Where Azaleas Bloom. Sherryl Woods

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СКАЧАТЬ right, let’s just stay in here.” Besides, he was less likely to act on impulse and give in to the ridiculous urge he had to kiss her if they were separated by her kitchen table.

      “Sure, here’s fine,” she said, putting ice into two large glasses, then adding the tea from an old-fashioned glass pitcher like the ones his mom used to have with fruit painted on the glass. She’d always served orange juice in hers.

      “So, you really weren’t expecting Nate’s big news?” she said, when she’d taken a seat opposite him.

      He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s still a kid.”

      “How old?”

      “Twenty-one.”

      She fought a smile. “And how old were you when you and Amy got married?”

      Mitch frowned at the question. “Twenty, but that’s not the point.”

      “Really?”

      “I was old at twenty. I’d already been working construction for a couple of years. I knew what I wanted out of life. Nate’s changed his major three times. I’m not even a hundred percent sure what his degree will be in. I’m not criticizing him for that. He’s hardly the first kid to get out of college and not be sure he wants to work in the field he majored in, but shouldn’t he figure that out, maybe even be earning some money before he takes a huge step and gets married?”

      “Maybe they’re not planning to get married right away,” Lynn suggested. “Did he mention the timetable?”

      “No,” Mitch confessed, taking hope for the first time since morning.

      “Or how old his fiancée is? Maybe she’s even younger than he is and wants to finish college. They could be planning on a long engagement.”

      “Or he could have told me this just so I’d let the girl sleep in his room,” Mitch added dryly, reaching a conclusion he should have formed early on. “I’d just blown that idea out of the water right before he made his big announcement.”

      Lynn looked startled. “You don’t think he’d lie just to get your approval for sleeping with her, do you?”

      Mitch considered the question, which he thought was fair, but eventually shook his head. “Nah. Nate’s not like that. He’s always been pretty open with us, or at least with his mother. He figured out early on that we appreciated honesty more than evasions.”

      “A lesson more kids should learn,” Lynn said. “I constantly tell Jeremy and Lexie that the truth will get them in a lot less trouble than a lie. They’re still working on believing that, since I punish them either way.”

      Mitch chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a hard one for kids to figure out. Maybe you need to tell them in advance, here’s what’s going to happen if you tell me the truth and this is the much harsher punishment if I catch you in a lie. Sometimes it takes that kind of clarity to get through to them.”

      “Good plan, but they usually don’t think they’re going to get caught in the lie.”

      “But they always do, don’t they? They’ll catch on eventually. My boys did.” He met her gaze. “And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Nate and Luke are terrific young men. Amy saw to that.”

      “I imagine you were a big influence, too,” Lynn told him. “How could you not be? You’re an admirable man.”

      Mitch couldn’t help being flattered and a little startled by her open declaration. “You sound as if you mean that.”

      “I do. I told you before that I’ve never heard a bad word about you around town, but I’ve seen it for myself recently. You’ve taken me under your wing, given me a job.” She flushed as if she felt she’d said too much. “And speaking of that, we should probably get to work. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home and have dinner. You didn’t plan on staying to have dinner at Raylene’s tonight, did you?”

      He shook his head. “Nah, I figured they deserved a night off from having me underfoot. I wasn’t such good company anyway.”

      “Your company’s just fine,” Lynn said.

      Mitch hesitated. “But I am starving,” he said. “How about I order some food from Rosalina’s? We can eat while we go over these bills.”

      She looked as if she were about to refuse, so he held her gaze. “You have anything against pepperoni or jalapeños on your pizza?”

      Her eyes widened. “Jalapeños?”

      “Trust me. It’s worth staying awake half the night for that combination. You’ll never want a plain old cheese pizza again.”

      “If you say so.”

      “Is that a yes? I can give Rosalina’s a call?”

      “Sure, why not?” she said.

      “I’ll order a salad, too. We can pretend we’re being healthy. How about soda? You want a bottle of soda to go with that?” he asked, already hitting speed dial on his cell phone.

      “You have their number programmed into your phone?” she teased.

      “And the entire menu memorized,” he said unrepentantly. “Now, about that soda?”

      “Sure. Diet soda, if that’s okay.”

      “Suits me.” He placed the order, then sat back and took a good long look at the woman seated across the table. She looked different somehow.

      “Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, squirming uncomfortably.

      “You look different.”

      “Different how?”

      “More rested, I guess. Did you take a nap this afternoon?”

      She shook her head, but there was an odd smile tugging at her lips.

      “Well, your eyes are brighter. It looks good.”

      To his surprise, she actually laughed the way he’d remembered. “What?” he demanded.

      “It’s eye makeup. Raylene swore to me that men never noticed things like that, so I put some on for the first time in ages.”

      Mitch could see it, then, the thin stroke of liner on her lids, the hint of pale blue shadow, the darkened lashes.

      “Was that for my benefit?” he asked, oddly pleased to think it might be.

      She blushed furiously at the question. “Maybe it was just a test. Maybe I was trying to prove her wrong, to show her that some men are observant.”

      He grinned at the deliberate evasion. So she wasn’t totally immune, after all. Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do with that information.

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