The Deputy's Perfect Match. Lisa Carter

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СКАЧАТЬ fours?” Charlie made sure he had Evy’s attention as he lifted the cake square off the plate, pinkie finger extended. “You’ve outdone yourself, Mrs. Davenport.”

      Evy almost choked on her chicken-salad sandwich. He’d mimicked the French pronunciation exactly.

      “You dear boy.” Mrs. Davenport fluttered her bejeweled hands like a schoolgirl. “How wonderful you know what a petit four is.”

      “I guess I’m just smart like that. And what they are is delicious.” Charlie popped the bite-size square into his mouth.

      “Let me get you another, Deputy.” Mrs. Davenport, also known as the grapevine of Kiptohanock, scurried toward the table.

      Charlie waggled his eyebrows at Evy. She glared. Was the man never serious? Surely a deputy sheriff had to be more sober-minded than the likes of Charlie Pruitt.

      But a smile played on her lips. He did know his way around a food table, she’d give him that. Around the ladies, too. Mr. Charming. Not her type at all. Not that Evy had a type to speak of.

      At that not-so-happy thought, she took her customary armchair.

      “Why don’t you sit close to Evy?” Dixie hovered at Charlie’s elbow. “Being a newcomer and all.”

      Evy’s cheeks burned. She hoped no one was getting the wrong idea about her and the deputy.

      “So you can see better?” Mrs. Davenport coaxed.

      It wouldn’t do for the ladies—or the town—to get the wrong idea. This was getting out of hand.

      He slipped into a chair directly across the circle.

      “No worries.” Charlie leaned the chair on its back legs. “I like the view right fine from here.” He sent Evy a winsome smile.

      Evy peered down the length of her nose at him. “Suit yourself.” She fretted at the cameo pinned to her blouse. “Shall we begin?”

      Her lips might say one thing, but her heart? She didn’t like what Deputy Pruitt did to her equilibrium. Not one bit.

      Evy didn’t have time for this...this inconvenient attraction. It went against her plan. She schooled her features. The plan must come first.

      “Shall we, indeed.” Charlie grinned. As if somehow he knew the effect he had on her. Raising her chin, she decided to ignore him.

      He took a deep breath, which broadened his chest. As if daring her to try.

      * * *

      Those remarkable eyes of hers.

      Charlie decided he could munch petits fours and stare at Evy Shaw all day. This club thing was turning out to be a real pleasure.

      But across the circle, those eyes of hers were shooting daggers at him at this moment. Smirking, he took another bite and chewed. He loved pushing her buttons.

      She reminded him of a character in the musical the drama class performed his senior year at Nandua High. In her long-sleeved peach blouse and beige pencil skirt, she looked so Marian the Librarian. So uptight and upright.

      It was kind of fun to wind her up and set her off—like watching a jewelry box ballerina go all dashboard hula girl.

      His mind wandered as the women discussed various themes from the novel, such as class structure and reputation. His friend in California had verified what Evy Shaw had revealed of her past.

      Midtwenties. Her parents were tenured English professors from Stanford. Before she’d arrived in Kiptohanock, she’d held positions in libraries from Miami to San Diego.

      He stopped chewing. While still in the Coast Guard, hadn’t Sawyer Kole transferred to Kiptohanock from somewhere in California? Might prove interesting to find out where he’d been previously stationed and determine if Kole and Evy ever shared locales before Kiptohanock.

      Charlie set the plate on his knee. Losing his appetite at the thought of them sharing anything, he swallowed past the boulder lodged in his throat.

      Another fact he’d learned? Evy held advanced degrees in literature and library science from Stanford and the University of Oklahoma. Sawyer Kole grew up in Oklahoma.

      Charlie kept his gaze laser-focused on Evy’s animated features as she led the group discussion. What was her connection to Honey’s husband?

      Time to rattle Hula Girl again.

      He cleared his throat. “One thing I found most fascinating...” the women—as if one entity—angled toward him “...was how first impressions can be deceiving.”

      Perched in the armchair with her brown high heels planted on the floor, Evy laid the book across her lap. “You mean how Elizabeth Bennet’s first impression was that Darcy was a snob?”

      Charlie rolled his tongue over his teeth. “I think that cuts both ways. Darcy and Elizabeth were both guilty of pride and prejudice.”

      Ashley, the wife of a former football buddy of his, nodded. “Darcy was equally guilty of prejudging Elizabeth. Based on her lack of social standing.”

      Charlie cocked his head. “Question is, Miss Shaw—are first impressions to be trusted? Or should you wait for proof that a person is trustworthy?”

      She stiffened. “Sounds as if you advocate putting people on trial. Testing them before you deem them worthy of your friendship, Deputy Pruitt.”

      Their gazes locked. The librarian was hiding something. He knew it.

      Kelly Hughes, the Coastie wife, brushed a crumb off her jeans. “People are not always what they seem. Each of the characters hid their real feelings behind a mask of pride.”

      Evy narrowed her eyes. “As a police officer, do you rely on your intuition in shaping your immediate response to people, Deputy Pruitt?”

      “In cop speak, I rely on my gut. And yes, my instincts about a situation have kept me alive on more than one occasion.” Charlie curled his lip. “And on a personal level, I’ve learned the hard way it doesn’t pay to trust—or love—too blindly.”

      Evy’s eyes bored into him. “Sounds as if someone hurt you very badly, Deputy Pruitt.”

      His breath hitched. An awkward silence fell. Flushing, he wasn’t sure how this had become about him. Or how she’d managed to turn the discussion onto him.

      Dixie patted his arm. “I think the real point of the story is how people can change.”

      “Given time, evaluations can alter.” Mrs. Davenport wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “Darcy focused on the wrong things first. But over time he saw Elizabeth for who she was. Really saw her.”

      Evy’s brow puckered. “What do you mean?”

      Peggy—his former high school math teacher who once upon a time loved marking Charlie’s homework with red X’s—thumbed through the pages of the novel. “He saw the real Elizabeth. And their courtship not only proved to each other their true СКАЧАТЬ