Change of Fortune Read online

  “Are you really thinking of headquartering a company in Crimson?”

  Leave it to Natalie to see right through him. “Sure. If I can work out something with the town, that is. It’s a good place to live and the GPS technology we’re developing will appeal to people who like the outdoors. It’s a natural fit.”

  She nodded but still looked doubtful.

  They finished cleaning the kitchen in silence. There had been a lot of nights Natalie had eaten dinner over here when they were in high school. Her mom waitressed in town back then and wasn’t around very often. Ruth would cook while Liam and Natalie took cleanup duty. Being here with her now brought him back to a time long past. A time his heart didn’t want to forget but his brain wouldn’t let him revisit.

  His cell phone beeped in his pocket. “I’ve got some stuff to do to get settled in today.”

  “Before bingo?” Natalie asked, flashing him the first smile he’d seen from her.

  He’d missed that smile but forced himself not to show it. “Before bingo,” he agreed. “Are you okay if I head out?”

  “This is my job, Liam. One of them, anyway. We’re fine.”

  She didn’t need to add “without you.” He knew she’d never needed him in the same way he did her.

  He nodded and turned, but stopped at the sliding door that led from the kitchen to the back of the house. “In case you were wondering, I haven’t dated gobs of supermodels.”

  Her gaze crashed into his and he hoped it was relief he read in their dark depths. “It’s none of my business who you date.” Her words were sharp but her voice breathless.

  He could see her chest rise and fall as she busied herself wiping invisible spots from the counter. It gave him the confidence to say exactly what was on his mind.

  “And, Natalie?”

  She looked at him again.

  “No one ever compared to you. Not even close.”

  He watched her jaw drop as he let himself out the back door and walked away.

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  Copyright ©2015 by Michelle Major

  ISBN-13: 9781488095788

  Change of Fortune

  First published as Fortune’s Woman by Harlequin Special Edition in 2009.

  This edition published in 2017

  Copyright © 2009 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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