A Love Worth Waiting For and Heaven Knows by Jillian Hart Page B

microwave.
    â€œMy cell.” Noah’s hands were in the water. “It’s in my coat. Can you grab it?”
    It could be the doctor. She could feel his urgency. She dashed to the table, where his jacket was hanging over the back of a chair, and found the phone by feel.
    â€œIf it’s from area code 212, let the voice mail get it.” He turned off the faucet. “I can always get back—”
    Kline Detective Agency, it said on the caller ID screen. Julie stared at it for a moment, and the ringing stopped.
    â€œIs it the doctor?” Noah was dripping water on the floor. He grabbed the phone with his wet hands, worry harsh on his face as he read the screen.
    Julie turned away. It was none of her business who was calling Noah. It could be a wrong number. It could be anything.
    Then why was he so quiet?
    â€œI’ll return that call later.” He tucked the phone back into his coat pocket.
    â€œSure.” She carried the bowls to the table. She wasn’t going to make any judgments or any conclusions. The pit of her stomach felt oddly empty.Noah wouldn’t have Granddad investigated, right? That was something people only did on television.
    Noah punched open the microwave door and brought the cornbread to the table for her.
    The silence in the kitchen felt enormous. He could hear every footstep. The scrape of wood against the tile floor seemed so loud. Or maybe it was his guilty conscience.
    He shouldn’t have asked Julie to catch the phone. He didn’t think the detective would get back to him so fast. The doctor was supposed to be the one calling, and no way had Noah wanted to hear bad news on his voice mail.
    Now, he regretted his impatience. Julie was very quiet as she set spoons and knives on the table. She pushed aside a neat pile of construction paper. Looked as if she’d been cutting out big block letters for a classroom bulletin board.
    She waited until she was seated to say grace. He muttered “Amen,” and reached for the paper napkin.
    She looked upset, and he was a smart enough man to steer clear of the phone call topic. So he said what was on his mind. “What do you think of marriage?”
    Her spoon hit the bowl with a clatter. “Do you mean the upcoming wedding or are you talking about marriage in general?”
    Uh-oh. She sounded really angry. He startedbackpedaling. “Marriage in general. It sounds like your parents divorced, too.”
    â€œI didn’t know that was any of your business.” She said it nicely, but there was no mistaking the way she glared at him.
    Yep, she was mad. He wasn’t going to get out of this unscathed. He may as well face up to it. “I didn’t mean for you to know about the detective.”
    â€œWhy should I? You aren’t investigating my grandfather, right?” She folded her hands neatly on the table in front of her. “That detective was calling about something else, right?”
    â€œNo.” He felt really bad, so he took a bite of chili. He was amazingly hungry. “After being with you today, I decided I didn’t need a P.I.”
    â€œSo, you thought you had the right to investigate him?”
    It was perfectly legal, he wanted to point out, but he decided to take the diplomatic course. Because he really did feel guilty. “I made a mistake. I’ll pay the detective what I owe him, but I won’t ask for the information.”
    â€œI see. That makes it all right?”
    â€œNo.” He didn’t want to hurt her. “I’m sorry. My grandmother is a very wealthy woman, and I have the right to protect her.”
    â€œYou’ve come to stop the wedding, haven’t you? You’re just not going to admit it.”
    â€œI admit it. I don’t think marriage is a good idea ingeneral, but Harold seems to make Nanna happier than I’ve ever seen her. Ever. That’s worth something.”
    She pushed away from the table. How could she