great.”
“You would. You enjoy making a fool out of me. Or seeing others do that for you.”
“So you’ve accused me before. It still isn’t true.”
Had she been in a more coherent frame of mind she’d have confronted him about the kiss right then and there. But she needed caffeine more than she needed anything else, so she passed Cole and headed straight for the coffeemaker. He’d apparently put on the first pot himself, so she decided not to go too hard on him—for now.
Then he made the mistake of following her and saying, “I’m not the settling-down type.”
“No kidding.” She inhaled the coffee fumes before drinking half the cup.
“Women seem to think that just because I’m a vet and I care about animals that I must be all warm and fuzzy.”
Leena shook her head. “What idiots.”
“Of course, I am warm and fuzzy—”
“Yeah, right.” She paused, coffee mug halfway to her lips. “Oh, you were serious.” She sipped her coffee. “Anyway, I do agree. No way are you the type to settle down.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Probably some trauma in your childhood or something. Maybe the Peter Pan syndrome.”
“I had a totally normal childhood, and I don’t have any syndromes.”
“Then why ask me why you don’t want to settle down?”
“I was asking you why you thought I wasn’t the type to do that.”
“Because you just told me you aren’t.” Was the man a few cards short of a full deck this morning?
“Yeah, but you acted like you already knew that before I said it.”
“Of course I did. It takes one to know one. I’m not ready to settle down either.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t ask you why not,” Leena pointed out.
“I’m asking you.”
The man was like a dog with a bone. What was his problem? He was the one who brought up this stupid topic to begin with. Obviously this was his way of warning her off after their kiss the other night.
Fine. She got the message. He didn’t have to hire a plane and skywrite it overhead. She got it already. Warning understood.
So what gave him the right to question her now? Did he think that she was sitting around panting for him? Not in this lifetime. “Why am I not ready to settle down? Because I’ve got places to go and things to do. And I certainly wouldn’t settle for Rock Creek or anyone who liked living here.”
“Because you’re so much better than the rest of us, huh? Glad you set me straight on that.” The flash of pure Irish Flannigan fury in Cole’s eyes was there and then gone a moment later. So was he.
“Where’s he off to in such a hurry?” Mindy asked.
“I have no idea.”
“He seemed angry.”
“You think?”
Mindy nodded before setting down her overstuffed tote bag. “I saw you in the paper this morning—”
“Please stop.” Leena held up her hand like a traffic cop. “I already know how bad it is. You don’t have to tell me.”
“I’d never do such a thing.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Mindy was much too kind to ever say a harsh word about anyone other than herself. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that. It’s just that I am not happy with the situation.”
“Which situation?”
“My picture being in the paper.”
“But I thought you’d be used to it by now. I mean, you’ve been a top model for several years now.”
Leena didn’t know how “top” she was, but in this photo she appeared almost topless. And then there was the matter of her thighs . . . “Yeah, well, I’ve never had a photo like that done before.”
“And that’s what is so great. You had the courage to show off your body even though it’s not a size zero.”
That hadn’t been Leena’s intent. She’d just been trying to pay the rent. But there wasn’t time to correct Mindy’s misconception.
To Leena’s surprise, the waiting area was filled within five minutes of her unlocking the front door. Strange. She didn’t remember seeing that many appointments on the schedule
“You would. You enjoy making a fool out of me. Or seeing others do that for you.”
“So you’ve accused me before. It still isn’t true.”
Had she been in a more coherent frame of mind she’d have confronted him about the kiss right then and there. But she needed caffeine more than she needed anything else, so she passed Cole and headed straight for the coffeemaker. He’d apparently put on the first pot himself, so she decided not to go too hard on him—for now.
Then he made the mistake of following her and saying, “I’m not the settling-down type.”
“No kidding.” She inhaled the coffee fumes before drinking half the cup.
“Women seem to think that just because I’m a vet and I care about animals that I must be all warm and fuzzy.”
Leena shook her head. “What idiots.”
“Of course, I am warm and fuzzy—”
“Yeah, right.” She paused, coffee mug halfway to her lips. “Oh, you were serious.” She sipped her coffee. “Anyway, I do agree. No way are you the type to settle down.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Probably some trauma in your childhood or something. Maybe the Peter Pan syndrome.”
“I had a totally normal childhood, and I don’t have any syndromes.”
“Then why ask me why you don’t want to settle down?”
“I was asking you why you thought I wasn’t the type to do that.”
“Because you just told me you aren’t.” Was the man a few cards short of a full deck this morning?
“Yeah, but you acted like you already knew that before I said it.”
“Of course I did. It takes one to know one. I’m not ready to settle down either.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t ask you why not,” Leena pointed out.
“I’m asking you.”
The man was like a dog with a bone. What was his problem? He was the one who brought up this stupid topic to begin with. Obviously this was his way of warning her off after their kiss the other night.
Fine. She got the message. He didn’t have to hire a plane and skywrite it overhead. She got it already. Warning understood.
So what gave him the right to question her now? Did he think that she was sitting around panting for him? Not in this lifetime. “Why am I not ready to settle down? Because I’ve got places to go and things to do. And I certainly wouldn’t settle for Rock Creek or anyone who liked living here.”
“Because you’re so much better than the rest of us, huh? Glad you set me straight on that.” The flash of pure Irish Flannigan fury in Cole’s eyes was there and then gone a moment later. So was he.
“Where’s he off to in such a hurry?” Mindy asked.
“I have no idea.”
“He seemed angry.”
“You think?”
Mindy nodded before setting down her overstuffed tote bag. “I saw you in the paper this morning—”
“Please stop.” Leena held up her hand like a traffic cop. “I already know how bad it is. You don’t have to tell me.”
“I’d never do such a thing.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Mindy was much too kind to ever say a harsh word about anyone other than herself. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bite your head off like that. It’s just that I am not happy with the situation.”
“Which situation?”
“My picture being in the paper.”
“But I thought you’d be used to it by now. I mean, you’ve been a top model for several years now.”
Leena didn’t know how “top” she was, but in this photo she appeared almost topless. And then there was the matter of her thighs . . . “Yeah, well, I’ve never had a photo like that done before.”
“And that’s what is so great. You had the courage to show off your body even though it’s not a size zero.”
That hadn’t been Leena’s intent. She’d just been trying to pay the rent. But there wasn’t time to correct Mindy’s misconception.
To Leena’s surprise, the waiting area was filled within five minutes of her unlocking the front door. Strange. She didn’t remember seeing that many appointments on the schedule
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