When he swept her back up, Essie clung to his shoulders, hoping their connection would last forever. Her heart lurched in her chest as a lightning bolt of realization struck her. She loved Zander.
Chapter Sixteen
“Marmalade, enough already,” Essie scolded the cat. After the late night at the fairy ball, she’d barely staggered to her office two hours later than usual. Now, slogging through the invoices, Essie was trying to get her books in order. She hated accounting.
This racket wasn’t helping her concentrate. Marmalade had jumped on her desk and howled at her for the last five minutes. Essie had no clue what was going on with the feline. “What do you want?”
Marmalade stomped over to Essie’s cold cup of coffee she’d never had a chance to drink and lifted one paw. He glanced at her over his shoulder.
“Don’t do it, Marmalade. DoNOTknock that over.”
His foot descended menacingly. Essie leaned forward to snatch up the cup. “Got it.” She looked triumphantly at the noisy creature.
Marmalade blinked at her and used that raised paw to knock the papers below the cup, onto the floor. Her carefully organized expenses now decorated the carpet. He stared at her as if suggesting that this was her fault. Marmalade couldn’t have budged them if she hadn’t lifted her coffee.
“Ugh! Marmalade. I think this is a good time for you to go out.” Standing up, Essie picked up the triumphant cat and headed for the front door.
The cat relaxed against her, not bothered at all by his eviction. Essie twisted the handle open and froze at the sight of a gorgeous redhead hugging Zander. The woman laughed up at him with a delighted expression on her face. The sight of Zander’s hands wrapped around the visitor’s trim waist made her stomach lurch.
Easing back inside, she quietly closed the door and leaned against it. Her heart pounded. Marmalade’s squeak alerted her she was hugging him too tightly. “Sorry, fuzzy guy.”
She set Marmalade down. Immediately, the cat resumed rubbing against the door. “I’m not going out there. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m positive she’s nothing more than an old friend.”
An old friend or a lover?
Essie shook her head to push that thought from her mind. Zander had never given her any sign he would even look at another woman. She should have said something. He would have explained that the person visiting had stumbled or had gotten dizzy. There were perfectly logical reasons why he held her. That sick feeling in her stomach didn’t respond to logic.
A prick of claws made her jump. She glanced down at the orange tabby and shook her head. “Sorry, Marmalade. How about if I open the kitchen door? I could steal some kitty treats from the stash there for you.”
At the mention of the T-word, Marmalade marched toward the pantry where Sara kept them. Trying not to replay the image of another woman in Zander’s arms, she followed the fluffy tail down the hall.
“Hi, Essie!” Sara greeted her warmly. “What a splendid party last night!”
“It was fun. I think everyone enjoyed the ball.” Even to herself, Essie’s voice sounded flat.
Thehousekeeper’s eyebrows drew together in concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Of course. Just frazzled by the late evening and the aftermath of the flurry of preparations.”
“I can see that. Thankfully, no one has booked the ballroom for the next few weeks, so you can rest for a couple of days to recover before taking the decorations down,” Sara suggested.
“Thank goodness. I’m going to make a new policy to leave two weeks between large ballroom events,” Essie declared.
Marmalade yowled again, drawing her attention.
“This cat! He’s driving me crazy. I promised him treats if he came with me to go out the kitchen door.” Essie dashed into the pantry and grabbed a few crunchy morsels from the pack before returning to set them on the floor close to Marmalade.
“Why didn’t you let him out the front door?” Sara asked.
Essie couldn’t come up with a lie fast enough, so she opened the back door and pretended she hadn’t heard. “There you go, Marmalade. Have fun.”
Marmalade chewed slowly, sitting with his tail flicking between them.
“Was there a commotion in the drive?” Sara asked. “Marmalade doesn’t like a lot of traffic or activity.”
“Zander was out there.”
“And?” Sara let the question hang in the air.
