Power and Passion by Kay Tejani Read Free Book Online Page A

are just two of your
best qualities. There are so many others. No one would doubt for an
instant—least of all me—that your motives are anything but
noble."
    "Well, thank you," she replied then looked
at him in silence. Though the praise made her blush a
little—humility, another trait her parents and their faith had
taught her—she was thankful to hear it. Sara rarely stopped to
wonder or worry about her own image, but to know that what she
projected into the world was exactly what was in her heart… well,
that was comforting. "But still."
    "'Why don't you look at it like this?"
Pierce said, not missing a beat. "I wouldn't be giving the money to you . I'd be giving it to SO."
    That gave Sara pause. She uncrossed her arms
and leaned up against the table. "Hmmm…" She brought her eyes up to
meet Pierce's. He didn't take his gaze from her, and she knew what
that meant: he was set on the idea, and nothing she could say would
talk him out of it. Pierce wanted to give her this gift, and she
would simply have to accept.
    She took a deep breath. "Okay. All right,
you win. I'll take the money. However, I'll take it as a loan, and
I will pay you back."
    "An interest-free loan." Pierce winked at
her.
    Sara smiled again, though weakly; she still
felt uncomfortable about the situation. "We'll discuss the terms
later," she told him with a bit of a wink right back at him, trying
to lighten her own mood and convince herself she was doing the
right thing.
    "There you go," he said, clapping his hands
together once. "You know, for a minute there I didn't think I would
get you to agree. I like this stubborn streak in you." He grinned,
reached over, and squeezed her hand. "And thank you for letting me.
I know this is a big deal for you. You never even ask me to do
anything for you, and I know accepting help is hard."
    Pierce then pulled his hand back and, after
a last big bite of his cherry pastry, wiped his mouth and stood up,
signaling that he had to leave. Sara followed suit, collecting her
folder and papers and slipping them into her bag while Pierce left
some cash on the table for their meal. As the two walked out
together, he told her about what he had planned for the day—first
he would look into those hotels for her, and then he would be out
in the field all day, scouting locations for a client who wanted to
invest in a new resort.
    "So tomorrow," Sara said as they approached
her car. Pierce was such a gentleman—he would always walk her to
hers before going off to get his from the valet. "I bought the
tickets for the play we're going to see. It starts at eight
o'clock. Shall we meet in the theater lobby at seven-thirty?" He
smiled, but then his phone rang, and as he pulled it out his face
grew serious. He looked at the screen. "Yeah, tomorrow, good," he
replied in a mumble. "Look, I have to take this."
    As he picked up the call, he reached out and
squeezed Sara's shoulder, and then he just wandered off in what she
assumed was the direction of where he had valet-parked his car. She
stood there watching him for a minute, feeling her heart fall just
a bit. Their conversation over breakfast had been so good, and here
he was, back again: same old Pierce, inattentive and preoccupied,
more concerned about his phone than he was about his fiancée. When
had he become that guy? When they'd met he certainly had been at
least a little more carefree. He'd turned his phone off when they'd
gone out, and he never would have left without making some loving
gesture or giving her one last kiss.
    Well, I suppose he's just so busy at
work , she told herself as she got into her car. She would just
have to get used to it.

 
Six

    T he Special Olympics office was abuzz when
Sara arrived. A small group of young women waited in the lobby,
fresh-faced and looking smart in their business-casual attire,
chattering quietly among themselves. They all smiled at Sara as she
strode by, saying a quick hello on the way to her office. She
looked back at them over