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“Or make me look more foolish than ever,” Lynn said direly.
Raylene gave her a sympathetic look. “From what I’ve seen when you’re around Mitch, I don’t think you need to worry about that a bit.”
But even her friend’s words of encouragement didn’t quite calm the very bad case of nerves Lynn was suddenly feeling as she headed for home and an unavoidable encounter with the man who’d been at the center of their conversation.
* * *
Mitch had been so distracted all day by his son’s unexpected announcement, even the guys had called him on it. When he was in his truck and heading for home before remembering he was supposed to stop over at Lynn’s, he knew his worry over Nate’s decision ran even deeper than he’d realized.
He considered calling Lynn to postpone till tomorrow, but he didn’t want her worrying that he’d changed his mind about the job. He turned the truck around and headed back to her house, parking in her driveway this time, not Raylene’s.
When Lynn answered the front door and spotted his truck, she studied him with confusion. “Weren’t you just next door working?”
He nodded. “Sorry. I took off, then remembered I was supposed to come over to check on how you were making out with the computer systems. I turned around and came back.”
She frowned at the admission. “Was there someplace else you needed to be? This can wait.”
“To be perfectly honest, I’d be glad for the company,” he told her. “I can’t promise you, though, that my mind’s going to be on work.”
Lynn looked vaguely alarmed by that. “Why?”
“Are you sure you want me laying my problems on you? You seem to have plenty going on in your life these days.”
“Which is why listening to you would be a real break,” she assured him. “Come on in and tell me.”
“I had a call from my son Nate this morning,” Mitch explained as he followed her inside. “He announced that he’s engaged and wants to bring the girl home this weekend. I didn’t even know he was seriously dating anyone.”
“Wow! That must have come as a shock.”
“You have no idea.”
She gestured toward the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat in here for a minute? Can I get you something to drink? I have iced tea and water. I’m afraid that’s it. There might be a can of frozen lemonade left in the freezer. I could make that.”
“Iced tea would be great.”
“Sweetened or not?”
“Straight’s good,” he said, following her into the kitchen, startling her when she turned suddenly and found him right behind her.
“I thought you were going to wait in the living room.”
He shrugged. “I like the feel of this kitchen. If it’s all right, let’s just stay in here.” Besides, he was less likely to act on impulse and give in to the ridiculous urge he had to kiss her if they were separated by her kitchen table.
“Sure, here’s fine,” she said, putting ice into two large glasses, then adding the tea from an old-fashioned glass pitcher like the ones his mom used to have with fruit painted on the glass. She’d always served orange juice in hers.
“So, you really weren’t expecting Nate’s big news?” she said, when she’d taken a seat opposite him.
He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what he’s thinking. He’s still a kid.”
“How old?”
“Twenty-one.”
She fought a smile. “And how old were you when you and Amy got married?”
Mitch frowned at the question. “Twenty, but that’s not the point.”
“Really?”
“I was old at twenty. I’d already been working construction for a couple of years. I knew what I wanted out of life. Nate’s changed his major three times. I’m not even a hundred percent sure what his degree will be in. I’m not criticizing him for that. He’s hardly the first kid to get out of college and not be sure he wants to work in the field he majored in, but shouldn’t he figure that out, maybe even be earning some money before he takes a huge step and gets married?”
“Maybe they’re not planning to get married right away,” Lynn suggested. “Did he mention the timetable?”
“No,” Mitch confessed, taking hope for the first time since morning.
“Or how old his fiancée is? Maybe she’s even younger than he is and wants to finish college. They could be planning on a long engagement.”
“Or he could have told me this just so I’d let the girl sleep in his room,” Mitch added dryly, reaching a conclusion he should have formed early on. “I’d just blown that idea out of the water right before he made his big announcement.”
Lynn looked startled. “You don’t think he’d lie just to get your approval for sleeping with her, do you?”
Mitch considered the question, which he thought was fair, but eventually shook his head. “Nah. Nate’s not like that. He’s always been pretty open with us, or at least with his mother. He figured out early on that we appreciated honesty more than evasions.”
“A lesson more kids should learn,” Lynn said. “I constantly tell Jeremy and Lexie that the truth will get them in a lot less trouble than a lie. They’re still working on believing that, since I punish them either way.”
Mitch chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a hard one for kids to figure out. Maybe you need to tell them in advance, here’s what’s going to happen if you tell me the truth and this is the much harsher punishment if I catch you in a lie. Sometimes it takes that kind of clarity to get through to them.”
“Good plan, but they usually don’t think they’re going to get caught in the lie.”
“But they always do, don’t they? They’ll catch on eventually. My boys did.” He met her gaze. “And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Nate and Luke are terrific young men. Amy saw to that.”
“I imagine you were a big influence, too,” Lynn told him. “How could you not be? You’re an admirable man.”
Mitch couldn’t help being flattered and a little startled by her open declaration. “You sound as if you mean that.”
“I do. I told you before that I’ve never heard a bad word about you around town, but I’ve seen it for myself recently. You’ve taken me under your wing, given me a job.” She flushed as if she felt she’d said too much. “And speaking of that, we should probably get to work. I’m sure you’re anxious to get home and have dinner. You didn’t plan on staying to have dinner at Raylene’s tonight, did you?”
He shook his head. “Nah, I figured they deserved a night off from having me underfoot. I wasn’t such good company anyway.”
“Your company’s just fine,” Lynn said.
Mitch hesitated. “But I am starving,” he said. “How about I order some food from Rosalina’s? We can eat while we go over these bills.”
She looked as if she were about to refuse, so he held her gaze. “You have anything against pepperoni or jalapeños on your pizza?”
Her eyes widened. “Jalapeños?”
“Trust me. It’s worth staying awake half the night for that combination. You’ll never want a plain old cheese pizza again.”
“If you say so.”
“Is that a yes? I can give Rosalina’s a call?”
“Sure, why not?” she said.
“I’ll order a salad, too. We can pretend we’re being healthy. How about soda? You want a bottle of soda to go with that?” he asked, already hitting speed dial on his cell phone.
“You have their number programmed into your phone?” she teased.
“And the entire menu memorized,” he said unrepentantly. “Now, about that soda?”
“Sure. Diet soda, if that’s okay.”
“Suits me.” He placed the order, then sat back and took a good long look at the woman seated across the table. She looked different somehow.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, squirming uncomfortably.
“You look different.”
“Different how?”
“More rested, I guess. Did you take a nap this afternoon?”
She shook her head, but there was an odd smile tugging at her lips.
“Well, your eyes are brighter. It looks good.”
To his surprise, she actually laughed the way he’d remembered. “What?” he demanded.
“It’s eye makeup. Raylene swore to me that men never noticed things like that, so I put some on for the first time in ages.”
Mitch could see it, then, the thin stroke of liner on her lids, the hint of pale blue shadow, the darkened lashes.
“Was that for my benefit?” he asked, oddly pleased to think it might be.
She blushed furiously at the question. “Maybe it was just a test. Maybe I was trying to prove her wrong, to show her that some men are observant.”
He grinned at the deliberate evasion. So she wasn’t totally immune, after all. Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do with that information.
6
When Lynn saw the enormous amount of food Mitch had ordered, she blinked. “Were you planning on feeding an army?”
“What can I say? I like pizza and salad, and leftovers are always good, right? The kids will gobble this right up.”
She saw the ploy for what it was, a face-saving way to put a little extra food on her table. Before she could call him on it, he frowned at her.
“Do not make a fuss over this, Lynnie,” he said, resorting to the nickname only he had ever dared to use. “It’s pizza. I’m not having steaks and champagne delivered, along with boxes of fresh produce.”
“You should take the leftovers home with you,” she insisted with a touch of defiance. She wasn’t about to tolerate his pity.
“Nate’s coming home this weekend. We’ll be going out to eat, more than likely.”
“But did you ever know a college kid who couldn’t eat his weight in pizza?” she countered just as stubbornly.
“How about we wait and see how many leftovers there are?” he suggested. “I have a big appetite. And the kids might turn up and want their share.”
“The Jolly Green Giant doesn’t have a big enough appetite to go through this much food,” she insisted. “And the kids are eating with friends.”
“You realize while we’re debating this, the pizza’s getting cold,” he said, reaching for a slice.
She started to argue some more, but finally relented. It was clearly futile, at least for now. “Okay,” she said, then warned, “but the discussion’s not over.”
He grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
Regarding him with frustration, she asked, “Do you have to win every argument?”
“Only when I’m right,” he said. “And, just so you know, I’ve never been afraid to admit when I’m wrong, either.”
“Now that I can hardly wait to see,” Lynn told him, taking her first bite of pizza and nearly choking at the heat that burst in her mouth. It was true that the slice had cooled, but the jalapeños hadn’t.
“Come on, wimp. It’s not that hot,” Mitch teased as she began picking off the jalapeños.
“Are you kidding me? I could heat the house from the fire in these things.”
“So, no more jalapeños for you,” he said, looking disappointed.
“No, no, I left one piece on here,” she said, pointing out a tiny sliver. “Just enough for a hint of spice.”
Mitch studied her for a minute. “Is that the way you want to live your life these days, Lynn? Being safe, with barely enough spice to keep things interesting?”
She thought she detected a hint of criticism in there, but it was a legitimate question. “For now, yes,” she told him. “For the kids’ sake I have to be cautious. Things are topsy-turvy enough around here without my rushing into things.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? I thought you weren’t looking for anything more right now, either,” she said, puzzled by his reaction.
“I wasn’t,” he said, then added more firmly, “I’m not.”
“But?”
“I seem to be a lot more open to the possibilities than I was a few days ago.” He looked into her eyes. “And just so you know, I’m probably no crazier about that than you are.”
Lynn was rattled by his candor. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response.
They continued eating in silence. To her surprise, it didn’t feel the least bit strained. It felt…comfortable.
“Maybe we should pretend we never had this conversation,” she suggested eventually. “We could just go on working together, be friends, no complications.”
