what I think you’re trying to do, but it’s a bad idea,” Beth said emphatically. “I’m not interested. Mack’s not interested. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Rather than the disappointment Beth had anticipated, Destiny’s expression brightened.
“Perfect,” Destiny said.
“I beg your pardon.”
“I said that was the perfect response. You’re going to be a challenge,” Destiny explained. “I love that. More important, it is exactly what my nephew needs in his life. Most women are all too eager to fall right into his bed.”
“I don’t have time to be the challenge your nephew needs,” Beth said, beginning to feel a little frantic. She had a hunch that Destiny Carlton was a force to be reckoned with once her mind was set on something. Besides that, the whole image of falling into Mack’s bed was a little too attractive. She needed to stay away from these two. They had money. They had power. And one of them at least had a plan for the rest of Beth’s life, a plan she wasn’t one bit happy about.
“Of course, you have the time,” Destiny said blithely. “Everyone has time for love.”
Love? Love? Sweet heaven, how had they gone from talking about the prospect of her even having a date with Mack to falling in love with him?
“Not me,” Beth said fiercely. “I definitely do nothave time for a relationship. Really, Destiny. I don’t have a second to spare. My days are crammed. There are simply not enough hours for all the work I have to do.”
“You made time to have dinner with me at the last minute,” Destiny reminded her. “You could just as easily make time for Mack. Keep that in mind when he asks you out.”
“He is not going to ask me out,” Beth said confidently. “And if he does, the answer will be no.” A resounding no, she thought to herself. Bad enough to have to fight that little twinge of attraction she’d felt for him. She did not need to waste her time trying to fend off his aunt’s machinations as well.
Destiny’s smile spread.
“Stop that,” Beth said. She could practically read the woman’s mind. She was going back to that challenge thing again. “I am not saying no just to play hard to get. I am saying it because I am not interested. Period. That isn’t going to change. I suspect your nephew has enough women saying yes that he won’t waste too much time mourning my rejection, assuming he even asks me out in the first place. We didn’t exactly get off on the best foot. I was being very insulting about him, and he happened to overhear me.”
Destiny looked vaguely shocked by that. “You insulted him?”
“I never meant for him to hear me,” Beth said in her own defense.
“But all the same,” Destiny said. “He really is a fine man.”
“I’m sure you believe that,” Beth said, trying to extricate herself from the increasingly deep and murky waters of this conversation. “I only pointed out whathe’d heard so you would understand why I don’t think he’s likely to ask me on a date.”
“Oh, Mack has a thick enough hide. He has to, after being in the public eye for so long. He’ll ask you out. He won’t let a little unwitting insult stop him,” Destiny said confidently. “All I ask is that you give the invitation some thought.”
“Why me?” Beth asked, completely bemused that a woman she’d barely even met seemed so certain Beth was right for her obviously beloved nephew.
“I think that will become clear in time,” Destiny said enigmatically. “Just promise me you won’t close any doors.”
“I can’t promise that,” Beth said honestly. In fact, at the moment, with panic spreading through her, she was pretty sure that slamming the door on Mack Carlton and his meddling aunt, then bolting it tight, would be the smartest thing she could do.
Then again, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this little zing of anticipation humming through her veins. Sadly, it wasn’t altogether unpleasant. Just
Rather than the disappointment Beth had anticipated, Destiny’s expression brightened.
“Perfect,” Destiny said.
“I beg your pardon.”
“I said that was the perfect response. You’re going to be a challenge,” Destiny explained. “I love that. More important, it is exactly what my nephew needs in his life. Most women are all too eager to fall right into his bed.”
“I don’t have time to be the challenge your nephew needs,” Beth said, beginning to feel a little frantic. She had a hunch that Destiny Carlton was a force to be reckoned with once her mind was set on something. Besides that, the whole image of falling into Mack’s bed was a little too attractive. She needed to stay away from these two. They had money. They had power. And one of them at least had a plan for the rest of Beth’s life, a plan she wasn’t one bit happy about.
“Of course, you have the time,” Destiny said blithely. “Everyone has time for love.”
Love? Love? Sweet heaven, how had they gone from talking about the prospect of her even having a date with Mack to falling in love with him?
“Not me,” Beth said fiercely. “I definitely do nothave time for a relationship. Really, Destiny. I don’t have a second to spare. My days are crammed. There are simply not enough hours for all the work I have to do.”
“You made time to have dinner with me at the last minute,” Destiny reminded her. “You could just as easily make time for Mack. Keep that in mind when he asks you out.”
“He is not going to ask me out,” Beth said confidently. “And if he does, the answer will be no.” A resounding no, she thought to herself. Bad enough to have to fight that little twinge of attraction she’d felt for him. She did not need to waste her time trying to fend off his aunt’s machinations as well.
Destiny’s smile spread.
“Stop that,” Beth said. She could practically read the woman’s mind. She was going back to that challenge thing again. “I am not saying no just to play hard to get. I am saying it because I am not interested. Period. That isn’t going to change. I suspect your nephew has enough women saying yes that he won’t waste too much time mourning my rejection, assuming he even asks me out in the first place. We didn’t exactly get off on the best foot. I was being very insulting about him, and he happened to overhear me.”
Destiny looked vaguely shocked by that. “You insulted him?”
“I never meant for him to hear me,” Beth said in her own defense.
“But all the same,” Destiny said. “He really is a fine man.”
“I’m sure you believe that,” Beth said, trying to extricate herself from the increasingly deep and murky waters of this conversation. “I only pointed out whathe’d heard so you would understand why I don’t think he’s likely to ask me on a date.”
“Oh, Mack has a thick enough hide. He has to, after being in the public eye for so long. He’ll ask you out. He won’t let a little unwitting insult stop him,” Destiny said confidently. “All I ask is that you give the invitation some thought.”
“Why me?” Beth asked, completely bemused that a woman she’d barely even met seemed so certain Beth was right for her obviously beloved nephew.
“I think that will become clear in time,” Destiny said enigmatically. “Just promise me you won’t close any doors.”
“I can’t promise that,” Beth said honestly. In fact, at the moment, with panic spreading through her, she was pretty sure that slamming the door on Mack Carlton and his meddling aunt, then bolting it tight, would be the smartest thing she could do.
Then again, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt this little zing of anticipation humming through her veins. Sadly, it wasn’t altogether unpleasant. Just
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