into the kitchen, but he stopped abruptly at the long-forgotten memory of Brynn and that car. He felt a small smile slide over his face.
Little did Sophie know that she’d just provided the next step in his plan.
C HAPTER SIX
A tasteful watch is always in style,
as a lady is never late.
—Brynn Dalton’s Rules for an
Exemplary Life, #21
B rynn was going to be late.
She never ran late. The inability to keep track of the hour and plan for potential mishaps was just so crass .
“And of course it would be today,” she muttered as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.
Normally Brynn’s work schedule could withstand the occasional delay. She trusted her partner completely, and Dr. Wee would be more than happy to cover one of Brynn’s patients.
But today, Brynn really wanted to be there in person. Seattle’s mayor was bringing her daughter in for an initial consultation. And while it was hardly the president, the mayor was still something of a local celebrity. It was just the sort of reference that Brynn could put on her website that would set her apart from the other orthodontist practices that were popping up with increasing regularity.
Only one tiny problem…
Her tire was flat. Beyond flat.
She flipped through the list of contacts on her phone until she found AAA. She’d been a member ever since buying her first car. She’d never needed assistance before, but she’d found it prudent to plan for emergencies. She just wished it hadn’t happened today.
Brynn patiently pushed all the requisite numbers to get through their automated call-intake system and calmly explained her situation to the woman on the other line.
“What do you mean it’ll be ninety minutes?” Brynn exploded.
Suddenly her silk blouse started sticking to her back. She hissed in frustration. She hated perspiration. It was so…pedestrian.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the polite voice was saying. “We’ll get there as soon as we can, but we only have so many available agents.”
She glanced at the Chanel watch she’d bought herself for her thirtieth birthday. The mayor’s daughter would be in her office in a little over an hour and ten minutes. There was no way she’d make it in time. Dr. Wee would just have to take the appointment with Liz Blanton.
Unless…
Brynn’s eyes fell on the house next door.
Will’s house.
The thought still made her vaguely queasy.
“You know, I think I’ll see if an, um…friend can take care of the tire for me,” Brynn heard herself saying to AAA. “Thank you anyway, though.”
She dropped her phone back into her purse and delicately pulled at her shirt with her nails to keep it from sticking to her body. Of course this would happen on what would probably be Seattle’s one hot day of the year.
Although, truthfully, she wasn’t sure what was making her sweatier: the weather, or the thought of asking Will Thatcher for help.
But Brynn was nothing if not practical. AAA wasn’t nearby, and she knew firsthand that Will was just a few hideous steps away. She’d seen him preening in front of his kitchen window that looked directly into hers.
She avoided looking in the direction of his house as often as possible, but the occasional glance had been inevitable. Best as she could tell, Will Thatcher did not seem to own a shirt. He probably enjoyed the reflection of his own pecs too much.
Brynn started marching toward his front door. If he wanted to torture her by living next door, she’d just let him see exactly what it meant to be neighborly .
She should have been prepared for it when she opened the door, but she still gaped. “For God’s sake, Will, put some clothes on. You’re going to scare the neighbor kids.”
Will stretched and leaned against the door. “Yeah, but their moms will be happy.”
“Gross,” she muttered, scooting past him into the air-conditioned home, being careful not to brush against his impeccably carved chest.
He made a valid point, though. The soccer
Little did Sophie know that she’d just provided the next step in his plan.
C HAPTER SIX
A tasteful watch is always in style,
as a lady is never late.
—Brynn Dalton’s Rules for an
Exemplary Life, #21
B rynn was going to be late.
She never ran late. The inability to keep track of the hour and plan for potential mishaps was just so crass .
“And of course it would be today,” she muttered as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.
Normally Brynn’s work schedule could withstand the occasional delay. She trusted her partner completely, and Dr. Wee would be more than happy to cover one of Brynn’s patients.
But today, Brynn really wanted to be there in person. Seattle’s mayor was bringing her daughter in for an initial consultation. And while it was hardly the president, the mayor was still something of a local celebrity. It was just the sort of reference that Brynn could put on her website that would set her apart from the other orthodontist practices that were popping up with increasing regularity.
Only one tiny problem…
Her tire was flat. Beyond flat.
She flipped through the list of contacts on her phone until she found AAA. She’d been a member ever since buying her first car. She’d never needed assistance before, but she’d found it prudent to plan for emergencies. She just wished it hadn’t happened today.
Brynn patiently pushed all the requisite numbers to get through their automated call-intake system and calmly explained her situation to the woman on the other line.
“What do you mean it’ll be ninety minutes?” Brynn exploded.
Suddenly her silk blouse started sticking to her back. She hissed in frustration. She hated perspiration. It was so…pedestrian.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the polite voice was saying. “We’ll get there as soon as we can, but we only have so many available agents.”
She glanced at the Chanel watch she’d bought herself for her thirtieth birthday. The mayor’s daughter would be in her office in a little over an hour and ten minutes. There was no way she’d make it in time. Dr. Wee would just have to take the appointment with Liz Blanton.
Unless…
Brynn’s eyes fell on the house next door.
Will’s house.
The thought still made her vaguely queasy.
“You know, I think I’ll see if an, um…friend can take care of the tire for me,” Brynn heard herself saying to AAA. “Thank you anyway, though.”
She dropped her phone back into her purse and delicately pulled at her shirt with her nails to keep it from sticking to her body. Of course this would happen on what would probably be Seattle’s one hot day of the year.
Although, truthfully, she wasn’t sure what was making her sweatier: the weather, or the thought of asking Will Thatcher for help.
But Brynn was nothing if not practical. AAA wasn’t nearby, and she knew firsthand that Will was just a few hideous steps away. She’d seen him preening in front of his kitchen window that looked directly into hers.
She avoided looking in the direction of his house as often as possible, but the occasional glance had been inevitable. Best as she could tell, Will Thatcher did not seem to own a shirt. He probably enjoyed the reflection of his own pecs too much.
Brynn started marching toward his front door. If he wanted to torture her by living next door, she’d just let him see exactly what it meant to be neighborly .
She should have been prepared for it when she opened the door, but she still gaped. “For God’s sake, Will, put some clothes on. You’re going to scare the neighbor kids.”
Will stretched and leaned against the door. “Yeah, but their moms will be happy.”
“Gross,” she muttered, scooting past him into the air-conditioned home, being careful not to brush against his impeccably carved chest.
He made a valid point, though. The soccer
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