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“I’ve got business in town.” He was making her uncomfortable, studying her closely. “I tried to call, but you weren’t home.” Could he tell she’d gained a few pounds? See the slight bulge beneath her overalls?
“Well, come in.” She stepped back, opening the door wider. “I’m just heating up some herbal tea. You want some?”
Shutting the front door, he hung his jacket on the rack. “You never used to drink that stuff.”
“The doctor says it might help settle my stomach.”
“Seth told me you’ve been ill.” He followed her into the kitchen.
“Just morning sickness.” She looked away as she said the words. She’d rather not mention the pregnancy in front of him.
“You’re sure that’s all it is?”
“Positive. I just saw my doctor today.”
Susan dumped a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in her steaming cup in an attempt to camouflage the taste, took a sip and grimaced.
Leaning back against the counter, arms crossed, Michael watched her.
“How long are you in town?” she asked, trying desperately to think of what she’d be saying had she not been pregnant with his child. With his children, she amended.
“I’m not sure.” He turned to help himself to a can of soda from the refrigerator. “I’m investigating a company here in Cincinnati. They’ve come up with a new form of spray-in foam insulation that’s not just fire-resistant but eighty-nine percent fire-proof.”
Putting ice in a glass, pouring his soda, Michael had his back to her.
“Fire-proof insulation—can you imagine how that’ll take off?” she asked him. “A fire that started in one room of a home might burn the drywall, but the wall itself would still stand,” she went on. “And the room right next door might not even be touched.”
“Exactly.”
“How much is it likely to cost?” She’d have to look into getting some. After all, she had to protect the babies who’d soon be sleeping innocently in their cribs, relying on their mother to keep them safe.
Michael shrugged, coming to sit with her at the table. “That all depends on production and distribution costs.” He wiped condensation from his glass with one lean finger. “If everything checks out as the preliminaries seem to indicate, this will be a whole new niche in the market. One I’d like to see Coppel pursue.”
Blood stirring in spite of her admonitions to be careful, Susan sat back and listened. This was vintage Michael, the way he’d been in their college days, his mind churning with plans, his entire body buzzing with energy. She’d fallen in love with him during just such a conversation.
“Miller Insulation is the only company that’s got the technology at the moment, but it won’t be long before others are figuring out what they’ve done,” he continued. “Miller doesn’t have the capital to hit the market big, but we do. So we buy Miller Insulation, put up plants in a few strategic places across the United States to keep distribution costs in line, and then, when everyone in the country’s demanding the product, we own the niche.”
“I’m impressed.” She smiled at him. Wanting him.
His eyes, so alight with intent, broke contact with hers. “By the time I do a complete analysis, figure profit margins, meet with Miller Insulation officials—well, I’ll probably be tied up here for a couple of weeks. Or more.”
She tried not to be excited about the prospect of having him in town for so long. Considering their current circumstances, it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to expect anything.
“Will you have time to go out for dinner or anything?” Should she ask him to stay with her? Four months ago she wouldn’t have had to ask.
No answer. Susan told herself not to be hurt. Her pregnancy was bothering Michael far more than she’d ever thought it would. How could she possibly have imagined she could carry the man’s child and not have it affect their relationship? Such as it was.
He broke the silence. “I’m worried about Seth.”
Susan looked back at Michael, taking way too much comfort from the concern in his eyes. “Me, too.”
“You have any idea why he’s drinking so much?”
“None.” She grimaced and shrugged her shoulders. “I asked him about it and got my head bit off for my trouble.”
“So you have noticed it,” he said. “It’s not just my imagination.”
Shaking her head, Susan related the last few times she’d met Seth for lunch. Her brother seemed to drink more than he ate.
