he’d nipped her ear.
In fact, the sooner he put this whole unfortunate lapse in judgment behind him the better. He’d drop her off and wave goodbye. A kiss, even a casual little goodbye peck, was out of the question; the dog would probably bite him if he got that close to her. Besides, it would be one more memory that he had to outrun.
But when he turned onto Main Street, and slowed in front of her store, he could see Charlie Weston was on the sidewalk in front of it. The poor fool, still in his suit from last night, though he’d lost the bow tie, was seated on a stool, with a guitar across his knee, gazing up at the open window of Sam’s apartment, oblivious to the astounded, curious looks of passersby.
“Thank goodness it’s Sunday. Look what he’s done to my sign,” Sam said, annoyance and obvious affection mixed in her voice.
Ethan looked at where a ladder was propped against her store sign. The placement of the spindly ladder looked downright dangerous. A clumsy, hand-drawn S and L had been taped over her sign, turning “Groom to Grow” to “Groom so Low.”
“The English language constantly amazes me in its versatility,” Ethan said. “Do you think he meant groom so low, as in depressed, or groom solo, as in single?”
“Charlie is not exactly an academic,” Sam said affectionately.
“A romantic,” Ethan concluded dryly. “Whichwould you rather have?” He realized he was truly interested in her answer, but Samantha ignored him, put her window down halfway, looked as if she planned to intervene.
With the car window open it was painfully apparent Charlie was serenading his runaway bride, wailing an old Don Williams song. Charlie’s voice was particularly horrible, part whine, part twang, mostly heartbreak and pathos.
Amanda, light of my life —
Ethan glanced at Samantha. She looked like she was going to get out of the car and try to fix this. Her love for her friends showed in the utter distress on her face. But her hand froze on the door handle when something flew out the open window of Samantha’s apartment and hit Charlie square in the chest.
“What was that?” Ethan asked, craning his neck to see better. “A rock?”
“One of the little squares of wedding cake that it took Vivian and me four hours to wrap and tie with fuchsia ribbon.”
Charlie set down the guitar. “Mandy, come on—”
The window above Charlie snapped shut.
“Now, that’s reality, ” Sam said sadly, as if for a while she had believed something else. Ethan thought of the look on her face when she had looked at the cottage.
“ Maannndddyy! ” It was like the bellow of a wounded bull.
The window shot up, and Amanda leaned out. “Go away!”
“I think I better try to talk to them,” Samantha said.
Not even for his own self-preservation was Ethan dropping Samantha off in the middle of that. He stepped on the gas.
“What are you doing?” Samantha demanded.
“Rescuing you from that. Haven’t you heard the expression about not going where angels fear to tread? Lovers’ quarrels fall solidly in that category.”
“I told you before, I can look after myself.” But he didn’t miss the fact she looked relieved.
“Well, pretend you can’t. Pretend I’m a knight in shining armor and you are a damsel in distress.”
“Even if my imagination was that good, I think I’ve done enough pretending for today.”
“Me, too,” he said quietly, and was startled by how pleased he was that she looked faintly intrigued. “I’ll take you for lunch. Charlie and Amanda should have resolved things by the time we get back.”
“I hate to break it to you since you look like the kind of guy who believes in happily-ever-after—” that said sarcastically “—but Amanda and Charlie have been trying to resolve things since they were fourteen.”
“A long lunch, then,” he said, and was rewarded with her smile, which she quickly doused when he smiled back.
“They are both such good people,” she
In fact, the sooner he put this whole unfortunate lapse in judgment behind him the better. He’d drop her off and wave goodbye. A kiss, even a casual little goodbye peck, was out of the question; the dog would probably bite him if he got that close to her. Besides, it would be one more memory that he had to outrun.
But when he turned onto Main Street, and slowed in front of her store, he could see Charlie Weston was on the sidewalk in front of it. The poor fool, still in his suit from last night, though he’d lost the bow tie, was seated on a stool, with a guitar across his knee, gazing up at the open window of Sam’s apartment, oblivious to the astounded, curious looks of passersby.
“Thank goodness it’s Sunday. Look what he’s done to my sign,” Sam said, annoyance and obvious affection mixed in her voice.
Ethan looked at where a ladder was propped against her store sign. The placement of the spindly ladder looked downright dangerous. A clumsy, hand-drawn S and L had been taped over her sign, turning “Groom to Grow” to “Groom so Low.”
“The English language constantly amazes me in its versatility,” Ethan said. “Do you think he meant groom so low, as in depressed, or groom solo, as in single?”
“Charlie is not exactly an academic,” Sam said affectionately.
“A romantic,” Ethan concluded dryly. “Whichwould you rather have?” He realized he was truly interested in her answer, but Samantha ignored him, put her window down halfway, looked as if she planned to intervene.
With the car window open it was painfully apparent Charlie was serenading his runaway bride, wailing an old Don Williams song. Charlie’s voice was particularly horrible, part whine, part twang, mostly heartbreak and pathos.
Amanda, light of my life —
Ethan glanced at Samantha. She looked like she was going to get out of the car and try to fix this. Her love for her friends showed in the utter distress on her face. But her hand froze on the door handle when something flew out the open window of Samantha’s apartment and hit Charlie square in the chest.
“What was that?” Ethan asked, craning his neck to see better. “A rock?”
“One of the little squares of wedding cake that it took Vivian and me four hours to wrap and tie with fuchsia ribbon.”
Charlie set down the guitar. “Mandy, come on—”
The window above Charlie snapped shut.
“Now, that’s reality, ” Sam said sadly, as if for a while she had believed something else. Ethan thought of the look on her face when she had looked at the cottage.
“ Maannndddyy! ” It was like the bellow of a wounded bull.
The window shot up, and Amanda leaned out. “Go away!”
“I think I better try to talk to them,” Samantha said.
Not even for his own self-preservation was Ethan dropping Samantha off in the middle of that. He stepped on the gas.
“What are you doing?” Samantha demanded.
“Rescuing you from that. Haven’t you heard the expression about not going where angels fear to tread? Lovers’ quarrels fall solidly in that category.”
“I told you before, I can look after myself.” But he didn’t miss the fact she looked relieved.
“Well, pretend you can’t. Pretend I’m a knight in shining armor and you are a damsel in distress.”
“Even if my imagination was that good, I think I’ve done enough pretending for today.”
“Me, too,” he said quietly, and was startled by how pleased he was that she looked faintly intrigued. “I’ll take you for lunch. Charlie and Amanda should have resolved things by the time we get back.”
“I hate to break it to you since you look like the kind of guy who believes in happily-ever-after—” that said sarcastically “—but Amanda and Charlie have been trying to resolve things since they were fourteen.”
“A long lunch, then,” he said, and was rewarded with her smile, which she quickly doused when he smiled back.
“They are both such good people,” she
Similar Books
