to change the subject.
Trevor laughed. "I'd like a little of the egg on your face."
"Shut up," Jake growled back. "And, Chloe, eat your peas."
"Thanks for nothing, Uncle Trevor."
Kate tried to keep a straight face through the remainder of the dinner. Jake wouldn't look at her. Chloe made faces every time she took a bite of peas. Trevor tormented Jake with his ever-present smirk. Kate had never known how much she wanted to feel like a part of a family until she met them.
After dinner they retired to the living room to watch a movie; Chloe and Trevor scrambled for the two chairs, leaving Kate to share the sofa with Jake. Kate had a sneaking suspicion that Jake had masterminded the ploy, and feigned innocence for her benefit. What he lacked in tact, he made up for in good intentions.
By nine o'clock she found that the Callahans had more in common man their blond hair and blue eyes. They were all fast asleep. Chloe and Trevor woke in separate intervals and dragged themselves off to bed. She was thankful that they were too groggy to notice much of anything.
Jake had slumped down until his head ended up in her lap. He looked sweet when he slept. Relaxed and content. This was a side of himself that he usually reserved for his daughter. Not wishing to lose the closeness, she settled in to view the remainder of the movie.
* * * *
Jake turned his head in an effort to find a more comfortable position on the lumpy pillow. He realized something was wrong when his pillow hiccupped. He raised his heavy eyelids and stared up into Kate's tear-stained face. Her fingers tightened around his hand, her gaze remained transfixed on the small screen.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Embarrassed that she'd been caught, she wiped her hand across her damp cheek and forced a smile. "Nothing."
"Why are you crying?"
"Because it was so . . . sad when Elliott said goodbye."
Is this something I'm supposed to understand? And who the hell is Elliott? "What are you talking about?"
"E.T. had to go home, and Elliott wanted him to stay."
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to cover his smile of relief. She sobbed over a dumb children's movie! Across half of America tonight, ten million women cried their eyes out over the ugliest-looking creature to grace the small screen. There must be some logic he failed to grasp.
"Don't cry, Kate. He'll come back in the sequel."
"Ooh," she yelped, pushing him off the couch and onto the floor. Kate didn't like to be teased, he noted from his vantage point on the floor, although she sure had dished out her fair portion of sarcasm. "You're impossible!"
As she stood up, he grabbed on to her leg and sent her tumbling into his lap. She squirmed and wriggled with annoyance, but in the end she settled down and rested her head on his shoulder. She could bare her claws, but a gentle stroke in the right place and she curled right into him and purred.
"I should go, Jake."
"Do you want me to come?"
She hesitated, and then shook her head. "No."
"May I ask why?"
"It isn't because I don't want you. I can't explain it. I feel funny about Chloe being home. I know it doesn't make sense since we won't be in the same house, but I would rather our first time be when she's at school or somewhere else. Do you understand?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I do. That's why I didn't stay yesterday, but you got mad at me."
"All right. So you're smarter than me about these things, Callahan. No need to rub it in."
She exhaled a deep sigh and closed her eyes. She seemed to be struggling to maintain her resolve. Her heart did the right thing, but her body punished her for it. He recognized the ache of need versus conscience.
"Do you suppose we could discuss it again tomorrow over breakfast at your place?"
"I haven't got much food in my refrigerator."
"You've got exactly what I'm hungry for, Kate."
Chapter Eight
A loud crash just outside her window sent Kate flying from the bed in the very early hours of the morning. She
Trevor laughed. "I'd like a little of the egg on your face."
"Shut up," Jake growled back. "And, Chloe, eat your peas."
"Thanks for nothing, Uncle Trevor."
Kate tried to keep a straight face through the remainder of the dinner. Jake wouldn't look at her. Chloe made faces every time she took a bite of peas. Trevor tormented Jake with his ever-present smirk. Kate had never known how much she wanted to feel like a part of a family until she met them.
After dinner they retired to the living room to watch a movie; Chloe and Trevor scrambled for the two chairs, leaving Kate to share the sofa with Jake. Kate had a sneaking suspicion that Jake had masterminded the ploy, and feigned innocence for her benefit. What he lacked in tact, he made up for in good intentions.
By nine o'clock she found that the Callahans had more in common man their blond hair and blue eyes. They were all fast asleep. Chloe and Trevor woke in separate intervals and dragged themselves off to bed. She was thankful that they were too groggy to notice much of anything.
Jake had slumped down until his head ended up in her lap. He looked sweet when he slept. Relaxed and content. This was a side of himself that he usually reserved for his daughter. Not wishing to lose the closeness, she settled in to view the remainder of the movie.
* * * *
Jake turned his head in an effort to find a more comfortable position on the lumpy pillow. He realized something was wrong when his pillow hiccupped. He raised his heavy eyelids and stared up into Kate's tear-stained face. Her fingers tightened around his hand, her gaze remained transfixed on the small screen.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Embarrassed that she'd been caught, she wiped her hand across her damp cheek and forced a smile. "Nothing."
"Why are you crying?"
"Because it was so . . . sad when Elliott said goodbye."
Is this something I'm supposed to understand? And who the hell is Elliott? "What are you talking about?"
"E.T. had to go home, and Elliott wanted him to stay."
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to cover his smile of relief. She sobbed over a dumb children's movie! Across half of America tonight, ten million women cried their eyes out over the ugliest-looking creature to grace the small screen. There must be some logic he failed to grasp.
"Don't cry, Kate. He'll come back in the sequel."
"Ooh," she yelped, pushing him off the couch and onto the floor. Kate didn't like to be teased, he noted from his vantage point on the floor, although she sure had dished out her fair portion of sarcasm. "You're impossible!"
As she stood up, he grabbed on to her leg and sent her tumbling into his lap. She squirmed and wriggled with annoyance, but in the end she settled down and rested her head on his shoulder. She could bare her claws, but a gentle stroke in the right place and she curled right into him and purred.
"I should go, Jake."
"Do you want me to come?"
She hesitated, and then shook her head. "No."
"May I ask why?"
"It isn't because I don't want you. I can't explain it. I feel funny about Chloe being home. I know it doesn't make sense since we won't be in the same house, but I would rather our first time be when she's at school or somewhere else. Do you understand?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I do. That's why I didn't stay yesterday, but you got mad at me."
"All right. So you're smarter than me about these things, Callahan. No need to rub it in."
She exhaled a deep sigh and closed her eyes. She seemed to be struggling to maintain her resolve. Her heart did the right thing, but her body punished her for it. He recognized the ache of need versus conscience.
"Do you suppose we could discuss it again tomorrow over breakfast at your place?"
"I haven't got much food in my refrigerator."
"You've got exactly what I'm hungry for, Kate."
Chapter Eight
A loud crash just outside her window sent Kate flying from the bed in the very early hours of the morning. She
Similar Books
