wouldn 't have noticed Jessy Wyatt in a crowd. Hell, he wouldn't have noticed her now with Molly Chamberlain sitting across the table from her, looking burnished and ripe and beautiful, except that she made it impossible for him to look away.
He tried to turn it around and aim it back at her. "When will you be moving in, Jessy?"
She took a sip of iced tea then smiled at him. Her lips were wet and glistening. Her teeth were small and wh ite. She looked almost pretty when she smiled. "Tonight," she said, the word rising up on a Southern wave.
" If you need help with your belongings, I can recommend a good local moving service."
Her eyes crinkled as her smile widened. "I can pack my belongings in my suitcase and have room to spare for the complete works of Shakespeare."
He didn 't know what to say to that. Most people of his acquaintance had more stuff than they could fit in a town house and summer place in Cape May. He'd need three trunks just to pack up his law books. His clothes would take another three. That thought had never made him uncomfortable before, but it did now.
#
The lawn mower sat in the center of the backyard like an abandoned car. One second Rafe had been pushing it up and down the slope, the next second he was gone. Maybe he'd had enough, Molly thought, tapping her fork lightly against the side of her plate, Maybe he had better things to do than pay off a debt to the wife of the man who'd backed out on the deal. She wouldn't blame him one bit if he'd packed it in and she never saw him again.
Jessy 's voice danced around the edges of her thoughts. There was something vaguely familiar to the lilting tone. Jessy was flirting with Spencer. The realization hit her right between the eyes.
Molly looked at her across the table and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Jessy 's plain face was expressionless, save for a smile that caused her brown eyes to almost disappear. Someone should have told her not to smile that way. She'd be a mass of crow's feet before she turned forty. Spencer stood perfectly straight with his back to the refrigerator. He looked like an advertisement for extreme discomfort. Poor Jessy. She was so far from being Spencer's type that it made Molly feel almost sorry for her.
It hadn 't taken long for Molly to get a good sense for the type of woman who appealed to Spencer Mackenzie: beautiful, socially acceptable, and temporary. He was great company, but a woman would be very foolish to fall in love with him. Not that Jessy Wyatt was in love with him. She'd known him less than two hours. You could barely get a good case of lust started in two hours.
As if on cue , Rafe appeared in the. doorway. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, although he didn't look sorry at all. He looked downright annoyed. "A messenger dropped this off for you."
" A messenger? Are you sure it wasn't FedEx?"
" I know the difference between FedEx and a messenger." His tone was flat, but she thought she caught a sharp edge to his bland words.
She felt her cheeks go red. She hadn 't meant to embarrass him.
He crossed the room and handed her a flat , bright red envelope with a wide snow-white label pasted neatly in the center.
" Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chamberlain."
She shook her head. "Somebody hasn't been keeping up with local gossip."'
Spencer extended a hand to Rafe.
"Spencer Mackenzie," he said.
Rafe hesitated just long enough to make Molly wonder if he was going to ignore Spencer entirely , "Rafe Garrick."
The two men shook hands.
" I'm Molly's lawyer," Spencer said.
" I cut her grass," Rafe said.
Spencer nodded. "You're doing a good job."
" Thanks," said Rafe.
Molly winced. Somehow he 'd managed to make "Thanks" sound like "Go to hell."
She slid her index finger under the bright red flap. "This isn't a fancy way of serving a subpoena, is it, Spencer?"
His handsome face darkened. "I wouldn't think so. Maybe you should let me handle this."
" I'm only joking," she said, waving him away. She
He tried to turn it around and aim it back at her. "When will you be moving in, Jessy?"
She took a sip of iced tea then smiled at him. Her lips were wet and glistening. Her teeth were small and wh ite. She looked almost pretty when she smiled. "Tonight," she said, the word rising up on a Southern wave.
" If you need help with your belongings, I can recommend a good local moving service."
Her eyes crinkled as her smile widened. "I can pack my belongings in my suitcase and have room to spare for the complete works of Shakespeare."
He didn 't know what to say to that. Most people of his acquaintance had more stuff than they could fit in a town house and summer place in Cape May. He'd need three trunks just to pack up his law books. His clothes would take another three. That thought had never made him uncomfortable before, but it did now.
#
The lawn mower sat in the center of the backyard like an abandoned car. One second Rafe had been pushing it up and down the slope, the next second he was gone. Maybe he'd had enough, Molly thought, tapping her fork lightly against the side of her plate, Maybe he had better things to do than pay off a debt to the wife of the man who'd backed out on the deal. She wouldn't blame him one bit if he'd packed it in and she never saw him again.
Jessy 's voice danced around the edges of her thoughts. There was something vaguely familiar to the lilting tone. Jessy was flirting with Spencer. The realization hit her right between the eyes.
Molly looked at her across the table and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Jessy 's plain face was expressionless, save for a smile that caused her brown eyes to almost disappear. Someone should have told her not to smile that way. She'd be a mass of crow's feet before she turned forty. Spencer stood perfectly straight with his back to the refrigerator. He looked like an advertisement for extreme discomfort. Poor Jessy. She was so far from being Spencer's type that it made Molly feel almost sorry for her.
It hadn 't taken long for Molly to get a good sense for the type of woman who appealed to Spencer Mackenzie: beautiful, socially acceptable, and temporary. He was great company, but a woman would be very foolish to fall in love with him. Not that Jessy Wyatt was in love with him. She'd known him less than two hours. You could barely get a good case of lust started in two hours.
As if on cue , Rafe appeared in the. doorway. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, although he didn't look sorry at all. He looked downright annoyed. "A messenger dropped this off for you."
" A messenger? Are you sure it wasn't FedEx?"
" I know the difference between FedEx and a messenger." His tone was flat, but she thought she caught a sharp edge to his bland words.
She felt her cheeks go red. She hadn 't meant to embarrass him.
He crossed the room and handed her a flat , bright red envelope with a wide snow-white label pasted neatly in the center.
" Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chamberlain."
She shook her head. "Somebody hasn't been keeping up with local gossip."'
Spencer extended a hand to Rafe.
"Spencer Mackenzie," he said.
Rafe hesitated just long enough to make Molly wonder if he was going to ignore Spencer entirely , "Rafe Garrick."
The two men shook hands.
" I'm Molly's lawyer," Spencer said.
" I cut her grass," Rafe said.
Spencer nodded. "You're doing a good job."
" Thanks," said Rafe.
Molly winced. Somehow he 'd managed to make "Thanks" sound like "Go to hell."
She slid her index finger under the bright red flap. "This isn't a fancy way of serving a subpoena, is it, Spencer?"
His handsome face darkened. "I wouldn't think so. Maybe you should let me handle this."
" I'm only joking," she said, waving him away. She
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