Lakemont, Wisconsin when it turned up missing. I had to send it back to her by express mail.”
Kaye giggled.
“ Don’t laugh,” he recommended. “You’ve never met a young lady as determined as my niece. So, let me get this straight—from one teddy bear, you deduced that I had a wife and a couple of kids?”
“ More like half a dozen,” she said demurely. “It was a very battered teddy bear. Not that I have anything against large families, you understand.”
“ I should hope not, since you are buying a five-bedroom house.”
The reminder sobered her a bit. She had enjoyed this week, and she realized for the first time that it was really over. She had found her house, and now there would be no more adventures with Brendan.
“ One thing about a house that size,” he went on. “You won’t be lacking for something to do, even without your job.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “I’m not planning to give up my job,” she said.
“ You amaze me.”
The tone of his voice was calm enough, but it aggravated her, because it seemed to be the same attitude that Emily had shown. “I suppose you mean that because Graham has plenty of money, I’m not planning to work.”
“ The thought had crossed my mind.”
“ Well, the paycheck isn’t the only reason to hold a job. There’s self-satisfaction, and independence, and the feeling of being a useful part of society.”
“ Then, by all means,” he said mildly, “you have my permission to continue working.”
It was so matter-of-fact that her irritation vanished like a wisp of fog, and she started to laugh. “I must have sounded a bit radical, didn’t I?”
“ Rather. Do you like the travel agency so well?”
“ Yes, I do. I might not always do that, but for right now, I like it.”
“ Have you worked there long?”
She shook her head. “Only for about a year. I started there as soon as I was out of college, but I did lots of other things before that.” She had lost count of her part-time jobs, as a matter of fact. It seemed she had always had a job of some sort, from babysitting the neighbors’ kids to waiting at tables. There had never been enough money, and so, from the time she was old enough, Kaye had tried to help out.
He didn’t ask any further questions, and something deep inside her was just a little disappointed that he didn’t want to know more. That was silly, she told herself. She really knew very little about him, either, and it was only idle curiosity that made her want to know more.
As they passed the Aynsley house, she shuddered. “And to think that Andy Winchester wanted me to buy that ,” she said.
“ Cliff Aynsley’s house? Not your style at all, I should think. I always had the impression that the architect who designed it had been hitting the firewater a little too hard at the time.”
Kaye blinked in confusion. His tone was casual, as if he knew the house well. “You’ve seen it?”
He nodded. “We had it listed last year. We must have shown it a thousand times, but we didn’t get a single offer. I thought they were trying to sell it themselves now—but you say they’ve listed it with Winchester?”
“ It’s not exactly listed.” So that was what the truth was, Kaye thought. She could hardly wait to tell Graham about this—how his favorite real estate agent had been trying to sell him a turkey that no one else wanted, and not a mansion so exclusive that no one else even knew it was for sale!
Graham had been so certain that Brendan couldn’t possibly know about the sort of house they would want to buy. He’d been wrong about that, too, Kaye thought triumphantly. She was looking forward to proving it to him tomorrow, when he saw their new house for the first time.
*****
It was without a doubt the most stunningly elaborate engagement ring Kaye had ever seen. It must have cost Graham a fortune, she thought weakly as she stared down at the huge emerald winking on her
Kaye giggled.
“ Don’t laugh,” he recommended. “You’ve never met a young lady as determined as my niece. So, let me get this straight—from one teddy bear, you deduced that I had a wife and a couple of kids?”
“ More like half a dozen,” she said demurely. “It was a very battered teddy bear. Not that I have anything against large families, you understand.”
“ I should hope not, since you are buying a five-bedroom house.”
The reminder sobered her a bit. She had enjoyed this week, and she realized for the first time that it was really over. She had found her house, and now there would be no more adventures with Brendan.
“ One thing about a house that size,” he went on. “You won’t be lacking for something to do, even without your job.”
She looked at him in astonishment. “I’m not planning to give up my job,” she said.
“ You amaze me.”
The tone of his voice was calm enough, but it aggravated her, because it seemed to be the same attitude that Emily had shown. “I suppose you mean that because Graham has plenty of money, I’m not planning to work.”
“ The thought had crossed my mind.”
“ Well, the paycheck isn’t the only reason to hold a job. There’s self-satisfaction, and independence, and the feeling of being a useful part of society.”
“ Then, by all means,” he said mildly, “you have my permission to continue working.”
It was so matter-of-fact that her irritation vanished like a wisp of fog, and she started to laugh. “I must have sounded a bit radical, didn’t I?”
“ Rather. Do you like the travel agency so well?”
“ Yes, I do. I might not always do that, but for right now, I like it.”
“ Have you worked there long?”
She shook her head. “Only for about a year. I started there as soon as I was out of college, but I did lots of other things before that.” She had lost count of her part-time jobs, as a matter of fact. It seemed she had always had a job of some sort, from babysitting the neighbors’ kids to waiting at tables. There had never been enough money, and so, from the time she was old enough, Kaye had tried to help out.
He didn’t ask any further questions, and something deep inside her was just a little disappointed that he didn’t want to know more. That was silly, she told herself. She really knew very little about him, either, and it was only idle curiosity that made her want to know more.
As they passed the Aynsley house, she shuddered. “And to think that Andy Winchester wanted me to buy that ,” she said.
“ Cliff Aynsley’s house? Not your style at all, I should think. I always had the impression that the architect who designed it had been hitting the firewater a little too hard at the time.”
Kaye blinked in confusion. His tone was casual, as if he knew the house well. “You’ve seen it?”
He nodded. “We had it listed last year. We must have shown it a thousand times, but we didn’t get a single offer. I thought they were trying to sell it themselves now—but you say they’ve listed it with Winchester?”
“ It’s not exactly listed.” So that was what the truth was, Kaye thought. She could hardly wait to tell Graham about this—how his favorite real estate agent had been trying to sell him a turkey that no one else wanted, and not a mansion so exclusive that no one else even knew it was for sale!
Graham had been so certain that Brendan couldn’t possibly know about the sort of house they would want to buy. He’d been wrong about that, too, Kaye thought triumphantly. She was looking forward to proving it to him tomorrow, when he saw their new house for the first time.
*****
It was without a doubt the most stunningly elaborate engagement ring Kaye had ever seen. It must have cost Graham a fortune, she thought weakly as she stared down at the huge emerald winking on her
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