Page 50 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“And?” Maryanne probed.
“And, well, it seems to me the two of you fit together perfectly. Like two pieces of a puzzle.”
It seemed that way to Maryanne, too.
“You heard, didn’t you?” Barbara muttered, abruptly changing the subject.
Maryanne nodded. Mom’s Place was going to close in a month for remodelling.
“What are you going to do?”
Maryanne didn’t know yet. “Find a temporary job, I suppose. What about you?” By then, she should have sold a few of the articles she’d submitted. At least she hadn’t been rejected yet. She should be hearing any time.
“I’m not that worried about taking a month or so off work,” Barbara returned, her look thoughtful. “I could use a vacation,especially over the holidays. I was thinking of staying home and baking Christmas gifts this year. My fudge is out of this world.”
“I suppose I should start looking for another job now.” Maryanne was already worried about meeting expenses. Mom’s Place couldn’t have chosen a worse time to close.
***
A half hour later, she was waiting for the bus, her mind spinning with what Barbara had said. The diner’s closing was a concern, but Barbara’s comments about Nolan gladdened Maryanne’s heart.
Nolan did feel something for her, something more powerful than he’d let on.
She supposed she should confront him with it, force him to acknowledge his feelings. A brief smile crossed her lips as she envisioned what would happen if she actually did such a thing. She nearly laughed out loud at the thought.
Nolan would deny it, of course, loudly and vehemently, and she’d have to counteract with a loud argument of her own. The smile appeared again. Her decision was made.
Feeling almost light-headed, Maryanne glanced down the street, eager for the bus to arrive so she could get home. The first thing she intended to do was march into Nolan’s apartment and demand the truth. If he tried to ignore her, as he usually did, then she had the perfect solution.
She’d kiss him.
A kiss would silence his protests in the most effective way she could imagine. Maryanne almost melted at the memory of being kissed by Nolan, being held in his arms. It was like walking through the gates of an undiscovered paradise. Just remembering those moments made her feel faint with desire, weak with excitement. He seemed to experience the same emotions, Maryanne remembered hopefully.
Cheered by the thought, she nearly applauded when her busarrived. The ride passed quickly and she hurried into the building, eager to see Nolan.
Consumed by her sense of purpose, she went directly to his apartment. She stood in front of his door, took several deep breaths, then knocked politely. No answer. She tried again, harder this time.
“Who is it?” Nolan growled from the other side.
“Maryanne. I want to talk to you.”
“I’m busy.”
She was only a little discouraged by his unfriendliness. “This’ll just take a minute.”
The door was yanked open with excessive force. Nolan stood before her, dressed in a black tuxedo and white cummerbund, looking so handsome that he caught her completely by surprise. Her mouth sagged open.
“Yes?” he asked crossly.
“Hello, Nolan,” she said, aware that her mission had been thwarted. Nothing he could’ve said or done would have affected her as profoundly as finding him dressed like this. Because it meant he was going out on a date.
“Hello,” he said, tugging at the cuffs of his jacket, adjusting the fit. He frowned, apparently waiting for her to say something.
“Uh...” She tried to gather her scattered composure, and finally managed to squeak, “You’re going out?”
He scowled. “I don’t dress like this for a jaunt to the corner store.”
“No, I don’t suppose you do.”
