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She relaxed into the swirling bath water and told herself once again that she was better off single.
CHAPTER SIX
LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON Barton came home from a day of hiking with his brother, who’d once again harangued him about getting back in the dating game. Peter was a fiend on the subject and had been for nearly a year.
“So things went bad with Ellyn,” Pete kept saying. “It happens. There are plenty of other women out there.”
Barton hadn’t told him that he’d tried asking his neighbor out for a date, though maybe he should—at least it might shut Peter up.
The doorbell rang a few minutes after he returned. It was Nicole George.
“Hi. Is everything okay at your place?” He’d told her to feel free to ask for his help at any time. Being a good neighbor was important to him and he’d learned a great deal about repairs after fixing up his property.
“It’s fine. I came by earlier, but you weren’t home. I’m having a few folks over for dinner tonight and hope you’ll come also.”
“I don’t like horning in on a group of friends.”
“Don’t worry, they’re more acquaintances than friends. One is Chelsea Masters, the woman staying in my guest house.”
A surge of anticipation went through him. “I met Chelsea the other day.”
“Good. Another guest will be her sister, Terri, who just arrived after driving Chelsea’s car up from Los Angeles. Their brother is also coming. I knew the Masters family when I was a kid, but hadn’t seen them until recently when Jordan was assigned to do some articles on the agency. You’d actually be doing me a favor to come over and add to the mix.”
Barton didn’t know if Nicole was simply being gracious, but could see how the gathering might be an awkward combination. Besides, the best thing he had to eat in the house was four-day-old pizza in the fridge. Even Spike turned his nose up at four-day-old pizza.
“That would be nice,” Barton said. “Can I get something at the store to contribute?”
“Nope, just bring yourself. Say in an hour?”
Once she was gone, he ran upstairs to shower. This would be an opportunity to learn more about Chelsea without making it a big deal. Peter was right that he needed to come out of his shell and get back to normal; he just hadn’t felt like it until meeting her.
Spike sat on the bed as he dressed, seeming grumpy at the sign his human companion was getting ready to go out again.
“Bad luck, pal,” Barton told him when the cat glared. “I got a better offer for the evening.”
At six he rang his neighbor’s doorbell and Chelsea answered. The bruises on her face were still visible beneath her makeup, but he could tell they were starting to heal.
“Hi,” she greeted him. “Nicole is in the kitchen. Come out to the deck.”
“I understand your sister drove your car to Seattle.”
“Yes. I flew north to visit my brother and ended up getting a job my first day. Terri offered to bring my car and some of my stuff.”
“You must be the impulsive type.”
She looked charmingly pretty with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a pair of trim black shorts and a blue T-shirt. Her figure was appealing, but he especially liked her deep brown eyes. They were soft and warm and vulnerable.
Chelsea shook her head. “As a rule I’m not the least bit impulsive. But… I don’t know what happened. It seemed like a good idea and I think it’s going to work out well.”
“There’s an exception to every rule, right?”
“Yes.” She brightened. “That’s probably it.”
Barton had been cured of his own impulsiveness. He and his wife had married after a short courtship. They should have made sure they were committed to each other through thick and thin, and most of all, that they shared the same values and vision for the future. It was a mistake that had cost him dearly.
Now he believed in slow and deliberate decision-making.
Another brunette was sitting on the deck. Although she was attractive and shared a resemblance to Chelsea, she had an almost mocking hardness in her features. Chelsea’s face was much gentler.
“This is Barton Smith,” Chelsea introduced him. “Barton, my sister, Terri Masters.”
