Tidewater Lover by Janet Dailey Page A

"You can have all the peace and quiet you've been wanting." The sweetness turned to venom as she added, "And I hope it smothers you!"
    With a toss of her head, she swept past Mike down the steps to the front door. Outside, the staccato click of her sandal heels on the pavement indicated that her anger had not fully abated. Mike moved forward to walk beside her, lengthening his stride to keep up with her rapid pace.
    "Considering the present circumstances, Lacey," he began hesitantly, "don't you think it would be better if you moved back to your apartment for the rest of your vacation?"
    "And let that man win?" she flashed. "Not on your life! I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. I can make his life as miserable as he makes mine."
    Stopping beside his car, she waited expectantly for him to open the door for her. When he didn't immediately, she glanced at him and noticed the rather pained expression on his face.
    "What's wrong, Mike?" she demanded, the crispness of leftover anger still in her voice.
    "I don't know how to tell you this," he murmured uncomfortably.
    "Tell me what?" Her patience was in short supply.
    His gaze ricocheted away from hers. "I have a date tonight," he announced flatly.
    "You have a what?" Of all the ironies, that had to be the tops! Lacey nearly choked on a gurgle of bitter laughter.
    "I'm sorry, Lacey," he offered grimly. "I thought I'd stop over for a couple of hours to relax and talk, then get out before Whitfield came."
    And she had automatically assumed that he had arrived for the evening. That definitely had to be the height of self-conceit, whether she had been aware of it or not.
    She glanced back at the house. She simply could not go back there, not until much later. Cole would never let her hear the end of it if he learned the truth.
    "It's all right, Mike," she said finally. "It's just what I deserve."
    "What are you going to do?"
    "I'm not going back in there and have Cole start gloating, that's for sure," she declared emphatically. "I'll go somewhere. Would you mind waiting a couple of minutes while I get my car out of the garage?"
    "Of course I'll wait." Mike promised, smiling that it was the least he could do after letting her down.
    Lacey hoped it would look to Cole as if they were going somewhere together but in separate vehicles. As she backed her car out of the garage, she glanced up to the second-story window looking out from the living room and saw Cole gazing out of it.
    A surge of anger washed through her and she reversed recklessly out of the driveway without looking for traffic. Immediately she shifted gears, and pressed the accelerator to the floor, the tires peeling rubber as the car shot forward, leaving Mike far behind.
    At the major highway intersection, Mike finally caught up with her. His honking horn made Lacey glance in her rearview mirror to see him motioning her onto the shoulder of the road. Grimly she pulled over. He parked behind her and climbed out of his car to walk to hers.
    Mike bent down to peer in her open window. "Who the hell do you think you are? A race driver?"
    "Is that why you stopped me? Just to criticize my driving?" Lacey challenged, in no mood for a lecture.
    "No…although it's a damned good reason for stopping you." He didn't back down completely from his stand. "It's just that…I feel responsible for what happened back there. Your whole argument with Whitfield started because you were defending me, whether I asked you to or not."
    "The argument was inevitable." Her fingers drummed the steering wheel. Lacey was impatient to be on her way, even if she didn't know where she was going.
    "I put you in an awkward position. I should have told you when I first arrived that I had a date with someone else tonight." Mike gallantly took the blame for her present dilemma.
    "It isn't your fault," Lacey denied. "I was the one who put my foot in my mouth. I didn't need help from anyone to do that."
    "What are you going to do tonight?" His look was sympathetic