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68
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
Her eyes were closed so she wasn't aware of him. He stood
in the doorway, unable to look away from her. Her
movements were as graceful and sweeping as a dancer's. His
gaze shifted to her hands. He imaged them caressing his
cheeks as she leaned in to touch her mouth to his.
She opened her eyes suddenly, saw him, gasped, and
came to an abrupt stop. "Mr. Jordan! I ... I didn't hear you.
How ... how long have you been standing there?"
He found her breathless voice rather attractive. How would
it sound whispering something soft and sweet to him?
"Only for a few moments."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't want to startle you." Noting how lovely she
looked, he suddenly wished he had shaved and worn a pair of
dress pants.
"And yet you did."
"Sorry." He strolled into the room. "My mother sent me to
entertain you while she and Carolyn finish dinner."
"Oh."
"Can I get you anything?"
She shook her head. "Ah, no. I had some of your mother's
excellent lemonade ten minutes ago."
For a moment, they stood in silence, staring at each other.
"I didn't expect to see you here. I understood from your
mother that it would be just the two of us for dinner."
"And I thought it would be just Mom, Carolyn and me."
She looked dismayed. "Oh. Then you wouldn't have come
if you known I'd be here."
He shook his head. "I didn't say that."
69
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
"You didn't need to. I know how you feel." She glanced
over her shoulder toward the kitchen. "I wish your mother
had told me you'd be here." She sounded and looked
irritated.
"I get the feeling you wouldn't have come if you'd known
Carolyn and I would be here."
Her response was quick and ego deflating. "You're right. I
wouldn't have come."
He frowned. "Why not?"
She stared at him, her dark eyes narrowed. "I think you
know the answer to that question."
"No, I don't."
"I'm sure you can figure it out with a little effort. In the
meantime, I'm going home."
"No!" The word was forced out of his mouth before he
could stop it.
She stared at him. "What?"
"You're here now, and Mom is sure to have cooked enough
food for at least ten people."
"Maybe so, but this isn't what I expected when I agreed to
come to dinner." She scooped her handbag up from the sofa.
"Would you explain to your mother that I had to go?"
"No, I won't."
She shrugged. "Fine. I'll explain myself the next time I see
her." She left the living room.
He could hear her heels clinking on the tiles in the hallway.
Moments later, he heard her struggling to open the deadbolt
lock on the front door.
70
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
He left the living room and rushed down the hall to the
front door.
She turned to face him. "Would you help me with the
door? I can't seem to figure out how to unlock it."
"I think you've misunderstood. I "
"Are you going to unlock the door for me?"
He shook his head. "Not until you hear me out."
She turned back to the door, stared at both locks in silence
for several moments, and finally managed to get the door
open. She quickly went through, closing it behind herself.
He pulled the door open.
In her haste to get away from him, she was practically
running down the sidewalk.
"Diana! Wait!" He followed her out of the house. Uncaring
of the neighbors sitting on front porches watching, he reached
out, caught her hand in his, and bought her to a reluctant
stop. He turned her to face him. The sight of tears in her eyes
stunned him. "Hey! Don't cry."
She tugged at her hand. "Let go."
He softened his voice. "I will. I just want you to
understand."
"There's nothing to understand, Mr. Jordan." Her voice
shook, but she stared defiantly up at him.
"I think there is. You seem to think that I don't like you,"
he began slowly, nonplused by her tears. Why couldn't
women play fair? Why did they always have to resort to
tears?
71
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
She tugged at her hand again. Instead of releasing it, he
cradled it in his, rubbing the ball of his thumb across the back
of her hand. "I wish you'd let me explain."
"There's nothing to explain. I knew the moment we met
that I wasn't the type of woman you'd be attracted to. And I
am painfully aware that a lot of men don't like women my
size. You're obviously one of them."
"You don't know enough about me to say that!" he said,
stung by her less than flattering assessment of his character.
She made him sound like an immature boy who didn't know
that beauty was only skin deep.
"I know enough to know that I don't want to know
anymore," she said in a biting voice.
He dropped her hand. "I'm sorry to hear that, because I've
known for some time now that I don't know nearly as much
about you as I'd like to," he was stunned to hear himself
admit.
She stared up at him. "I ... what?"
"And it might interest you to know that I find you very
attractive. Even when you're wearing those ridiculous
coveralls." He allowed his gaze to flick briefly over her. "And
especially when you're wearing pink."
[Back to Table of Contents]
72
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
Chapter Seven
Diana didn't believe him. She didn't want to. She was past
caring what he thought of her. She'd made her peace. So why
was her heart beating so furiously? And why was she eagerly
awaiting his next words?
"Look, Diana, I know I've been sort of a ... a..."
"Jerk would be an appropriate word with which to fill in the
blank," she said helpfully.
His eyes narrowed slightly and his lips tightened, but he
nodded. "Okay. I've been a jerk. Satisfied? Now come back [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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nice.
68
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
Her eyes were closed so she wasn't aware of him. He stood
in the doorway, unable to look away from her. Her
movements were as graceful and sweeping as a dancer's. His
gaze shifted to her hands. He imaged them caressing his
cheeks as she leaned in to touch her mouth to his.
She opened her eyes suddenly, saw him, gasped, and
came to an abrupt stop. "Mr. Jordan! I ... I didn't hear you.
How ... how long have you been standing there?"
He found her breathless voice rather attractive. How would
it sound whispering something soft and sweet to him?
"Only for a few moments."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"I didn't want to startle you." Noting how lovely she
looked, he suddenly wished he had shaved and worn a pair of
dress pants.
"And yet you did."
"Sorry." He strolled into the room. "My mother sent me to
entertain you while she and Carolyn finish dinner."
"Oh."
"Can I get you anything?"
She shook her head. "Ah, no. I had some of your mother's
excellent lemonade ten minutes ago."
For a moment, they stood in silence, staring at each other.
"I didn't expect to see you here. I understood from your
mother that it would be just the two of us for dinner."
"And I thought it would be just Mom, Carolyn and me."
She looked dismayed. "Oh. Then you wouldn't have come
if you known I'd be here."
He shook his head. "I didn't say that."
69
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
"You didn't need to. I know how you feel." She glanced
over her shoulder toward the kitchen. "I wish your mother
had told me you'd be here." She sounded and looked
irritated.
"I get the feeling you wouldn't have come if you'd known
Carolyn and I would be here."
Her response was quick and ego deflating. "You're right. I
wouldn't have come."
He frowned. "Why not?"
She stared at him, her dark eyes narrowed. "I think you
know the answer to that question."
"No, I don't."
"I'm sure you can figure it out with a little effort. In the
meantime, I'm going home."
"No!" The word was forced out of his mouth before he
could stop it.
She stared at him. "What?"
"You're here now, and Mom is sure to have cooked enough
food for at least ten people."
"Maybe so, but this isn't what I expected when I agreed to
come to dinner." She scooped her handbag up from the sofa.
"Would you explain to your mother that I had to go?"
"No, I won't."
She shrugged. "Fine. I'll explain myself the next time I see
her." She left the living room.
He could hear her heels clinking on the tiles in the hallway.
Moments later, he heard her struggling to open the deadbolt
lock on the front door.
70
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
He left the living room and rushed down the hall to the
front door.
She turned to face him. "Would you help me with the
door? I can't seem to figure out how to unlock it."
"I think you've misunderstood. I "
"Are you going to unlock the door for me?"
He shook his head. "Not until you hear me out."
She turned back to the door, stared at both locks in silence
for several moments, and finally managed to get the door
open. She quickly went through, closing it behind herself.
He pulled the door open.
In her haste to get away from him, she was practically
running down the sidewalk.
"Diana! Wait!" He followed her out of the house. Uncaring
of the neighbors sitting on front porches watching, he reached
out, caught her hand in his, and bought her to a reluctant
stop. He turned her to face him. The sight of tears in her eyes
stunned him. "Hey! Don't cry."
She tugged at her hand. "Let go."
He softened his voice. "I will. I just want you to
understand."
"There's nothing to understand, Mr. Jordan." Her voice
shook, but she stared defiantly up at him.
"I think there is. You seem to think that I don't like you,"
he began slowly, nonplused by her tears. Why couldn't
women play fair? Why did they always have to resort to
tears?
71
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
She tugged at her hand again. Instead of releasing it, he
cradled it in his, rubbing the ball of his thumb across the back
of her hand. "I wish you'd let me explain."
"There's nothing to explain. I knew the moment we met
that I wasn't the type of woman you'd be attracted to. And I
am painfully aware that a lot of men don't like women my
size. You're obviously one of them."
"You don't know enough about me to say that!" he said,
stung by her less than flattering assessment of his character.
She made him sound like an immature boy who didn't know
that beauty was only skin deep.
"I know enough to know that I don't want to know
anymore," she said in a biting voice.
He dropped her hand. "I'm sorry to hear that, because I've
known for some time now that I don't know nearly as much
about you as I'd like to," he was stunned to hear himself
admit.
She stared up at him. "I ... what?"
"And it might interest you to know that I find you very
attractive. Even when you're wearing those ridiculous
coveralls." He allowed his gaze to flick briefly over her. "And
especially when you're wearing pink."
[Back to Table of Contents]
72
Eye of the Beholder
by Marilyn Lee
Chapter Seven
Diana didn't believe him. She didn't want to. She was past
caring what he thought of her. She'd made her peace. So why
was her heart beating so furiously? And why was she eagerly
awaiting his next words?
"Look, Diana, I know I've been sort of a ... a..."
"Jerk would be an appropriate word with which to fill in the
blank," she said helpfully.
His eyes narrowed slightly and his lips tightened, but he
nodded. "Okay. I've been a jerk. Satisfied? Now come back [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]