the city."
"When are you coming
back?"
"Wednesday
night. Listen, Denise, this is a perfectly legitimate project."
"Right.
I wish I could get there Wednesday night, but I have this awards thing and I'll
probably be getting something, so it would look bad if I didn't go. I'll be at
your house Thursday morning."
"What?
" Eve sat up straight in her seat as panic set in.
She'd need two days to clean to Denise's standards. "You can't come.
Sorry. Not that I wouldn't love to have you, but I'm having the ...
exterminators on Thursday."
"For what?"
"Bugs.
It's truly disgusting. You wouldn't believe the invasion of bugs."
"You're
right, I wouldn't believe it." Denise's determined calm was unnerving.
"Not in February. Mice, maybe, but not bugs."
"I
meant mice! Mice, bugs, who can tell the difference when they move so fast?
Things are scurrying around here all the time. You would hate it, Den. Don't
come. Save yourself some trouble."
"I'll be there by
ten."
"What
about your classes? You can't just walk out on your economics classes! Students
are depending on you to give them the secrets of Wall Street!"
"I
have a TA who can take over for a couple of days. See you on Thursday. Now, I
really have to go."
"No!
It won't work! The plumbing is stopped up! The TV's broken! The washing machine—"
But her sister had already disconnected.
Still
clutching the phone, Eve banged her forehead repeatedly against the seat in
front of her. She must have fear of success. That was the only explanation for
this idiotic phone call to her sister, a phone call that would result in
Denise ruining what had promised to be an excellent few days spent with Charhe
while they worked on the hovercraft.
Now
bossy Denise would be there getting in the way, right when Eve was about to
spend some quality time with Charlie. And that was the crux of it. It wasn't
only Denise's interference that Eve was worried about.
Eve
could hold her own in a beauty contest against Denise, but what about a brainy
contest? What if the guy in question was an engineer type who would likely choose
mind over measurements? What if Denise swooped in and wowed him with her IQ
points?
Eve's
reaction to that possibility told her more than she wanted to know about her
current state of mind concerning Charlie. She didn't just like him. She had designs on
him.
Suddenly
her move to Middlesex took on a whole new meaning. Sure, she'd meant to escape
the city and Lyle's proposal. But her motives had been more complicated,
apparently. She'd been running away from one thing, but unconsciously running
toward something else.
She
wanted more than her little house in a cute New England town and more than a
place to create her inventions. She wanted a certain kind of man to live in
that house with her. A man pretty much like Charlie. Now that she'd found him,
Denise couldn't have him.
At
least her sister wouldn't show up until Thursday morning. If Eunice could keep
Rick busy Wednesday night, then Eve would have time alone with Charlie. Just
her, a sexy engineer, and a hovercraft in the garage together—the perfect setup
to put some moves on her favorite nerd.
Chapter
Five
The next two days moved slower than an overloaded circuit for
Charlie, but finally Wednesday night arrived. The pizza was ordered and all he
had to do was hop on his bike, run by his aunt Myrtle's house, get Rick, pick
up the pizzas, and head on over to Eve's. Charlie had ordered three pizzas
because he couldn't decide what kind Eve would like.
He'd
ended up with one plain cheese—something just about anybody could eat—one with
pepperoni and sausage, which was your classic choice, and the third with all
veggies, in honor of Eve's veggie fuel. If she couldn't find something to love
in that group, then pizza wasn't her thing.
Two
guys and three pizzas on one motorcycle would be tricky, but Charlie was up for
it. Still, his life would have been easier if Rick could have picked up the
pizzas and met him there. Instead,
"When are you coming
back?"
"Wednesday
night. Listen, Denise, this is a perfectly legitimate project."
"Right.
I wish I could get there Wednesday night, but I have this awards thing and I'll
probably be getting something, so it would look bad if I didn't go. I'll be at
your house Thursday morning."
"What?
" Eve sat up straight in her seat as panic set in.
She'd need two days to clean to Denise's standards. "You can't come.
Sorry. Not that I wouldn't love to have you, but I'm having the ...
exterminators on Thursday."
"For what?"
"Bugs.
It's truly disgusting. You wouldn't believe the invasion of bugs."
"You're
right, I wouldn't believe it." Denise's determined calm was unnerving.
"Not in February. Mice, maybe, but not bugs."
"I
meant mice! Mice, bugs, who can tell the difference when they move so fast?
Things are scurrying around here all the time. You would hate it, Den. Don't
come. Save yourself some trouble."
"I'll be there by
ten."
"What
about your classes? You can't just walk out on your economics classes! Students
are depending on you to give them the secrets of Wall Street!"
"I
have a TA who can take over for a couple of days. See you on Thursday. Now, I
really have to go."
"No!
It won't work! The plumbing is stopped up! The TV's broken! The washing machine—"
But her sister had already disconnected.
Still
clutching the phone, Eve banged her forehead repeatedly against the seat in
front of her. She must have fear of success. That was the only explanation for
this idiotic phone call to her sister, a phone call that would result in
Denise ruining what had promised to be an excellent few days spent with Charhe
while they worked on the hovercraft.
Now
bossy Denise would be there getting in the way, right when Eve was about to
spend some quality time with Charlie. And that was the crux of it. It wasn't
only Denise's interference that Eve was worried about.
Eve
could hold her own in a beauty contest against Denise, but what about a brainy
contest? What if the guy in question was an engineer type who would likely choose
mind over measurements? What if Denise swooped in and wowed him with her IQ
points?
Eve's
reaction to that possibility told her more than she wanted to know about her
current state of mind concerning Charlie. She didn't just like him. She had designs on
him.
Suddenly
her move to Middlesex took on a whole new meaning. Sure, she'd meant to escape
the city and Lyle's proposal. But her motives had been more complicated,
apparently. She'd been running away from one thing, but unconsciously running
toward something else.
She
wanted more than her little house in a cute New England town and more than a
place to create her inventions. She wanted a certain kind of man to live in
that house with her. A man pretty much like Charlie. Now that she'd found him,
Denise couldn't have him.
At
least her sister wouldn't show up until Thursday morning. If Eunice could keep
Rick busy Wednesday night, then Eve would have time alone with Charlie. Just
her, a sexy engineer, and a hovercraft in the garage together—the perfect setup
to put some moves on her favorite nerd.
Chapter
Five
The next two days moved slower than an overloaded circuit for
Charlie, but finally Wednesday night arrived. The pizza was ordered and all he
had to do was hop on his bike, run by his aunt Myrtle's house, get Rick, pick
up the pizzas, and head on over to Eve's. Charlie had ordered three pizzas
because he couldn't decide what kind Eve would like.
He'd
ended up with one plain cheese—something just about anybody could eat—one with
pepperoni and sausage, which was your classic choice, and the third with all
veggies, in honor of Eve's veggie fuel. If she couldn't find something to love
in that group, then pizza wasn't her thing.
Two
guys and three pizzas on one motorcycle would be tricky, but Charlie was up for
it. Still, his life would have been easier if Rick could have picked up the
pizzas and met him there. Instead,
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