Worth the Risk_ A Contemporary - Megan Hart Page 0,4

officers shouted at him to put his hands up and step away from the woman, he'd just been lost in her lovely eyes. Mesmerized, he followed the movement of her hand as it brushed her dark, shoulder-length hair away from her face.

"Move it, buddy!" The first cop, a tall, graying man with a football player's build, stepped forward and motioned with his gun.

Maybe it was the knock on the head, but Hal couldn't figure out why they were shouting at him. The second, much younger officer, got even more aggressive.

"Move away from the woman! Now!"

The woman shifted her deep brown eyes away from Hal's to stare at the officers. "I think they mean you."

Hal turned, hands up. "This must be a misunderstanding--"

"Are you all right, ma'am?" The older cop crossed to them, looking Hal over warily before putting his gun away. "We got a report of an attack in progress here. A witness in the office building over there said she saw this man knock you down and assault you. She thought he might be drunk."

If only the ground would open and swallow him up. Hal had been humiliated so many times in his life he thought he'd gotten used to it by now, but this was worse than anything he'd ever been through. The dried crust of blood itched on his upper lip, and both his knees and palms throbbed with scrapes from when he'd hit the pavement. He wouldn't blame the woman for having him hauled away in handcuffs.

Instead, she just smiled and shook her head. "It was completely an accident, officer. No harm, no foul."

Her sports terminology seemed to put the officer at ease. The younger of the two policemen seemed disappointed to be putting away his weapon. Hal was relieved.

"Are you sure, ma'am?" The older cop looked Hal up and down with a bemused expression. "Then again, he does look worse off than you. Maybe the witness saw you attacking him."

They all laughed heartily at that, even Hal. His chuckle came out through gritted teeth. The woman quickly explained the collision. She nicely omitted the part where Hal almost passed out at the sight of his own blood.

"If you're sure you're all right," the older cop said with a tilt of his head toward the woman.

"Fine, fine," she assured them. She checked her watch, a gesture Hal had seen her make several times over the past few minutes.

Time! What time is it? His gaze flew to his own wrist, but the fall had shattered his cheap watch's face. Whatever time it was, he was sure he was late.

The policemen had already gone back to their car and driven away, leaving Hal and the woman to stand awkwardly on the sidewalk. She gave him a weird, little smile, and Hal realized he was staring.

"I'm--"

The woman said pleasantly, "Like I said, no harm done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've really got to run."

She checked her watch and a shadow of annoyance passed over her face. She muttered something under her breath that sounded like "Late again," while shaking her head. She tucked her water bottle and the baby wipes back in her purse. With a little wave at Hal, she set off down the alley again with a purposeful stride.

"Hope the rest of your day goes a lot better," she called over her shoulder.

"Thanks," Hal said. "It can't possibly get much worse."

He watched her move out of his range of vision, which wasn't far since his glasses were in a crumpled, shattered heap on the concrete. As she became nothing more than a blur, he willed her to turn back just once so he could see her pretty features one last time. She didn't oblige him, her walk never faltering, and when she turned the corner, Hal let out a sigh that seemed to come all the way from his toes.

Why couldn't he meet an attractive woman like that without making an utter ass of himself? Gathering his gym bag, he thought about trying to call her, offer to take her to dinner as a way to make up for knocking her over.

A great idea, he thought, if only I'd learned her name.

Chapter 2

"I'd like a slice of the chocolate cake and a pot of tea. Two cups, please," Laila told the girl behind the counter. "And that popcorn smells too good to resist. A small bag."

Laila found a table and started eating. The clock on the wall opposite her said ten to eight. She'd made the