Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber Page B

shaved, or rather been shaved. He looked good, better than she could remember seeing him since the car accident. The swelling had gone down in his eye and the bruises were fading. The color was back in his face and there was a spark in his eyes. No doubt the beautiful Ashley was responsible for that.
    “I see you’ve had a busy morning,” she said, putting on her best candy-striper smile. She didn’t intend to bring up Ashley, but hoped he’d volunteer the information.
    “Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate.
    “I brought your lunch.”
    “So I see.”
    She set the cup and plate down and made a conscious effort not to leap back the way she had earlier. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. She stared at him intently, waiting. Nothing.
    He frowned slightly. “What did you do this morning?”
    She couldn’t very well admit she’d been glued to the window, watching his house. “I read.”
    He seemed in a much better mood than earlier. And why not? Most likely his romance with Ashley had shifted to the on-again stage. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask himabout his visitors, but she refused to do it. No way did she want Erich knowing she’d been watching the house.
    “I’m going out this afternoon,” she told him.
    “Oh?”
    If he wanted to keep secrets, then she could as well. There was no need to tell him she planned to attend the Christmas concert at the community college. Leave him guessing. “I’m meeting a couple guys from my class.” A slight exaggeration. She was bound to run into Danny, who’d mentioned he’d be at the concert. And there was sure to be one or two others attending.
    Some of the sparkle left his eyes. “Will you stop by later, then?”
    She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “If you’d like.”
    “Sure, why not? It gets boring just sitting here for hours on end.”
    He seemed to be making sure she knew he wanted her company only out of sheer desperation. He wasn’t interested in her, which was perfectly fine by Addie, seeing that she had no romantic interest in him, either.
    “See you later,” she said, eager to be on her way.
    “See you,” he called after her.
    Addie couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Once back at her own home, the same restlessness that had plagued her earlier returned. She showered, did a bit more housework, and then drove over to the college. She was anhour early for the concert. With time to kill, she stopped in at the Hub and ordered a latte before she remembered that she’d forgotten to eat lunch. No wonder she was hungry. The barista was the same one she’d spoken to earlier.
    “I was hoping you’d be back,” Celeste said, as Addie slid onto the stool. “What did you decide to do about your neighbor?”
    Addie was reluctant to talk about Erich, but at the same time she needed a sounding board. “I took your advice.”
    “So how’s it going?” The other woman busied herself with brewing the latte while she spoke.
    Addie hesitated and then shrugged. “All right, I guess.”
    “Problems?” she asked, as she set the drink on the counter in front of Addie.
    Taking the cash out of her purse, she considered her answer. She wanted to talk, but wasn’t sure what to say, finally settling on “Not really.”
    Celeste braced her hands against the counter. “Then why do you look like you’ve lost your best friend?”
    “Do I?” She had no clue she was this readable.
    “Is he as disagreeable as you remember?”
    Addie shook her head. “Not really … we actually seem to be getting along. I guess I was more comfortable when I couldn’t stand the sight of him.”
    “Really?” Celeste looked surprised.
    These questions unnerved Addie. “I … don’t know. I’m sort of waiting for him to say something that will bring us back to the way things used to be. I’m more comfortable with that, and I think he is, too.”
    “Change is hard,” the barista commented, as another student approached the stand and placed an order.
    Celeste