Page 21 of Landing Love

“To good and helpful friends.” She took yet another swig, this time without being prompted. “Thank you all so much for your help today. I cannot express how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”

“It was our pleasure.” Thompson grabbed a sandwich.

“Anything for a friend of O’Donnell’s.” Pritchard guzzled his beer.

“Especially a lady friend.” Thompson smirked at Bill.

“Especially a lady friend.” Pritchard winked at her.

Bill wanted to strangle them both.

“We’re all impressed that you’ve captured O’Donnell’s notoriously roving eye.” Thompson took a bite of his sandwich, oblivious to Bill’s glare. Why did he invite his friends again? He should have known they would make trouble.

Ann sat stiff as a board in her armchair, avoiding his gaze.

Christ. What would she think of him after this? Bill gave Thompson a warning look.

Thompson’s smile dropped, and he cleared his throat. “Not that his eye has roved lately. He’s been gaga over you ever since the Belmont girl’s party.”

Even worse! Couldn’t Thompson see Ann was ready to bolt from her own home? Gritting his teeth, Bill looked daggers at his friend and watched as Ann took another deliberate sip of beer, unprompted.

“Bill has been a perfect gentleman every time I’ve seen him.” Good Lord, she was defending him.

Pritchard raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Bill wanted to crawl under the carpet.

“He really has,” Ann protested. “He’s been visiting for weeks to fix my roof, and he’s never made advances.”

Thompson was now staring at him too, shaking with the effort to hold back laughter.

“I have nothing but the deepest respect for Ann,” Bill said, knowing full well his desires had gotten out of hand that very morning.

“‘Ann,’ is it?” Thompson tilted his head to the side. “You two are on a first name basis? I’ve known you for two years, and you still call me ‘Thompson.’”

“That’s different.” Bill picked up a sandwich, wondering how he could escape this conversation. If he took a bite, would that make Thompson shut up?

“Exactly how is it different?” Thompson leaned forward.

Apparently not. Bill gulped down the bite he was chewing. “We work together. Everybody calls each other by their last names.”

Ann hiccupped, drawing everyone’s attention. Her beer can was tilting sideways in her hand. Oh my. She must have finished it. Ann, who never drank.

“I asked him to call me Ann.” Her polite indignation on his behalf was making him feel even worse. “He’s a very nice gentleman, and I like him. He always brings me strawberry cake or cupcakes. Did you know that? Every time.”

Oh God. She was exposing him for the romantic he was at heart. He would never hear the end of it. This would have been a good time for the floor to swallow him.

“O’Donnell, where’s our strawberry cake?” Pritchard waggled his eyebrows at Bill.

Swallowing down his ire, he tried for a light, joking tone. “I couldn’t very well bring a cake today. Where would I put it?”

The sooner he could get his friends out of Ann’s house the better. Thank God there was no cake to make them linger.

“That’s all right.” Ann stood, eyes alight. “Because I made one. Who would like cake?”

Lord have mercy! She did?

Everyone raised their hands. Of course, they did.