Just One Kiss by Carla Cassidy Page B

again.”
    â€œThat’s right.” His voice was heavy with sarcasm. “Next time you’ll know Mr. Right as soon as you meet him.”
    â€œThat’s right,” she agreed, ignoring his derision.“And we’ll spend the rest of our lives deeply in love and happy.” The conviction of her intense belief rang in her voice.
    â€œHave you always been delusional?”
    She laughed, finding the entire debate stimulating in a strange sort of way. “One of us is definitely delusional, but if I were you, I wouldn’t be so quick to point a finger at me.”
    He grinned at her, a genuine smile that deepened the cleft in his chin and caused a starburst of heat to explode in the pit of her stomach. “I’m not delusional, Marissa. I’m just a nonbeliever when it comes to fairy tales like love.”
    Marissa returned his grin. “Then I hope someday the love bug takes a big bite out of you and changes your mind.”
    Again she thought she saw a whisper of vulnerability, a shadow of pain in Jack’s eyes. But it was there only an instant, then gone, replaced by the hard sheen of cynicism. “Not in this lifetime.” Anything else he intended to say was halted by the ringing of the telephone.
    Jack grabbed the receiver of the phone on the nearby end table while Marissa focused once again on the report on the computer screen.
    â€œWhat?”
    She shook her head ruefully at Jack’s surly greeting to whomever was on the other end of the line. Jack Coffey was definitely some piece of work.
    â€œWhen?”
    She felt Jack’s sudden tension as he sat up straighter against the sofa cushions. She finished the last report, but hesitated hitting the Print icon, sensing that his conversation was important.
    â€œI’ll see what I can do. Thanks for the heads-up.” He slammed down the phone, then slapped the cast on his leg. “Damn.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Marissa asked.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Jack struggled to his feet. “What’s wrong is that a man I’ve been trying to find for the past year is supposed to show up someplace tomorrow morning and I have a cast on my leg that makes driving a car and conducting a stakeout impossible.”
    â€œI could drive you,” she offered.
    He glared at her as if she’d lost what little sense he’d thought she possessed. “You can drive me,” he repeated flatly. “And what do you know about conducting a stakeout.”
    She shrugged. “Only what I’ve seen in movies. You buy a bunch of junk food, sit in a car across from the place you’re watching, and wait.”
    A reluctant grin curved Jack’s lips. “That’s about right.” The grin disappeared and a thoughtful crease lined his forehead. “It’s not dangerous at all,” he said more to himself than to her. “But it could be a very long, boring day.”
    â€œImagine the fun of being able to tell everyone back home that I went on a real stakeout on my vacation.”
    Marissa wasn’t sure why she wanted to do this. Perhaps because she still felt responsible for Jack’s injuries. Or maybe it was because something in the darkness of his eyes challenged her to bring him light.
    â€œOkay.” Jack relented. “If this wasn’t so important and if I hadn’t waited so long to find this guy, I wouldn’t dream of taking you up on your offer.”
    â€œBut since I offered—” she flashed him a quick smile “—and you have no other alternative, you’ll take my offer.”
    â€œRight.” His gaze left hers and shot to Nathaniel. “I don’t suppose you’d consider leaving him in your motel room for the duration of the stakeout?”
    â€œNot a chance,” she said, wondering when she’d stopped being offended by his derogatory remarks about her son. Maybe it had been the moment she’d walked out on