Текст книги "Truly Madly Yours "
Автор книги: Рэйчел Гибсон
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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 18 страниц)
“If youre going to have sex with her, do it now. Louie sighed as he picked up his jacket from the back of a leather arm chair. “Do it before you get other contractors involved in Silver Creek. Do it before you contact more lenders, and do it before I waste any more of my time.
“Youre worrying about nothing, Nick assured his brother as they walked to the front door. “Im not going anywhere near Delaney, and I have a feeling shell be avoiding me for a long time.
“Then what happened in her salon today?
Nick opened the heavy wood door. “Nothing. I changed her locks for her. Thats it.
“I doubt it. Louie shrugged into his jacket and headed down the steps. “Call Mom, he said. “The sooner you get it over with, the better.
Nick shook his head and walked back into the great room. He wasnt in the mood to call his mother. He didnt want to hear her rant about Delaney. He snagged his beer off the mantle, then headed through a pair of French doors to the deck. Steam rose from the octagonal hot tub, and he flipped the switch to start the jets. His right shoulder ached from the work hed done in Garden. He stripped naked and goose bumps broke over his arms and chest before he stepped into the bubbling hot water. The windows from the house threw oblong patches of light but didnt reach his corner of the deck.
Louie had been right about some things and dead wrong about others. Nick had originally built his house as an “up yours gesture toward Henry. But before construction had been halfway completed, hed lost interest in proving anything to anybody. As far as Delaney, he hadnt really expected to see her again. His brother was way off the mark with that theory. Hed been close to the truth with the bicycle conspiracy theory of his though. Originally Nick hadnt planned to push the bike all the way to Henrys, but then hed looked at her face when shed seen her tires. Shed looked as if she were about to burst into tears and hed felt so guilty, hed helped her. Hed even given her a Tootsie Roll, and shed given him a stick of gum. Peppermint.
Louie had been right about the other—although hed call it a strong interest rather than infatuation. But contrary to his brothers opinion, he wasnt going to have sex with her. He might not be able to control his bodys reaction, but he sure as hell could control what he did, or didnt do, about it.
People said a lot of things about him. Some were true. Some werent. For the most part he didnt care. But Delaney would. She would be hurt by the gossip.
Nick took a drink of his beer and looked at the reflection of stars in the black water of the lake.
He didnt want her hurt. He didnt want to hurt her. It was time he stayed away from Delaney Shaw.
The telephone inside the house rang, and he wondered how long it would take his mother to give up on the phone calls. He knew shed want to talk about the gossip like she had some sort of maternal squatters rights on his life. Louie didnt seem to mind the constant prying as much as Nick. Louie called it love. Maybe it was, but when Nick had been a boy, shed sometimes held him so tight he couldnt breathe.
Nick set his beer on the side of the hot tub and sank further into the hot water. His mother didnt like to drive after dark so he figured he was safe for the night. Hed call her in the morning and get it over with.
Gwen placed the telephone to her ear for about the fifth time in the last hour. “Delaney has obviously taken her phone off the hook.
Max walked across a thick Aubusson rug and stopped behind her. He took the receiver from her hand and hung it up. “Then she obviously has her reasons. He rubbed Gwens shoulders and pressed his thumbs into the base of her skull. “Youre too tense.
Gwen sighed and lazed her head to one side. Her soft blond hair brushed across his knuckles, and the smell of roses filled his nose. “Its the latest rumor about her and Nick, she said. “Hes out to ruin my daughter.
“Shell handle Nick.
“You dont understand. Hes always hated her.
Max remembered the day Nick had barged into his office. The man had been angry, but Max hadnt received the impression that Nick held any animosity toward Delaney. “Your daughter is a grown woman. She can take care of herself. He slid his hands to her waist and pulled her back against his chest. It seemed their time together was always the same. Gwen fussing about Delaney, and him wanting to touch her like a lover. Hed seen quite a bit of her since Henrys death, and hed found pleasure in her bed on several occasions. She was beautiful and had a lot to offer a man. Yet he was growing tired of her immersion in her daughters business.
“How? By creating a scandal?
“If thats her choice. Youve done your job. Youve raised her. Let it go or you might lose her again.
Gwen turned and Max saw fear in her eyes. “I am afraid shes going to leave me. I always thought she stayed away because of Henry, but now Im not sure. A few years ago I went to visit her when she lived in Denver, and she said that I always took Henrys side when she was growing up. She thinks I never stood up for her. I would have, but Henry was right. She needed to get good grades and go to college and not run around town like a hoyden. Gwen paused and took a deep breath. “Delaney is stubborn and holds a grudge for a long time. I just know that shell leave in June and never come back.
“Maybe.
“She cant go. Henry could have made her stay longer.
Max dropped his hands to his sides. “He wanted to, but I advised him that a judge might strike down the will if Henry stipulated a lengthier period.
Gwen turned and walked to the fireplace. She gripped the brick mantel and gazed back at Max through the mirror in front of her. “He should have done something.
Henry had done everything he could to control the people in his life from the grave. Hed stayed just to the right of what a court would consider fair and reasonable restraints. The whole thing had been extremely distasteful to Max, and it bothered him that Gwen supported her late husbands manipulations.
“Delaney needs to stay here. She needs to grow up.
Max looked at Gwens reflection; her beautiful blue eyes and pouty pink mouth, perfectly flawless white skin and hair like ribbons of caramel and butterscotch. Desire settle in the pit of his groin. Maybe she just needed something else in her life to think about. He walked toward her, determined to give her that something else.
Nick didnt get the chance to call his mother the next morning. She rang his doorbell at seven a.m .
Benita Allegrezza set her purse on the white marble counter and looked at her son. Nick obviously thought he could avoid her, but she was his mother. Shed given birth to him, which gave her the right to drag him out of bed. No matter that he was thirty-three and no longer lived with her.
Hed pulled on a pair of ragged Levis and an old black sweatshirt, and his feet were bare. Benita frowned. He could afford to dress better. Nick never took very good care of himself. He didnt eat when he should, and he spent time with loose women. He didnt think she knew about the women, but she did. “Why cant you just avoid that neska izugarri ?
“I dont know what youve heard, but nothing happened with Delaney, he said, his voice rough from sleep. He took her coat and hung it in the hall closet.
Obviously, he thought she could be fooled, too. Benita followed him into the kitchen and watched him pull two mugs from the cupboard. “Then why were you there, Nick?
He waited until hed filled the two mugs with coffee before he answered her. “I installed some locks at her shop.
She took the mug he offered her and looked at him standing by the kitchen sink as if nothing had happened in that beauty salon. She knew better. She knew the less he said, the more he left unsaid. Sometimes she needed a Mack truck to pull anything out of him. Hed been that way for a long time now. “Thats what your brother told me. Why couldnt she hire a locksmith like everyone else? Why does she need you ?
“I told her Id do it. He leaned one hip against the counter and shrugged the opposite shoulder. “It was no big deal.
“How can you say that? The whole town is talking about it. You havent returned my phone calls and youve been hiding from me.
His brows drew together, and he frowned at her. “I havent been hiding from you.
Yes, he had, and it was Delaney Shaws fault.
From the day shed moved to Truly, shed made Nicks life harder than it had been before shed arrived.
Before Henry married Gwen, Benita could tell herself and everyone else that Henry ignored Nick because he didnt want to have children. Afterward, everyone knew that wasnt true. Henry just didnt want Nick. He could lavish love and attention on a stepdaughter, yet reject his own son.
Before Delaneys arrival in Henrys life, Benita would sit with Nick on her lap and hold him close. Shed kiss his sweet forehead and dry his tears. Afterward, there were no more tears or hugs. No more softness in her son. Hed grow stiff in her arms and tell her he was too big for kisses. Benita blamed Henry for the pain he caused his own son, but in her eyes, Delaney became the living, breathing symbol of deep betrayal and rejection. Delaney had been given everything that should have been given to Nick, but everything hadnt been enough for her. Shed been a troublemaker to boot.
Shed always had a way of making Nick look bad. Like the time hed hit her with a snowball. Although he shouldnt have thrown a snowball at her, Benita was sure that girl must have done something , but the grade school hadnt even questioned her. Theyd just blamed the whole incident on Nick.
And then there was that horrible episode when those awful rumors had spread through town about Nick taking advantage of Delaney. Ten years later, Benita still didnt know what had taken place that night. She knew Nick was no saint when it came to women, but she was sure he hadnt taken anything Delaney hadnt been more than willing to give him. Then like a coward, shed fled and escaped the stinging gossip, while Nick had stayed behind and braved the worst of it. And the rumor about Nick taking advantage of that girl hadnt been the worst of it.
She looked at him now—her tall, handsome boy. Both her sons had succeeded on their own. No one had handed them anything, and she was extremely proud of them. But Nick . . . Nick would always need her to watch out for him, even though he didnt think he needed her at all.
Now all she really wanted for Nick was for him to settle down with a nice Catholic girl, marry in the church, and be happy. She didnt think it was too much for a mother to ask. If he married, the loose women would quit chasing him—especially Delaney Shaw. “You probably wouldnt tell your mother if something did happen with that girl anyway, she said. “What am I to believe?
Nick raised his mug and took a drink. “Ill tell you what. If something did happen, it wont happen again.
“Promise me.
He gave her an easy smile meant to appease her. “Of course, Ama .
Benita wasnt appeased. Now that girl was back and the rumors were starting again.
Chapter Eleven
Delaney took her telephone off the hook. She kept it off the hook until she left her apartment for work the next morning. She hoped that somehow the impossible had happened and Mrs. Vaughn hadnt been able to see into the shop. Maybe shed been lucky.
But when she unlocked the front door of her salon, Wannetta Van Damme was waiting and within seconds it became apparent Delaneys luck had run out months ago. “Is this where it happened? Wannetta asked as she hobbled in. The sound of her silver walker, chink-thump, chink-thump, filled the inside of the salon.
Delaney was a little afraid to ask the obvious, but she was too curious not to know. “What happened? she asked and took the older womans coat. She hung it on a tree in the small reception area.
Wannetta pointed to the counter. “Is that where Laverne saw you and that Allegrezza boy . .. you know?
A lump formed in Delaneys throat. “What?
“Hanky-panky, whispered the older woman.
The lump fell to her stomach as she felt her brows rise to her hairline. “Hanky-panky?
“Whoopie.
“Whoopie? Delaney pointed to the counter. “Right here?
“Thats what Laverne told everyone last night at the bingo game over there at that church on Seventh, Jesus the Divine Savior.
Delaney walked to a salon chair and sank into it. Her face grew hot and her ears began to ring. Shed known there would be gossip, but shed had no idea how bad. “Bingo? Jesus the Divine Savior? Her voice raised and got squeaky. “Oh, my God! She should have known. Anything involving Nick had always been bad and she wished she could blame him completely. But she couldnt. He hadnt unbuttoned his own shirt. Shed done that.
Wannetta moved toward her, chink-thump, chink-thump. “Is it true?
“No!
“Oh. Wannetta looked as disappointed as she sounded. “That youngest Basque boy is a looker. Even though he has a nasty reputation, I might find him hard to resist myself.
Delaney put a palm to her forehead and took a deep breath. “Hes evil. Evil. Evil. Evil. You stay away from him, Wannetta, or you just might wake up and find yourself the subject of horrible rumors. Her mother was going to kill her.
“Most mornings Im just glad to wake up. And at my age, I dont think Id find those rumors too horrible, she said as she moved toward the back of the salon. “Can you squeeze me in today?
“What? You want your hair done?
“Of course. I didnt go to all the trouble of getting myself down here just to talk.
Delaney rose and followed Mrs. Van Damme to the shampoo sink. She helped her into the chair then set her walker aside. “How many people were at the bingo game? she asked fearing the answer.
“Oh, maybe sixty or so.
Sixty . Then those sixty would tell sixty more and it would spread like a brushfire. “Maybe I should just kill myself, she muttered. Death might be preferable to her mothers reaction.
“Are you going to use that shampoo that smells so nice?
“Yes. Delaney draped Wannetta, then lowered her back toward the sink. She turned on the water and tested it on her wrist. Shed spent the previous day and night hiding in her apartment like a mole. Shed felt emotionally battered and bruised by what had happened with Nick. And so extremely embarrassed by her own abandon.
She wet Wannettas hair and cleaned it with Paul Mitchell. When she was finished with the conditioning, she helped her walk to the styling chair. “Same thing? she asked.
“Yep. I stick to what works.
“I remember. As Delaney combed out the tangles, Nicks parting words still echoed in her head. Theyd been echoing in her head since hed said them. To see if I could . Hed kissed her and touched her breasts, just to see if he could. Hed made her breasts tingle and her thighs burn just to see if he could. And shed let him. Just like shed let him ten years ago.
What was it about her? What personality defect did she possess that allowed Nick to slide past her defenses? During the long hours shed spent contemplating that question, shed come up with only one explanation other than loneliness. Her biological clock was ticking. It had to be. She couldnt hear it ticking, but she was twenty-nine, not married, with no prospects in the immediate future. Maybe her body was a hormonal time bomb and she didnt even know it.
“Leroy liked when I wore silky drawers, Wannetta said, interrupting Delaneys silent contemplations about ticking hormones. “He hated the cotton kind.
Delaney snapped on a pair of latex gloves. She didnt want to envision Wannetta in silky underwear.
“You should buy you some silky drawers.
“You mean the kind that come up past your navel? The kind that look like car seatcovers ?
“Yep.
“Why?
“Cause men like em. Men like women to wear pretty things. If you get yourself some silky drawers, you can get yourself a husband.
“No, thank you, she said as she reached for the waving solution and snipped the top off. Even if she were interested in finding a husband in Truly, which was of course ludicrous, she was only going to be in town until June. “I dont want a husband. She thought of Nick and all the problems hed caused since shed been back. “And to tell you the truth, she added, “I dont think men are worth all the problems they cause. They are highly overrated.
Wannetta grew silent as Delaney poured the solution on one side of her head, and just when Delaney began to worry that her client had fallen asleep with her eyes open, or worse, passed on, Wannetta opened her mouth and asked in a hushed voice, “Are you one of those lipstick lesbians? You can tell me. I wont tell a soul.
And the moon is made of green cheese, Delaney thought. If only she were a lesbian, she wouldnt have found herself kissing Nick and her hands tearing at his shirt. She wouldnt have found herself fascinated by his hairy chest. She met Wannettas gaze in the mirror and thought about telling her yes. A rumor like that might neutralize the rumor about herself and Nick. But her mother would freak even more. “No, she finally sighed. “But it would probably make my life easier.
Mrs. Van Dammes finger waves took Delaney just under an hour. When she was finished, she watched the older woman write out a check, then she helped her with her coat.
“Thanks for coming in, she said as she walked her to the door.
“Silky drawers, Wannetta reminded her and slowly moved down the street.
Ten minutes after Mrs. Van Damme left, a woman came in with her three-year-old son. Delaney hadnt given a child a cut since beauty school, but she hadnt forgotten how. After the first snip, she wished she had. The little boy pulled at the small plastic cape shed found in the storage room as if she were choking him. He writhed and fussed and continually yelled NO! at her. Cutting his hair turned into a wrestling match. She was sure if she could just tie him up and sit on him, she could get the job done in a hurry.
“Brandons such a good boy, his mother cooed from the neighboring chair. “Mommys so proud.
Incredulous, Delaney stared at the woman whod decked herself out in Eddie Bauer and REI. The woman looked to be in her early to mid-forties, and reminded Delaney of a magazine article shed read in the dentist office questioning the wisdom of older women producing children from old eggs.
“Does Brandon want a good-boy fruit snack?
“No! screeched the product of her old egg.
“Done, Delaney said when she finished and threw her hands upward like a champion calf roper. She charged the lady fifteen dollars with the hope Brandon would plague Helen next time. She swept up the childs white-blond curls, then flipped the Out to Lunch sign and walked to the corner deli for her usual, turkey on whole wheat. For several months shed eaten her lunch at the deli and had gotten to know the owner, Bernard Dalton, on a first-name basis. Bernard was in his late thirties and a bachelor. He was short, balding, and looked like a man who enjoyed his own cooking. His face was always slightly pink, as if he were a little out of breath, and the shape of his dark mustache made him appear as if he always wore a smile.
The lunch rush was slowing as Delaney stepped into the restaurant. The shop smelled of ham, pasta, and chocolate chip cookies. Bernard looked up from the dessert case, but his gaze quickly slid away. His face turned several shades pinker than usual.
Hed heard. Hed heard the rumor and he obviously believed it.
She cast a glance about the deli, at the other customers staring at her, and she wondered how many had listened to the gossip. She suddenly felt naked and forced herself to walk to the front counter. “Hello, Bernard, she said, keeping her voice even. “Ill have a turkey on whole wheat like I usually have.
“Diet Pepsi? he asked, moving toward the meat case.
“Yes, please. She kept her gaze pinned to the little “Extra Pennies cup by the cash register. She wondered if the whole town believed shed had sex with Nick in her front window. She heard hushed voices behind her and was afraid to turn around. She wondered if they were talking about her, or if she was just being paranoid.
Usually she took her sandwich to a small table by the window, but today she paid for her lunch and hurried back to her salon. Her stomach was in knots and she had to force herself to eat a portion of her meal.
Nick. This mess was his fault. Whenever she let her guard down around him, she always paid for it. Whenever he decided to charm her, she always lost her dignity, if not her clothes.
At a little after two, she had a client who needed her straight black hair trimmed, and at three-thirty Steve, the backhoe driver shed met at Louie and Lisas Fourth of July party, walked into the salon bringing in a wisp of cool autumn with him. He wore a jean jacket with sheared sheep lining. His cheeks were pink and his eyes bright, and his smile told her he was glad to see her. Delaney was glad to see a friendly face. “I need a haircut, he confessed.
With one quick glance, she took in the shaggy condition of his hair. “You sure do, she said and motioned toward her booth. “Hang up your coat and come on back.
“I want it short. He followed her and pointed to a spot above his right ear. “This short. I wear a lot of ski hats in the winter.
Delaney had something in mind that would look awesome on him, and shed get to use her clippers, too. Something shed been dying to do again for months now. His hair would have to be dry so she sat him in the salon chair. “I havent seen you around much, she said as she combed out his golden tangles.
“Weve been working a lot to get done before the first snow, but now things have slowed down.
“What do you do in the winter for a job? she asked, and fired up the clippers.
“Collect unemployment and ski, he spoke over the steady buzz.
Unemployment and skiing would have appealed to her when shed been twenty-two, also. “Sounds like fun, she said, cutting up and away in an arching motion and leaving the hair longer at his crown.
“It is. We should ski together.
She would have loved to, but the closest resort was outside Truly city limits. “I dont ski, she lied.
“Then what if I come and pick you up tonight? We could grab a bite to eat then drive down to Cascade for a movie.
She couldnt go to Cascade, either. “I cant.
“Tomorrow night?
Delaney held the clipper aloft and looked in the mirror at him. His chin was on his chest and he looked up at her through eyes so big and blue she could drive a boat through them. Maybe he wasnt too young. Maybe she should give him another chance. Then maybe she wouldnt be so lonely and vulnerable to the pied piper of pheromones. “Dinner, she said and resumed her cutting. “No movie. And we can only be friends.
His smile was a combination of innocence and guile. “You might change your mind.
“I wont.
“What if I tried to change it for you?
She laughed. “Only if you dont get too obnoxious about it.
“Deal. Well go slow.
Before Steve left, she gave him her home telephone number. By four-thirty, shed had four clients total and an appointment to do a foil weave for the next afternoon. The day hadnt been all bad.
She was tired and looked forward to a long soak in the bathtub. With half an hour remaining before she could close, she kicked back in a salon chair with some of her hair braiding books for brides. Lisas wedding was less than a month away, and Delaney was looking forward to styling her friends hair.
The bell above the front door rang, and she looked up as Louie walked in. Deep red mottled his cheeks like hed been outside all day, and his hands were stuck in the pockets of his blue canvas coat. A deep wrinkle furrowed his brow, and he didnt look like hed come to get his hair cut.
“What can I do for you, Louie? She stood and walked behind the counter.
He quickly looked about the salon, then settled his dark gaze on her. “I wanted to talk to you before you closed for the day.
“Okay. She set down her braiding book and opened the cash register. She shoved money into a black Naugahyde bag, and when he didnt speak right away, she looked up at him. “Shoot.
“I want you to stay away from my brother.
Delaney blinked twice and slowly zipped the money bag closed. “Oh, was all she managed.
“In less than a year youll be gone, but Nick will still live here. Hell have to run his business here, and hell have to live with all the gossip you two create.
“I didnt mean to create anything.
“But you did.
Delaney felt her cheeks grow hot. “Nick assured me he doesnt care what people say about him.
“Yeah, thats Nick. He says a lot of things. Some of them he actually means, too. Louie paused and scratched his nose. “Look, like I said, youre leaving in under a year, but Nick will have to listen to the gossip about you after youre gone. Hell have to live it down—again.
“Again?
“The last time you left, there was some crazy stuff said about you and Nick. Stuff that hurt my mother, and I think Nick a little, too. Although he said he didnt care except for the grief it caused my mother.
“Do you mean the gossip about me having Nicks baby?
“Yes, but the part about the abortion was worse.
Delaney blinked. “Abortion?
“Dont tell me you didnt know.
“No. She looked down at her hands clutching the money bag. The old gossip hurt and she didnt know why. It wasnt as if she cared what people thought of her.
“Well, someone must have seen you somewhere and noticed you werent pregnant. People said you had an abortion because the baby was Nicks. Others thought maybe Henry had you get rid of it.
Her gaze shot to his and an odd little ache settled next to her heart. She hadnt been pregnant so she didnt know why she cared at all. “I hadnt heard that part.
“Didnt your mother ever tell you? I always assumed that was probably why you never came back.
“No one ever mentioned it. But she wasnt surprised. Delaney was silent for a moment before she asked, “Did anyone actually believe it?
“Some.
To imply shed terminated a pregnancy because of Nick, or that Henry had forced an abortion was beyond insulting. Delaney believed in a womans right to choose, but she didnt believe she could ever have an abortion herself. Certainly not because she no longer liked the father, and especially not because of anything Henry would have had to say about it. “What did Nick think?
Louies dark eyes stared into hers before he answered, “He acted like he always does. Like he didnt care, but he beat the hell out of Scooter Finley when Scooter was stupid enough to mention it in front of him.
Nick would have known she wasnt pregnant with his baby, and she was stunned that the rumor had bothered him at all, let alone bothered him enough to deck Scooter.
“And now youre back and a whole new batch of rumors has begun. I dont want my wedding to turn into another excuse for you and my brother to create more gossip.
“I would never do that.
“Good because I want Lisa to be the center of attention.
“I think Nick and I are probably going to avoid each other for the rest of our lives.
Louie dug in his coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “I hope so. Otherwise, youll just hurt each other again.
Delaney didnt ask him what he meant by that comment. Shed never hurt Nick. Impossible. In order for Nick to be hurt by anything, hed have to have human feelings like everyone else, and he didnt. He had a heart of stone.
After Louie left, Delaney locked up, then stood at the counter and studied several more books on braids for the upcoming wedding. She had some great ideas, but she couldnt concentrate long enough to visualize the important details.
People said you had an abortion because the baby was Nicks. Others thought maybe Henry had you get rid of it . Delaney put the books aside and turned out the lights. The old gossip was so mean-spirited with its insinuation that Nicks own father had forced her to get an abortion because the baby was Nicks . She wondered what kind of person would spread something so cruel, and she wondered if they ever felt remorse or ever bothered to apologize to Nick.
Delaney grabbed her coat and locked the salon behind her. Nicks Jeep was parked next to her car in the small dark parking lot. He acted like he always does. Like he didnt care .
She tried not to wonder if hed really been hurt as much as Louie had implied. She tried not to care. After the way hed treated her the day before, she hated him.
She got as far as the stairs before she turned and walked to the back of his office. She knocked three times before the door swung open, and Nick stood there looking more intimidating than ever in a black thermal crew. He shifted his weight to one foot and tilted his head to the side. Surprise lifted one of his brows, but he didnt say anything.
Now that he stood before her, with the light from his office spilling into the parking lot, Delaney wasnt sure why shed knocked. After what had happened yesterday, she really wasnt sure what to say, either. “I heard something, and I wondered if– She stopped and took a deep breath. Her nerves felt jumpy and her stomach queasy, like shed consumed a triple shot German chocolate latte with an espresso chaser. She clasped her hands and looked at her thumbs. She didnt know where to begin. “Someone told me about something horrible, and ... I wondered if youd ...
“Yes, he interrupted. “Ive heard all about it several times today. In fact, Frank Stuart chased me down at a job site this morning to ask me if Id broken the terms of Henrys will. He might ask you about it, too.
She looked up. “What?
“You were right. Mrs. Vaughn told everyone, and apparently she added a few juicy details of her own.
“Oh. She felt her cheeks burn and stepped a little to the left, out of the light. “I dont want to talk about that. I dont ever want to talk about what happened yesterday.
He leaned one shoulder against the door jam and looked at her through the night shadows. “Then why are you here?
“I dont really know, but I heard about an old rumor today, and I wanted to ask you about it.
“Whats that?
“Supposedly, I was pregnant when I left ten years ago.
“But we both know that was impossible, dont we? Unless of course you werent really a virgin.
