Page 49 of An Unexpected Match

“I was hungry, and you weren’t here. Did you sleep in late?”

“A bit. Where’s Avery?”

“She’s watching Daddy get dressed. Can I eat now?”

Arden pulled down a bowl and went to the refrigerator for milk.

She wouldn’t have minded watching their daddy dress. Or undress. What had he been wearing Saturday night?

She wished once again the lights had been on so she could have feasted her gaze on his physique. Her fingertips tingled in remembrance.

“He’s leaving again on a trip,” Hailey said, sitting at her place and watching as Arden prepared her bowl of cereal.

“I know. But just for a few days. You and Avery can paint on your mural and maybe have it finished by the time Daddy comes home.”

Hailey nodded, engrossed in eating.

Brendan came into the kitchen carrying Avery just as the doorbell rang.

“That’s probably my ride. I’m leaving the car here. Use it if you need it. The keys are on the table by the front door.”

He deposited Avery in her chair and gave her a quick kiss. One for Hailey. Then he straightened and looked directly at Arden.

For a moment she saw the desire flare in his eyes. He wanted to kiss her goodbye as well.

She blinked and stepped back.

“I plan to be home on Wednesday.”

With a curt nod, he left.

Arden stood transfixed. She heard him greet someone, and a couple of seconds later, the front door closed behind them. Silence, except for Hailey’s spoon hitting the side of the bowl.

“Can I eat?” Avery asked, looking at Arden with puzzlement.

He couldn’t have kissed her, not in front of the girls, she reasoned as she prepared Avery’s breakfast.

But he’d wanted to. She knew it.

And she wouldn’t have pushed him away this time.

By nine o’clock that night Arden knew Brendan wouldn’t call. He hadn’t said he would, but she remembered his nightly calls from Latin America. She had thought he might repeat the pattern from Washington.

Taking the baby monitor into her room, she sat down to study. Tomorrow was the first of her final examinations, and she was determined to do well. Of course, her project counted for a huge percentage of her grade in one course, but there would be a written test in all the courses.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t concentrate.

She wondered what Brendan was doing. Had he taken his clients out to dinner? Wined and dined them as part of business?

Or did he just go with friends for fun and relaxation?

Was there a woman there he’d known for years, who might also have known Lannie? Someone he could talk to as an old friend?

Restlessly, she shifted on the bed, unable to focus on the words that danced in front of her. She wasn’t paying attention.

Her phone rang.

She snatched it up.

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