having her own space. And it
was nice to know she had her home if things didn’t go well.
She peered back at Jared. He sat
there poised and cocky. She knew he was toying with her. He was daring her. Damn
him .
She nodded her chin slowly. “House
guest,” but she quickly added, “only if you agree that you’ll leave as any
gentleman would if I ask you to.”
He nodded. “The lady strikes a
bargain. So you believe I’m a gentleman.”
“Aren’t you?” She couldn’t decipher
the emotion flickering across his dark eyes.
“You’ll have to be the judge of
that. So I understand you’re a preacher’s kid.”
Kitty gulped and searched her purse
for her smart phone. “I forgot to enter an appointment,” she said with a slight
tremble. When she finished with the entry, she stowed the phone back in her
purse and lowered her sunglasses.
When she glanced back at Jared, he
had that damn amused look on his face. “Oh,” she said, as if she’d forgotten
his question. “Yes, my dad was a preacher.”
“That must’ve been like growing up
in a fish bowl.”
She shrugged her shoulders and
picked at her French fries. “You get used to it.”
“Yeah, like you can get used to
anything.” He leaned back in the booth and appraised her. “You must’ve been a
handful when you were a teenager.”
A chuckle broke her lips. “Long
before that.” She scowled. “So how do you know so much about me?”
“I know your daughter, remember?”
“Oh.” Her stomach clenched and her
lungs froze. What had his son said—probably most every man attending the
wedding would’ve slept with Susan. Good God! She’d never seriously thought
Jared might’ve been one of those men.
She shoved her shaking fingers under
the table. “I’m sorry,” she said as calmly as she could, “but I really have to
go. I can’t think straight at the moment. There’s just too much I have to do
this afternoon.”
Jared stood as she slid out of the
booth. “So am I still invited to come by tonight? We could do dinner.”
“Of course,” she mumbled, not
wanting to look at him directly. “I’ll be ready by seven.”
She scurried away from him. Her high
heels no longer echoed power, but rather, retreat. By the time she reached her
car, retreat sounded like a great idea. Retreat from her work, retreat from her
daddy, retreat from Jared. But she knew from experience she could never retreat
from herself.
She’d made one decision on the way
out of the restaurant. Before she gave herself to Jared again she’d know
whether he’d fucked her daughter. If he had, she’d pay for the taxi that’d take
him out of her life.
- o -
Back in the restaurant, Jared
nibbled on a French fry, not at all certain he fully understood what had just
transpired. Kitty had been strung like a taut banjo when she’d joined him. He
did understand how days could get away from you.
He scowled at the door she’d just
gone thorough. Not everyone trusted him. That was a fact of life. He’d earned
distrust often enough, but what the hell had he done to Kitty Paige to earn hers?
He’d romanced her from a distance and then had shown up—admittedly,
unannounced. She’d certainly seemed eager to please him last evening.
Was she having morning-after
thoughts? Wasn’t it rather adolescent to try to hide behind shades? And why
such a tortuous response to his simple question about growing up a preacher’s
kid? He’d had a buddy in high school who’d been a preacher’s kid. Clearly he’d
seen some pluses, but there were also the obvious minuses of church people
expecting the kid to be a saint.
He smiled. Somehow he didn’t think Kitty
had ever been confused with a saint. He raked his fingers through his hair. Maybe
his question hadn’t been so simple. Her family probably hadn’t been overly
pleased with the daughter becoming an out-of-wedlock teenage mother. But they
must’ve gotten their heads around that. Susan had turned out to be a
was nice to know she had her home if things didn’t go well.
She peered back at Jared. He sat
there poised and cocky. She knew he was toying with her. He was daring her. Damn
him .
She nodded her chin slowly. “House
guest,” but she quickly added, “only if you agree that you’ll leave as any
gentleman would if I ask you to.”
He nodded. “The lady strikes a
bargain. So you believe I’m a gentleman.”
“Aren’t you?” She couldn’t decipher
the emotion flickering across his dark eyes.
“You’ll have to be the judge of
that. So I understand you’re a preacher’s kid.”
Kitty gulped and searched her purse
for her smart phone. “I forgot to enter an appointment,” she said with a slight
tremble. When she finished with the entry, she stowed the phone back in her
purse and lowered her sunglasses.
When she glanced back at Jared, he
had that damn amused look on his face. “Oh,” she said, as if she’d forgotten
his question. “Yes, my dad was a preacher.”
“That must’ve been like growing up
in a fish bowl.”
She shrugged her shoulders and
picked at her French fries. “You get used to it.”
“Yeah, like you can get used to
anything.” He leaned back in the booth and appraised her. “You must’ve been a
handful when you were a teenager.”
A chuckle broke her lips. “Long
before that.” She scowled. “So how do you know so much about me?”
“I know your daughter, remember?”
“Oh.” Her stomach clenched and her
lungs froze. What had his son said—probably most every man attending the
wedding would’ve slept with Susan. Good God! She’d never seriously thought
Jared might’ve been one of those men.
She shoved her shaking fingers under
the table. “I’m sorry,” she said as calmly as she could, “but I really have to
go. I can’t think straight at the moment. There’s just too much I have to do
this afternoon.”
Jared stood as she slid out of the
booth. “So am I still invited to come by tonight? We could do dinner.”
“Of course,” she mumbled, not
wanting to look at him directly. “I’ll be ready by seven.”
She scurried away from him. Her high
heels no longer echoed power, but rather, retreat. By the time she reached her
car, retreat sounded like a great idea. Retreat from her work, retreat from her
daddy, retreat from Jared. But she knew from experience she could never retreat
from herself.
She’d made one decision on the way
out of the restaurant. Before she gave herself to Jared again she’d know
whether he’d fucked her daughter. If he had, she’d pay for the taxi that’d take
him out of her life.
- o -
Back in the restaurant, Jared
nibbled on a French fry, not at all certain he fully understood what had just
transpired. Kitty had been strung like a taut banjo when she’d joined him. He
did understand how days could get away from you.
He scowled at the door she’d just
gone thorough. Not everyone trusted him. That was a fact of life. He’d earned
distrust often enough, but what the hell had he done to Kitty Paige to earn hers?
He’d romanced her from a distance and then had shown up—admittedly,
unannounced. She’d certainly seemed eager to please him last evening.
Was she having morning-after
thoughts? Wasn’t it rather adolescent to try to hide behind shades? And why
such a tortuous response to his simple question about growing up a preacher’s
kid? He’d had a buddy in high school who’d been a preacher’s kid. Clearly he’d
seen some pluses, but there were also the obvious minuses of church people
expecting the kid to be a saint.
He smiled. Somehow he didn’t think Kitty
had ever been confused with a saint. He raked his fingers through his hair. Maybe
his question hadn’t been so simple. Her family probably hadn’t been overly
pleased with the daughter becoming an out-of-wedlock teenage mother. But they
must’ve gotten their heads around that. Susan had turned out to be a
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