Unfinished Business

little Sexton kid to Sexy Sexton with a yard of the most incredible chestnut hair, and these great-looking legs you used to show off in teeny little shorts. You were such a brat. And you made my mouth water.”
    “You were always looking at Julie Newton.”

    “No, I was pretending to look at Julie Newton while I looked at you. Then you just happened to stroll by the court that day. You’d been to Lester’s Store, because you had a bottle of soda. Grape soda.”
    She lifted a brow. “That’s quite a memory you’ve got.”
    “Hey, these are the turning points in our lives. You said, ‘Hi, Brady. You look awful hot. Want a sip?’” He grinned again. “I almost took a bite out of my basketball. Then you flirted with me.”
    “I did not.”
    “You batted your eyes.”
    She struggled with a giggle. “I’ve never batted my eyes.”
    “You batted them then.” He sighed at the memory. “It was great.”
    “As I remember it, you were showing off, doing layups and hook shots or whatever. Macho stuff. Then you grabbed me.”
    “I remember grabbing. You liked it.”
    “You smelled like a gym locker.”
    “I guess I did. It was still my most memorable first kiss.”
    And hers, Vanessa thought. She hadn’t realized she was leaning back against his shoulder and smiling. “We were so young. Everything was so intense, and so uncomplicated.”
    “Some things don’t have to be complicated.” But sitting there with her head feeling just right on his shoulder, he wasn’t so sure. “Friends?”
    “I guess.”
    “I haven’t had a chance to ask you how long you’re staying.”
    “I haven’t had a chance to decide.”
    “Your schedule must be packed.”
    “I’ve taken a few months.” She moved restlessly. “I may go to Paris for a few weeks.”
    He picked up her hand again, turning it over. Her hands had always fascinated him. Those long, tapering fingers, the baby-smooth palms, the short, practical nails. She wore no rings. He had given her one once—spent the money he’d earned mowing grass all summer on a gold ring with an incredibly small emerald. She’d kissed him senseless when he’d given it to her, and she’d sworn never to take it off.
    Childhood promises were carelessly broken by adults. It was foolish to wish he could see it on her finger again.
    “You know, I managed to see you play at Carnegie Hall a couple of years ago. It was overwhelming. You were overwhelming.” He surprised them both by bringing her fingers to his lips. Then hastily dropped them. “I’d hoped to see you while we were both in New York, but I guess you were busy.”
    The jolt from her fingertips was still vibrating in her toes. “If you had called, I’d have managed it.”
    “I did call.” His eyes remained on hers, searching, even as he shrugged it off. “It was then I fully realized how big you’d become. I never got past the first line of defense.”
    “I’m sorry. Really.”
    “It’s no big deal.”
    “No, I would have liked to have seen you. Sometimes the people around me are too protective.”
    “I think you’re right.” He put a hand under her chin. She was more beautiful than his memory of her, and more fragile. If he had met her in New York, in less sentimental surroundings, would he have felt so drawn to her? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
    Friends was what he’d asked of her. He struggled to want no more.
    “You look very tired, Van. Your color could be better.”
    “It’s been a hectic year.”
    “Are you sleeping all right?”

    Half-amused, she brushed his hand aside. “Don’t start playing doctor with me, Brady.”
    “At the moment I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more, but I’m serious. You’re run-down.”
    “I’m not run-down, just a little tired. Which is why I’m taking a break.”
    But he wasn’t satisfied. “Why don’t you come into the office for a physical?”
    “Is that your new line? It used to be ‘Let’s go parking down at Molly’s Hole.’”
    “I’ll get to that. Dad can take a look at you.”
    “I don’t need a doctor.” Kong came lumbering back, and she reached down for him. “I’m never sick. In almost ten years of concerts, I’ve never had to cancel one for health reasons.” She buried her face in the dog’s fur when her stomach clenched. “I’m not going to say it hasn’t been a strain coming back here, but I’m dealing with it.”
    She’d always been hardheaded, he thought. Maybe it would be best if he simply kept