did not want to put off the beginning of her second phase of research. She smiled and thanked Otis once more. She hadn’t been in Temptation for more than an hour, and already she was on her way to getting this story done.
* * *
Gage had been in Temptation for two days and he was already dressed down in basketball shorts, a T-shirt and tennis shoes. Garrek’s fiancée, Harper, hit the volleyball with a force Gage wasn’t expecting, and he ran backward in order to save the shot. He tripped over something and fell back instead.
And then she was there.
“Hello, Dr. Taylor,” she said with that smile that never failed to take his breath away.
She stared down at him, dark hair framing her pretty face, a light pink gloss on her soft lips. And Gage thought he must be dreaming.
“Ava?”
He moved quickly, coming to stand in front of her.
“I think you were trying to catch this,” she said and gave a light kick to the ball he’d been after.
Gage put his foot on the ball to stop it from rolling, but did not take his eyes off her. She looked amazing, her long legs clad in cream-colored pants, the formfitting peach blouse and all that thick hair hanging past her shoulders. He’d forgotten how sexy she was.
“Yeah, thanks,” he said and then asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Delivering cookies,” she replied and held up a plate covered in foil.
“All the way from New York or LA or wherever you live?” he asked.
It may have seemed like an odd statement since this was the last woman he’d had sex with. In a perfect world, he would have known more about her besides her last name and professional occupation. But in Gage’s world, it was the norm. He didn’t need to know much about the women he slept with, because he never intended there to be anything beyond the physical. It was easier that way.
“I’m