door.
“Darn it, Glen, I’m—” Tina began, as she yanked open the door. Her spate of impatience dried in her throat at the sight of Eric Wolfe sheltering from the rain beneath the overhang above the front stoop.
“Hi, neighbor,” he said, giving her a slow, bone-melting smile, while holding a cup aloft for her inspection. “May I borrow a cup of...coffee?”
“Grounds or brewed?” Tina returned his smile, along with an arch look.
Eric’s smile evolved into a grin. “Brewed, please, with a splash of milk, no sugar.”
“You want it to go or to drink here?”
“You have any cookies?”
“Yes.” Laughter gave a threatening quiver at the corners of Tina’s lips.
“Then I’ll drink it here.” He lifted one tawny eyebrow questioningly. “If you don’t mind?”
“Do you mind having your snack in the kitchen?”
“No.” Eric shook his head. “I come from a long line of kitchen sitters.”
“Then I don’t mind.” Tina gave in to the laughter and swung the door wide. “Come on in.”
“Thanks, neighbor.”
“You’re welcome,” Tina replied, observing him wryly as he entered and glanced around the room.
“Nice,” he said, turning to watch her shut, then lock the door. “Who’s Glen?”
“My ex-husband.”
Eric’s eyebrow shot up again. “You were expecting him to stop by today?”
“No...yes,” Tina floundered, frowning. “He was here a few minutes ago. That’s his car out front, the big expensive one,” she explained, even while asking herself why she should feel a need to do so.
Eric shot a glance through the large picture window. “He’s not in the car,” he observed, dryly stating the obvious.
“He’s visiting friends across the street.” Tina’s smile was as dry as his tone. “When the bell rang, I thought he had come back for something.”
“Something?”
There was an element contained in Eric’s quiet voice that sent a chill down Tina’s spine.
“He’s making noises about a reconciliation.” Tina shrugged, to dislodge the cold sensation as much as to dismiss the very idea of Glen’s suggestion.
“You’re not hearing his noises?” The chilling element in his voice was gone, replaced by what sounded to Tina like more than mere interest.
The word interrogation crept into her mind; Tina dismissed it at once. She had wanted some proof of Eric’s attraction to her, hadn’t she? she chided herself. Well, what better proof could she ask for than more than mere interest? The conclusion brought the smile back to her lips, and a lighter, careless shrug to her shoulders.
“I stopped hearing him on that topic long ago,” she said, motioning him to follow as she led the way to the kitchen. “Come along if you want some coffee.”
“Does this mean the subject of your ex is closed?” Eric inquired, trailing her through the dining room.
Tina felt a twinge of impatience at his persistence, but squashed it at the optimistic consideration that he just might be feeling a trifle envious of Glen.
“No, not closed,” she replied, going straight to the automatic coffeemaker on entering the kitchen. “There’s simply not much to say about it, that’s all.”
Eric watched her in silence as she went through the drill of lining the basket, measuring the coffee grounds and pouring the water into the grate. Tina could feel his steady regard. It made her nervous, in an excited way. She had to concentrate to keep from fumbling the simple routine.
“Was he abusive?”
Tina exhaled an audible sigh as she turned to face him. “If you’re asking if he ever hit me, the answer is no,” she said, meeting his crystal blue stare levelly.
Eric’s smile told her he had heard what she hadn’t said. “Verbal abuse, then,” he said flatly.
Tina managed to maintain his stare, and her silence, for a few seconds. Then she turned away, moving to the fridge to get out the milk. From the fridge, she went to the food cabinet to remove a package of oatmeal
“Darn it, Glen, I’m—” Tina began, as she yanked open the door. Her spate of impatience dried in her throat at the sight of Eric Wolfe sheltering from the rain beneath the overhang above the front stoop.
“Hi, neighbor,” he said, giving her a slow, bone-melting smile, while holding a cup aloft for her inspection. “May I borrow a cup of...coffee?”
“Grounds or brewed?” Tina returned his smile, along with an arch look.
Eric’s smile evolved into a grin. “Brewed, please, with a splash of milk, no sugar.”
“You want it to go or to drink here?”
“You have any cookies?”
“Yes.” Laughter gave a threatening quiver at the corners of Tina’s lips.
“Then I’ll drink it here.” He lifted one tawny eyebrow questioningly. “If you don’t mind?”
“Do you mind having your snack in the kitchen?”
“No.” Eric shook his head. “I come from a long line of kitchen sitters.”
“Then I don’t mind.” Tina gave in to the laughter and swung the door wide. “Come on in.”
“Thanks, neighbor.”
“You’re welcome,” Tina replied, observing him wryly as he entered and glanced around the room.
“Nice,” he said, turning to watch her shut, then lock the door. “Who’s Glen?”
“My ex-husband.”
Eric’s eyebrow shot up again. “You were expecting him to stop by today?”
“No...yes,” Tina floundered, frowning. “He was here a few minutes ago. That’s his car out front, the big expensive one,” she explained, even while asking herself why she should feel a need to do so.
Eric shot a glance through the large picture window. “He’s not in the car,” he observed, dryly stating the obvious.
“He’s visiting friends across the street.” Tina’s smile was as dry as his tone. “When the bell rang, I thought he had come back for something.”
“Something?”
There was an element contained in Eric’s quiet voice that sent a chill down Tina’s spine.
“He’s making noises about a reconciliation.” Tina shrugged, to dislodge the cold sensation as much as to dismiss the very idea of Glen’s suggestion.
“You’re not hearing his noises?” The chilling element in his voice was gone, replaced by what sounded to Tina like more than mere interest.
The word interrogation crept into her mind; Tina dismissed it at once. She had wanted some proof of Eric’s attraction to her, hadn’t she? she chided herself. Well, what better proof could she ask for than more than mere interest? The conclusion brought the smile back to her lips, and a lighter, careless shrug to her shoulders.
“I stopped hearing him on that topic long ago,” she said, motioning him to follow as she led the way to the kitchen. “Come along if you want some coffee.”
“Does this mean the subject of your ex is closed?” Eric inquired, trailing her through the dining room.
Tina felt a twinge of impatience at his persistence, but squashed it at the optimistic consideration that he just might be feeling a trifle envious of Glen.
“No, not closed,” she replied, going straight to the automatic coffeemaker on entering the kitchen. “There’s simply not much to say about it, that’s all.”
Eric watched her in silence as she went through the drill of lining the basket, measuring the coffee grounds and pouring the water into the grate. Tina could feel his steady regard. It made her nervous, in an excited way. She had to concentrate to keep from fumbling the simple routine.
“Was he abusive?”
Tina exhaled an audible sigh as she turned to face him. “If you’re asking if he ever hit me, the answer is no,” she said, meeting his crystal blue stare levelly.
Eric’s smile told her he had heard what she hadn’t said. “Verbal abuse, then,” he said flatly.
Tina managed to maintain his stare, and her silence, for a few seconds. Then she turned away, moving to the fridge to get out the milk. From the fridge, she went to the food cabinet to remove a package of oatmeal
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