Julia rolled her eyes. “I’m not the one who spent five days at a resort with the firm’s most eligible partner.”

Mallory hugged her shoulders tight. “He’s not eligible.” And as of the end of her first week back, he hadn’t returned to the office, either. So she’d avoided any awkward confrontation and by having her notice declined, she’d probably avoided ever seeing him again. That damned lump in her throat returned.

“Not eligible? You mean he was engaged or married during that one night? What a slime.” Julia made a face accompanied by a snort of disgust.

Despite herself, Mallory chuckled. She had no intention of revealing to Julia it had been much more than one night. “He’s neither engaged nor married but he’s just as unavailable in here.” She tapped her chest, above her heart. “And here.” She gestured towards her head.

And if all their intimate time together hadn’t changed his outlook nothing would.

Julia leaned forward to give Mallory a comforting embrace and she was grateful for her cousin’s silent, solid support.

Julia pulled back. “Did he say for certain he’s not interested or are you guessing? Because even the most determined bachelor can meet his match.” A wicked gleam lit Julia’s gaze.

“Don’t tell me you believe in the right woman changing a stubborn man’s mind.”

“I’m just saying not to give up hope until you’ve heard it from the horse’s mouth.” Julia grinned. “So to speak.”

“I don’t think he has anything more to say to me. Once you tell someone you love them, the ball pretty much falls into their court.”

She sighed. “I can’t argue that though I wish I could. So what are you going to do with yourself now that you’re unemployed?” Julia asked, not so subtly changing the subject.

“I’ve got a nice nest egg and I can afford to open my own practice, even if it doesn’t take off for a while. I’m going to look at leasing some office space-maybe within someone’s office to cut costs. It’s time I did something for me.”

“Not your father?”

Mallory leaned her head back against the couch. “You mean you knew all along that the partnership track wasn’t what I wanted?”

Julia’s familiar blue eyes stared back at her. “You were using it as a way to make your father proud when nothing’s going to get him to focus on anyone but himself. Meanwhile you convinced yourself you were happy. Who was I to argue?”

Mallory sighed. “You’ve got a point. But I’m over it now.” And it had only taken her thirty years.

But she’d learned so much about herself that she could begin a brand-new life. Much as she wished Jack would be part of it, Mallory Sinclair was a fighter who thrived on a challenge. She’d survive.

But life would be so much brighter if Jack had learned the same lessons she had.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MALLORY HAD QUIT. Jack entered his private sanctuary slamming the door behind him so he could have a modicum of privacy in this gossip-stricken law office. Straight from the Hamptons, he’d been hit by a nasty summer flu and he’d missed another two days of work, bringing him into the weekend. He wished someone in this damn office had seen fit to tell him about Mallory while he was out sick.

He’d returned today, uncertain of how he’d deal with his office ice queen, knowing only that they weren’t finished-to discover she was gone. The emptiness gnawing inside him was greater than any he’d experienced in the past.

But along with the void came an accompanying sense of pride in Mallory. She’d found herself on their business trip and as a result she finally saw herself as he did-as a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.

The same way she’d gone after him. She wasn’t afraid to walk away when her hopes, dreams, goals or desires weren’t met. From a job or from him.

Jack glanced around his corner office, a status symbol by its very location. He took in the floor-to-ceiling windows and the gray, rainy New York City skyline, then turned to look at his mahogany desk, oversize leather chair, expensive oriental rug and handmade, wooden bookshelves-plus what felt like a lifetime’s worth of mementos. His college and law school degrees, his New York State Bar admission and even his high school football jacket hung from the wall.

He’d started his law career right here. All his professional achievements were tied to this firm, but his time with Mallory had shown him he had no personal accomplishments to show for those same years. And suddenly his professional ones felt insignificant and lacking.

The mess with Lederman hadn’t helped. He’d shown Paul the pictures, listened to his blustering and told him to think about the damage those photos could do to his business reputation. Jack expected to settle the case quickly and with a minimum of fuss-Lederman would get screwed and Jack wouldn’t have to compromise his principles and push Paul’s wife into an unfair settlement.

Jack stared out at the Empire State Building in the distance. He wouldn’t be around here much longer either. From the moment he looked into Alicia Lederman’s face and saw more than an adversary, more than someone he wanted to best in court, Jack knew his days with Waldorf, Haynes were numbered. Once again he had Mallory to thank for opening his eyes.

He couldn’t blame the firm or even Lederman for his current dissatisfaction, he could only blame his unwillingness to face himself and his demons-and to accept the greatest gift offered to him.

Mallory’s love.

“So what do you plan to do about it?” he asked himself.

He glanced at his too-neat desk and grabbed for a sheet of paper and pen. He’d get in touch with Mallory in words she couldn’t misunderstand. Then he’d hope for the best.

HANDS ON HER HIPS, Mallory surveyed the office space available for rent from a friend of Julia’s. He was an insurance agent with the extra room and a secretary with free time to lend her in exchange for the surplus income. It was cheaper than actually leasing space for herself. There was time enough for that huge step if she made a success of her new practice.

And she intended to. Mallory never did things halfway. Except for Jack. Somehow she’d blown that one.

Two weeks had passed since she’d left him behind and she hadn’t heard a word. Not that she’d expected him to call, but the dreamer-the one he’d brought out in her-had hoped. And there were times, mostly late at night, when she’d thought of calling him just to hear his voice, to see if he ached for her as much as she ached for him. But sanity would return and she’d remind herself that he knew she loved him. If during their time apart he realized he felt the same, he knew where to find her. There was nothing else she could say or do that would change things between them.

She walked out of the old building, pleased with the location but not ready to make the decision yet. A quick taxi ride home and she entered her apartment, tossing her bag down on the living room couch.

“Where have you been?” Julia came out of her room, impatience in her stride and in her voice.

“Checking out office space. But boy am I wiped out. This heat is a killer-not to mention that you can roast on the subway.” Mallory flopped into the nearest chair.

“While you were gone I picked up the mail.” Her cousin stood beside her and waited.

“And this is news because?”

“Of this!” Julia slapped an envelope onto Mallory’s lap.

The ivory stationery had the familiar Waldorf, Haynes insignia and return address on the left-hand corner, but that wasn’t all. The attorneys scrawled their initials below the main address and her cousin hadn’t missed the most important notation. The one that caused Mallory’s heartbeat to accelerate and her pulse to pound hard.

“J.L. That’s him, isn’t it?” Julia asked, her voice rising in excitement.

“Mind if I read this in private?” Knowing she’d asked a rhetorical question and her cousin wasn’t budging, Mallory ripped into the envelope as she spoke.

Julia stood over her shoulder and read aloud. “One last time, a lifetime to share, I will be waiting-if you dare. Oh my God, that’s so romantic.” Her accompanying shriek reverberated in Mallory’s ear.

“So much for privacy,” Mallory said wryly. A tremor shook her as she reread the words for herself and she agreed with her cousin. It was shocking and romantic and unbelievably scary.

Mallory didn’t know what had prompted Jack’s change of heart but she knew him well enough to realize he wouldn’t have sent this letter unless he meant every word.

She turned the invitation over. The date was a week away, the address unfamiliar-and suburban.

“How does he expect you to get there?” Julia asked.

“Good question.” Nothing on the paper indicated how Mallory would even find the place. She’d have to find a map for specific directions.

She fingered the paper between her fingers, imagining it held the warmth from Jack’s touch. “But then I suppose nothing worth having is easy, right?”

Julia, unaware of the invitations that had passed between Mallory and Jack, merely nodded, looking a bit stunned.

Mallory wasn’t shocked, she was certain. If she wanted him, she had to work to get him. No one’s ever gone out of their way for me. She remembered the conversation clearly.

And though Mallory didn’t think he was consciously making her work to get him, if she showed up as requested, he’d know without a doubt he was worth the effort.

It was a challenge-with a lifetime at stake.

MALLORY PARKED her rental car outside the address on the invitation. She checked the number on the mailbox twice to be certain, but the moment she’d seen the Victorian house with the white picket fence, she’d known she had the right place. Quaint and charming, the place spelled out h-o-m-e.