“I am not patronizing you,” he said, treading carefully. “I thought I was saying that I understood what happened. It’s not a big deal.”
“Blowing off a date with you is a big deal,” she contradicted. “And you shouldn’t be giving me a free pass just because I happen to have ADD.”
“Are we honestly going to fight about the fact that I’m not upset with you for forgetting our date?”
“Yes, because it’s symptomatic of exactly what I was afraid of when we started seeing each other. I mess up. You check your psychology text or something and figure it’s classic ADD, and all’s well.”
“Look, I would much rather be with you than home alone working on Lunch by the Bay matches, but this is simply not as big a deal as you’re trying to turn it into. We’ll see each other when you get back.”
“So, now I’m crazy?”
Will sucked in a deep breath and prayed for patience. “Jess, what’s really going on here? Is this more of that discussion we started to have the other day? Are you deliberately trying to find a reason to break up? Did you want me to blow a gasket over the date so you’d have some trumped-up excuse to walk away?”
“Oh, stop trying to analyze me,” she retorted, then hung up.
Less than a minute later, his phone rang again. “I’m sorry, Will. I really am,” she said, sounding genuinely contrite. “I have no idea why I’m being such a pain. I guess it’s because I already felt guilty and you letting me off the hook is making me feel even guiltier.”
“Where are you?”
She hesitated. “Why?” she asked, sounding puzzled.
“Because if you’re not that far away, I could get in my car and we could straighten this out in person.”
“You would drive somewhere tonight just to settle a stupid argument?” she asked, sounding stunned.
“I would drive anywhere to be with you,” he countered. “As for settling arguments, I hear that making up can be all kinds of fun.”
“Actually I’m not that far away,” she told him. “I was invited to take a look at an inn that’s up for sale just outside of Ocean City. Since I left late, I booked a room for the night.”
So that’s what this was about, Will thought. No wonder she’d gone dashing off. “You’re thinking of buying another inn?” he asked, not entirely surprised.
“I honestly have no idea if I’m interested or not,” she admitted. “I loved the process of getting everything ready, but now that The Inn at Eagle Point is a success and I have the right people in place, I don’t know, it’s not quite the same.”
“You’re bored?”
“It’s not because of the ADD,” she said defensively.
“I didn’t say it was,” he said mildly. “A lot of people like the challenge of opening a new business, then turning it over to a management team.”
“Then you don’t think I’m nuts for considering this?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Will you drive over and take a look? It’s a little shabby, but the setting’s very romantic.”
“Give me directions,” he said at once. “And chill a bottle of champagne while you’re at it. We have some making up to do.”
Unfortunately, he was sure this was going to become a pattern with the two of them. Right now there was an edge of excitement and passion to these unexpected ups and downs, but relationships couldn’t go the distance that way. He understood that better than anyone.
Then again, if he’d wanted smooth sailing, his heart should have picked just about anyone except Jess O’Brien.
22
Thomas had been down with the flu for over a week. Not that there was ever a good time for getting sick, but this couldn’t have happened at a worse one. He knew Connie was probably wondering what on earth had happened to him, but just the thought of picking up the phone to call her had been too much. He’d been asleep most of the time anyway. Today was the first time in days he’d dragged himself out of bed and actually showered and shaved. He even considered trying to get into the office for an hour or two.
Dressed in clean clothes and feeling almost human again, he was debating whether or not chicken soup would be a mistake, when his doorbell rang. He crossed the living room and opened the door to find Connie standing there with an armload of groceries and sparks in her eyes.
“You’re an idiot!” she declared and swept past him.
So much for sympathy, he thought, though he couldn’t help admiring the way she’d gone on the attack first thing. She was a formidable woman when her back was up. In that respect, she reminded him of his mother.
“You seem upset,” he said mildly, following her into the kitchen.
“After not hearing from you for days, which we’ll discuss in a minute, I finally broke down and called your office and discovered you’d been home with the flu. Sick as a dog, according to your secretary, who’s not all that impressed with you at the moment, either. She said something about you snapping at her a few too many times when she called with questions.”
“I was sick,” he protested.
“Men!” she muttered. “They’re the worst patients in the world. Believe me, Jake was no picnic. Thank heavens, he’s Bree’s problem now.”
Thomas bit back a smile. “Apparently you’re not here to cheer me up.”
She didn’t seem to find the comment amusing. “No, I’m here to assess the situation, see if you’re ready for some decent food, and then, as soon as I’m assured that you’re on a path to a full recovery, I intend to give you a piece of my mind for not calling to tell me what was going on.”
“How long are you planning to stick around?” he inquired. “Looks as if you brought a lot of food. You have a suitcase with you, by any chance?”
She frowned at him. “Soups and stews require
