Page 74 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“You didn’t close the door to talk to me about bonds,” Paul said softly. “What’s troubling you, Cait?”
She laughed uncomfortably, wondering how a man could be so astute in one area and so blind in another. If only he’d reveal some emotion toward her. Anything. All he did was sit across from her and wait. He was cordial enough, gracious even, but there was no hint of anything more. Nothing to give Cait any hope that he was starting to care for her.
“It’s about Joseph Rockwell.”
“The contractor who’s handling the remodeling?”
Cait nodded. “I knew him years ago when we were just children.” She glanced at Paul, whose face remained blank. “We were neighbors. In fact Joe and my brother, Martin, were best friends. Joe moved out to the suburbs when he and Martin were in the sixth grade and I hadn’t heard anything from him since.”
“It’s a small world, isn’t it?” Paul remarked affably.
“Joe and Martin were typical young boys,” she said, rushing her words a little in her eagerness to have this out in the open. “Full of tomfoolery and pranks.”
“Boys will be boys,” Paul said without any real enthusiasm.
“Yes, I know. Once—” she forced a light laugh “—they actually involved me in one of their crazy schemes.”
“What did they put you up to? Robbing a bank?”
She somehow managed a smile. “Not exactly. Joe—I always called him Joseph back then, because it irritated him. Anyway, Joe and Martin had this friend named Pete who was a year older and he’d spent part of his summer vacation visiting his aunt in Peoria. I think it was Peoria.... Anyway he came back bragging about having kissed a girl. Naturally Martin and Joe were jealous and as you said, boys will be boys, so they decided thatone of them should test it out and see if kissing a girl was everything Pete claimed it was.”
“I take it they decided to make you their guinea pig.”
“Exactly.” Cait slid to the edge of the chair, pleased that Paul was following this rather convoluted explanation. “I was eight and considered something of a... pest.” She paused, hoping Paul would make some comment about how impossible that was. When he didn’t, she continued, a little let down at his restraint. “Apparently I was more of one than I remembered,” she said, with another forced laugh. “At eight, I didn’t think kissing was something nice girls did, at least not without a wedding band on their finger.”
“So you kissed Joseph Rockwell,” Paul said absently.
“Yes, but there was a tiny bit more than that. I made him marry me.”
Paul’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling.
“Now, almost twenty years later, he’s getting his revenge by going around telling everyone that we’re actually married. Which of course is ridiculous.”
A couple of strained seconds followed her announcement.
“I’m not sure what to say,” Paul murmured.
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to say anything. I thought it was important to clear the air, that’s all.”
“I see.”
“He’s only doing it because... well, because that’s Joe. Even when we were kids he enjoyed playing these little games. No one really minded, though, especially not the girls, because he was so cute.” She certainly had Paul’s attention now.
“I thought you should know,” she added, “in case you happened to hear a rumor or something. I didn’t want you thinking Joe and I were involved, or even considering a relationship. I was fairly certain you wouldn’t, but one never knows and I’m a firm believer in being forthright and honest.”
Paul blinked. Wanting to fill the awkward silence, Cait chattered on. “Apparently Joe recognized my name when he and his men moved my office in here with yours. He was delighted when I didn’t recognize him. In fact, he caused a commotion by asking me about our children in front of everyone.”
“Children?”
“My dolls,” Cait was quick to explain.
“Joe Rockwell’s an excellent man. I couldn’t fault your taste, Cait.”
“The two of usaren’tinvolved,” she protested. “Good grief, I haven’t seen him in nearly twenty years.”
“I see,” Paul said slowly. He sounded... disappointed, Cait thought. But she must have misread his tone because there wasn’t a single, solitary reason for him to be disappointed. Cait felt foolish now for even trying to explain this fiasco. Paul was so oblivious about her feelings that there was nothing she could say or do to make him understand.
“I just wanted you to know,” she repeated, “in case you heard the rumors and were wondering if there was anything between me and Joseph Rockwell. I wanted to assure you there isn’t.”
