“We were busy.”
I looked up. “Too busy to make a little girl’s dreams come true?”
“Little girls can’t have everything they dream about.”
“Oh, come on, Edward. We’re talking about arabbit. How much work could one littlerabbithave been?”
He let that one float, and took another bite of his sandwich. “Okay. We were too wrapped up in ourselves.”
Feeling the start of stone inside, I tried to conjure a calming image—a gurgling stream first, then snow-capped mountains. When neither stuck, I studied one of the oils. But four frightened foxes fleeing dogs didn’t do it for me either. Seeking an alternative, my eye inadvertently skimmed over cartons that were tucked in the corner, half-hidden until you looked. Though the flaps were open, only corners of things showed. I couldn’t see if they were books or picture frames, but my gut said they were personal items, not the calming I needed.
So I thought of my own Hex, Jinx, and Jonah. “I’m sorry we didn’t get a pet. They add a lot. It’s about unconditional love.” Which children gave, too. Which wasn’t a safe thought, either, but that didn’t prevent my middle from feeling the warmth of little arms. I sat straighter, but the arms only shifted to my neck, allowing the weight of a small body to curl in my lap.
“Do you think about her much?” Edward asked in a quiet voice.
My eyes flew to his.Off-limits! Not why I’m here!But my mind was already in the danger zone, and my silent screams didn’t erase the feel of her arms.
He must have seen my panic, because he said a quick, “Okay. Tell me about Nina Evans.”
Breathe,I told myself.Breathe slowly.A minute later, I was able to say a surprisingly calm, “Nina.” The name brought me the rest of the way back.
“She calls every day,” he said. “She keeps asking me how it’s going—the job, the house, settling in—and can she do anything to help. The first time, I thought it was a Welcome Wagon thing. But she keeps calling, like she’s waiting, like there’s something I’m supposed to do back.”
Well, there was a distraction. Amused, I stared at him, arched a brow, waited. When he said nothing, I tried, “And you can’t figure it out?”
“No, I can’t. I’ve never met the woman. I need you to tell me.”
His belligerence added to the humor. Nina and Edward? I couldn’t see it, but Nina apparently could. “She’s in her early fifties and looks good. She’s originally from New York, so she’s as sophisticated as you are. She’s our Town Manager, meaning that she’s in a position of power, and it sounds like she’s interested in you.”
He had been sitting with his elbows on his knees, one hand holding his half-eaten sandwich. Now he drew back. “Interested.”
“Well, I haven’t talked with her about it, but, hell, Edward, you’re the most attractive new thing to move to town in years.”
Most men would have been flattered. This one was certainly aware of his looks—of coursehe was. I remember him combing his hair, shaving twice daily, frowning over whether this tie went with that shirt, checking the final product in the full-length mirror fronting our built-ins. There were times when he was so stealthy about the last that watching him was a hoot.
Not only was he attractive, but he was successful, personable, and unattached.
Right now, he was also impatient. “Is she a friend of yours?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell her I’m not interested?”
“How would I do that without giving away my relationship with you?”
“Then—then just tell her you heard I had a ton of baggage.”
“That’s no deterrent. Everyone has baggage.”
“She’s older than I am.”
So?I was thinking. Then it occurred to me that he still wanted kids,which might put Nina out of the running. And that was okay. Once past the humor of it, the thought of them together bothered me.
Looking off, he scowled at one of the fox oils. When his eyes returned, they were narrowed. “Is she competitive?”
“She’d have to be, to get as far as she did in New York.” Even here in Devon, when the opening for Town Manager had come, Nina had pulled out every stop. “So that’s a yes. Why?”
“Does she compete with you?”
