Theresa cleared her throat. “Whatever Lydia decides about her manuscript, she needs time to think it through”—she pulled Lydia toward the door—“without your influence. She’ll present you with her decision tomorrow. Until then, I suggest you two review the case while Lydia and I discuss her options. Oh, and since Detective Hall helped Lydia so much today, I think it best if he goes home tonight.”
Oh no.Lydia inwardly groaned. Theresa must have picked up on the unspoken conversation. Had Detective Lawson?
His scowl hadn’t changed much since she’d declared she’d not give him the manuscript. Maybe she and Abraham were safe.
Well, at least they were safe from Detective Lawson. If Theresa’s giddy and mischievous expression were any indication, Lydia was about to be in serious trouble.
CHAPTER26
“WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEENyou two?” The question barely waited until Theresa closed her bedroom door. “And don’t give me some fish tale about there being nothing.”
Lydia forced herself not to chew on her bottom lip as she tried to compose an answer. But how could she when she didn’t know the answer herself? Whatwasgoing on between Abraham and her?
“I won’t dishonor our friendship by denying there is something between Abraham and me, but I honestly have no idea what that something is.” She dropped onto Theresa’s pristine bed. “He and I have only been friends for a single day.”
“Broderick and I were friends for years before we shared the sort of silent looks you and Abraham just did. I don’t think we shared even one like that untilafterwe’d kissed for the first time.” Theresa’s eyes widened. “Did you two kiss?”
“No. Yes. I mean …” Lydia drew a deep breath and tried to state the facts simply, except there was nothing simple about them. “I kissed him, but it wasn’t a real kiss.”
“Nonsense! A kiss is always a kiss. When did this happen?”
“Does it really count as a kiss if our lips barely brushed before we pushed away and I literally knocked him off his feet?”
“Is that what all the knocking-you-off-your-feet talk meant? Good gracious, Lydia! The man just practically threatened you with a deep and passionate kiss.”
So it wasn’t just Lydia’s imagination taking his meaning further than she should. With his superior sitting right there, Abraham had threatened to kiss her.
She grabbed the novel sitting on Theresa’s bedside and used it as a fan. “Nonsense. We’re giving his comment more meaning than he intended.”
Theresa sat back and folded her arms with her you’re-being-absurd face. “I was nearly married to Broderick, Lydia. I recognize when a man has more than a passing interest, and Abraham was absolutely implying he would kiss you breathless.”
“But was it an invitation or a warning not to try?”
“Nora, Flossie, and I can arrange an opportunity to test it out.”
“Theresa!”
She shrugged and smiled. “It’s only fair that a romance author should experience her own love story.”
“I’m not a romance author anymore. And obviously Abraham was right. I have the ability to demonstrate sound judgment, but what I lack is the application. You cannot allow Abraham and me to be alone. I desire his friendship, and I don’t want to jeopardize it.”
“Is friendship really all you want? Or are you denying the fact that you wouldn’t be opposed to something more?Mrs. Halldoes have a certain ring to it, after all.” Theresa waggled her brows.
The idea that Abraham hinted at an invitation set her heart racing and her palms sweating. As a gentleman, Abraham would wait for her permission before pursuing such a scintillating activity, but she’d read and written enough novels to know the danger in that. If a real kiss from him was half as good as she envisioned it to be, they’d best go after a short courtship and engagement.
But she didn’t just want passion in her romance; she wanted true love. Something that could endure the hardships of life. Someone who would stand by her side even when she was at her worst. She’d watched Theresa’s devastation when Broderick had left her when she needed him most. Lydia wanted better for Theresa and for herself.
Abraham stood next to Lydia as her friend for now, but how long would that last?
“I don’t know which one I want it to be, Theresa. All I know is I want a real love and not just some fleeting, passionate kiss.”
“And that right there shows you’re far wiser than you give yourself credit for.” The pain of abandonment played across Theresa’s face, fresh as the day she discovered Broderick was gone and never coming back.
Two years, and still Theresa grieved. And why not? Everyone had thought Broderick and Theresa were the embodiment of true love. They were best friends turned more, passionate and faithful. But that hadn’t stopped him from leaving. What hope for love did anyone have with an example like that? Lydia and Abraham were barely friends. There hadn’t been time for something deep and lasting to form between them. No. If she were going to have a chance at any future with Abraham, kissing had to stay firmly out of the picture.
After a moment, Theresa shoved her melancholy aside and replaced it with a gleam of mischievousness. “If a kissing opportunity should arise, Nora, Flossie, and I promise to turn our backs to afford you some privacy. You never know what a kiss might lead to—matrimony or just a sweet memory to relive in your dreams. My bet is on the first though.”
“You’re incorrigible. There is no need to turn your backs, and I’d rather you not. I’m certain once this Billy Poe case is over, Abraham will be as good as gone.”
