why did you take my spot this morning? And
don't tell me you didn't know it was mine, because you gave yourself
away when you wagged your keys at me this morning."
"You're not serious? You're really all bunged up over a stupid parking
spot?" She sat up straighter at the disbelieving scorn in his voice.
"It's not the spot, it's the principle. Tell me you didn't do it just
to annoy me and I'll drop it. But first you have to look me in the eye
and say that pissing me off was not on your agenda when you filched my
spot this morning."
He rolled his eyes. "Do you know how juvenile you sound? Let me guess—only child, not used to sharing, right?"
She felt a small, familiar stab of regret, and she pushed it down, back into the place where it belonged. Page 28
"Look me in the eye and I'll never mention it again," she dared him.
Jack shook his head as though she'd just suggested he pull his
underpants over his head and run around making chicken noises.
She simply raised an eyebrow and waited. Finally he got sick of rolling his eyes and telling her she was unbelievable.
"All right. When I parked my car in that spot this morning, pissing you
off did not in any way inform my decision," he said, but at the last
minute he broke eye contact and his gaze wandered somewhere over her
shoulder.
"Huh! You liar! You big fat liar! You did do it to piss me off!" she gasped.
"Okay, you want the truth? You're right—I did do it on purpose. You've
parked in that spot every single day for the past year. I thought it
was time you had a change." She nearly swallowed her tongue.
He thought it was time she had a change?
"You thought it was time I had a change? You —a man who hasn't yet grasped the basics of ironing—thought it was time for me to have a change?" She realized her mouth was hanging open and she shut it with an audible click.
"Yeah. I did."
His earlier words came flooding back, something about her stitching
herself back up nice and tight. Added to his original assessment of her
as prissy, it made a pretty unattractive picture. Suddenly she got
it—he thought she was some repressed, neurotic career woman. The type
of person who had to have routine, made sure she ate all the five major
food groups and was never late paying her bills. The idea so outraged
her that she couldn't stop the challenge popping out her mouth.
"You think I'm uptight, don't you?"
Her temper increased another few degrees when he simply raised an eyebrow at her.
"Answer me!" she demanded, and even to her own ears she sounded shrill
and shrewish. He waited until the echo from her screech had died before
spreading his hands as though presenting a fait accompli.
"I rest my case."
She stared at him, very aware of the pulse beating madly at the base of
her neck. She hated that she was behaving this way, hated that he could
crank her up so easily. Most of all she hated that just five minutes
ago she'd been imagining his bare chest, while he was sitting there
thinking she was uptight and repressed. Across the elevator car, Jack
yawned ostentatiously, making a show of checking his watch, all of it
meant to imply he was waiting for her next "snappy" comeback. Her
temper boiled over and without thinking, she slid off one of her
imported Italian leather pumps and slung it across the room at him.
Unfortunately, hand-eye coordination had never been her strong suit and
it simply bounced harmlessly off Page 29
the wall next to his head.
It did shock him though, which gave her great satisfaction.
"There's another one where that came from, so keep your stupid male chauvinist generalizations to yourself," she warned him.
She started as her shoe landed in her lap with just enough force behind
it to make her realize he was much better at ball sports than her.
"That's how much of a male chauvinist I am. I respect you as an equal
so much I know you can take what you dish out," he said, and the
complaint about him nearly hurting her died on her lips.
don't tell me you didn't know it was mine, because you gave yourself
away when you wagged your keys at me this morning."
"You're not serious? You're really all bunged up over a stupid parking
spot?" She sat up straighter at the disbelieving scorn in his voice.
"It's not the spot, it's the principle. Tell me you didn't do it just
to annoy me and I'll drop it. But first you have to look me in the eye
and say that pissing me off was not on your agenda when you filched my
spot this morning."
He rolled his eyes. "Do you know how juvenile you sound? Let me guess—only child, not used to sharing, right?"
She felt a small, familiar stab of regret, and she pushed it down, back into the place where it belonged. Page 28
"Look me in the eye and I'll never mention it again," she dared him.
Jack shook his head as though she'd just suggested he pull his
underpants over his head and run around making chicken noises.
She simply raised an eyebrow and waited. Finally he got sick of rolling his eyes and telling her she was unbelievable.
"All right. When I parked my car in that spot this morning, pissing you
off did not in any way inform my decision," he said, but at the last
minute he broke eye contact and his gaze wandered somewhere over her
shoulder.
"Huh! You liar! You big fat liar! You did do it to piss me off!" she gasped.
"Okay, you want the truth? You're right—I did do it on purpose. You've
parked in that spot every single day for the past year. I thought it
was time you had a change." She nearly swallowed her tongue.
He thought it was time she had a change?
"You thought it was time I had a change? You —a man who hasn't yet grasped the basics of ironing—thought it was time for me to have a change?" She realized her mouth was hanging open and she shut it with an audible click.
"Yeah. I did."
His earlier words came flooding back, something about her stitching
herself back up nice and tight. Added to his original assessment of her
as prissy, it made a pretty unattractive picture. Suddenly she got
it—he thought she was some repressed, neurotic career woman. The type
of person who had to have routine, made sure she ate all the five major
food groups and was never late paying her bills. The idea so outraged
her that she couldn't stop the challenge popping out her mouth.
"You think I'm uptight, don't you?"
Her temper increased another few degrees when he simply raised an eyebrow at her.
"Answer me!" she demanded, and even to her own ears she sounded shrill
and shrewish. He waited until the echo from her screech had died before
spreading his hands as though presenting a fait accompli.
"I rest my case."
She stared at him, very aware of the pulse beating madly at the base of
her neck. She hated that she was behaving this way, hated that he could
crank her up so easily. Most of all she hated that just five minutes
ago she'd been imagining his bare chest, while he was sitting there
thinking she was uptight and repressed. Across the elevator car, Jack
yawned ostentatiously, making a show of checking his watch, all of it
meant to imply he was waiting for her next "snappy" comeback. Her
temper boiled over and without thinking, she slid off one of her
imported Italian leather pumps and slung it across the room at him.
Unfortunately, hand-eye coordination had never been her strong suit and
it simply bounced harmlessly off Page 29
the wall next to his head.
It did shock him though, which gave her great satisfaction.
"There's another one where that came from, so keep your stupid male chauvinist generalizations to yourself," she warned him.
She started as her shoe landed in her lap with just enough force behind
it to make her realize he was much better at ball sports than her.
"That's how much of a male chauvinist I am. I respect you as an equal
so much I know you can take what you dish out," he said, and the
complaint about him nearly hurting her died on her lips.
Similar Books
