Page 41 of The Playboy and the Widow
“No, it never appealed to me.”
Diana pulled her gaze away. Owen was forty, balding and incredibly boring. Nice, but boring.
“I did go swimming once in Puget Sound,” he said, his voice rising with enthusiasm.
Diana’s smile was genuine. No doubt, Owen saw himself as a real daredevil. “I did, too—once, by accident.”
“Really?”
She nodded, and the silence returned. Finally she said, “I enjoy picnics.”
Owen’s forehead puckered into a brooding frown. “I don’t get much time for outdoor pursuits.”
“I can imagine... with school and everything.”
“Bridge is my game.”
“Bridge,” Diana repeated, amused. Owen Freeman was really quite predictable. “I imagine you’re good enough to play in tournaments.”
The literature professor positively gleamed. “As a matter of fact, I am. Have you ever played?”
“No,” she admitted reluctantly.
The hostess escorted another couple to the table across from their own. Diana didn’t pay much attention, but the blonde was stunning.
“I would thoroughly enjoy teaching you,” Owen continued. “Why, we could play couples.”
“I’m afraid I don’t have much of a head for cards.” Except when it came to her VISA or Mastercard. Then she knew all the tricks.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve just lacked a good teacher, that’s all. I promise to be patient.”
Diana felt someone’s stare. She paused and looked around and didn’t recognize anyone she knew. Taking another sip of her wine, she relaxed. “Is it warm in here? Or is it just me?” she asked Owen.
“It doesn’t seem to be overly warm,” Owen responded, and turned around as though to ask the opinion of those sitting at the table closest to their own.
Feeling feverish, Diana frantically fanned her face. It was then that she saw Cliff. The voluptuous blonde she’d noticed a few minutes before sat beside him, her torso practically draped over his arm. Diana’s hand froze in midair as her breath caught in her lungs. Her worst nightmare had just come true. Cliff was dating Miss World, and she was with Captain Kangaroo.
Eight
“Katie, will you kindly come down from that tree!” Diana yelled as she jerked open the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. It seemed she was going to have to cut down the apple tree in order to keep her younger daughter from climbing between its gnarled limbs. The girl seemed to think she was half monkey. Two days into summer vacation, and already Diana was beginning to sound like a banshee.
“Mom...”
“Katie, just do it. I’m in no mood for an argument.” She slammed the door, furious with herself for being so short-tempered and angry with Katie for disobeying her. A rush of air escaped her lungs as she slouched against the kitchen wall and hung her head in an effort to get a firm grip on her emotions.
“Mom?”
Diana lifted her eyes to find Joan standing on the other side of the room, studying her with an odd look. She frowned. “What?”
In answer to her mother’s question, Joan pulled out a chair and patted the seat. “I think it’s time for us to have another of our daughter-mother talks.”
If her preteen hadn’t looked so serious, Diana would have laughed. Not again! Diana had only just recovered from the first such conversation. Joan had spoken to her about the importance of not doing anything foolish—such as marrying Owen on the rebound from Cliff.
“Again, Joan?” she asked, her eyes silently pleading for solitude.
“You heard me.”
Diana rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and seated herself. While Diana waited, Joan walked around the counter and brewed a cup of coffee. Once she’d delivered it to her mother, she took the chair across from Diana and plopped her elbows onto the tabletop, her hands cupping her face as she stared at her mother.
