Read Online Practice Makes Perfect by Kathryn Shay - Free Book Online Page A

all. She dried her face, wrapped the towel around her one-piece black Speedo and turned. “Ian, don’t you think this is a bit intrusive?”
    “Are you busy?”
    “A person doesn’t have to be busy to be intruded upon.”
    He scanned the area and took a quick glance at the house. “Anybody here?”
    “No.”
    “’Cept me and my dog, ma’am.” Again the grin. It was almost impossible to resist.
    Her gaze dropped to the big black Labrador retriever. The dog’s mouth was open, and she could swear he was grinning, too. “He scared me.”
    “He doesn’t like it when pretty ladies scream at him.”
    She ignored the compliment. “I wouldn’t have screamed if I hadn’t come face-to-face with the Creature from the Black Lagoon as soon as I came out of the water.” She scowled at the dog.
    Ian frowned, and Scalpel hung his head and made a mewing sound. “It’s okay, buddy, she didn’t mean that.”
    The dog’s mouth practically scraped the deck.
    Paige bit back a laugh.
    “Now, you’re just gonna have to let us cook up the meat we brought on that fancy barbecue over there to soothe Scalpel’s hurt feelings.”
    Paige studied the animal. “He’s beautiful.” She caught herself. “But he seems as pushy as his master.”
    “He is. You might as well give in gracefully and let us stay for dinner.”
    For some reason she liked the idea. “I was going to make a salad.”
    “Good. It’ll go great with dinner. Make a lot.”
    “He doesn’t eat greens, does he?”
    “No rabbit food for my best buddy here. Just steak.”
    Scalpel perked up and barked.
    Paige rolled her eyes. “All right. You can stay.” She glanced at the table. “Wine, too?”
    “Uh-huh. You like merlot?”
    She did. “It’s fine.” She turned to the house. “I’ll bring you a corkscrew.”
    Paige entered through the downstairs bath/changing area and threw on a terry-cloth cover-up and sandals. She refused to change her clothes because Ian Chandler had suddenly dropped by acting like God’s gift to women. But she did take a peek in the mirror. Her hair was tangled and hung around her face. Shrugging, she picked up a comb and did some quick damage control. Then she snuck a lipstick out of the makeup bag. Chiding herself for fussing as she dabbed it on, she finished quickly and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. She’d just retrieved wineglasses, cutlery and plates when she glanced out the window.
    Ian’s back was to her. He was standing and staring at the water, his arms folded over his chest, his hands tucked in his armpits. Though he flirted and was outrageously presumptuous, she sensed strain in his wide shoulders and a coiled tension in his stance.
    Today must have been hard for him Elsa Moore had meant a lot to him, even though she wasn’t his biological mother. That thought sent some tension through Paige’s own body, but she dismissed it. Was Ian feeling bad? Was that why he’d sought her out?
    Quickly filling a tray with glasses, place mats and settings for dinner, she decided to make the salad later and hurried out to the patio. “Ian?”
    He turned. His face was taut and his mouth tight.
    “Are you all right?” she asked.
    “Just dandy.”
    She studied him for a moment, then went to the table, set the tray down and picked up the bottle of merlot.
    He crossed to her immediately and took it out of her grasp. “I’ll do it.”
    She shook her head, but didn’t tease him about his autocracy. Instead, she sat on a chair. The dog came up and perched right by her legs, staring up at her in apparent adoration. When Ian opened and poured the wine, he stood above her and clinked their glasses. “To a good start,” he said, smiling and looking more his usual self.
    “To the Center.”
    His eyes sparkled. “Mmm.” He sank onto a chair. The dog sidled over and dropped at his feet. As Ian sipped his wine, his eyes drifted to the water again. He said with the seriousness of a funeral director, “You shouldn’t swim