Wishing Lake by Regina Hart Page A

her feel this way, the problem wasn’t with her. No wonder most of the women in Trinity Falls were chasing after him.
    “What questions do you want to ask me?” Was that husky voice hers?
    “You’ve done a really great job with this office.” Darius looked around. “It’s much nicer than when Quincy had it.”
    “Oh?” Peyton kept her eyes on the reporter. It wasn’t a hardship.
    “Quincy’s a slob, at least at work.” Darius’s eyes roamed her office. “His house is clean. But when he had this office, it was cluttered, covered in dust, and reeked of burned coffee.”
    Peyton frowned. “He must have worked really hard on it before he left. It was very clean when I arrived.”
    “It even smells better in here.” He caught her gaze again. “It smells like you.”
    Heat rose in Peyton’s cheeks. “What do I smell like?”
    “Talcum powder and lilies.”
    She swallowed hard. “It’s important to me that students feel comfortable and welcome in my office. They won’t feel that way if they have to climb over books to reach my desk or move stacks of papers before they sit.”
    “That didn’t seem to bother Quincy.” Darius gave her an admiring look.
    Was he flirting with her? “What questions did you want to ask me about Dr. Hartford?”
    Darius’s lips curved in a slight smile. He pulled a mini audio recorder from his inside jacket pocket, pressed a button, then put the recorder on Peyton’s desk.
    Peyton eyed the technology suspiciously. “You’re going to record the interview?”
    “I thought you’d be happy about that. This way, you don’t have to worry that I might misquote you.”
    She nodded toward his notebook. “Why are you taking notes if you have a recorder?”
    “It’s in case the recorder fails. I like to be prepared.”
    Peyton gave him a skeptical look. She wasn’t comfortable with the recorder, but he did have a point. There was less of a chance he’d misquote her if he recorded their interview. “OK. I’m ready.”
    Darius sat back in his seat. “Dr. Hartford is an institution, not only at the university but also in Trinity Falls. As a new faculty member and a new resident to our town, what are your impressions of his many contributions to the university?”
    Peyton’s eyebrows rose. He’d impressed her with his first question. She felt challenged to give him an equally impressive answer. And that’s how it went for the next thirty minutes. Darius tossed her thought-provoking questions for which she had to focus to provide intelligent answers. At the end of the half hour, she was ready for a nap. She’d settle for a beverage.
    “Can I offer you a bottle of water?” Peyton rose and crossed to her mini-fridge on the other side of her desk.
    “Thanks.” Darius’s pen raced across his notebook a moment longer.
    Peyton circled his chair on her way to the refrigerator. She glanced over his shoulder, curious about the notes he was taking. His handwriting was illegible.
    “It’s a good thing you recorded my answers. Can you read that scribble?” Peyton surprised herself. She wasn’t used to teasing people. The residents of Trinity Falls were changing her.
    Darius looked at her over his shoulder. “It’s shorthand.”
    “If you say so.” She continued toward her mini-fridge. But with her next step, her heel caught on her office’s small, multicolored area rug. She grabbed the back of Darius’s chair to keep her balance.
    Darius leaped to his feet, catching her waist to steady her. “Are you OK?”
    In reflex, Peyton grabbed hold of his upper arms. She was more disconcerted by Darius’s quick action than her near fall. She stared up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. “You have great reflexes.”
    His concerned expression softened. “It comes from playing ball.”
    “Oh.” Her grip tightened on his biceps. The hard muscles beneath his navy jacket sleeves fascinated her. He must still work out. A lot.
    “Are you sure you’re all right?”
    She tried to step