there and happened to be good-looking. She forced her eyes to move back to his face, only to find him giving her the same perusal she’d given him.
Suddenly feeling conspicuous in her barely dressed state, Eve pulled the sash of her robe tighter.
He spoke casually, as though the air around them wasn’t charged with enough electricity to keep Bailey’s night-light glowing for years to come. “I’ve made a pot of chamomile tea. Want some?”
She stepped past him, pulling the nursery door halfway closed. “Chamomile? I wouldn’t have picked you for a herbal tea drinker.”
“I’m willing to try anything once.”
Eve moved down the hall to the kitchen. “Why do I feel like you mean something by that?”
“Because you’re prickly and defensive.”
He said it in good humour, but Eve felt her shoulders tensing. “I don’t think I care for your impressions,” she retorted, using his own words of two nights ago against him.
“See,” he said. “Defensive.”
Irritated that she had just gone and proven his point, Eve turned to pull two china cups from the overhead cupboard, placing them beside the waiting teapot. She could feel Mike’s eyes on her as she poured the steaming, pale liquid into the cups. At length he asked, “When was the last time you tried anything new?”
She turned wide eyes to him. “You mean like taking over care of a child?”
“I’m not talking about that. You didn’t have much of a choice there. I mean in general. I bet you’ve been at the same job for years. I bet you’ve never done anything crazy.”
Feeling besieged, Eve said, “And just look where doing something crazy got Jacinta and Derek. Why are you attacking me, Mike?”
“I’m not.” He breathed out a sigh of frustration, scrubbing a hand down his face. For the first time, Eve noted the tired lines framing his eyes and thought of how little sleep he must have had. She knew, because she had heard his car drive in the last two nights, that he didn’t get home until around eleven, probably didn’t get to sleep until after midnight. Now it was after three, and he looked exhausted.
She quashed the quick leap of sympathy. She hadn’t asked him to tend to Bailey during the night.
“I’m just trying to understand why you’re so inflexible,” Mike explained. “Why you’re so averse to accepting help.”
“I’m not…” her voice trailed off. Okay, so she was . She had learned the hard way how to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need Mike’s help, and she certainly didn’t want it.
She wasn’t going to launch into a revealing narrative about her difficult childhood, so she focused on the present. “I told you, I have a system whereby I allow Bailey a chance to soothe himself back to sleep. Then if I do go in, I try not to—”
“Alter his environment too much. I got it the first time. Do you really think you can learn all there is to know about this from a book?”
“And just how many children do you have, oh wise one?”
“None.” His lips twitched. “Fingers crossed.”
She gave him a look that made it plain how very unamusing she found that joke. “Do you suppose I should just rely on some mystical motherly instinct to take over?”
“Why not? Women have been having babies for centuries without doing a veritable degree in child-rearing.”
“And plenty of women have sucked at it.” Eve willed away the unhappy memories of her own mother that, once they flashed through her mind, wanted to get a grip and dig in their icy fingers. “I don’t believe in relying on instinct. If you think that makes me inflexible, that’s your problem.”
Eve took a sip of her tea, forcing herself to calm down. She would not lose her temper just because Mike was trying to push her buttons. Perhaps he wanted her to lose it, wanted her to admit she was having difficulty coping. That she needed him. “I’m surprised you’re so determined to get me to admit I might need you, Mike.”
He took a sip
Suddenly feeling conspicuous in her barely dressed state, Eve pulled the sash of her robe tighter.
He spoke casually, as though the air around them wasn’t charged with enough electricity to keep Bailey’s night-light glowing for years to come. “I’ve made a pot of chamomile tea. Want some?”
She stepped past him, pulling the nursery door halfway closed. “Chamomile? I wouldn’t have picked you for a herbal tea drinker.”
“I’m willing to try anything once.”
Eve moved down the hall to the kitchen. “Why do I feel like you mean something by that?”
“Because you’re prickly and defensive.”
He said it in good humour, but Eve felt her shoulders tensing. “I don’t think I care for your impressions,” she retorted, using his own words of two nights ago against him.
“See,” he said. “Defensive.”
Irritated that she had just gone and proven his point, Eve turned to pull two china cups from the overhead cupboard, placing them beside the waiting teapot. She could feel Mike’s eyes on her as she poured the steaming, pale liquid into the cups. At length he asked, “When was the last time you tried anything new?”
She turned wide eyes to him. “You mean like taking over care of a child?”
“I’m not talking about that. You didn’t have much of a choice there. I mean in general. I bet you’ve been at the same job for years. I bet you’ve never done anything crazy.”
Feeling besieged, Eve said, “And just look where doing something crazy got Jacinta and Derek. Why are you attacking me, Mike?”
“I’m not.” He breathed out a sigh of frustration, scrubbing a hand down his face. For the first time, Eve noted the tired lines framing his eyes and thought of how little sleep he must have had. She knew, because she had heard his car drive in the last two nights, that he didn’t get home until around eleven, probably didn’t get to sleep until after midnight. Now it was after three, and he looked exhausted.
She quashed the quick leap of sympathy. She hadn’t asked him to tend to Bailey during the night.
“I’m just trying to understand why you’re so inflexible,” Mike explained. “Why you’re so averse to accepting help.”
“I’m not…” her voice trailed off. Okay, so she was . She had learned the hard way how to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need Mike’s help, and she certainly didn’t want it.
She wasn’t going to launch into a revealing narrative about her difficult childhood, so she focused on the present. “I told you, I have a system whereby I allow Bailey a chance to soothe himself back to sleep. Then if I do go in, I try not to—”
“Alter his environment too much. I got it the first time. Do you really think you can learn all there is to know about this from a book?”
“And just how many children do you have, oh wise one?”
“None.” His lips twitched. “Fingers crossed.”
She gave him a look that made it plain how very unamusing she found that joke. “Do you suppose I should just rely on some mystical motherly instinct to take over?”
“Why not? Women have been having babies for centuries without doing a veritable degree in child-rearing.”
“And plenty of women have sucked at it.” Eve willed away the unhappy memories of her own mother that, once they flashed through her mind, wanted to get a grip and dig in their icy fingers. “I don’t believe in relying on instinct. If you think that makes me inflexible, that’s your problem.”
Eve took a sip of her tea, forcing herself to calm down. She would not lose her temper just because Mike was trying to push her buttons. Perhaps he wanted her to lose it, wanted her to admit she was having difficulty coping. That she needed him. “I’m surprised you’re so determined to get me to admit I might need you, Mike.”
He took a sip
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