An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [102]
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
He seemed to doubt Lesley and that upset her, possibly because she wasn’t sure. Part of her wanted to speak to Tony. School had been out for more than a week now and she was starved for the sight of him. Admitting her weakness, even to herself, demanded rigorous, painful honesty. Tony was married, and it sickened her that she felt this way.
“I’m sure,” she snapped, then added, “although it’s none of your business.”
He nodded, his eyes guarded as though he wanted to believe her but wasn’t convinced he should. “Are you going to invite me in for a cup of coffee?”
Lesley stared at him, not knowing what to say. She needed privacy in order to analyze her feelings, but at the same time, she didn’t want Chase to leave, because once he did, she’d be forced to confront her weakness for Tony.
Eric came into the kitchen, munching loudly on a cookie. “Lesley’s the best cook I ever met,” he announced, looking proud to be her neighbor. His jeans had large rips in the knees and his T-shirt was badly stained, but his cheerful expression was infectious.
“A better cook than Mom,” Kevin agreed, rubbing his forearm over his mouth to remove any crumbs.
“Even Dr. Seuss is a better cook than Mom. Remember the time she made us green eggs and ham for breakfast? Except they weren’t supposed to be.” Both boys laughed and grabbed another cookie.
“Say, you two ever been fishing?” Chase asked unexpectedly.
“Nope.” They gazed up at Chase with wide, eager eyes.
“I was planning to ask Lesley to go fishing tomorrow and I thought it might be fun if you two came along. You think you could talk your mom into letting you join us?”
“I’ll ask,” Eric said, racing from the kitchen.
“I want to ask,” Kevin shouted, running after his brother.
Lesley made a pot of coffee. She wasn’t gullible; she knew exactly why Chase had included the boys. He wanted to see her again and knew she wouldn’t refuse him if it meant disappointing her ragamuffin neighbors. She said as much when she brought two mugs of coffee to the table.
“What would you do if I said I couldn’t go with you?” she asked, sitting across from him.
The healing calm she’d experienced earlier with Chase on Mount Rainier had been shattered by Tony’s call. She hadn’t realized how frail that newfound peace had been or how easily it could be destroyed. She hated the fact that Tony continued to wield such power over her, especially when she felt she’d made strides in letting go of her love for him.
“The boys and I’d miss you,” Chase said after a moment, “but I’d never disappoint those two. Every boy should go fishing at some point in his life. I’d like it if you’d come, but I’ll understand if you’d prefer to stay home.” He sipped his coffee and seemed to be waiting for a response from her.
“Would it be all right if I let you know in the morning?”
“Of course.”
The front door flew open and Eric and Kevin shot into the room like bullets, breathless with excitement. “Mom said we could go! But she needs to know how much money we need and what we should bring.”
“Tell her you don’t need a dime and all you have to bring is an extra set of clothes.”
“What time?”
“Six sounds good.”
“In the morning?” Kevin’s eyes rounded with dismay. “We don’t usually get up before nine.”
“You want to catch trout, don’t you?”
“Sure, but…”
“We’ll be ready,” Eric said, elbowing his brother in the ribs. “Isn’t that right, Kevin?”
“Ow. Yeah, we’ll be ready.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you boys bright and early tomorrow morning.” Chase ushered them to the door, while Lesley sat at the table, hiding her amusement.
When Chase returned, he surprised her by taking one last sip of his coffee and carrying the mug to her sink. He came back to the table, placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“You’re leaving?” Suddenly it became vital that he stay because once he left, she feared the temptation to return Tony’s call would be too strong to control, too easy to rationalize. Standing abruptly, she folded her arms and stared up at him, struggling