IT’S COMPLICATED

by Joyce Holmes

Having grown up with no one but herself to count on, Maggie Lapage carefully guards her feelings. Professionally, she goes above and beyond to give others the support she wishes she’d had as a child. When she develops a forbidden attraction to a client, she does what she thinks is necessary, to save his family and to protect her own heart.

Tom O’Shay finds his life caught in a nightmare when he risks losing custody of his daughter. It goes against his character to seek help, but he doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t mean he has to like it. Everything changes when he falls hard for his daughter’s counselor and he suddenly has two fights on his hands. One for his daughter and another for the woman he loves.

He wants a real relationship, she’s afraid to love. It’s complicated, but is it impossible?

EXCERPT:

“Do you want to run that the hell past me again?” Tom asked incredulously. “And this time start from the beginning.”

“This morning, I happened to walk past that really prestigious art gallery on Granville Island, you know the one?” Maggie went over to the chair where she’d set her jacket and purse, and pawed through her purse until she came up with a business card she triumphantly waved in front of him. “I decided to go in and speak to the proprietor about you.”

Tom winced. Yeah, that’s what he’d got from her first excited outburst, when she arrived at his studio with those turquoise eyes of hers looking as if they were cooking up trouble. He scratched irritably at the back of his head. “Why exactly would you do that?”

She looked genuinely puzzled. “Why not? I asked if he knew of your work and he said he did. He said you’d been part of a show at his gallery a couple of years ago. He told me your work really impressed him, but you hadn’t responded to his overtures about selling your paintings through his gallery and he’d eventually dropped contact with you.”

“And why the devil would he tell you all this?”

Maggie wrinkled her nose and gave a small shrug. “Well, he somehow got the mistaken impression I worked for you and I didn’t bother to correct him.”

Tom rolled his eyes and sighed. “Bloody hell. Can this get any worse?”

“I don’t get why you’re upset. I thought you’d be excited. This guy, this—” she glanced at the card in her hand “—Horst Langquest is interested in your paintings. He’s more than willing to sell them through his art gallery. That’s a big gallery, with lots of people going through it. Just think of the exposure your work would get.”

Tom did take a moment to consider it. The Langquest Art Gallery was highly reputable and the show Tom had done with them had been a sell-out. But to have Maggie go on his behalf to seek out representation, that was too much.

“What makes you think I want or need to sell my pieces in his gallery?”

“Because, excuse me if I’m wrong, but I had the impression you could use a little financial help at the moment.” The sympathetic look in her eyes made him squirm. No bloody way did he want her wasting any sympathy on him.

“The offer of support is nice, but seriously, my professional life, at least, is doing fine. You don’t have to fix it for me.” Which was the honest, if optimistic, truth. Business was passably good. It could always be better, but it wasn’t on life support yet and he sure didn’t need Maggie out there drumming up customers for him.

She threw a hand up. “Look, maybe I’m interfering and you didn’t ask for help, but,” she hurried on, gaining speed as she went, “I spoke to this man with the best of intentions. You have lawyer fees and counseling fees, and heaven only knows what else with this court case. They can start to add up—”

“Okay, just stop. You’re making my head hurt.” He folded his arms across his chest. He had no intention of discussing his precarious financial situation with Maggie. “This conversation is over.”

Her eyes sparkled with the love of combat. “Not if I keep talking, it isn’t.”

He glared at her, clearly letting her know he didn’t appreciate her interference. She met his accusing gaze without flinching.

“Know what your problem is?” she asked after an uncomfortably long stare-down.

“I only have one?”

She reached out and clutched at his hand, those long slender, talon-tipped fingers curling themselves around his, distracting him for a moment. Then she started yapping again, effectively killing the moment.

“You put on a good show and sometimes I think you even believe it yourself, but you’re not invincible. You can use a helping hand once in a while.”

He shook his hand free and swung away from her, pacing off his frustration. “Contrary to what you believe, I’m not a charity case requiring someone to rescue me. I’ve always maintained if you’re looking for a helping hand, check the end of your own wrist first. I don’t need your pity.”

She moved in front of him, forcing him to stop, returning his impatient glare with an impressively irate one of her own. “It’s not pity, damn it. And it’s not charity. It’s a practical solution to your financial situation. Excuse me for caring.” Both arms flew up into the air. “Excuse me for trying to help you out. For going out of my way to come up with some creative ideas for you to increase your income. This is a winning proposition for you, one that can pay dividends for years to come. Why are you so stubbornly adverse?”

Her logic was infuriating and it fueled his temper that he didn’t have a reasonable comeback. “Please, just shut up already.”

“Come on. We both know I can’t do that.”

He threw his head back and laughed, more out of exasperation than amusement. “You really can’t, can you?”

“I was only trying to help.” Her tone contained a pout, but her expression was fierce.

“I don’t want your help. I didn’t ask for your help. Anyone ever tell you how maddening you can be, Maggie Lapage?”

The force of his words didn’t make her retreat. She stood her ground in front of him and poked a finger into his chest. “And you’re the most pig-headed man I’ve ever met.”

He smiled. “Thank you.”

“That was not a compliment.”

“Sure it was.” Even though he was still pissed off, it wasn’t hard to let the smile stretch into a smirk. She looked so damn exasperated, and for some perverse reason he found that amusing.

“You’re infuriating!” she yelled and wheeled away from him, flailing her arms in the air again. “Why can’t you see my intentions were good?”

He let his smile twist cynically. “Have you heard about the road to hell?”

“I…give…up,” she said, emphasizing the words by drawing them out slowly.

“Wish I could believe that.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joyce Holmes lives with her husband and very small dog in the beautiful Okanagan region of British Columbia.  An empty-nest mom, she treasures family time, especially with her two precious little grandsons.  Hiking, biking, boating and photography are pursuits she enjoys when she’s not dreaming up stories in her head or planning her next great adventure.

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Thanks for visiting, Joyce! And congratulations on your new release!

~H.A.B.