Page 46 of The Apple Tree

“Who set you up with an attorney from another town?”

I stopped my rocking.

“Or did you lie because you didn’t want to watch Josh?”

I shook my head. “I like Josh.”

“That’s not what I asked. You can like Josh and not want to watch him.”

“Speaking of watching Josh, we should get back to the house.” I turned.

“I can pay youandteach you how to do things. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you,” he said.

“It’s not that.” I walked around the boat toward the front barn door.

“Then what is it?”

I stopped, closing my eyes. “I told you I had a date last night because you were having dinner with Denise.”

“That makes no sense. Is it because she’s not on your list of approved dates for me?”

I was delusional. He didn’t think of me as anything beyond the girl next door and maybe a friend. “No.” I shook my head without turning toward him. “She’s not on my list of approved dates for you. But you don’t need my approval. And I don’t know why I lied. I thought … well, I don’t know. Just never mind.”

“What did you think?”

I rubbed my eyes. “Let’s not talk about it because it’s embarrassing, and I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

He stepped in front of me, blocking the door and forcing me to look at him in the dim light from the hanging bulb above us.

I rolled my eyes, feeling flushed from my face to my toes. “For a moment when we were on the dock the other night, I thought you were looking at me like …” I laughed a little, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

“Like what?”

“Like you liked me.” I pushed him out of the way and marched out the door to distance myself from his scrutinizing gaze that embarrassed me.

“I do like you.” He followed me.

“You don’t get it.” I lengthened my strides.

“I do get it.”

When I no longer heard his boots scuffing through the dirt behind me, I stopped and glanced over my shoulder.

“I do get it,” he repeated, scraping his teeth along his lower lip several times. “And it’s fun.Likingyou is fun. Everything about you is fun and refreshing. Eve, women like you”—he smirked—“not that there’s anyone else like you, bring men like me to our knees. But,” he chuckled, shaking his head, “I have grown-up responsibilities, including a child. So my fun needs to be safer than liking my brother’s best friend’s eighteen-year-old daughter.”

His words shot through my veins, and I felt powerful. “I can bring you to your knees?” My smile lost all control.

He veered off toward the house. “Let’s not find out. I’ll see you at church tomorrow, where getting on my knees is pleasing to God … and Pastor Jacobson.”

Not find out? Was he crazy? Oh, we were going to find out.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

POISON, “TALK DIRTY TO ME”

Eve

“What if he’smessing with you? Being nice so you don’t feel embarrassed?” Erin asked as we sat across from each other at McDonald’s. She twisted her lips. “But then again, he adjusted your bra strap at the lake. That’s weird if he’s not attracted to you. Or maybe it was a fatherly thing.” Erin shook her head. “He’s totally messing with you, Eve. Don’t you dare give him more. You’ll feel like a fool. You need to date someone else for real, not some made-up guy. And make it a little more believable than an attorney.”

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