physically restrain himself from moving in for a sniff. He was still battling the urge when she gave the half-empty pizza carton on the counter a surprised glance.
“The game and fresh air wore Tommy out,” Brian explained, doing his damnedest to keep the reply casual. “I called the Westbrooks to let them know he won’t be coming. He’s going to hang with Addy tonight.”
“His friend Cindy’s big brother?”
“Right. They’re in the den. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Brian wasn’t surprised when Dawn’s initial glimpse of the lanky teen produced a quick blink. The kid’s baggy jeans rode so low on his hips they defied the laws of gravity. And what looked like a recent and particularly virulent acne eruption no doubt explained his availability on a Saturday night. In the case of Addison Caruthers the Third, however, appearances were most definitely deceiving.
“Addy’s a Nobel Prize winner in the making,” Brian couldn’t resist bragging. “He came in second in the International Science and Engineering Fair last year.”
“Yeah,” Tommy chimed in from the floor, pizza slice in hand. “He built a transmitter that warns blind people ’bout stuff in their way. It sends beeps through their earbuds right into their brains.”
Downplaying his accomplishment with an embarrassed shrug, the teen clambered to his size thirteen feet. “Nice to meet you, Ms. McGill. Tommy’s been telling me about you. He, uh, said you guys really had fun in Italy.”
“We did.”
Brian bit back a smile as Addy made a heroic effort to keep his gaze pinned on Dawn’s face.
“Are you, er, going to stay awhile?”
“Only until a new nanny is hired.”
“I don’t want a new nanny,” Tommy sang out in a now-familiar chorus. “I want Dawn.”
His father ignored him. “We won’t be late,” he told Addy.
“No prob.”
“You’ve got my cell phone number, right?”
“Right.”
When Dawn turned to leave, the teen lost his inner battle. His glance glommed on to her back before dropping to the rear outlined so enticingly by those slinky slacks.
“Oh, man,” he murmured to Brian, his Adam’s apple bouncing. “The lady is OTC.”
Brian probably shouldn’t have asked, but did, anyway. “Translation?”
“Off the chain, Mr. E. Off . The . Chain .”
Nodding an agreement, Brian stooped to knuckle his son’s head affectionately, then followed Dawn through the kitchen to the garage. She made no comment until they were in the SUV and backing out. “Amazing kid. Has he decided where he wants to go to college?”
“Not yet. He’s had so many offers he’s taking his time about deciding.”
She hesitated a few beats before making a suggestion. “My company puts out an all-natural acne treatment. A water-based gel containing an extract from the Australian tea tree. It doesn’t work as quickly as some over-the-counter ointments, but we’ve compiled considerable test data showing it causes significantly lower side effects. If you think it won’t crush Addy’s feelings, I could have my assistant overnight some free samples.”
Grinning, Brian wheeled the SUV onto the street. “I can pretty well guarantee it would crush more than his feelings. The kid thinks you’re ‘Off. The. Chain.’ He probably won’t—” he searched for a polite term “—deflate for an hour.”
Her laugh rippled across the SUV’s darkened interior. Brian’s hands tightened on the wheel while his mind zinged back to this morning, when he’d tried to recall the sound of Caroline’s laughter. Then slowly, deliberately, he loosened his grip.
Damned if he’d let guilt ride his shoulders tonight. He was about to have dinner with a trio of new friends and a stunningly beautiful woman. He would just enjoy the food, the wine and the company.
* * *
The trio actually turned out to be a quartet. In addition to the Westbrooks and Kate’s close friend, Callie Langston, Joe Russo had arrived in DC that afternoon. The enigmatic,
“The game and fresh air wore Tommy out,” Brian explained, doing his damnedest to keep the reply casual. “I called the Westbrooks to let them know he won’t be coming. He’s going to hang with Addy tonight.”
“His friend Cindy’s big brother?”
“Right. They’re in the den. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Brian wasn’t surprised when Dawn’s initial glimpse of the lanky teen produced a quick blink. The kid’s baggy jeans rode so low on his hips they defied the laws of gravity. And what looked like a recent and particularly virulent acne eruption no doubt explained his availability on a Saturday night. In the case of Addison Caruthers the Third, however, appearances were most definitely deceiving.
“Addy’s a Nobel Prize winner in the making,” Brian couldn’t resist bragging. “He came in second in the International Science and Engineering Fair last year.”
“Yeah,” Tommy chimed in from the floor, pizza slice in hand. “He built a transmitter that warns blind people ’bout stuff in their way. It sends beeps through their earbuds right into their brains.”
Downplaying his accomplishment with an embarrassed shrug, the teen clambered to his size thirteen feet. “Nice to meet you, Ms. McGill. Tommy’s been telling me about you. He, uh, said you guys really had fun in Italy.”
“We did.”
Brian bit back a smile as Addy made a heroic effort to keep his gaze pinned on Dawn’s face.
“Are you, er, going to stay awhile?”
“Only until a new nanny is hired.”
“I don’t want a new nanny,” Tommy sang out in a now-familiar chorus. “I want Dawn.”
His father ignored him. “We won’t be late,” he told Addy.
“No prob.”
“You’ve got my cell phone number, right?”
“Right.”
When Dawn turned to leave, the teen lost his inner battle. His glance glommed on to her back before dropping to the rear outlined so enticingly by those slinky slacks.
“Oh, man,” he murmured to Brian, his Adam’s apple bouncing. “The lady is OTC.”
Brian probably shouldn’t have asked, but did, anyway. “Translation?”
“Off the chain, Mr. E. Off . The . Chain .”
Nodding an agreement, Brian stooped to knuckle his son’s head affectionately, then followed Dawn through the kitchen to the garage. She made no comment until they were in the SUV and backing out. “Amazing kid. Has he decided where he wants to go to college?”
“Not yet. He’s had so many offers he’s taking his time about deciding.”
She hesitated a few beats before making a suggestion. “My company puts out an all-natural acne treatment. A water-based gel containing an extract from the Australian tea tree. It doesn’t work as quickly as some over-the-counter ointments, but we’ve compiled considerable test data showing it causes significantly lower side effects. If you think it won’t crush Addy’s feelings, I could have my assistant overnight some free samples.”
Grinning, Brian wheeled the SUV onto the street. “I can pretty well guarantee it would crush more than his feelings. The kid thinks you’re ‘Off. The. Chain.’ He probably won’t—” he searched for a polite term “—deflate for an hour.”
Her laugh rippled across the SUV’s darkened interior. Brian’s hands tightened on the wheel while his mind zinged back to this morning, when he’d tried to recall the sound of Caroline’s laughter. Then slowly, deliberately, he loosened his grip.
Damned if he’d let guilt ride his shoulders tonight. He was about to have dinner with a trio of new friends and a stunningly beautiful woman. He would just enjoy the food, the wine and the company.
* * *
The trio actually turned out to be a quartet. In addition to the Westbrooks and Kate’s close friend, Callie Langston, Joe Russo had arrived in DC that afternoon. The enigmatic,
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