Finding Forever by Melody Anne Page B

father.
    And without another word, he rose and walked from the room. He made his way quickly down the hall and the first thing he heard was Whitney’s laughter, which tightened his gut.
    “I’m so delighted you’ve agreed to come with me,” a man was saying, making Liam tense up even more.
    When he stepped into the room and saw the guy, he grew even angrier. This worthless stranger was obviously trying to sweep Whitney off her feet, just as his father wanted, and it looked as if it was working.
    “I’m thrilled you thought of me,” she said, and laughed again.
    Liam coughed to make his presence known. “I see you have a visitor, Whitney.”
    “Oh, Liam, this is Sam Linston. Sam Linston, Liam Felton.”
    “It’s nice to meet you, Liam,” Sam said, holding out his hand.
    Liam ignored the gesture. Yes, he knew he was being rude, but he didn’t care.
    “So, what are your plans this evening?” he asked crisply.
    “I’m going to take this beautiful lady to dinner and a show,” Sam said. The man looked a bit uneasy as he started picking up on the tension.
    Liam stared at him a moment longer, and then turned his attention back to Whitney.
    “I thought you were taking the children to a play tonight,” he said, with clear disapproval in his tone.
    Whitney gaped at him for a few seconds. “The play I took the kids to was last night, Liam.”
    “My mistake. I hope you have a pleasant evening,” he told them, and he quickly spun on his heel and began walking away.
    Still, he heard Sam tell her that he’d be back in a couple of hours to pick her up for the show. Since dinner would be afterward, it would evidently be a long night.
    Liam had meant to go toward his father’s office and then to leave the house altogether. He in no way needed to talk to Whitney about her date. But somehow he found himself moving toward her bedroom.
    What in the hell was he thinking?

Chapter Sixteen
    H ow did you meet Sam?” Liam asked just as she reached her door.
    Whitney hadn’t expected to see him again today, and the sound of his voice, clipped and formal in the extreme, nearly made her jump a foot into the air. Her heart was racing as she whirled around to face him.
    “You scared me to death, Liam.”
    His arms were crossed over his chest as he waited for her to answer his question. She finally did.
    “I met him at the market when I took the kids to town. I was surprised that he came over here to see me.”
    “That was quick of him, don’t you think?”
    “Are you angry about something?” Whitney wasn’t going to stand there and play games.
    “No. Why would I be?” he asked with a shrug.
    “I don’t know. You tell me.”
    He was wearing his standard mask, and she couldn’t read him very well at the moment. She didn’t understand any of this. They’d only shared a couple of kisses — okay, plus a little more — and he’d expressed his desire to bed her, like a typical plutocrat who didn’t respect women of a lower social class. But he now seemed to be acting … jealous. That made no sense at all.
    “I thought you’d told me that any relationship here would be pointless,” he said after a brief pause.
    “I’m not planning to enter a relationship. I just met a man at the grocery store, and he has offered to take me to the theater. I thought it would be fun — maybe expand my horizons, as someone like you might say. But I don’t know why I’m explaining myself to you.”
    “You’re in my home.”
    “I am not. I’m in your father’s home. But what would that matter anyway?”
    “It doesn’t.”
    He turned and strode away, leaving her more confused than ever. What on earth was going on?
    She decided to blow off any thoughts of Liam and his weird behavior, and she went inside her room. She needed to focus on getting ready, and she refused to suffer from any sense of guilt about going out. The children were taken care of and she hadn’t been on a date in so long that she might well have forgotten how