trembled, watching him. The unexpected reaction urging her to run was intense. She wanted more distance between them. She wanted to rush back to her apartment. It might be dark and furnished with secondhand pieces, but it was her sanctuary, a safe place where she could hide from the world.
Standing up taller, Rose reminded herself that she was no longer hiding. She was here. He’d challenged her to come, expecting her to find a reason, rational or not, to remain hidden in that apartment.
“Welcome,” David said. “I see you decided to accept my offer.”
The harshness of his tone a day ago was still fresh in her mind, although it was missing from today’s greeting.
“I didn’t have much choice,” she said.
“There’s always a choice.”
Spoken like an attorney. David dealt with choices.
“Let me show you around.” David moved toward her. Rose felt trapped. The door had swung closed when she came in, giving her no retreat. She was alone with him. Her heart pounded—she didn’t know from what.
Leading her to the second office, the one next to his, he said, “This one is yours.”
Rose swept her eyes around the room. It was bright, with a large desk facing the window, a couple of file cabinets and a credenza. The desk held a laptop computer and a printer. All the accessories matched. It was different from the mahogany appointments of her office at Bach’s. Rose couldn’t help but compare the old with the new.
“Anything you need, order,” he said.
Taking her to the conference room ended the short tour.
“Should I start right now?” she asked.
“What about your other job? I assumed you were working.”
“I was,” she said. “It’s finished.”
Rose didn’t tell him that when she handed in her notice, they had a replacement waiting.
“Then we can begin by touring the facility so you can see the construction.”
He left her briefly, going to his own office. He returned with two hard hats. Handing one to Rose, she noticed her name was embossed on it.
“You were that sure I’d come?” she asked, holding the hat with her name facing him.
David looked a little uncomfortable. “I hoped you’d see that coming back was the right thing to do.” He paused a moment before continuing. “I want to apologize for yesterday. I didn’t come to argue or badger you.”
“You were right,” she admitted, although it took a lot out of her to tell him that. “I’d been wallowing—I believe that was your word—for a long time. I need to take control of my own life.”
David nodded, pushing his hat on his head. “This way,” he said.
The walk to the old building, which Bach’s had occupied for several generations, was short. The building had a new facade. The Thorns hadn’t razed the old structure, one of the few left standing, although it had been severely damaged after the storm. The Bachs decided not to rebuild. They were past retirement age and wanted to spend more time with their grandchildren. Their decision had been a blow to Rose. She was to take over the store as manager when the older couple retired. After the storm, Rose and everyone else were out of jobs and most had sustained huge personal losses.
Rose walked around the first floor of the building. The walls were up. Drywall dust hung in the air. Painters were working in the distance. The ceiling lights were in place, although the ceiling itself was open and unfinished. The huge floor was open, but outlines were in place for certain departments.
“How do you like it?” David asked. He was obviously proud of what he saw. “Chandeliers will be placed along the full length of the room. They’re still on order.”
Rose’s gaze followed his. She imagined the light giving the place a rich look. On the floor were marks detailing the placement of display cases. She stepped onto one of them.
“What’s going here?” she asked.
“This is the area designed for fragrances, perfumes, special purchases.”
“It’s in the wrong place. Perfume counters should be over there.” Rose pointed to her left. “Here, people will walk into them. Scarves should be over here.” She started walking toward the area. David followed her, but she stopped suddenly and he bumped into her. His hands clasped around her upper arms to steady her.
Rose gasped. The touch of his hands was like fire on her skin. She pointed to a wall, deftly moving away from him. “And where is the children’s department?” she asked. “It needs to be over here.”
“It’s going to be on the third floor. This will reduce the noise level and we plan a full play area for the kids. Safety-wise, it’s better for all concerned.”
Rose walked quickly to the center of the area, where a sign that read Jewelry had been taped to the floor.
“You can’t put Jewelry here?” Rose said, her eyes wide.
“High-end jewelry will be on one side of the aisle and gemstones on the other.” David spread his arms to indicate what he meant.
Rose didn’t like the changes. The store had been set up for decades one way. Why change it now?
“Rosanna,” David said.
She took a long breath, letting it out slowly before turning to face him. She knew he was about to justify this new arrangement.
“I mean this in the best possible way. This is Thorn’s, not Bach’s. As Bach’s it was a wonderful store. It stood in Logan Beach as a staple for over a hundred years. We’re not trying to replicate Bach’s. They wouldn’t appreciate that.”
“What are we trying to do?” she asked. Rose was careful to keep her voice level and remove any sarcasm from it. She needed this job and David knew she needed it. He was going to be the person she reported to, so she should act like an employee. Why she wasn’t, she didn’t know. She did know, however, that the places on her arms where he’d touched her were still smarting and her heart had yet to return to a normal rhythm.
“We’ve tested this layout in other Thorn stores and it’s a scientific approach to crowd flow. Moving from one area to another is easier and usually in line with buying patterns. Those people who buy suits go on to purchase shoes and blouses.”
“I’m sure this has worked in other places, but you need to be aware how important it was for people here to return to things that are familiar.”
David took her arm and walked her away from the earshot of the workmen. Again Rose felt the electrical shock of his touch.
“Rosanna, as you told me, the hurricane happened. It’s not like people don’t know that or don’t want to put it behind them. Don’t you want to put it behind you?”
She hadn’t been prepared for that question. She turned away from him as memories rushed into her mind. David came up behind her before she had time to formulate an answer.
“I’m not asking that you forget it or pretend it didn’t happen,” he said. “It changed people. I get that. But if you plan to stay in Logan Beach, then you have to be willing to accept the change.”
“We are accepting the change,” she said tightly. “We have no choice but to accept it. The people of Logan Beach have been through a crisis and they feel comfortable knowing that some things are the same, comfortable.”
David moved around to face her. “I do understand. And I can’t undo what’s happened. No one is the same. Starting over shows the renewal of life.”
Hating to have her own words thrown in her face, Rose remained quiet.
David dropped his shoulders