Navy Brat. Debbie Macomber

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      Chapter Three

      The envelope arrived at Erin’s office, hand-delivered by the downstairs receptionist. Erin stared at her name scrawled across the front and knew beyond a doubt the handwriting belonged to Brand Davis. She held the plain white envelope in her hand several moments, her heart pounding. It’d been two days since her dinner date with Brand, and she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. She’d been so awful, so aloof and unfriendly, when he’d been trying so hard to be cordial and helpful.

      When he’d dropped her off where she’d parked her car, she’d practically leaped out of his in her eagerness to get away from him. Exactly what had he done that was so terrible? Well, first off, he’d been pleasant and fun—horrible crimes, indeed—while she’d behaved like a cantankerous old biddy. She wasn’t proud of herself; in fact, Erin felt wretched about the whole thing.

      “Go ahead and open it,” she said aloud.

      “You talking to yourself again?” Aimee chastised. “You generally don’t do that until the end of the day.”

      “Brand sent me a note.” She held it up for her friend’s inspection as though she were holding on to a hand grenade and expected it to explode in her face at any moment.

      “I thought the receptionist looked envious. He’s probably downstairs waiting for you right now.”

      “Ah…” That thought didn’t bear contemplating.

      “For heaven’s sake,” Aimee said eagerly, “don’t just sit there, open it.”

      Erin did, with an enthusiasm she didn’t dare question. Her gaze scanned the short message before she looked up to her friend. “He wants to give me a tour of Sand Point before the opportunity is gone. You know there’s a distinct possibility the navy may close down the base. He says I should have a look at it for nostalgia’s sake.”

      “When?”

      “Tomorrow…You’re right, he’s downstairs waiting for my answer.”

      “Are you going to do it?” Aimee’s question hung in mid-air like a dangling spider.

      Erin didn’t know. Then she did know. Longing welled deep within her, not a physical longing, but an emotional stirring that left her feeling empty inside. She didn’t want to have anything to do with this lieutenant j.g., didn’t want to be trapped in the whirlpool of his strong, sensual appeal. Nevertheless, she had been from the first moment they’d kissed, despite her best efforts.

      He paralyzed her; he challenged her. He was everything she claimed she didn’t want in a man, and everything she’d ever hope to find.

      “Well?” Aimee probed. “What are you going to do?”

      “I…I’m going to take that tour.”

      Aimee let lose with a loud cheer that attracted the attention of nearly everyone in the huge open room. Several people stuck their heads out from behind office doors to discover what was causing all the excitement.

      Shaking on the inside, but outwardly composed, Erin took the elevator to the ground floor. Brand was waiting in the foyer. He had his back to her and was standing in front of the directory. He wore his dress uniform, and his hands were joined behind his back, holding his garrison cap.

      He must have sensed her presence, because he turned around.

      “Hello,” she said, her heart as heavy as the humid air of the rainy Seattle morning.

      “Hi,” he responded, his own voice low and throaty.

      She dropped her gaze, unexpectedly nervous. “I got your note.”

      “You look surprised to hear from me.”

      “After the way I behaved the other night, I didn’t expect to…I can’t understand why you want anything to do with me.”

      “You weren’t so bad.” His lazy grin took a long time coming, but when it did it contradicted every word he’d spoken.

      She found his smile infectious and doubted any woman could resist this man when he put his mind to it—and his mind was definitely to it!

      “Are you free tomorrow?”

      “And if I said I wasn’t?” She answered him with a question of her own, thinking that was safer than admitting how pleased she was to see him.

      “I’d ask you out again later.”

      “Why?” Erin couldn’t understand why he’d continue to risk rejection from her. Especially when she was quite ordinary. Erin wasn’t selling herself short. She was a warm, generous person, but she hadn’t been with him. Yet he’d returned twice now, enduring her disdain, and she had yet to understand why.

      Gradually she raised her eyes to his. And what she viewed confused her even more. Brand was thinking and feeling the same things she was, the same СКАЧАТЬ