Page 48 of Once upon a Summer Night

Taken aback by his brusque tone, she frowned at him. “Isn’t that what you wanted?” she replied irritably, his bad mood rubbing off on her. “Think. You could knock off two difficult clients at once. How lovely for your company.”

“It would certainly make it easier to get more clients overseas if the two of you got married. A bookshop owner marrying into the upper crust. It’s one for the books.”

She glared at him. “I don’t know why you’re angry at me for doing exactly as you asked, but I do know that I’m done with this conversation.”

“Good,” he replied tersely.

“Good,” she muttered.

They remained silent throughout the car ride back to Colin’s house.

“I’m sorry.”

Ellie shrugged and looked into her coffee mug. All night, she tossed and turned, alternately angry and confused about why Colin took his bad mood out on her.

Heaskedher to go to the stupid party.

Heaskedher to give Reginald a chance.

She did exactly that, and he was upset that Reginald showed interest in her? She was surprised herself, but she assumed Reginald chose her as one of his three because theyshared a common heritage. They had a nice conversation, but Ellie doubted it would go any further than that. He seemed charmed by her, but he could’ve been that way with the other women. And she found him interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the man who stood in front of her now, looking chagrined.

She knew he looked chagrined, as she chanced a glance over the rim of her mug. He was staring at her intently.

“I was…unreasonable last night. I’m sorry that I took my grumpiness out on you.”

“Thank you.” She swallowed more of her coffee and wished he’d go away. She didn’t want to fight with him, but she didn’t want to be around him, either. She needed a clear head. “I thought to explore Faneuil Hall today, so I’m heading out. I’ll see you when you get home from the office, then?”

He gave her a small smile. “Not today. I thought I might show you the city a bit.” At her momentary freeze, he added, “That was the deal. You go to the mixer, and I show you the city. Remember?”

She remembered. She just didn’t think he wanted to be in her presence any more than she wanted to be in his.

“Please forgive me, Ellie. It won’t happen again. I don’t know what came over me, but I don’t want to fight with you. Especially over things that have nothing to do with you.”

She sighed and finally met his earnest eyes. She gave him a small smile. “All right, you’re forgiven.”

He blew out a big breath and smiled fully. “Then let’s have some fun. Faneuil Hall? Or a duck tour?”

“A what?”

“A duck tour. They’re these World War II amphibious vehicles that take you around the city on land and in the harbor. You’ll learn all sorts of stuff and see a lot, but the most fun is when you quack at the people on the street.”

Ellie raised her eyebrows at him. “Quack at people?”

“Yep. It’s fun.”

“I think I want to see Faneuil Hall, thank you.”

He grinned at her. “We can do both. It’s not a huge city.”

And that’s how, a mere two hours later, she found herself with a pair of ridiculous yellow duck lips attached to a cord around her neck. Within just a few minutes of the tour starting, she and Colin both enthusiastically blew into their duck bills to produce a loud quack at random people they passed on the street.

“My quack is louder than your quack.”

Ellie gasped. “It most certainly is not! Mine is far superior in both volumeandquality.”

Colin gave her a mock once-over. “That sounds suspiciously like a dare, Miss Carberry.”

In response, she placed the duck bill at her lips and quacked in his face with all her might.

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