Eye of the Beholder

that."
    Amusement flickered in his green eyes. He gave her a small salute with the cup of coffee he held in one hand. "I can see I'm going to have to work on making a stronger first impression."
    Alexa flushed. Fortunately, there was no need to come up with a brilliant rejoinder. Foster was on his feet, hand extended.
    "Foster Radstone . I'm with the Dimensions Institute. I don't believe I've had the pleasure."
    " Trask . Like the lady said, I'm with Avalon Resorts."
    Foster chuckled. "You mean you are Avalon Resorts. Welcome to Avalon, Trask . I take it you and Alexa know each other?"
    "We've met," Trask said.
    Alexa tensed. The enigmatic expression in his eyes was worrisome. Did he recognize her or not? The suspense was maddening.
    She decided to take the initiative.
    "I was in a hurry to get home that day," she said casually. "I don't believe I gave you my name."
    "No, you didn't. You were distracted."
    She frowned. "Distracted?"
    "You didn't like the fact that I was on the wrong side of the guard rail, remember? Tell me, do you patrol that stretch of the road on a regular basis looking for tourists who don't follow the rules?"
    Out of the corner of her eye she saw Foster's startled stare. She set her jaw and refused to blush again.
    "I'm Alexa Chambers," she said very firmly. Trask inclined his head. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Chambers. Again."
    There was no flash of recognition in his expression, merely a cool, enigmatic amusement.
    She reminded herself to breathe. It was okay. Nothing to worry about. He had not yet made any connection between herself and Lloyd. He had been in town for several days now, and the Chambers name still meant nothing to him. She could relax.
    "Do you always follow the rules yourself, Ms. Chambers?" he asked.
    She certainly had until recently, she reflected. It occurred to her that before she had concocted the scheme to revive her dead-on-arrival career, she'd never had any real incentive to break rules. Contrary to her former therapist's opinion, it wasn't fear that had kept her from taking risks, she thought. It was the fact that, until now, there had been nothing she had wanted badly enough to warrant a walk on the wild side.
    "Unlike some people, I assume rules exist for a purpose," she said.
    "Sure. To be broken."
    "Fortunately not everyone holds the same opinion," Alexa said through her teeth. "Like it or not, rules are the glue that holds a civilization together."
    "I'm not in favor of breaking all the rules," Trask said. "Just the ones that get in my way."
    She gave him a steely smile, "Fell me, do you find that there are a lot of rules that get in your way, Trask?"
    He shrugged. "I admit that, on the highway of life, I tend to ignore the occasional guard rail warning sign."
    Foster glanced from Alexa to Trask and back again. He looked politely baffled. "Guess I'm missing the joke here. What's this about guard rails and signs?"
    "Ms. Chambers happened to notice my Jeep at Avalon Point the day I arrived," Trask said. "She saw me standing on the wrong side of the guard rail. Made her nervous."
    "I see."
    "Then I offered to give her a ride home." Trask watched Alexa's face. "But she said that she didn't think it was safe to accept lifts from strangers."
    Foster smiled expansively. "I think I get the picture. Obviously a little misunderstanding. So you stopped at the Point to admire the scenery? It's pretty incredible, isn't it?"
    "I wasn't admiring the scenery," Trask said. Alexa raised her brows. "I imagine our landscape must come as something of a shock after Seattle ."
    "It's different"
    Foster changed the subject with a diplomatic aplomb that Alexa could only admire. "Congratulations on the new hotel," he said. "It's going to be a major asset to Avalon."
    Trask nodded. "Thanks. We're pleased with it."
    "You certainly chose the ideal time to open," Foster enthused. "The Spring Festival is the big event of the year. The town will be filled with visitors."
    "I think it will be a good launch," Trask said. "The hotel officially opens to guests two days after the reception. We're booked solid, not only for the festival, but for the next several months."
    Foster nodded. "I'm not surprised. Avalon is becoming a major destination point in the Southwest. The positive energy of the vortices in this region make this a very special place."
    "Generally speaking, I'm not into metaphysics."
    Trask glanced at Alexa. "But I do believe in the old saying that what goes around, comes