Barbara Freethy - Some Kind Of Wonderful by Some Kind Of Wonderful Page B

that evening.

"Did I drink all that?" she asked with a frown as he poured the last
few ounces into her glass.

"Looks that way," he said with a smile.

"If I finish that, I'll be asleep."

"Well, it is that time of the night."

"You don't look tired," she observed.

"I'm a night owl, and I'm also a little wired with my new houseguest"

"You should try to sleep while she's sleeping."

"I probably should, but I don't feel like sleeping." He walked back to
the window, a trip he'd made
many times over the past few hours.

"Thinking about Sarah?"

"I can't help it. She's out there somewhere." He waved his hand toward
the city lights. "Temperature dropped today. She must be cold."

""Maybe she's inside."

"I hope so. I feel helpless. I'd much rather be out there walking Liie
mi ecu ilian sitting in this apartment wondering where she is."

"You're doing more than sitting. You're taking care of your sister's
baby. That's pretty important. In fact, I can't think of anything more
important."

He looked back at her, his gaze connecting with hers for a long minute.
"Thanks. I think I needed the reminder."

"You're welcome. And I'm not even taking it personally that you'd
rather be anywhere else than here talking to me."

He smiled at that. "I didn't mean it that way."

"I didn't take it that way." She patted the couch beside her. "Why
don't you sit down? You're making
me nervous."

"My mother used to say the same thing. Mattie, can't you just be still
for five minutes," he mimicked.

Caitlyn smiled at the note of unexpected tenderness in his voice. "You
loved her, didn't you? In spite of everything."

He looked shocked by her suggestion. "No. I didn't love her. How can
you love someone who doesn't take care of you, who abandons you?"

"Because you can. Because love doesn't always make sense."

"Well, that's true," he said, digging his hands into his pockets. "But
I didn't love her."

"Have you ever been in love with anyone—you know, crazy,
head-over-heels in love?" she asked him.

"No."

"Do you want to think about it for ten seconds?"

"No," he said with another small smile.

"That's too bad."

"Why do you say that? It doesn't look like love got you anywhere." He
shot her a curious look.
"Are you going to see Bradley again?"

"Brian," she said with annoyance, somewhat irritated by his perceptive
remark. Although, hadn't she come to the same conclusion, that love
wasn't all it was cracked up to be?

Still, she hadn't really given up on love, she realized. How could she?
Her entire business was driven by the emotion. If she didn't believe in
love, how could she design dresses for the most important day in the
life of two lovers?

Maybe that was the problem. Maybe that's why she couldn't draw anymore.
The answer was suddenly glaringly clear. She couldn't draw because she
couldn't feel. Her designs had always come from her
heart, but her
heart had gone out of business.

"Wow, I think I just had an epiphany."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About myself, about love, about my inability to draw wedding dresses."
She shook her head. "It's a
long story, but I've had a mental block
every time I've tried to design something, and I think I just
realized
why."

"I take it you're not planning to share it with me," he said after a
moment of silence. "Does it have something to do with Bradley?"

"Partly. I did love Brian once, but so much has happened. I don't
really know how I feel anymore. But one thing I do know is that Brian
is going to get everyone riled up. They won't wait for me to make up my
own mind, they'll drive me crazy until I become convinced that getting
back together with Brian is
the absolutely right thing to do and, in
fact, was my idea all along."

"Who's they?" Matt asked, joining her on the couch.

"My mother, for one. She loves Brian like the son she never had. She's
already given him my phone number, my address, and invited him to
Sunday brunch tomorrow. I'm sure she intends to have me re-engaged by
next Friday and