She didn’t know why the situation upset her at all. Maybe because she’d believed him and he’d fooled her. She shook her head. Would she ever learn? She should just give up men and become a nun. Too bad she wasn’t Catholic.
She was too caught up in her thoughts to notice Connor’s approach.
He appeared at their table, towering over them, a spicy scent wafting around her. “Hello, ladies. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Fancyis the perfect word,” Emma said. “This place is beautiful.”
He turned his attention to Maddy, his eyes searching hers. “Hi there.”
She hated the way her heart stuttered at his attention. She offered a strained smile. “Hello.”
“It’s Maddy’s birthday today,” Nora said. “We’re out celebrating.”
“She’s thirty-two,” Emma added.
Connor’s brows rose as his eyes slid to Maddy, searching. “Is that right?”
“Mmm.” Maddy straightened her silverware.
“Well, happy birthday, Maddy. I hope you’re having a great day.”
“So far, so good.”
“I also wanted to let you know I’d be happy to help out on the house repairs. I’d started painting the exterior before your arrival but got sidetracked by the restaurant. Now that Maddy’s freed up my schedule, I have some time on my hands.”
“That’d be great,” Emma said.
“Thank you,” Nora said.
“We were just lamenting our lack of handyman skills,” Emma added.
The server approached with their appetizer, and Connor stepped back to give her room. “Well, I see my friend is headed back to our table. I’ll let you ladies get on with your celebration. Just wanted to stop over and say hi. Have a nice supper.”
Maddy made room on the table for the large oval plate. Three crab cakes were artfully arranged in a puddle of yellow sauce and topped with sprigs of parsley. A fan of lemon wedges completed the presentation.
“Ooh, look at those,” Emma said. “They look scrumptious.”
Savory smells wafted her way, but Maddy’s appetite was gone.
“You can have mine.” Nora scooped up a cake and set it on Maddy’s plate. “I’ve never been a big fan.”
“Thanks.” Maddy dug into the crab cake and tried to appreciate the blend of flavors. It was moist and perfectly seasoned, and the sauce complemented the crab flavor.
“Mmm.” Emma’s eyes were closed as she chewed. “So good.”
“It’s a relief to have the house officially cleaned out,” Maddy said, her mind still on that conversation with Connor. “Hopefully the repairs won’t take us long.”
“Wishful thinking,” Nora said. “Connor will only have so much time. We’ll have to muddle our way through most of it. Have you noticed that the porch is lopsided? Any idea what to do about that?”
“There’s always YouTube,” Emma said. “You’d be surprised what you can learn just by watching videos.”
Maddy’s gaze flickered over her shoulder to Connor’s table. The woman was talking, her fingers clasped loosely on the table. Connor leaned forward on his elbows, gaze focused, listening intently.
Maddy’s heart gave a heavy thump. He affected her, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t realize until now how many times she’d thought of him since they’d talked yesterday. How many times she’d repeated his words in her mind. How many times she’d pictured that bracketed smile and those warm gray eyes, trained so steadily on hers.
She’d thought he listened closely because he wanted to know more about her. Now she saw he was just a good listener, period. It was his nature to make other people feel interesting and captivating.
Yes, that was it. For a few minutes yesterday she’d felt captivating. And she hadn’t felt that way in a long time. Nick had been attentive at first, but less so as their relationship progressed. Looking back, his attentiveness had probably been a big act.
