you."
"Really? That makes me happy." And with that, he
took her hand. "You don't know how many times I've
thought about kissing you again."
She had a pretty good idea. It was at least as much
as the idea had popped into her head.
"I hope I'm not rushing you."
"No.
"And Sunday night? Will you and Bryan still come
over for dinner?"
"We will."
"My parents can get a little ... involved, but you'll
like being around them."
"I'm sure I will."
"And I have a feeling at least one of my siblings
will finagle a dinner invitation, too. And since all of
them are married, that will be at least two more people." He looked at her steadily. "When my family gets
together, things can get a little crazy."
"I'll consider myself warned." She said it in a way
to make him smile, but it looked as thought Jeremy
was about to do anything but.
"So you're sure about this? I don't want to do anything you don't want to."
"You won't."
Gray eyes glowed. "You're right. I ... I really like
you, Dinah." His cheeks colored. "What is it about
you that makes me sound like such an idiot? I didn't
mean to say it like that. I meant-"
But she didn't give him a minute to say anything.
Quickly, she kissed him. Not hard, not especially passionate ... but just enough for him to realize that she
was right there with him, by choice.
And at that moment, there was nowhere she would
rather be.
'You've sure been putting in a lot of hours,
lately," Priscilla said to Jeremy just as he was taking
a break.
"Yeah. Might as well bring a sleeping bag here."
She pointed to the circles under his eyes. "You do
look pretty tired."
"I worked that wedding reception last night. The
bride and groom were in no hurry to start their wedding night."
"They catered in, so I had the night off."
"Must have been nice for you." He glanced at Priscilla, noticed the concern in her eyes, so he decided
to admit the whole truth about what had been going
on with him. "I haven't been sleeping too well."
Priscilla blew the wisps of bangs from her eyes. "I
haven't either! Isn't that something?"
"What's your excuse?"
Priscilla looked embarrassed. "Just trying to get
used to the changes here, I guess."
"Things a lot different from Houston?"
"Like night and day. The job, anyway. The people
are just as nice." She sipped on a soda. "Your turn."
"I'm trying to figure out my future."
She frowned. "I thought yours was already planned
out. Won't you be teaching in the fall?"
"Yeah. It's not the job, it's all the other stuff."
"Such as ..."
"Such as there's a house I found to live in that I
really like, but I don't know if I can afford it."
"My experience has always been to be prudent,
though I didn't do that with this job." She paused.
"And what else?"
He swallowed. "Dinah."
"Ah. So we're really telling the truth now? Well, in
that case, my thoughts have been turned to a certain
blue-eyed man."
"Is he who you'd thought you'd fall in love with?"
Priscilla looked shocked. "Um ... I don't think
we're in love ... and as for your question, no. No,
he's not. What about you?"
"I've always been attracted to happy people. And
she's as pretty as any girl I've ever met. But I feel like such an idiot when I'm around her, like I'm pretending to be someone I'm not."
"Who are you pretending to be?"
He felt his skin flush. "I don't know. I've always
been confident, and she makes me feel insecure, inadequate ... then that makes me feel worse."
"I don't know Dinah well, but I must say I'm surprised she makes you feel that way."
"Sometimes I think she feels that way, too."
"Who feels what way?" Payton asked as he poured
himself a cup of coffee and joined them.
Priscilla blushed. "No one."
"Must have been someone," he prodded.
Fire entered her eyes just as her shoulders pulled
back. "No one you know."
"I know more people than you," he pointed out.
"That's not necessarily true. You just know more
people here."
Payton narrowed his eyes. "That's what
"Really? That makes me happy." And with that, he
took her hand. "You don't know how many times I've
thought about kissing you again."
She had a pretty good idea. It was at least as much
as the idea had popped into her head.
"I hope I'm not rushing you."
"No.
"And Sunday night? Will you and Bryan still come
over for dinner?"
"We will."
"My parents can get a little ... involved, but you'll
like being around them."
"I'm sure I will."
"And I have a feeling at least one of my siblings
will finagle a dinner invitation, too. And since all of
them are married, that will be at least two more people." He looked at her steadily. "When my family gets
together, things can get a little crazy."
"I'll consider myself warned." She said it in a way
to make him smile, but it looked as thought Jeremy
was about to do anything but.
"So you're sure about this? I don't want to do anything you don't want to."
"You won't."
Gray eyes glowed. "You're right. I ... I really like
you, Dinah." His cheeks colored. "What is it about
you that makes me sound like such an idiot? I didn't
mean to say it like that. I meant-"
But she didn't give him a minute to say anything.
Quickly, she kissed him. Not hard, not especially passionate ... but just enough for him to realize that she
was right there with him, by choice.
And at that moment, there was nowhere she would
rather be.
'You've sure been putting in a lot of hours,
lately," Priscilla said to Jeremy just as he was taking
a break.
"Yeah. Might as well bring a sleeping bag here."
She pointed to the circles under his eyes. "You do
look pretty tired."
"I worked that wedding reception last night. The
bride and groom were in no hurry to start their wedding night."
"They catered in, so I had the night off."
"Must have been nice for you." He glanced at Priscilla, noticed the concern in her eyes, so he decided
to admit the whole truth about what had been going
on with him. "I haven't been sleeping too well."
Priscilla blew the wisps of bangs from her eyes. "I
haven't either! Isn't that something?"
"What's your excuse?"
Priscilla looked embarrassed. "Just trying to get
used to the changes here, I guess."
"Things a lot different from Houston?"
"Like night and day. The job, anyway. The people
are just as nice." She sipped on a soda. "Your turn."
"I'm trying to figure out my future."
She frowned. "I thought yours was already planned
out. Won't you be teaching in the fall?"
"Yeah. It's not the job, it's all the other stuff."
"Such as ..."
"Such as there's a house I found to live in that I
really like, but I don't know if I can afford it."
"My experience has always been to be prudent,
though I didn't do that with this job." She paused.
"And what else?"
He swallowed. "Dinah."
"Ah. So we're really telling the truth now? Well, in
that case, my thoughts have been turned to a certain
blue-eyed man."
"Is he who you'd thought you'd fall in love with?"
Priscilla looked shocked. "Um ... I don't think
we're in love ... and as for your question, no. No,
he's not. What about you?"
"I've always been attracted to happy people. And
she's as pretty as any girl I've ever met. But I feel like such an idiot when I'm around her, like I'm pretending to be someone I'm not."
"Who are you pretending to be?"
He felt his skin flush. "I don't know. I've always
been confident, and she makes me feel insecure, inadequate ... then that makes me feel worse."
"I don't know Dinah well, but I must say I'm surprised she makes you feel that way."
"Sometimes I think she feels that way, too."
"Who feels what way?" Payton asked as he poured
himself a cup of coffee and joined them.
Priscilla blushed. "No one."
"Must have been someone," he prodded.
Fire entered her eyes just as her shoulders pulled
back. "No one you know."
"I know more people than you," he pointed out.
"That's not necessarily true. You just know more
people here."
Payton narrowed his eyes. "That's what
Similar Books
