Page 19 of Passion at the Lake

“None at all, dear.” She pointed out the window. “That’s my house, but I wander in and out of here during the day.”

“And for meals?” I asked, confirming this odd living arrangement.

“Of course. Otherwise my nephew would die of malnutrition. If it doesn’t have microwave directions on the package, he can’t handle it.” She laughed. “The funny thing is, while I’m keeping an eye on him for his mother, he thinks he’s keeping an eye on me for her.” She laughed again. “Men.”

I checked the time. “How far is it into town? I need to visit the bank and set up an account.”

Her brows drew together. “So you’re staying a while?”

“Just a few weeks.” Only after I said the words did I realize how odd it sounded that I wanted to open a bank account here if I was merely passing through.

She nodded. “Hmm... And you want to walk to town?”

“I left my car there. Callie drove me here last night.”

“Ah. I can take you in then, and you can drive back,” she offered. “Park in front of the house. The trail around back to the cottage isn’t fit for a mule.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be great. I just have to get my purse from the cottage.”

Footsteps came from around the corner.

I turned.

He appeared and stopped short.

I shivered, taking in the sight of Boone Benson for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

His mouth gaped open, and his eyes narrowed. He’d been much more appealing as the butt god when I didn’t have to see his eyes. Were they filled with hatred or disgust? Hard to tell, but probably both. He quickly turned his gaze to Marge.

“There you are.” She smiled at me before pivoting to my nemesis. “Say hello to Grace’s sister, Angela.” After a quick glance between us, she must have felt the disdain roiling off Boone. The smile fell away from her lips. “I was just showing her around.”

When he didn’t move or speak, I filled the silence. “We’ve met.”

Boone refused to look at me and instead focused on the floor. His mouth had recovered from fly-catching mode to form a thin, angry line.

Before this got any more awkward, I explained to Marge, “I’m originally from Peterville. We went to high school together.”

It had been a long time, but clearly not long enough for either of us to forget. Yesterday I’d left Kevin, only to run smack dab into Boone. The universe was serving me up some wicked bad karma.

Marge tried to bridge the awkwardness. “Then I’ll bet you two will have a lot of catching up to do over dinner.”

Boone’s head shake at Marge was slight, but I caught it. “Eat without me. I have a lot of work to catch up on.” He turned and started off.

“Are you trying to upset me?” she asked him.

He stopped with a sigh. “No. Of course not.”

“My doctor said I can’t eat late. You know that.” Marge took a perceptibly deep breath. “We will have dinner at the normal time, and you can go back to work after we eat, if you must.” Her eyes held his.

He gritted his teeth, still not looking my way, and gave in to Marge’s challenge. “Sure. Regular time. I have to go now.” He spun again.

“Good.” Marge nodded and grinned at her victory. “Angela, why don’t you run and get your purse? My nephew can drive you into town.” She turned and added sweet syrup to her voice. “Can’t you, dear? I’m feeling a little faint.”

“If she hurries,” he grunted. “I don’t have time to waste.”

I trotted back to Grace’s shack with a twist in my gut. What had I done to deserve this punishment? Forced to live in close proximity to this ass? And eat meals with him?

Grace was going to owe me big time when this was over.

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