The suddenly sexy university professor rose to his feet. His penetrating stare remained on her face as he gestured toward the guest chair in front of his desk. “No. Have a seat.”
His unexpected welcome made her eyes sting. Why was she so weepy? It must be fatigue. She’d barely slept last night. She drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the stench of stale coffee. How much of that stuff did he drink?
“Thank you.” Ramona settled onto the uncomfortable oak chair. A nervous giggle popped from her lips.
“What’s wrong?” Quincy sat down again.
“The last time I was here, you didn’t ask me to sit. You didn’t stand, either.”
“The last time you were here, you were buried under makeup and hair spray.” His eyes smiled at her. “The new look suits you.”
Ramona touched her face. A blush crawled up her neck. “Thank you.”
Quincy’s eyes sobered. “What’s on your mind?”
Ramona made several false starts before the words came. “You asked why I’d left New York. I left because I wasn’t good enough for Ean’s world.”
Quincy’s coal black eyes ignited with anger. Was it at her or for her? “Who said that? Ean?”
Ramona’s eyes stretched so wide, they hurt. “No! Oh no! No, of course not.”
“Then from where did you get that idea?”
Ramona stood to pace the office. What little space he had was crammed with bookcases and file cabinets. She had to move carefully. The two-toned blue carpet was faded, thin and worn. It should be replaced. She was pretty sure the eggshell walls had once been white. The room needed a fresh coat of paint. The garbage can was in the wrong place. She picked it up and moved it to the other side of his desk.
Quincy gave her a dubious look. “What are you doing?”
“That should improve your feng shui.”
He arched a brow. “Stop stalling.”
Ramona turned to wander the room, carefully. “Ean was my ticket to the big city. But he did his job too well.”
“What do you mean?” Quincy gently prompted.
She flexed her shoulders and drew in another breath of stale coffee. “When it was my turn to step into the bright lights, I got stage fright. The female lawyers and the partners’ wives were so fashionable and polished. And they were smart and well-read. They made me feel like some hick who’d just bounced off a hay wagon in the middle of Madison Avenue.”
“You’re polished, fashionable and smart. You were keeping up with thos
e other women . . . until you came to the well-read quality.”
Ramona gave him a wounded look. “This isn’t funny, Quincy. I’ve never felt so out of place or alone.”
Quincy was desperate. Ramona seemed broken and lost. What should he say to make her feel better?
With her face bare of makeup and her hair pulled into a simple ponytail, she reminded him of the young woman who’d gone to New York full of confidence, then returned to Trinity Falls in defeat. How could he help rebuild her self-esteem?
He crossed to her. He cupped his hands around her slender upper arms and resisted the urge to draw her into his embrace. “Did you tell Ean how you felt?”
“Of course not.”
“Why not?”
She lowered her gaze. “I was too proud.”
Quincy sighed. “He may have been able to help you.”
“I didn’t think so at the time. So I came home. I’d only meant to stay a little while, just until I got my courage back. But then my grandfather died and I couldn’t leave Megan alone.” Ramona’s shrug was restless. “Or maybe I didn’t want to be alone. Then the mayor’s term was up, and no one else wanted the job.”