Page 17 of Rewrites of the Heart

He let out a sigh. “I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.” He shifted his weight in the chair.

“We know you aren’t, Kenn,” Rob said. “That’s not what this evening’s about. We invited Nan’s sister. We have her over quite a bit, but she really needs to talk to people other than us.” He glanced at Nan. “She’s a widow and has been burying herself in her work. We’re trying to get her out of the house more, that’s all.” He paused. “She’s also a history buff. We thought she’d enjoy meeting and talking with you.”

Every muscle in his body relaxed. “I can’t tell how relieved I am to hear that.” He envisioned an older woman, white hair, on the plump side. Just then the doorbell rang.

Chapter 16

JJ pulled her car up the driveway of her sister’s Cape Cod. She admired the large maple tree in the front yard and how the late afternoon sun highlighted the leaves just beginning to turn colors.

The house, painted a snappy white with a crisp crimson trim, had an attached garage Rob had added several years ago. A large, red metal star hung over its door.

She exited the car and walked up to the front porch, furnished with four wicker chairs and two small end tables. She stood at the door and took a deep breath. To say she wasn’t looking forward to this was the understatement of the century. But she was determined to be polite for Nan’s sake. And, should her determination fail her, the bottle of wine she brought as a hostess gift would strengthen her resolve. She hoped.

This was not the first round of draft choices for her new husband. While she continually protested these dinners, her sister cheerfully and deliberately continued holding them. She knew her sister meant well.

She explained several times over to her sister she had a different set of priorities now. When the time came, she knew the right man would walk into her life. Until then, men were just not a major attraction. Or so she tried to convince herself.

Her mind went over the obstacles to dating. It had only been four years. Far too early to be seeing anyone yet, let alone thinking about a serious relationship. And she couldn’t even imagine replacing the image of Geoff with some other man. It was just totally impossible. So, what were all those sensual feelings she had at the café the other day for Kenn Cooper?

Enough. She purposely pushed such thoughts from her head. She refocused on where she was, feeling like a Christian about to enter the lion’s den. She rang the doorbell, and without waiting for an answer, let herself in.

As she walked into her sister’s living room, she pasted an automatic smile on her face. It wasn’t difficult; she loved her sister. Nan brought out the best in her. Nan jumped off the couch and the two sisters hugged. JJ handed her the bottle of wine.

Rob and the guest stood up. As the siblings released their embrace, Rob stepped up to give her sister-in-law a kiss on the cheek.

“I’d like you to meet…”

“You!” Every muscle in her body tightened.

“Dr. Kennedy King Cooper,” Rob whimpered.

Making no pretense of even being polite to Kenn, she quickly, and awkwardly dragged her sister by the arm out of the room. Nan’s free arm flailing, she managed a smile and a single index finger wave to the men.

“Back in a nanosecond,” she said with what sounded like more than a bit of uncertainty.

As they left the room, she heard Rob say, “Well, I’d say that went rather well, now, didn’t it?”

“Nan, how in the world could you do this me?” she asked when they reached the kitchen. Absolutely infuriated with her sister, she paced frantically.

“After I told you I didn’t want you to try to set me up with any guy, you set me up with the man I met in the bookstore. He’s a complete egotistical maniac.”

“Honey, you knew who were meeting tonight. You should have said something.”

She gave her sister a blank stare.

“I told your personal assistant the guest was a friend of Rob’s from your old history department. I even mentioned his name—I’m sure I did. She assured me she’d give you all the details.”

“Is that what she called herself when she answered the phone—my personal assistant?”

“Well, if she’s not that, who is she?”

“Alex. Alex Zurich, she’s one of the characters…” she almost said it.One of the characters from my novel.

“You’re right, she’s my new personal assistant.” She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t mention it to you because I wasn’t sure if you’d see hiring her as an extravagance or not.” She examined her horrible circumstances—from the vain man in the living room who made her livid just thinking about him to the two characters from her novel in her own living room.

“Come on, give the man a break,” Nan urged. “Maybe he’s not as bad as you think. After all, he was Rob’s roommate in college. Rob’s got pretty good taste. He married me, didn’t he?”

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