Cormacked yet again.
On the front porch of the house, Katie Sheely sat on the wooden bench swing beside a skinny blond man with a scraggly goatee. The pair were engrossed in conversation, and Katie was gazing at the young man with rapt concentration; an expression Wade had never seen upon her face during office hours. He didn’t think Katie was capable of playing close attention to anything or anyone; certainly she’d never displayed such ability at work. Yet there she sat, looking positively intelligent!
When he confided his observations to Dana, he expected her to share the humor. After all, she had laughed long and hard when he’d told her Saxon Associates was going to hire Katie as their new receptionist. She chuckled at the reports of Katie’s continuing screwups, advising him that it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been warned, that employing the flighty Katie fell into the “no good deed goes unpunished” realm.
But there were no laughs or chuckles from her tonight. Not even the trace of a smile appeared. Dana’s expression, already dark, turned thunderous.
“You might not have anything better to do tonight than to trash my family, but I don’t have to stick around and listen.” She opened the car door and sprang out. “Take your rotten mood and your premature midlife crisis and go home, Saxon!”
Wade took her insult square on the ego. “I am not having a premature midlife crisis.” He attempted to sound cool and sardonic, but his voice shook with anger. “And if I’m in a rotten mood, it’s because I’ve been with you, and you’re in hormonal overdrive today. It must be that time of the month, huh, Sheely?”
He knew that was a cheap shot, he knew it would infuriate her, and it did. He was fully aware that women hated having their words and actions attributed to their monthly cycle, and Dana was no exception.
She slammed the car door shut and strode up the stone front walk to the house without looking back.
“Creep!” she called out as he zoomed away from the curb and down the street. “Smug, arrogant, sexist clod!” She felt like kicking something. Too bad Wade Saxon had taken himself out of her range.
“Hey, that’s my boss you’re insulting,” Katie said cheerfully.
“Dude’s got a helluva set of wheels,” Katie’s goateed friend opined.
“I never really appreciated until today how difficult working for the Saxons must be, Katie.” Dana regarded her younger sister with newfound pity. “There is Rachel, a ticking time bomb of bad temper, and Wade, who is a shallow, egotistical, moody, cynical
pinhead
. Katie, you poor kid, you’re definitely earning your money the hard way.”
“It’s not so bad.” Katie smiled sunnily. “Wade and Rachel never yell at me, even if I screw up big-time. Sometimes I can tell I’m getting on their nerves, but they never say anything. Eve does though. When she’s mad, you really know it, just like with Mom. I’m always glad when she’s out of the office.” She regarded Dana curiously. “What did Wade do that made you so mad, Dana?”
Dana glared at Wade’s car, now merely a dark green dot in the distance. “What did he do? He—He just—He’s—” Her face flushed as she lapsed into incoherence.
“Oh, wow!” Katie clasped her hands to her cheeks, her blue eyes round as saucers. “I think I know. It finally happened, didn’t it? He finally made a move on you and—”
“Of course not!” exclaimed Dana. A pervasive tremor ran through her body at the very thought “That’s crazy! We’re friends. L-Like brother and sister. You know that, Katie, everybody does.”
“Everybody doesn’t think so, Dana.” Katie folded her arms in front of her chest and stared quizzically at her sister. “Tricia says you and Wade are lusting after each other and don’t even know it yet.”
Dana stood stock still. She couldn’t move; she felt as if she’d been blindsided.
She and Wade lusting after each other?
No, never, not in a million
On the front porch of the house, Katie Sheely sat on the wooden bench swing beside a skinny blond man with a scraggly goatee. The pair were engrossed in conversation, and Katie was gazing at the young man with rapt concentration; an expression Wade had never seen upon her face during office hours. He didn’t think Katie was capable of playing close attention to anything or anyone; certainly she’d never displayed such ability at work. Yet there she sat, looking positively intelligent!
When he confided his observations to Dana, he expected her to share the humor. After all, she had laughed long and hard when he’d told her Saxon Associates was going to hire Katie as their new receptionist. She chuckled at the reports of Katie’s continuing screwups, advising him that it wasn’t as if he hadn’t been warned, that employing the flighty Katie fell into the “no good deed goes unpunished” realm.
But there were no laughs or chuckles from her tonight. Not even the trace of a smile appeared. Dana’s expression, already dark, turned thunderous.
“You might not have anything better to do tonight than to trash my family, but I don’t have to stick around and listen.” She opened the car door and sprang out. “Take your rotten mood and your premature midlife crisis and go home, Saxon!”
Wade took her insult square on the ego. “I am not having a premature midlife crisis.” He attempted to sound cool and sardonic, but his voice shook with anger. “And if I’m in a rotten mood, it’s because I’ve been with you, and you’re in hormonal overdrive today. It must be that time of the month, huh, Sheely?”
He knew that was a cheap shot, he knew it would infuriate her, and it did. He was fully aware that women hated having their words and actions attributed to their monthly cycle, and Dana was no exception.
She slammed the car door shut and strode up the stone front walk to the house without looking back.
“Creep!” she called out as he zoomed away from the curb and down the street. “Smug, arrogant, sexist clod!” She felt like kicking something. Too bad Wade Saxon had taken himself out of her range.
“Hey, that’s my boss you’re insulting,” Katie said cheerfully.
“Dude’s got a helluva set of wheels,” Katie’s goateed friend opined.
“I never really appreciated until today how difficult working for the Saxons must be, Katie.” Dana regarded her younger sister with newfound pity. “There is Rachel, a ticking time bomb of bad temper, and Wade, who is a shallow, egotistical, moody, cynical
pinhead
. Katie, you poor kid, you’re definitely earning your money the hard way.”
“It’s not so bad.” Katie smiled sunnily. “Wade and Rachel never yell at me, even if I screw up big-time. Sometimes I can tell I’m getting on their nerves, but they never say anything. Eve does though. When she’s mad, you really know it, just like with Mom. I’m always glad when she’s out of the office.” She regarded Dana curiously. “What did Wade do that made you so mad, Dana?”
Dana glared at Wade’s car, now merely a dark green dot in the distance. “What did he do? He—He just—He’s—” Her face flushed as she lapsed into incoherence.
“Oh, wow!” Katie clasped her hands to her cheeks, her blue eyes round as saucers. “I think I know. It finally happened, didn’t it? He finally made a move on you and—”
“Of course not!” exclaimed Dana. A pervasive tremor ran through her body at the very thought “That’s crazy! We’re friends. L-Like brother and sister. You know that, Katie, everybody does.”
“Everybody doesn’t think so, Dana.” Katie folded her arms in front of her chest and stared quizzically at her sister. “Tricia says you and Wade are lusting after each other and don’t even know it yet.”
Dana stood stock still. She couldn’t move; she felt as if she’d been blindsided.
She and Wade lusting after each other?
No, never, not in a million
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