intentions?”
She realized the inquiry was vintage Brandon. “I don’t think he has any intentions, at least where I’m concerned.”
She heard another murmured comment by her mother, then Brandon’s deep chuckle and a low retort that had her mother laughing.
“Your mother says he’s too old for you anyway,” Brandon said. “I just reminded her I’m old, and I wasn’t such a bad catch.”
“Ah, but you’re one of a kind,” Kate teased him, finding that despite her reservations, she couldn’t help liking the man who was making her mother so happy. “If I could find someone like you, then maybe I’d find marriage more appealing.”
“You just sit tight, then, young lady. As soon as I get home, I’ll find you somebody who’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Since she didn’t have an answer to that except to scream a fervent
no,
Kate muttered a hurried goodbye and prayed that this honeymoon would turn out to be the longest one on record. Knowing Brandon’s penchant for meddling, though, he might very well get it into his head to cut it short just to fix up her love life, especially if he sensed it would make her mother happy to see her settled.
She was still sitting on the edge of her bed contemplating the horror of that prospect, when David tapped on the partially opened door and stuck his head in.
“Is that what you’re wearing to dinner?” he inquired hopefully.
She glowered at him. “We’re casual out here, but we usually do insist on clothes,” she retorted. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
He regarded her quizzically. “Want to tell me why you were looking so sad just now? The call wasn’t bad news, was it?”
“Not unless you consider the prospect of a stepfather arranging a marriage for me to be bad news.”
David looked incredulous. “You’re joking, right?”
“You don’t know Brandon. He’s getting worried that he’ll have a spinster stepdaughter on his hands. If I’m not careful, when they get to Greece he’ll provide a herd of sheep and a grove of olive trees as a dowry in return for some suitably old-fashioned Greek husband for me,” she said with what was probably only minimal exaggeration. “He’ll drag him home along with the more conventional souvenirs.”
David gave her a thoughtful look, one that suggested he was considering whether she was worth more or less than that herd of sheep and an olive grove.
“If it comes to that,” he said finally, “you tell him to speak to me first. I’ll take you without the sheep. I think there’s a law against them in Bel Air anyway.”
She scowled at him. “I’ll keep your generous offer in mind,” she retorted dryly.
“On the other hand,” he said, “I could use a good dairy cow.”
Kate threw her silver hairbrush straight at him. It didn’t do a thing to squelch his amusement, but it did get him to close the damned door.
Chapter Eight
B ecause she did so much weekend entertaining during the summer months, Kate kept a standing reservation for four at Alice’s Restaurant on the Malibu Pier for every Saturday night. She called only to cancel or to enlarge the size of her party. She liked the food. She liked the people. And she loved the view, especially in summer when an eight o’clock reservation virtually guaranteed a spectacular sunset display except on the foggiest evenings. On Sundays when she had guests, she took them to Geoffrey’s for brunch in the lovely garden setting on a cliff overlooking the sea, but on Saturday night she liked the crowded, lively ambience of Alice’s.
Though the staff and many of the regular customers were used to seeing her here, she noticed a few raised eyebrows and speculative glances when she walked in with David and Davey.
Everyone knew that Kate Newton never dated. The painful love affair responsible for her solitude had long since ceased to be a topic of conversation, but it hadn’t been forgotten. At the time, almost everyone in certain
She realized the inquiry was vintage Brandon. “I don’t think he has any intentions, at least where I’m concerned.”
She heard another murmured comment by her mother, then Brandon’s deep chuckle and a low retort that had her mother laughing.
“Your mother says he’s too old for you anyway,” Brandon said. “I just reminded her I’m old, and I wasn’t such a bad catch.”
“Ah, but you’re one of a kind,” Kate teased him, finding that despite her reservations, she couldn’t help liking the man who was making her mother so happy. “If I could find someone like you, then maybe I’d find marriage more appealing.”
“You just sit tight, then, young lady. As soon as I get home, I’ll find you somebody who’ll treat you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Since she didn’t have an answer to that except to scream a fervent
no,
Kate muttered a hurried goodbye and prayed that this honeymoon would turn out to be the longest one on record. Knowing Brandon’s penchant for meddling, though, he might very well get it into his head to cut it short just to fix up her love life, especially if he sensed it would make her mother happy to see her settled.
She was still sitting on the edge of her bed contemplating the horror of that prospect, when David tapped on the partially opened door and stuck his head in.
“Is that what you’re wearing to dinner?” he inquired hopefully.
She glowered at him. “We’re casual out here, but we usually do insist on clothes,” she retorted. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
He regarded her quizzically. “Want to tell me why you were looking so sad just now? The call wasn’t bad news, was it?”
“Not unless you consider the prospect of a stepfather arranging a marriage for me to be bad news.”
David looked incredulous. “You’re joking, right?”
“You don’t know Brandon. He’s getting worried that he’ll have a spinster stepdaughter on his hands. If I’m not careful, when they get to Greece he’ll provide a herd of sheep and a grove of olive trees as a dowry in return for some suitably old-fashioned Greek husband for me,” she said with what was probably only minimal exaggeration. “He’ll drag him home along with the more conventional souvenirs.”
David gave her a thoughtful look, one that suggested he was considering whether she was worth more or less than that herd of sheep and an olive grove.
“If it comes to that,” he said finally, “you tell him to speak to me first. I’ll take you without the sheep. I think there’s a law against them in Bel Air anyway.”
She scowled at him. “I’ll keep your generous offer in mind,” she retorted dryly.
“On the other hand,” he said, “I could use a good dairy cow.”
Kate threw her silver hairbrush straight at him. It didn’t do a thing to squelch his amusement, but it did get him to close the damned door.
Chapter Eight
B ecause she did so much weekend entertaining during the summer months, Kate kept a standing reservation for four at Alice’s Restaurant on the Malibu Pier for every Saturday night. She called only to cancel or to enlarge the size of her party. She liked the food. She liked the people. And she loved the view, especially in summer when an eight o’clock reservation virtually guaranteed a spectacular sunset display except on the foggiest evenings. On Sundays when she had guests, she took them to Geoffrey’s for brunch in the lovely garden setting on a cliff overlooking the sea, but on Saturday night she liked the crowded, lively ambience of Alice’s.
Though the staff and many of the regular customers were used to seeing her here, she noticed a few raised eyebrows and speculative glances when she walked in with David and Davey.
Everyone knew that Kate Newton never dated. The painful love affair responsible for her solitude had long since ceased to be a topic of conversation, but it hadn’t been forgotten. At the time, almost everyone in certain
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