feeling had persisted all day, and it hadn’t faded at all until Amy had opened the door. He couldjust talk for a few minutes, then go to dinner. Just a few minutes.
“So, that explains the accent,” she said.
“Accent?”
“Okay, twang would be a better word, definitely Texan, though.”
It was her voice that had lingered with him, but not because of any accent. There was something in it. He didn’t know what, but it touched something in him. “Lady, I just talk,” he said with a shrug, “but you, on the other hand, have no discernable accent at all.”
That made her smile, and the simple action had the same effect on him as the sun coming out after a long, gray, cold rain. Brilliant, warm and so welcome. “That’s because I’m homogenized,” she said. “I’ve lived all over and sort of mixed any local accents up together, so they come out as nothing, sort of like colors.”
“What?”
“You know, you mix up all the colors and you get black. And most people don’t think of black as a color, but it’s the combination of every color in the spectrum. An absolute of colors, a…” She bit her lip. “Sorry, I’m so used to talking to kids, explaining everything, that I forget when I’m around adults.”
He had to go, because all he could think about when she was talking was her hair, black hair, but with glints of colors, rich, deep colors. He stopped that thought, and said the first neutral thing he could think of. “Charlie’s fine.”
She looked puzzled, then her eyes widened. “Oh, Charlie. How would you know how he is?”
This was definitely safe territory. “I went down looking for you earlier and he was in the cage sleeping. Safe and sound.” He wouldn’t mention the half hour he wasted in personnel getting the secretary to let him get a look at her files. That had only been accomplished by a call to Matt Terrel, one of Lyn-Tech’s CEOs. “But you were nowhere in sight and no one seemed to know what was going on.”
“I never went in at all today,” she said with a shrug, that smile completely gone, and something else hit him dead center. He hadn’t realized how much he missed a woman who could smile…really smile. “With Taylor sick and one thing and another, the day just went.” She pressed her hands to thighs covered by the faded denim of her jeans. “Didn’t you say in your message that you had a date or something tonight?”
The word date threw him for a second, then he shook his head. “A dinner appointment. Not a date. I’m too busy with work for that, and even if I wasn’t, I told you last night, I’m way out of practice playing that sort of game.”
She narrowed her eyes on him, an intensity suddenly there. “You think that having a relationship is a game?”
He’d said the words offhandedly, for something to say that wouldn’t make things complicated, but he sensed a complication coming on. “What would you call it?”
She shrugged. “If it’s just for the moment, I guess it is a game, but not if it’s forever.”
“What is it if it’s forever?” he asked.
“It sure isn’t a game,” she said and was on her feet, heading toward the kitchen. “I need some tea,” she was saying over her shoulder. “How about some tea?”
He heard some clinking of dishes, then water running. The next thing he knew she was back looking at him over the half wall. “I put on some water for tea or coffee. Both are instant, and the coffee’s decaffeinated. Changed your mind?”
“No, I haven’t. I need to get going,” he said, finally standing and making a move he should have made a lot sooner.
She took a deep breath, and he wished that she’d smile again. He hated that look on her face now, almost a pained look. “Sure, of course, business and things,” she said.
“You probably have things to do…for Christmas Eve,” he said.
She glanced at her daughter sleeping on the couch, then back at him. “Yes, I do have things to do,” she said
“So, that explains the accent,” she said.
“Accent?”
“Okay, twang would be a better word, definitely Texan, though.”
It was her voice that had lingered with him, but not because of any accent. There was something in it. He didn’t know what, but it touched something in him. “Lady, I just talk,” he said with a shrug, “but you, on the other hand, have no discernable accent at all.”
That made her smile, and the simple action had the same effect on him as the sun coming out after a long, gray, cold rain. Brilliant, warm and so welcome. “That’s because I’m homogenized,” she said. “I’ve lived all over and sort of mixed any local accents up together, so they come out as nothing, sort of like colors.”
“What?”
“You know, you mix up all the colors and you get black. And most people don’t think of black as a color, but it’s the combination of every color in the spectrum. An absolute of colors, a…” She bit her lip. “Sorry, I’m so used to talking to kids, explaining everything, that I forget when I’m around adults.”
He had to go, because all he could think about when she was talking was her hair, black hair, but with glints of colors, rich, deep colors. He stopped that thought, and said the first neutral thing he could think of. “Charlie’s fine.”
She looked puzzled, then her eyes widened. “Oh, Charlie. How would you know how he is?”
This was definitely safe territory. “I went down looking for you earlier and he was in the cage sleeping. Safe and sound.” He wouldn’t mention the half hour he wasted in personnel getting the secretary to let him get a look at her files. That had only been accomplished by a call to Matt Terrel, one of Lyn-Tech’s CEOs. “But you were nowhere in sight and no one seemed to know what was going on.”
“I never went in at all today,” she said with a shrug, that smile completely gone, and something else hit him dead center. He hadn’t realized how much he missed a woman who could smile…really smile. “With Taylor sick and one thing and another, the day just went.” She pressed her hands to thighs covered by the faded denim of her jeans. “Didn’t you say in your message that you had a date or something tonight?”
The word date threw him for a second, then he shook his head. “A dinner appointment. Not a date. I’m too busy with work for that, and even if I wasn’t, I told you last night, I’m way out of practice playing that sort of game.”
She narrowed her eyes on him, an intensity suddenly there. “You think that having a relationship is a game?”
He’d said the words offhandedly, for something to say that wouldn’t make things complicated, but he sensed a complication coming on. “What would you call it?”
She shrugged. “If it’s just for the moment, I guess it is a game, but not if it’s forever.”
“What is it if it’s forever?” he asked.
“It sure isn’t a game,” she said and was on her feet, heading toward the kitchen. “I need some tea,” she was saying over her shoulder. “How about some tea?”
He heard some clinking of dishes, then water running. The next thing he knew she was back looking at him over the half wall. “I put on some water for tea or coffee. Both are instant, and the coffee’s decaffeinated. Changed your mind?”
“No, I haven’t. I need to get going,” he said, finally standing and making a move he should have made a lot sooner.
She took a deep breath, and he wished that she’d smile again. He hated that look on her face now, almost a pained look. “Sure, of course, business and things,” she said.
“You probably have things to do…for Christmas Eve,” he said.
She glanced at her daughter sleeping on the couch, then back at him. “Yes, I do have things to do,” she said
Similar Books
