over the threshold by an inch if that and dropped his overnight bag on the floor. "Okay, I'm in. Tell, tell."
Blue laughed at his eagerness. "No, Rosie doesn't know either." She reached out and tapped his smiling mouth with her finger. "And wipe that grin off your face. I'm sure she'll know soon enough."
"Of course she will." Neil grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to the couch.
Plopping down on it with her, he said, "Now, tell me."
She might as well get it over with. He wasn't going to stop asking until she did. "Okay.
Remember a few years ago, I took that trip to Savannah after Aunt Violet died?"
"Yeah. We were so worried when you would let me or Rosie go with you."
She smiled and snuggled into his familiar warmth. "I know."
Neil kissed the top of her head and pulled her in close with an arm around her shoulders.
"What does that have to do with tall, dark, and grumpy?"
"I met him that weekend in a bar down on the river."
"Uh-oh. What did you do, B?"
She nudged him in the side and lifted her head from where it rested on his chest to look at him. "What do you think I did? You saw him just now, right? What would you have done?"
"You've got a point there. The man did have the best eyes and those lips... Damn, girl. When you do manage to find them, you always find the good ones."
"You'll find a good one. He might not be in a bar or a club, but he's out there somewhere, babe."
"It's so nice to know one of us still believes that. Now, what happened between you two other than the obvious?"
Blue shrugged and found her place against Neil's chest again. "I left. He was asleep, and I left in the middle of the night. Well, it was more like five in the morning, but still..."
"Oh my God, B, you didn't. Please tell me you didn't. You left him sleeping? Even I know better than to do that. Did you at least leave a note?"
"No. I got dressed and walked out. I was in no shape to... I shouldn't have let things progress to that point. I was sad and feeling alone, and he walked in. We started talking while he waited for his beer, and I liked it. I liked him. Immediately. He made me laugh, and for a while, he made me forget my sadness."
Neil clucked his tongue. "Bad form not to leave a note saying good-bye. You'd have kicked my ass across three counties if I did something like that."
"One night stands aren't supposed to be like that, though. I'd had them before and they've never affected me like that, like he did. I wasn't ready."
"I know, honey. I take it neither of you knew the other was going to be here today?"
"No. I think if he'd known it was me, he wouldn't have come at all, friend request or not."
"Friend? Who?" he asked, his voice excited and full of nosy curiosity.
"He's a friend of Decker's, and when he got to town, Rosie asked if he'd be interested in taking a look at the wiring in the mansion."
"Damn, it's a small world."
"No shit. He probably wishes it was a whole lot larger. Anyway, I apologized to him right before you showed up."
"What did he say?"
"That it didn't matter."
"Ouch. Men can be so cruel. You believe him?"
Blue sighed. "I don't know. I don't think he meant it, but I probably deserved to hear the words."
"Why do you think he didn't mean it?"
Blue thought about it again, about how his eyes had softened right before the words came out. "Everything he feels is in his eyes. I noticed that when I first met him. Every emotion registers there. He tried to be cold and heartless, but he couldn't pull it off. His words were perfectly unfriendly, but his eyes told a completely different story."
Neil squeezed her shoulder. "Are you sure? Are you sure you didn't just imagine it or hope he didn't mean it?"
Blue poked him lightly in the ribs. "I'm not the fanciful, romantic one, Neil. That's you."
"Uh-huh. Lie to me another day. So, he's hurt?"
"I honestly don't know what he is other than angry."
"Five years is a long time to be angry at someone, B. Especially a one-night stand, unless it was
Blue laughed at his eagerness. "No, Rosie doesn't know either." She reached out and tapped his smiling mouth with her finger. "And wipe that grin off your face. I'm sure she'll know soon enough."
"Of course she will." Neil grabbed her by the arm and dragged her over to the couch.
Plopping down on it with her, he said, "Now, tell me."
She might as well get it over with. He wasn't going to stop asking until she did. "Okay.
Remember a few years ago, I took that trip to Savannah after Aunt Violet died?"
"Yeah. We were so worried when you would let me or Rosie go with you."
She smiled and snuggled into his familiar warmth. "I know."
Neil kissed the top of her head and pulled her in close with an arm around her shoulders.
"What does that have to do with tall, dark, and grumpy?"
"I met him that weekend in a bar down on the river."
"Uh-oh. What did you do, B?"
She nudged him in the side and lifted her head from where it rested on his chest to look at him. "What do you think I did? You saw him just now, right? What would you have done?"
"You've got a point there. The man did have the best eyes and those lips... Damn, girl. When you do manage to find them, you always find the good ones."
"You'll find a good one. He might not be in a bar or a club, but he's out there somewhere, babe."
"It's so nice to know one of us still believes that. Now, what happened between you two other than the obvious?"
Blue shrugged and found her place against Neil's chest again. "I left. He was asleep, and I left in the middle of the night. Well, it was more like five in the morning, but still..."
"Oh my God, B, you didn't. Please tell me you didn't. You left him sleeping? Even I know better than to do that. Did you at least leave a note?"
"No. I got dressed and walked out. I was in no shape to... I shouldn't have let things progress to that point. I was sad and feeling alone, and he walked in. We started talking while he waited for his beer, and I liked it. I liked him. Immediately. He made me laugh, and for a while, he made me forget my sadness."
Neil clucked his tongue. "Bad form not to leave a note saying good-bye. You'd have kicked my ass across three counties if I did something like that."
"One night stands aren't supposed to be like that, though. I'd had them before and they've never affected me like that, like he did. I wasn't ready."
"I know, honey. I take it neither of you knew the other was going to be here today?"
"No. I think if he'd known it was me, he wouldn't have come at all, friend request or not."
"Friend? Who?" he asked, his voice excited and full of nosy curiosity.
"He's a friend of Decker's, and when he got to town, Rosie asked if he'd be interested in taking a look at the wiring in the mansion."
"Damn, it's a small world."
"No shit. He probably wishes it was a whole lot larger. Anyway, I apologized to him right before you showed up."
"What did he say?"
"That it didn't matter."
"Ouch. Men can be so cruel. You believe him?"
Blue sighed. "I don't know. I don't think he meant it, but I probably deserved to hear the words."
"Why do you think he didn't mean it?"
Blue thought about it again, about how his eyes had softened right before the words came out. "Everything he feels is in his eyes. I noticed that when I first met him. Every emotion registers there. He tried to be cold and heartless, but he couldn't pull it off. His words were perfectly unfriendly, but his eyes told a completely different story."
Neil squeezed her shoulder. "Are you sure? Are you sure you didn't just imagine it or hope he didn't mean it?"
Blue poked him lightly in the ribs. "I'm not the fanciful, romantic one, Neil. That's you."
"Uh-huh. Lie to me another day. So, he's hurt?"
"I honestly don't know what he is other than angry."
"Five years is a long time to be angry at someone, B. Especially a one-night stand, unless it was
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