Unlike Solene, Addy wanted to love and be loved. She wantedintimacy with a man to be more than a one-night stand. Sex, for her, had always been about more than her body, but her heart and mind as well.
Solene playfully knocked her in the arm. “You’re such a goof. A romantic goof. Stop looking at me like you pity me. I can hate on men all I want. Did you see how easy it was to get the maintenance guy to back down the price?” She snorted. “I stuckout my chest an inch more and he knocked the fix-up down to parts only. The labor’s free.”
“You don’t think much of men, do you?”
“No, frankly, I don’t.” She eyed Addy with interest. “You do, though, don’t you?”
“Men are okay.”
“Brent is boring. Noel is hardly around, and when he is, he’s antisocial. John dumped you when you wouldn’t put out on the first date. Mitchleft you for that skank Melinda—but good riddance I say. Should I go on?”
“Sadly, no. But Bainbridge Island has a small dating pool. I’m thinking about signing on with a dating site and meeting some people from Seattle too.”
“Good luck with that. Talk about crazies…”
“They can’t all be that bad.”
“Yeah, right. I bet you twenty bucks that before you know it, your Mr.Cavanaugh, the same guy who barely gives you the time of day when he’s here, will be on your doorstep with a big smile needing baby help. Once you give it to him, you’ll be watching the kid while he’s out doing God knows what. Then he’ll be gone again, and you’ll still be alone.”
“I’ll take that bet.” Yet as she helped Solene clean the rest of the room, she wondered.
The weekendflew by in a flurry of chores and baking for the PTA fundraiser. Addy already loved her new batch of fourth graders. Thank God they seemed much better behaved than last year’s hell-raisers. She had a great feeling about the school year, and for once, the weather had stayed sunny and bright through Sunday evening.
But throughout her time spent cooking and cleaning, she kept an eye on thefront door and her cell phone near her at all times.
Nothing.
Noel hadn’t tried to contact her for anything. She wondered if he’d left the island again. She thought he worked internationally. Something that accounted for all the traveling he did, as evidenced by the tags on his suitcases. She was never sure about his schedule, though she did occasionally overhear people talking abouthim.
Noel was a popular topic in town. So quiet, polite, and drop-dead handsome, he raised curiosity in the locals. Mostly in the women, she had to admit. But what woman wouldn’t be intrigued by a gorgeous man cloaked in shadow? Heck, he barely made any noise when he moved. Everything about him seemed to whisper.
Except he’d shouted the word “fuck”. And he’d held a baby in shock.
Monday rolled around, and she got down to educating. The day passed with ease. Still no word from Noel.
Maybe he’d been so overwhelmed with the baby he’d been unable to call for help. Or he felt that since they never spoke much, he had no right to call her.
And I should stop worrying so much about a man who doesn’t want to talk to me.Addy felt stupid for being so concerned.Noel had never called her before, never talked to her unless she instigated a conversation, and never seemed to care what she did as long as she stayed away from him.
Unlike the impression Solene had of her, Addy wasn’t dying for a man. She had a healthy respect for herself. Just because Brent and Mitch didn’t suit her, didn’t mean some other terrific guy wasn’t out there waiting.
Screw Noel Cavanaugh. Addy was pretty and smart. She’d find a man who at least liked her company.
Two days later,she couldn’t take the curiosity anymore. Noel hadn’t called. Sheila at the hardware store and Julie at the grocery reported no sign of her reluctant neighbor either. Not that Addy was keeping tabs, but she’d happened to mention seeing him to her friends. And they, as fixated on the mystery of him as Addy, had been on the lookout for him with no results.
“I amsuch a moron.” She grimaced down at the plate of cookies she held and rang his doorbell.This isn’t about him. It’s about the baby. It’s perfectly fine to be concerned about an innocent little boy. Besides, his house is amazing on the outside. Nothing wrong with wanting to get more than a peek of the interior.
The lovely one-level Craftsman looked like it should have graced the cover ofa home and garden magazine. White with dark red shutters, an oak wraparound covered porch, a pristine lawn surrounded by landscaped flowers and shrubs, the place looked like a poster for the perfect American family. The only thing it lacked was a mother and two point five children.
Make that one point five,she mused.
The home had to be close to three thousand square feet in size,if not more. Plus, his attached three-car garage and all that space behind the house. Who knew what was out there?
She glanced back at the SUV in front of one of the garage doors and frowned. Noel typically parked his car out of sight, and the vehicle she’d seen in the driveway a few days ago had been a dark gray Mercedes.
That she knew that about him embarrassed her all over again.How pathetic that she paid so much attention to the man, and he could barely stir himself to wave if he saw her.
She decided to leave when the door opened.
