Date Next Door

“I’m glad to hear that.” But Aislinn didn’t sound overly relieved. Her voice still held a note of concern. “I don’t know why I keep worrying about you,” she added somewhat sheepishly. “You know that isn’t like me.”

“No. It really isn’t.” Nic couldn’t imagine what was setting Aislinn off like this. Aislinn wasn’t prone to worrying, and Nic was hardly in a dangerous situation here, as she occasionally was on the job. Even then, Aislinn had expressed confidence in Nic’s ability to take care of herself.

She could imagine all too well how Joel’s fiercely pragmatic older brother would react to Aislinn’s uncharacteristic attack of apprehension.

“Maybe you’re just picking up my intense discomfort at being here at all,” she suggested lightly. “But the only real danger is that I’m finally going to snap and do something that will really give these people something to gossip about.”

Aislinn laughed a little at that. “Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Streak naked through the streets maybe? Get blitzed and dance on the tables at the party we’re going to tonight?”

“I would so love to see you dancing on a table. But I don’t think that has anything to do with my uneasy feelings.”

“Then try not to worry anymore, okay? I’m really fine.”

After a momentary pause, Aislinn asked, “It’s really that bad?”

Nic tried to be honest. “Everyone is being very nice to me,” she conceded. “Almost excessively so, at times. They’re inquisitive. Some more than others—”

She almost shuddered as she remembered the awkward conversation with unabashedly nosy Polly Albright. It had taken every bit of tact and patience Nic possessed—neither of which were characteristic traits—to get through that ordeal without actually resorting to rudeness.

“But it’s been okay,” she said. “And it’s almost over now anyway.”

“What about Joel’s family? Are t

hey being nice?”

“Yes.” Though she thought Elaine could have done a little more to discourage Polly’s prying. She suspected that Elaine had wanted to hear the answers herself but hadn’t wanted to be the one to ask. “His father is quite charming. His mother’s very gracious, though a little reserved—as if she isn’t quite sure what I’m doing here. His brother—”

“His brother?” Aislinn prodded after a moment.

How could she describe Ethan? “I’ll tell you more about him when I get back home,” she promised.

“Sounds interesting.”

“He is that.”

“So you’re going to a party tonight?”

“Yeah, and I’d better finish getting ready. Joel’s going to want to leave soon.”

“Then I won’t hold you. Have a good time, Nic—and watch your back, okay? Just in case.”

“I will. Thanks for caring.”

Aislinn disconnected without saying goodbye.

Thoughtfully, Nic closed her phone and slipped it back into her purse before turning toward the mirror to make sure she was completely ready for the evening. Not having a clue what to wear for this event, she had settled for a go-anywhere black pantsuit.

A snug tunic-style jacket hugged what few curves she had and fell to just below her hips. Straight-legged lined pants fell softly to the top of her feet, on which she wore kitten-heeled mules with jet beadwork over the instep. Thin-wired chandelier earrings with red and black beads added a touch of color, along with a matching choker necklace. Surely no one could say she was wearing the wrong colors this time, she thought in satisfaction.

She had worn a little more makeup than usual—smoky gray shadow, subtle eyeliner, shimmering lip gloss. There wasn’t much to do with her collar-length, layered honey hair, but she had washed it and blown it to a glossy shine.

Deciding she was as ready as she was ever going to be, she opened her bedroom door to find Joel standing on the other side, one hand raised as if to knock. They both laughed, but their amusement quickly faded as they gazed at each other.

“You look…great,” Joel said, studying her almost as if he hadn’t seen her in a long time.

“You clean up pretty well yourself,” she replied. He really did look fantastic in his dark suit with a silvery-toned shirt and tie. Maybe he still wouldn’t be mistaken for a movie heartthrob, but he definitely had an attraction of his own.