Chapter Four: A Truce?
“Darn it!” Beth muttered beneath her breath. It wasn’t even six-thirty and Chester was already here.
The doorbell rang again.
Throwing on an old robe, she ran down the hall and called, “I’m coming.”
Tying the sash tight about her waist, she brushed her messy quaff from her eyes, and then looked outside the peephole expecting to see Joshua’s driver. But instead she saw the tall frame of Evan Callahan standing on the other side of the door.
“Double darn it!” she mumbled through clenched teeth. She could pretend she wasn’t home, but he had already heard her. Was there no escaping the man today?
The sound of the doorbell ringing again made her jump. Turning the lock, she opened the door wide and deliberately gave him a most unwelcoming glare. “I said I was coming. Couldn’t you give me a minute?”
Neither her tone nor her expression seemed to faze him. He gave her a heart stopping smile and said in a cordial manner, “Hello, Beth. I finished earlier at the office than I expected, so I thought I would come by and offer you a lift to dinner.”
Damn his gorgeous eyes. She had to look away, completely embarrassed at how he made her feel lightheaded with a mere look.
“I wasn’t expecting YOU to call. But since you’re here,” she stepped away from the door. “You may as well come in.”
“Thank you,” he said as he passed through the threshold.
Once inside he looked about the tiny apartment, which took all of five seconds, before his eyes came back to rest on hers. He smiled. “Nice place.”
“Look, you can stop with the fake niceties. I know my place is nothing compared to what you’re used to.”
“What did I say wrong?” His smile vanished. “I had hoped we could get along tonight in front of my parents. But if you keep biting my head off every time I say anything, it will make for a long, difficult evening.”
She felt an instant pang of remorse.
There was no reason whatsoever for her to snap at him. He couldn’t help that he made every nerve in her body stand on end. Or the fact he evoked feelings inside that no man, including Peter, had managed to do before.
Letting out a rueful sigh, she said, “I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful day, as you can imagine. If you’ll just give me a minute to get dressed, I’ll be ready to go.”
He ran a quick glance down her length as if he’d just now noticed she was wearing a shabby robe. “Take your time. I’ll wait.”
Walking down the hall to her bedroom, she couldn’t help peering over her shoulder. He had moved to a nearby shelf and was now looking at her pictures.
