her and he’d spent the past eleven years barely surviving because his love for her had been so great it had immobilized him.
“Okay, that last one is total crap,” she whispered to herself. “But the other two have possibilities.”
She walked to his door, knocked once, then let herself in before he could tell her to go away.
A quick glance around the room told her that he wasn’t about to fulfill her bathtub fantasy. Probably for the best. She was really feeling the margarita, and drowning was a distinct possibility.
Instead of being naked and in water, Jack sat in a corner chair, his feet up on the leather ottoman, reading. At least he’d been reading until she’d walked in. Now he set the book on his lap and looked at her expectantly.
She swayed as she moved toward the bed and sank down on the edge. She pushed off her sandals and smiled at him.
“Dinner was great. You should have come.”
“I’ll survive the deep loss.”
She smiled. “You’re so funny. Sometimes I forget you’re funny. I think it’s because you’re so intense and macho. Dangerous. You were always dangerous. Before, it was just about who you were as a person, but now you have access to all kinds of weapons. Doubly dangerous.”
His gaze narrowed slightly. “You’re drunk.”
She waved her left hand back and forth. “Drunk is such a strong term. Tipsy. Buzzed. Seriously buzzed. I had a second margarita. Always a mistake. I don’t drink much, so I never build up any tolerance. And I’m small, so there’s not much in the way of body mass. I could figure out the formula if you want. How many ounces of alcohol per pound of human body.”
“An intriguing offer, but no.”
She smiled. “It’s the math, huh. You’re scared of the math. Most people are. I don’t know why. Math is constant, you know. It’s built on principles, and once you learn them, they don’t change. It’s not like literature. That’s open to interpretation and there’s all that writing. But math is clean. You’re right or you’re not. I like being right.”
“It’s your competitive streak,” he said.
She swayed slightly on the bed. “You think I’m competitive?”
“It’s in your blood.”
“I guess. I like to be right about stuff. I get focused. I can be a real pain.” She grinned. “Doesn’t that make me even cuter? How can you stand it?”
“I’m using every ounce of willpower not to attack you this very moment.”
“You’re so lying, but it’s sweet. Thank you.”
She stared at him. If eyes were the windows to the soul, then Jack’s innermost place was a dark and protected place.
Secrets, she thought. They all had secrets. What were his?
Not that he would tell her. He kept that sort of thing to himself. But if he ever did decide to trust someone, it would be forever, she thought idly. Or maybe that was another of her fantasies.
“You need to help me with Betina and Colin,” she told him. “We’re going to get them together.”
One dark eyebrow rose. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a guy. This could be fun. Just think of it-we could be part of a great love match.”
“Colin and Betina?” He sounded doubtful.
“Sure. Betina has a serious thing for Colin. I was skeptical at first because Betina changes her men with the rhythm of the tide. A long-term relationship for her is a week. But that’s because she’s afraid to really care about someone. She had a bad early marriage years ago. Anyway, she’s liked Colin for a long time, and that liking has grown into something more. Something significant.”
She paused, waiting for him to grasp the importance of the information. Obviously he missed it, because he said, “I’m not getting involved.”
“You have to. It’s not like you’re doing anything else with your time.”
“We’re going to ignore my work and the effort I put into avoiding you?”
“Oh, yeah. There’s hard duty. A beautiful single woman desperately wants you in her bed. Poor Jack. Your life is pain.”
She could think of a thousand ways he could have reacted, but she never expected him to smile.
“You think of yourself as beautiful?” he asked quietly, sounding almost pleased.
Meri shifted on the bed. “It was a figure of speech.”
“The last time we talked about your appearance, you said you were a freak.”
She didn’t want to think about that, but if he insisted…“The last time we talked about my appearance, you emotionally slapped me, trampled my heart and left me for dead.”
His smile faded. “I’m sorry. I should have handled that differently.”
“But you didn’t. I wasn’t asking for sex right that moment.” She didn’t want to be talking about this. It was too humiliating. “My point is, Betina is crazy about Colin and I’m pretty sure he likes her. Which is where you come in. I want you to find out for sure.”
“What? No.”
“Why not? You’re a guy, he’s a guy. You can ask him if he likes Betina.”
“Should I pass you a note in homeroom?”
“I don’t care how I get the information, I just need confirmation.”
“You’re not getting it from me.”
She remembered his being stubborn but never this bad. “Have I mentioned you’re annoying? Because you are.”
“I live to serve.”
“If only that were true. Look, they’re both great people. They deserve to be happy. I’m just giving them a little push.”
“Did you need a push with Andrew?”
She sighed. “I wondered when you’d bring him up.”
“You’re nearly engaged. Why wouldn’t I be curious?”
She tried to figure out what he was thinking from his tone of voice, but as usual, Jack gave nothing away. It was one of his more annoying characteristics.
“We met at a charity auction,” she said. “There was a pet fashion show to start things off. Somehow I got tangled up in the leashes and nearly fell. Andrew rescued me. It was very romantic.”
“I can only imagine.”
She ignored any hint of sarcasm in his voice. Maybe knowing there was another man in her life would make him a little less arrogant.
“He was funny and charming and I liked him right away. We have so much in common. What movies we like, where we go on vacation. It’s been really fun.”
It had been fun, she thought, remembering all the good times with Andrew. But she’d been on this coast for nearly six months. They’d had a chance to get together only a few times, although they talked regularly. Their relationship seemed to be on hold and she obviously didn’t mind. Something she was going to have to think about.
“Is he a genius, too?” Jack asked.
“No, he’s delightfully normal. Smart but not too smart. I like that in a guy.”
“What do you know about him? Did you check him out?”
“Of course. He’s just a regular guy. Not in it for money.” Her good mood faded. “Is that your point? That no one could possibly want me if it wasn’t for the money?”
“Not at all. I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy. Blissfully so. Andrew’s the one. We’ll be engaged as soon as I get back to D.C.” Which wasn’t actually true but it sounded good.
“Congratulations.”
Jack had ruined everything, she thought bitterly as she stood. Her buzz, her great evening.
“Just because you don’t believe in letting yourself care about people doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t real,” she
