even there and I'm excited."
With a watery laugh, Grace mopped at her face. "I don't know what came
over me, but he was yelling at me. It got my back up, and we had a fight
when he took me home. He was saying that I should quit my job and
talking to me like I'd lost every working brain cell in my head."
"Typical male reaction."
"That's right." Abruptly angry all over again, Grace nodded. "It was
just typical, and I never would have expected that from him. Then we
were rolling around on the grass."
"You were?" Absolutely delighted, Anna grinned.
"He was kissing me, and I was kissing him back, and it was wonderful.
All my life I'd wondered how it would be, and then there it was and it
was better than anything I'd ever imagined. Then he stopped and said he
was sorry."
Anna closed her eyes. "Oh, Ethan, you idiot."
"He told me to go inside, but just before I did he said he thought about
me. That he didn't want to, but he did. So I hoped that things would
start to change."
"I'd say they'd changed already."
"Yes, but not the way I'd hoped. The day you and Cam came back, I was
here when he got home. And it seemed like, maybea but he took me back
to my house. He told me he'd thought it through and he wasn't going to
touch me again and I was to steer clear of him for a while." She let out
a long breath. "So I am."
Anna waited a moment, then shook her head. "Oh, Grace, you idiot."
When
Grace frowned, Anna leaned across the table. "Obviously the man wants
you and it scares the hell out of him. You have the power here. Why
aren't you using it?"
"The power? What power?"
"The power to get what you want if what you want is Ethan Quinn. You
just need to get him alone and seduce him."
Grace snorted. "Seduce him? Me seduce Ethan? I couldn't do that."
"Why couldn't you?"
"Because Ia" There had to be a simple and logical reason. "I don't
know. I don't think I'd be good at it."
"I bet you'd be great at it. And I'm going to help you."
"You are?"
"Absolutely." Anna rose to fuss with her sauce and to think. "When's
your next night off?"
"Tomorrow."
"Good, that's just enough time. I'd keep Aubrey for you overnight, but
that might make it too obvious, and we'd better be subtle. Is there
someone you'd trust with her?"
"My mother's been wanting to take her overnight, but I couldn't--"
"Perfect. You might feel inhibited with the baby in the house. I'll
figure out how to get him over there."
She turned around, studied Grace. Cool, classic looks, she mused. Big,
sad eyes. The man was already a goner. "You'll want to wear something
simple but feminine." Considering, she tapped a fingertip against her