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“Not that I saw.”
“Good. Have a seat. Drink?”
“No, thanks.”
On the way over, an unpleasant thought had crossed Noah’s mind. What if Maris had told her father about his affair with Nadia? Maybe she had confided in Daniel before running off to Georgia. To crown a totally shitty day, all he needed was for his father-in-law to accuse him of adultery and order him from his house. But the old man was behaving normally.
Noah sat down on the love seat. “I’m sorry to disturb you. But Maris will call later, and I’ll be required to give her a full report, right down to what you ate for dinner.”
“Grilled sole, brown rice, and steamed vegetables.”
“A menu she’ll approve. She also put me in charge of keeping you company while she’s away.”
Daniel snorted. “I don’t need a baby-sitter.”
“I agree. But please go along with me or I’ll catch hell when she returns.” He set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. “What say we go to the country tomorrow for the weekend? Get in some fishing. Relaxation. I could use it, God knows.”
“I rarely go up there anymore.”
“Before she left, I ran the idea past Maris, and it met with wholehearted approval. I think she feels guilty for not taking you to the farm more often. If we go, it will alleviate her guilt and give her peace of mind knowing that you’re enjoying yourself.”
Daniel pondered it for a moment. Noah said no more. He couldn’t push too hard or the old man would become suspicious. He’d made his pitch; it was time to shut up and let Daniel make his decision.
“What time tomorrow?”
Noah’s tension eased and he smiled. “I have a breakfast meeting that would be difficult to reschedule. We could leave right after.”
“That doesn’t give Maxine much time to—”
“Actually, Daniel, I was thinking that we could go alone. Really bach it.” He glanced over his shoulder as though to assure himself that the housekeeper wasn’t eavesdropping. Lowering his voice, he said, “If Maxine goes, she’ll fuss over you like a mother hen. You’ll be accounting to her for every drink, every fat gram. Forget puffing your pipe.”
“She nags worse than a wife, and everything I do will be reported straight to Maris.”
“Sometimes we men must take a stand.”
“Hear, hear.”
“So, are we all set?”
“I am if you are.”
“Great!” He stood and crossed the room to shake Daniel’s hand. “I’ll be over in the morning around ten. Pack light. I’ll call the grocer up there and have him deliver food and drink to the house, so it’ll be well stocked when we arrive.” As he moved toward the door, he spoke over his shoulder. “I’ll even volunteer to break the news to Maxine that she’s not invited.”
Chapter 22
While Maris studied his manuscript, Parker studied her.
She had taken a full h
our in the guest cottage and had returned wearing a loose, casual skirt that came almost to her ankles, along with the sleeveless shirt that tied at her waist and allowed an occasional glimpse of bare midriff. She had kicked off her sandals when she settled into the easy chair and tucked her feet beneath her.
Her hair had been shampooed. A fresh application of lip gloss had left her mouth with a peachy shine. And whether it was the whisky she’d drunk or cosmetics, there was more color in her cheeks than when she arrived. She looked and smelled delectable.
He supposed he should be grateful that she found his manuscript so absorbing that she was unaware of his scrutiny. She was focused solely on the pages lying in her lap, and he was irrationally jealous of his own work for the amount of her attention it was receiving.
Before her unheralded arrival this afternoon, he’d been well on his way to getting good and trashed. He hadn’t been able to write worth a crap all day, although from a meteorological standpoint it was a perfect day for it. Cloudy, gloomy, and gray, it was the kind of day when he usually immersed himself in his story and came up for air only when forced to by hunger, thirst, or needing to relieve himself.
But his mind had been a blank. Well… not a blank. He just wasn’t able to write down what was on his mind, because all that was on his mind was Maris. As it had been since she left, he could think of little else today.
