Love Lessons

Mike made a derisive sound and turned to Catherine, pointedly dismissing his friend. “The party’s starting to wind down. Are you ready to go?”

“As a matter of fact, I am.”

Catherine deliberately kept the conversation focused on Bob and Brandon during the short drive back to her apartment. Talking about Mik

e’s friends seemed an innocuous enough topic. She really didn’t want to get into a discussion about his sisters’ behavior while he was behind the wheel.

Mike seemed to concur. He told her several amusing stories about his buddies, especially Bob, that made her smile despite the tension lingering inside her.

It was late now, and the trick-or-treaters had all gone home to sort their goodies. There weren’t many people moving around in the apartment complex, and Catherine didn’t see anyone she knew when Mike walked her from his truck to her door.

Her feet hurt. She wasn’t used to wearing high heels for that long. Her face itched from the unusually heavy makeup, and she was ready to wash the gel out of her hair and put on a baggy T-shirt and dorm pants. She’d had enough dress up and make-believe for one day.

She put her key in her door lock. “Mike, I—”

“Do you mind if I come in? Just to talk for a few minutes?”

Okay, so much for a cowardly retreat. She nodded and opened her door.

Norman ran up to greet them, sniffing their clothes as if vicariously experiencing their evening through scent. Catherine greeted her pet briefly, then turned to Mike. “There was something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah.” He unsnapped the cape at his throat and tossed it over an arm of her couch. His face looked grim, the false scar adding to his somber appearance. “I want to apologize for the way Laurie and Charlie acted. I swear, Catherine, I don’t know what got into them, but I’m going to have a long talk with them both. They don’t usually act like that.”

“Don’t yell at them. They were just being honest about their doubts about us. I much prefer honesty to having people smile to my face, then trash me behind my back.”

“They judged you before they even met you, and that wasn’t fair.”

“From what I understand, they were just acting like typical older sisters.”

“Maybe. But I promise, next time they’ll be on their very best behavior.”

Catherine reached up to pull the black silk rose from her gelled hair.

Mike frowned, reading her silence a bit too easily. “There will be a next time, right? I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie Saturday night. Maybe go out to dinner first.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Mike.”

Though she was carefully avoiding looking at his face, she sensed his scowl. “Is this because of the way Charlie and Laurie acted tonight? What did Laurie say to you in the restroom?”

“It wasn’t anything she said. It’s just…well, I wouldn’t want to come between you and your sisters. I know you’re all very close.”

“That isn’t going to change just because you and I are seeing each other,” he argued, looking stubborn.

“That’s the point. I don’t know if we are seeing each other.”

“Damn it, this is about my sisters, isn’t it? You let them get to you. Or Bob—was it something Bob said? I know he’s kind of…well, nuts, but he’s really a great guy once you…”

She shook her head. “Mike, I like Bob.”

He looked taken aback. “You like Bob?”

“No, I don’t mean I like Bob. I just—” Hearing her own words, she stopped and shook her head again. “I am not going to get into another Abbott and Costello routine with you. This argument is ridiculous.”

He didn’t smile, though she could tell he found her comment vaguely amusing. “What’s really bothering you, Catherine? Is it me? I mean, I’ll understand if you just aren’t interested in pursuing this any further. After all, you’re a scientist and I—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him. “I’ve listened to your sisters put you down all evening. I’m not going to stand here and let you start doing the same thing.”

“My sisters weren’t putting me down,” he said defensively. “They were just…”