“Thank you for saying that.”
He regarded her hopefully. “Can we forget all about this visit?”
“I don’t think I want to forget all of it,” she said. “You’ve given me a perspective I really needed to have.”
“Then some good came out of it?”
She smiled. “Some.”
“Fair enough. Will you come with him to the dinner party? It’s important that he be there, and my wife is under the impression that he won’t come without you.”
She didn’t want to admit that Tom hadn’t mentioned anything about a dinner party, so she merely nodded. “If he wants me to.”
He shook his head at her response, a faint smile on his lips. “You remind me of someone.”
“Oh?”
“It’s ironic, really, but you’re a lot like my wife.”
She frowned. “And here we were getting along so well,” she said.
He laughed. “No, it’s true. You’re both stubborn and willful. And when you love, you’re going to do it with everything in you and damn the consequences. No wonder my son’s infatuated with you. I almost feel sorry for him.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Take it from a man who’s been married to a woman like that for forty years. It keeps life interesting. Challenging, but interesting.”
He walked past her then and left her with her mouth open. The encounter had been eye-opening. If someone had predicted an hour ago that she could actually like a man who’d just tried to buy her off, she would have laughed. Somehow, though, with his candor, Mr. McDonald had won her over. And she thought maybe she’d earned his respect as well. All that remained was to see if that made any difference whatsoever in how things went from here on out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tom had been calling Jeanette on her cell phone for hours, but she hadn’t been picking up. Frustrated, he walked over to the spa and saw a light still shining in her office. He knocked on the front door. When no one responded, he walked around and tapped on her office window. She had a ten-pound weight in her hand and was holding it up threateningly when she lifted the shade to peer out.
“You!” she exclaimed, lowering the weight and setting it on a chair. “Are you trying to scare me to death?”
He gestured toward the front of the building. “Let me in.”
She frowned at the request. “I’m busy.”
“Five minutes,” he argued. “We need to talk.”
“I need to work,” she countered. “Maddie needs these reports on her desk in the morning and I have supplies to order. Everything piled up while I was spending time with my dad.”
“None of that is as important as us needing to talk.”
“Okay,” she finally said. “I can spare five minutes. I’ll meet you on the porch.”
Since the last time he’d seen her she’d been in a far more receptive mood, he had to wonder what had happened in the interim. Whatever it was couldn’t have been good.
She unlocked the front door and stood just inside, blocking his way. “What’s on your mind?”
“That seems to be evolving,” he replied. “I came over here to discuss one thing, but now it appears we should be talking about whatever put you into this snit you’re in.”
She regarded him indignantly. “I am not in a snit.”
“Really?”
She scraped her hand through her hair, leaving it in spikes that only made her look younger and more alluring. He really, really wanted to end this ridiculous argument they seemed to be having and kiss her, but in her current mood that might get him slugged. Since she was no longer holding that weight, it might be worth the risk.
“Look, I really am busy,” she said. “Let’s do this another time.”
He ignored the request and tried to get a fix on the situation. “Have you had dinner?” he asked. Maybe low blood sugar had sent her into this dark mood.
“No. I’ll grab something when I get home.”
Just as he’d thought. That might not be the total explanation, but it was something he could grab on to. He shook his head. “Nope, dinner can’t wait. You need food now. Let’s go.”
“Speaking of moods,” she grumbled, “when did you turn all dictatorial?”
“About two minutes after I got here,” he replied. “If you’ll just close up, we can go to Sullivan’s for dinner and then maybe we can have a rational conversation. After that, if you need to work, I’ll bring you back here.”
She scowled at him. “Rational? What are you implying?”
“Jeanette, would you just let me in on why you’re so annoyed? You’re obviously determined to pick a fight with me.”
“So what if I am? I certainly do not want to do it at Sullivan’s where Dana Sue will be poking into our business.”
“Okay, then,” he said with exaggerated patience. “We’ll stop by there and pick up something to go. We can eat at your place. If that still doesn’t suit you, we can order a pizza.”
“Why are you so intent on feeding me?”
Tom was rapidly losing his fragile hold on his own temper, but he did it because he didn’t want this silly argument to escalate. Even so, he didn’t choose his next words as carefully as he should have. “I’m hoping it will improve your mood before I ask you what I originally came over here to ask you.”
Her gaze narrowed. “My mood is just fine or it would be, if you’d stop nagging me about it. Is this about the dinner party at your parents’ house?”
Tom regarded her with dismay. Pieces suddenly slid into place, giving him a clearer picture of what was going on. He could think of only one way she could have known about that dinner party. And that would have put her into this mood in a heartbeat.
“Has my mother been in touch with you? What
