The CEO's Unexpected Proposal. Karen Smith Rose

your mom became a famous fashion designer who just visited on weekends?”

      “Not that often,” Mikala offered nonchalantly. “When she had time.”

      “When did she leave Miners Bluff?”

      “Dawson, it doesn’t matter.”

      “I’ve been answering your questions,” he reminded her.

      “That’s different! I mean, I need to know background information in order to help Luke.”

      “All of your questions had to do with background information?” He didn’t know why he was pushing this, but he was.

      He saw the flush steal over her face, and he knew he’d hit the mark. She was interested in his life, just as he was interested in hers.

      “Maybe not all,” she admitted. “After all, we’re sort of catching up.”

      Yes, they were. “There’s a motto my parents lived by—appearances count. We all lived by it.”

      “I’m not sure what you mean.”

      What did it matter if he told her now? “What was private stayed private. We pretended everything was all right, even when it wasn’t. I have a feeling you might have done a lot of that, too.”

      She didn’t say whether he was right or whether he was wrong. But there was something in the way the corner of her mouth quivered a little, in the way she nervously pushed her hair behind her ear that told him he’d hit a sore point for her, too. Mikala pretended her mother’s desertion didn’t matter. Maybe that’s why she’d kept a certain distance from everyone. Maybe that’s why her friendliness and maybe even her compassion were defenses. She got close to her friends, but didn’t let her friends get too close to her.

      Except there hadn’t been any distance between them the night of prom, and there hadn’t been distance between them for the few minutes they’d danced the night of the reunion. Now he wasn’t sure what was happening with her. Maybe they were just catching up, but the connection he felt to her unnerved him.

      Cutting off whatever was going on, he said, “I’d better get to the office or I’ll be late for my appointment.”

      At first he thought Mikala looked hurt he’d broken off the conversation so abruptly. But then that flicker of emotion was gone and she looked so … neutral … he wondered if he’d glimpsed it at all.

      “You go on,” she said amiably. “I brought my flash drive with some files I need to load on the computer. I’ll be waiting in the office for you when you finish. Philip doesn’t waste time. He’ll probably have you in and out of there in fifteen minutes unless you have a lot of questions.”

      “I’ve already spoken with him on the phone. You’re right. He’s crisp, but thorough. I’ll see you in a little while.”

      He left Mikala in the music room, thinking about his connection with her that seemed to defy time.

      Forty-five minutes later, Mikala wondered how to make the awkwardness between her and Dawson dissipate. They’d driven back to the B and B in his luxury SUV, listening to music he’d programmed in. She wondered about the life he’d led in Phoenix. From his supple leather jacket to his low Italian boots, she could tell he was used to the finer things in life.

      As they stood in the kitchen, their history and unspoken bond vibrating between them, Mikala gestured at the counter. “Help yourself to anything you want in the refrigerator or the cookie jar. This will be your home for a while.”

      “Not until I come back. I feel like I’m taking advantage of your aunt by staying in that suite tonight. I could just sleep on the sofa—then she wouldn’t have to change the bed.”

      “We might not even register any guests between now and the fifteenth. Don’t worry about it, Dawson. Be comfortable tonight.”

      They were talking about beds and that wasn’t any more comfortable than anything else.

      There was a sudden knock on the kitchen door. Dawson asked, “Expecting someone?”

      “No, but I do have a session in about an hour. Maybe my client had the time wrong.” But when she opened the door, she smiled widely.

      Celeste Sullivan stood there with her almost-four-year-old daughter, Abby, holding her hand. Abby immediately held her arms up to Mikala for a hug.

      “Hi, honey. What an unexpected surprise!”

      Celeste laughed. “Abby was restless and Clay won’t be back until late tonight, so we thought we’d come for a visit. If it’s a bad time, we’ll go downtown to the library instead.”

      “No! Come on in. Wait until you see who’s here.”

      When Celeste came in, she spotted Dawson and immediately crossed to him to give him a hug. “It’s good to see you again! Clay said you might be moving back here. Is that official?”

      “It will be in a couple of weeks. I just came up to find a place to stay and to register Luke at school.”

      “Where are you going to be staying?”

      “Right here. Aunt Anna says I’ll be doing her a favor using one of her suites, so Luke and I will be on the third floor.”

      Abby came over to stand beside her mother and looked up at Dawson.

      He crouched down to her level. “Hi, there. Your daddy has emailed me pictures of you and you look even prettier in person.”

      Mikala’s heart warmed at Dawson’s tone. He obviously knew how to talk to kids.

      “I’m Dawson,” he said, extending his hand out to her.

      She ceremoniously shook it. “I’m Abby.”

      “It’s official. We’ve met.” He rose to his feet. “And now I have to give my dad a call and check on my son,” he said to Celeste and Mikala. “If there are any problems, I’ll have to drive back tonight.”

      It was quite evident that Dawson was putting Luke first, and Mikala admired him for doing that. Sometimes it was really difficult for a parent to put aside his own concerns for his child’s.

      Dawson said to Celeste, “I hope I’ll be seeing you after we get settled in. It will be nice to talk to Clay face-to-face instead of on the phone.”

      “I’m sure he’s looking forward to that, too. And Zack. He and Jenny are on their honeymoon now but should be back by the time you move here.”

      “Sounds good,” Dawson agreed, his gaze meeting Mikala’s. She knew what he was thinking. He wouldn’t be socializing much with old friends like Clay Sullivan and Zack Decker if his problems with Luke didn’t settle down.

      Once Dawson had left the kitchen, Abby ran over to the cookie jar and looked up at it. “Can I have one, Mommy?”

      “Sure, if you have a glass of milk to go with it.”

      Abby was amenable to that, so Mikala took milk from the refrigerator and poured her a glass, made tea for herself and Celeste.

      When they were all seated at the table enjoying their snacks, Celeste asked Mikala, “What was that look you gave Dawson before he left to go upstairs?”

      “What look?”

      “I’m not sure. Like the two of you have a secret. I know he’s moving back here so you can treat Luke. Clay told me.”

      “You know I can’t talk about that.”

      “I know.” Celeste waited a couple of beats, then nonchalantly prompted, “There were rumors back in high school about the two of you.”

      “What kind of rumors?” Mikala was absolutely surprised. She’d never given anyone reason to start a rumor about her and Dawson.

      “There