heart. Although right now she couldn't tell if fright or excitement caused its pounding.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. And in answer to your first question, I got here about a half hour ago."
"I'd better go check on Jenny." Evan started to get up.
"I already did. Other than going to bed in her tracksuit, she's fine. Sleeping like an angel."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I—"
"Everything's fine. Stop worrying." He stood looking down at her and loosened his tie, the gesture oddly intimate.
Evan picked idly at the nap on the blanket. "Maud said you weren't due home until tomorrow."
"I wasn't." He snapped the tie from his neck, draped it over the nearest chair, and headed for the kitchen. "I finished up early and decided to head home." He opened the fridge. She watched him scan its contents with an interested frown. When he pulled out the cold roast beef, she went to his side.
"Here. Give that to me. You look tired." When she took the plate from his hand, he started to protest. She gave him a gentle shove toward the big chair she'd just vacated. "Go," she demanded.
"Bossy little thing, aren't you?"
"When necessary," she added, returning to the fridge for sandwich fixings.
Linc sprawled in the chair and watched her. Her movements as she made his sandwich were swift and economical. There was something about the way Evan set about a task, as if it deserved her full attention. She was always cool, smiling, and in control of things. But there were times, like a moment ago when she'd been sleeping, she looked vulnerable, as if the load was too heavy.
He hadn't stopped thinking about her since their kiss in the library. He thought of it now and his breath quickened, his body hardened. He shifted position and continued to watch her.
As if sensing his attention, she glanced at him, nervously shoving a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Milk? Coffee?" she asked.
"Beer if there's one in there." He nodded at the fridge and didn't take his eyes off her as she went to it, pulled out a beer, and smiled at him. Always the smile...
"Here you are. I hope it's okay." She handed him the sandwich and beer. "I think I'll head up to bed now. I've got a very early morning tomorrow."
"Stay. Please. At least until I finish this sandwich."
She hesitated, then sat on the love seat across from him. He watched her curl her legs up under her. In the light coming from the kitchen, he could see the weariness in her face.
"What's the occasion?" he asked.
She gave him a quizzical look.
"The reason for going in early." He took a bite from the sandwich.
"Oh. There's extra work to be done. Maud's going to see her mother tomorrow night, and I didn't think you'd be home. So rather than work late, I said I'd come in early."
"You work too hard. Isn't there anyone else to do it?"
"Maybe. I didn't ask." She didn't comment on his first remark.
"What about Cal?"
"What about him?"
"You don't spend much time with him."
Her eyes iced over. "Meaning?"
Sensing he'd touched a nerve, he took a mental step back. "Nothing. Just an observation. The teenage years can be a tough time for a kid. High school, girls, that kind of thing."
"Try first-year university."
Linc's beer stopped mid-way to his mouth. "Cal told me he just turned sixteen."
Evan nodded. "That's right, but you saw it yourself—the other night when he was helping you with your computer—he's bright. More than bright as it turns out. I don't even understand the courses he's taking. But I do know it's a heavy load. Science is tough. I couldn't do it."
"Science? To what end?"
"Computers, robotics, that sort of thing."
Linc gave a wry smile, thinking back to Cal's ease with his damned computer. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Evan tilted her head, setting it to a more determined angle. "And if that's what he wants, that's what he'll get."
"So that's why the cabin is so important, why you work such long hours—"
"Cal works, too," she added. "It's not just me."
He
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. And in answer to your first question, I got here about a half hour ago."
"I'd better go check on Jenny." Evan started to get up.
"I already did. Other than going to bed in her tracksuit, she's fine. Sleeping like an angel."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I—"
"Everything's fine. Stop worrying." He stood looking down at her and loosened his tie, the gesture oddly intimate.
Evan picked idly at the nap on the blanket. "Maud said you weren't due home until tomorrow."
"I wasn't." He snapped the tie from his neck, draped it over the nearest chair, and headed for the kitchen. "I finished up early and decided to head home." He opened the fridge. She watched him scan its contents with an interested frown. When he pulled out the cold roast beef, she went to his side.
"Here. Give that to me. You look tired." When she took the plate from his hand, he started to protest. She gave him a gentle shove toward the big chair she'd just vacated. "Go," she demanded.
"Bossy little thing, aren't you?"
"When necessary," she added, returning to the fridge for sandwich fixings.
Linc sprawled in the chair and watched her. Her movements as she made his sandwich were swift and economical. There was something about the way Evan set about a task, as if it deserved her full attention. She was always cool, smiling, and in control of things. But there were times, like a moment ago when she'd been sleeping, she looked vulnerable, as if the load was too heavy.
He hadn't stopped thinking about her since their kiss in the library. He thought of it now and his breath quickened, his body hardened. He shifted position and continued to watch her.
As if sensing his attention, she glanced at him, nervously shoving a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Milk? Coffee?" she asked.
"Beer if there's one in there." He nodded at the fridge and didn't take his eyes off her as she went to it, pulled out a beer, and smiled at him. Always the smile...
"Here you are. I hope it's okay." She handed him the sandwich and beer. "I think I'll head up to bed now. I've got a very early morning tomorrow."
"Stay. Please. At least until I finish this sandwich."
She hesitated, then sat on the love seat across from him. He watched her curl her legs up under her. In the light coming from the kitchen, he could see the weariness in her face.
"What's the occasion?" he asked.
She gave him a quizzical look.
"The reason for going in early." He took a bite from the sandwich.
"Oh. There's extra work to be done. Maud's going to see her mother tomorrow night, and I didn't think you'd be home. So rather than work late, I said I'd come in early."
"You work too hard. Isn't there anyone else to do it?"
"Maybe. I didn't ask." She didn't comment on his first remark.
"What about Cal?"
"What about him?"
"You don't spend much time with him."
Her eyes iced over. "Meaning?"
Sensing he'd touched a nerve, he took a mental step back. "Nothing. Just an observation. The teenage years can be a tough time for a kid. High school, girls, that kind of thing."
"Try first-year university."
Linc's beer stopped mid-way to his mouth. "Cal told me he just turned sixteen."
Evan nodded. "That's right, but you saw it yourself—the other night when he was helping you with your computer—he's bright. More than bright as it turns out. I don't even understand the courses he's taking. But I do know it's a heavy load. Science is tough. I couldn't do it."
"Science? To what end?"
"Computers, robotics, that sort of thing."
Linc gave a wry smile, thinking back to Cal's ease with his damned computer. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Evan tilted her head, setting it to a more determined angle. "And if that's what he wants, that's what he'll get."
"So that's why the cabin is so important, why you work such long hours—"
"Cal works, too," she added. "It's not just me."
He
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