Evan. Diana Palmer

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СКАЧАТЬ Evan all over town. Accidental meetings that weren’t accidental, hanging around him at parties and flirting shamelessly, that kind of thing. They said Evan couldn’t go anywhere in Jacobsville without your turning up there. I thought it was funny.”

      “Evan didn’t,” she said miserably. “I went overboard and he’s finally reached the end of his rope. I wish I’d realized sooner how silly I was behaving.”

      “Was that woman right? Did he bring the lovely Nina to ward you off?”

      She nodded, feeling conspicuous now. “I’m sure of it. Poor Evan.”

      “I don’t know,” Randall murmured, smiling at her. “It must be flattering to be chased by a pretty young woman.”

      “It must be exasperating, you mean,” she said, suddenly understanding. How could she have let things go that far without realizing the position she was putting Evan in? She’d teased and flirted, hoping to make him notice her. But all she’d accomplished was to scare him off. What an idiot she’d been!

      As if realizing that wasn’t bad enough, she had to face the fact that everyone knew that his squiring of Nina was to keep her at bay. It was humiliating to have him publicly reject her like this. As she glanced around, she caught people looking at her and began to notice the faint pity in their eyes.

      She had to fight tears as the evening wore on. Evan danced with no one except Nina and was so attentive to her that speculation on the rekindling of the old relationship ran rampant. The way he avoided Anna spoke volumes. Nobody noticed that Anna was doing her best to avoid him as well. She clung to Randall like a leech.

      Polly gave a speech and introduced two of the mall’s main backers, along with the merchants who were already committed to opening businesses in it. The speech was well received, and it did divert Anna from her misery.

      But despite Randall’s company, Anna felt dejected and empty inside. She put on a good front, laughing and glittering, so that no one would guess how badly hurt she was.

      When the crowd started to dwindle, Polly paused beside her daughter with an affectionate smile. “I thought it went rather well. How are you doing, darling?”

      “Marvelous, thanks,” Anna said airily, forcing a smile. “It’s been lovely, hasn’t it, Randall?”

      Randall was watching her narrowly. “How many times have you hit that punch bowl, Anna?”

      “Only three,” she said, blinking. “Why?”

      He exchanged a knowing look with Polly.

      “Somebody spiked the punch,” Polly guessed.

      “How did you know?”

      “Evan smelled his punch and put it down with a vicious glare in my direction,” Polly said dryly.

      “I should have known he’d notice it first.” Randall laughed. He checked his watch. “Goodness, I’ve got to go. I’m on call at the hospital from midnight, and it’s almost that. I’ll be in touch tomorrow or the next day, as soon as I get some free time. ’Night,” he murmured, brushing a careless kiss across Anna’s forehead.

      She watched him go with no real interest. Polly put an affectionate arm around her shoulders.

      “It’s killing you, isn’t it?” she asked with unusual protectiveness. “You’ll survive, my darling. We all do. Evan just isn’t the type to settle down. You’ve always known that.”

      “I was only ever flirting,” Anna said stubbornly. “It wasn’t for real. I thought he knew it.”

      Polly didn’t contradict her daughter. She recognized the anguish in those blue eyes, though. Her arm contracted. “Let’s go and listen to the band. Randall will phone tomorrow. Maybe he’ll take you out to eat. You stay home too much.”

      “I guess I do. Randall’s nice.”

      “You’ll learn one day that we have to take what we can get out of life and not wish for the impossible things too hard,” Polly said gently. “One day at a time, pet.”

      Anna smiled. “Yes.” But she was thinking of how many days it was going to take to get over tonight.

      Evan and Nina gravitated toward them, and Anna had to fight the urge to cut and run.

      “It was a lovely party. Thank you for asking me,” Nina said with a smile in Polly’s direction.

      “It was my pleasure,” the older woman replied. “Evan, I’m glad you came, too. I didn’t really expect you. If Nina managed to pry you out of your office, good for her.”

      “I plan to pry him out a lot more often, now,” Nina purred, leaning against Evan’s shoulder. Anna didn’t speak or look at him, and after a minute, he stared at her openly.

      “How much of that punch have you had?” Evan demanded of Anna, his dark eyes sparking.

      She didn’t look at him. “Only a little,” she lied. “I know it’s spiked.”

      “You should have poured it out and made more,” he told Polly bluntly. “Anna isn’t allowed to drink hard liquor, surely?”

      Polly started. “Evan, she’s nineteen, going on twenty,” she said with urbane amusement. “Of course she’s allowed to drink.”

      “Alcohol can kill,” he persisted. “Especially if she ever gets in the habit of driving under the influence. She could go to jail…”

      “I don’t drink and drive, Evan,” Anna said solemnly. “I never would. If the alcohol bothers you so much, why don’t you go home?”

      She poured herself another cup—her fourth, actually—and lifted it to her lips, draining it while her blue eyes defied the angry dark ones glaring at her.

      “Can’t you do anything with her?” he demanded of Polly.

      Anna’s eyebrows arched. “My mother doesn’t tell me what to do anymore.”

      Evan’s own eyebrows arched. That didn’t sound like Anna. Not at all. “You’re not used to liquor,” he began.

      She smiled coldly. “Watch me get used to it,” she replied, still smarting from his public humiliation of her and wanting to hurt back. “Nothing I do is any of your damned business. You remember that.”

      She whirled on her heel, a little wobbly, and went toward the staircase. The whiskey in the punch was lying heavily on her stomach and she felt nausea rising in her throat. But she felt as if she’d just declared independence, and it wasn’t a bad feeling at all. Evan wasn’t going to be her fatal weakness anymore. Even if she’d deserved his rejection, he could have simply spoken to her in private. He didn’t have to do it like this.

      Evan stared after her, scowling. It was the first time in memory that Anna had talked back to him. He was used to blind adoration from her, or at worst, pert, flirting comments. Stark hostility was new and all too exciting. His body was reacting to her antagonism in ways he’d never expected.

      “She’s a bit tipsy, I think, Evan. СКАЧАТЬ