He put the oranges down and draped an arm across her shoulders. “Maybe we’ll find love near the bathroom tissue as we dance cheek to cheek and squeeze each other’s Charmin.”
Worn down to the point of no control, Genna started to giggle, then laugh outright. Shaking her head, she gasped a breath and said, “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Jared asked.
“Don’t make me laugh!” she said, laughing, sliding off the stool and going to the stove to take out the brownies. She had to hold her stomachwith one hand and maneuver the pan with the other.
“Why not?”
“Because. I’m liable to forget I don’t like you.”
His voice softened. “Would that be so bad?”
Genna sobered, put the pan on the stove, and turned to face him. She sighed. “I’m afraid so. You’re not what I need.”
Jared slid off the stool and closed the distance between them. His pride didn’t smart even a little bit. Genna liked him all right, he was sure of that. She didn’t like liking him, but she did just the same. His blue eyes looked deep into hers as he took the oven mitt off her hand and caressed her cheek with it. “What about what you want? ”
The texture of his voice ran over her, both rough and smooth, like raw silk. He’s standing too close, she thought. His warm, hard body beckoned hers. She could never think straight when he got close. It was as if he radiated some kind of magnetic field that made all her mental instruments go haywire. And those incredible eyes of his didn’t help any either. She forced her eyes shut to close out their hypnotic beauty.
“I want …” Her voice was thin and flimsy, likechiffon. She tried again. “I want stability, security—”
“Invest in CDs. Life was meant for living, Genna. Grab it while you’ve got the chance.”
She took a step back from him and opened her eyes, feeling more in control. “You’re not what I want. You’re a crazy person.”
“Hey, look out!” He winced, a smile teasing his mouth. “You’ll bruise my ego.”
“Baloney. You’ve got an ego the size of the Empire State building.”
He grinned and leered at her. “Yeah, and you should see the rest of me.”
Genna slanted him a disgusted look and fell onto the gold-tiled floor in a fit of laughing. Jared joined her, leaning back against a cupboard and stretching his long, muscular legs out in front of him. Dragging herself to a sitting position beside him, Genna struggled for control, finally clearing her throat and taking a deep breath as she wiped tears from her face with a hotpad.
“So, where’s Alyssa?”
“At the movies with Courtney and Amy. Cinderella . I would have gone, too, but those ugly stepsisters give me the creeps.” He arched up to fish in the pocket of his jeans, leaning into Gennaas he did so, and pulled out a crumpled package of M&M’s. He poured several into her palm, then poured some directly into his mouth. Munching on them, he asked, “So what have you got against crazy people?”
Genna singled out a yellow M&M and popped it into her mouth. “My father was a crazy person. He worked as a boiler maintenance man, but he thought of himself as an inventor.”
“Oh, yeah? What’d he invent?”
“The personal portable inflatable dome for allweather yard parties, among other equally absurd things.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen one.”
“Nor are you likely to,” Genna said, the old bitterness sneaking up on her. “He was an irresponsible dreamer. He spent all his time goofing off with his ridiculous inventions. They never sold. One day he was carrying boxes of the useless junk up to the attic, and he had a heart attack and died.”
“I’m sorry,” Jared said quietly, watching her struggle with some deep inner emotion.
“Yeah, well, no great loss,” Genna mumbled, fighting off the feelings of helplessness and anger the memory conjured up. “He left my mother withthree daughters to raise and not a penny in insurance.”
“What’d you
Worn down to the point of no control, Genna started to giggle, then laugh outright. Shaking her head, she gasped a breath and said, “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Jared asked.
“Don’t make me laugh!” she said, laughing, sliding off the stool and going to the stove to take out the brownies. She had to hold her stomachwith one hand and maneuver the pan with the other.
“Why not?”
“Because. I’m liable to forget I don’t like you.”
His voice softened. “Would that be so bad?”
Genna sobered, put the pan on the stove, and turned to face him. She sighed. “I’m afraid so. You’re not what I need.”
Jared slid off the stool and closed the distance between them. His pride didn’t smart even a little bit. Genna liked him all right, he was sure of that. She didn’t like liking him, but she did just the same. His blue eyes looked deep into hers as he took the oven mitt off her hand and caressed her cheek with it. “What about what you want? ”
The texture of his voice ran over her, both rough and smooth, like raw silk. He’s standing too close, she thought. His warm, hard body beckoned hers. She could never think straight when he got close. It was as if he radiated some kind of magnetic field that made all her mental instruments go haywire. And those incredible eyes of his didn’t help any either. She forced her eyes shut to close out their hypnotic beauty.
“I want …” Her voice was thin and flimsy, likechiffon. She tried again. “I want stability, security—”
“Invest in CDs. Life was meant for living, Genna. Grab it while you’ve got the chance.”
She took a step back from him and opened her eyes, feeling more in control. “You’re not what I want. You’re a crazy person.”
“Hey, look out!” He winced, a smile teasing his mouth. “You’ll bruise my ego.”
“Baloney. You’ve got an ego the size of the Empire State building.”
He grinned and leered at her. “Yeah, and you should see the rest of me.”
Genna slanted him a disgusted look and fell onto the gold-tiled floor in a fit of laughing. Jared joined her, leaning back against a cupboard and stretching his long, muscular legs out in front of him. Dragging herself to a sitting position beside him, Genna struggled for control, finally clearing her throat and taking a deep breath as she wiped tears from her face with a hotpad.
“So, where’s Alyssa?”
“At the movies with Courtney and Amy. Cinderella . I would have gone, too, but those ugly stepsisters give me the creeps.” He arched up to fish in the pocket of his jeans, leaning into Gennaas he did so, and pulled out a crumpled package of M&M’s. He poured several into her palm, then poured some directly into his mouth. Munching on them, he asked, “So what have you got against crazy people?”
Genna singled out a yellow M&M and popped it into her mouth. “My father was a crazy person. He worked as a boiler maintenance man, but he thought of himself as an inventor.”
“Oh, yeah? What’d he invent?”
“The personal portable inflatable dome for allweather yard parties, among other equally absurd things.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen one.”
“Nor are you likely to,” Genna said, the old bitterness sneaking up on her. “He was an irresponsible dreamer. He spent all his time goofing off with his ridiculous inventions. They never sold. One day he was carrying boxes of the useless junk up to the attic, and he had a heart attack and died.”
“I’m sorry,” Jared said quietly, watching her struggle with some deep inner emotion.
“Yeah, well, no great loss,” Genna mumbled, fighting off the feelings of helplessness and anger the memory conjured up. “He left my mother withthree daughters to raise and not a penny in insurance.”
“What’d you
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