“Will you ever go back to doing what you do better than anyone, love?”

“Morey wants me to.” She told Barry about the two-year contract she’d been offered. “I haven’t decided whether to accept it or not.”

He sighed. “Are you happy this way, Rana?”

“Happy?” Had she ever been happy in her life? Was anyone? “I’m content. I think that’s the most anyone can ask for.”

Not wanting to become too maudlin, she kissed him, thanked him again for the orders, and assured him she’d think about his latest innovative idea. Once out in the mall, she realized that she hadn’t specified a place to meet Trent. She didn’t have long to ponder her dilemma, because she spotted him walking around aimlessly, occasionally stopping to watch the ice skaters gliding across the center rink.

He was so very attractive. Each time she saw him, she was mildly surprised all over again by how much he appealed to her. He wasn’t bulky and massive like professional football linemen, but his muscles filled out his jacket and slacks. His clothes fit to a “T” and were well tailored, though casual. She liked the way his dark hair waved naturally, flirting with the tops of his ears and his collar. He was wearing opaque sunglasses, probably to keep fans from recognizing him.

She made her way toward him slowly, glad for the opportunity to study him without his knowing it. When she was still a fair distance away, he turned his head in her direction. He must have seen her instantly, because he began wending his way toward her through the crowd.

“I’m sorry, Ana.” He spoke the words in a breathless rush as soon as he came within hearing distance. “What I said was-”

A harried lady shopper bumped into him from behind. Taking Rana’s arm, he guided them out of the flow of foot traffic, placing her between him and the wall. She had to angle her head back in order to look at him. He took off his glasses and tucked them into the breast pocket of his coat. His dark eyes were troubled.

“What I said in the car just before you got out, well, it was unforgivable,” he said. “I didn’t mean it. I was just so damn mad. ”

“You don’t have to apologize, Trent.”

“Yes, I do. These are for you.” He thrust a bouquet of daisies at her. “I wanted to get roses, but they were sold out. Forgive me? Please.”

Tears filled her eyes as she stared wordlessly into the cluster of daisies. She lowered her face, nestling her nose among the dewy petals. She had been sent flowers often. Extravagant arrangements of roses and orchids had come from counts and corporate presidents. None had ever meant anything to her. This small, unpretentious bouquet of humble daisies was the most precious gift she had ever received.

“Thank you, Trent. They’re lovely.”

“I had no right to speak to you like that.”

“I provoked you.”

“Well, anyway, I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.”

The mall was crowded. Shoppers hurried past them. Still they didn’t leave their spot. He continued to stare down at her.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked.

“No. I saw you from across the atrium.”

“I was so mad I didn’t even tell you where to meet me. ”

“That’s all right. We found each other.”

“Yes. We found each other.”

As he continued to gaze down at her, her words took on a deeper meaning. He inched closer. His hand came up to rest against her cheek. He whispered her name. Then he lowered his head and pressed his lips against her cheek.

Rana stopped breathing. She didn’t move. The daisies, which she was holding against her chest, were crushed between them. She heard the crackling of the green tissue they were wrapped in and felt the damp petals against her arms.

But it was the man who captured most of her awareness. He smelled like summer sunshine and a masculine fragrance. She wanted to nuzzle his warm neck and breathe deeply of his scent. His lips went from cool to warm against her cheek. His breath, rapid and unsteady, whispered across her face. Only a supreme act of will kept her from flinging her arms around him and never letting him go.

He hesitated, as though trying to make up his mind about something; then he stepped away. “Let’s get out of here,” he said, taking her arm and leading her through the mall.

“How is your shoulder?” she asked once they were in the car and negotiating traffic again.

He laughed. “You’ve asked me that several times already.”

“And I never got an answer. What did the doctor say?”

“He said that by the time I go off to summer training camp, I should be in great shape.”

“ Trent, that’s wonderful,” she said enthusiastically, tamping down a wave of sadness that came with his news. When he left for camp, he’d be leaving her life for good.

“I guess the rest and relaxation is starting to pay off.” He grinned across at her. His smile showed brilliantly in his darkly tanned face. “Hungry?”

She nodded. “I didn’t get any lunch.”

“Neither did I.”

He took her to one of his favorite Mexican restaurants. She had just begun to acquire a taste for the spicy ethnic cuisine. “Are you sure we’ll get out alive?” she commented dubiously when he braked in the gravel parking lot of the restaurant. It hardly qualified as such. “Cantina” might have been a more appropriate description. The porch sagged considerably. The sign over the door was so faded that only a few letters were distinguishable. The windows were murky and decorated with window boxes containing dusty plastic flowers in garish colors.

“I didn’t say it was fancy, only that it was the best.”

They laughed and joked all through the meal, which Trent ordered from an enormously fat woman who kept patting him affectionately on the cheek and calling him “Angelito.”

When they left the restaurant, he drove Rana around Houston, pointing out places of interest that an out-of-towner would rarely see.

By the time they returned to Galveston, it was well after dark. Ruby was waiting for them at the back door. “I’ve been worried,” she said. “ Trent, did you forget that you promised to take me bowling tonight?”

Rana could almost hear his inward groan, but for his aunt’s sake, he smiled. “Of course not. Not after looking forward to it all week. Is it all right if Ana comes along?”

“Certainly,” Ruby said. “The more the merrier.”

Rana had had such a perfect day, she wanted it to stop now, before something happened to ruin it. Besides, she didn’t want to intrude on Ruby’s evening with her adored nephew. “I’m a lousy bowler. You two go ahead. I’m tired and want to get to bed early anyway.”

She wanted to think that Trent was disappointed. He seemed to be as Ruby practically dragged him out the front door. “Be sure to lock up,” he told Rana as she waved good-bye. She had the distinct impression that he would much rather have stayed with her than escort his aunt to the bowling alley. His farewell smile left a warm, glowing feeling inside her.

In her room, she placed the daisies in a vase of water and put them where she could see them as she reclined in a hot bubble bath. She had just stepped out when her telephone rang.

“Where have you been all day?” a gruff voice asked when she answered.

“And hello to you, too, Morey. I had to go to Houston.”

“That’s what your landlady told me.”

“You’d be proud of the money I came home with.”

“Too bad I’m not getting my percentage.” Rana wondered again if Morey hadn’t gotten himself into financial straits with his gambling, but before she could inquire, he plunged right into the business at hand. “Well, have you thought it over?”

“Yes, Morey.”

“Spare me the suspense.”

“My answer is no.”

She had thought it over carefully, weighing every aspect of her decision. As recently as last night she had entertained the thought of returning to her former way of life, despite the unhappiness it would bring her.