He knew she was only trying to keep the conversation flowing, trying to avoid those awkward lapses between them. Lapses during which they both became self-conscious and tongue-tied, when stray glances tended to lock and hold for long moments—until Chloe looked away, her cheeks turning pink and her voice becoming a little breathless. He didn’t try to convince himself that she was fighting the same inappropriate attraction he was, but there was definitely an awareness between them.
They’d spent entirely too many hours alone together. It would be better for everyone involved if Bryan arrived soon.
Leaving Chloe to clean up, as she had insisted, he went into the smaller of the two offices in the house, the one he always used here. He turned on his computer and spent an hour replying to the most urgent of his e-mails, trying to keep himself occupied. When the phone rang, he answered it absently.
“How’s it going there?”
Bryan’s voice brought Donovan’s attention away from the computer monitor. “Tell me you’re in transit.”
“Problems there? You and Chloe are getting along okay, aren’t you?”
“Well enough. But she didn’t come here to spend time with me. Right now she’s probably wishing she’d stayed home.”
“What have you been doing today?”
“I’ve been working most of the day. Parker in L.A. wants an answer by tomorrow morning. And Hamilton’s got a proposal she wants us to look over soon.”
“You can take care of those things later. I’d rather you keep Chloe entertained now. I don’t like to think of her bored and lonely while I’m stuck here for the rest of the afternoon. I know you can be entertaining company when you make the effort, so give it a try, will you?”
Donovan made certain his exaggerated sigh carried clearly through the phone lines. “I really do have more important things to do than to babysit your girlfriend du jour, you know.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he happened to glance toward the open doorway. Chloe stood there holding a steaming mug. Her face was completely expressionless, but Donovan knew she had heard his cranky complaint. The set of her shoulders let him know she hadn’t liked it.
He cleared his throat. “Er…”
“Let me guess,” Bryan drawled, as eerily perceptive as always, “Chloe just walked in.”
“Yeah.”
“Put her on the line, will you? And, Donovan—after you pry your foot out of your mouth and apologize, be nice to her, okay?”
“Bryan wants to talk to you,” Donovan said, holding the receiver toward Chloe without bothering to respond to his friend.
She nodded coolly. “I brought you some coffee. I just made it.”
“Thanks. I’ll drink it out on the deck while you talk to Bryan.”
After swapping the mug for the phone, Chloe turned away from him. Pointedly.
Wincing, Donovan carried his coffee out of the room. It wasn’t easy walking with both his feet in his mouth, he decided wryly.
Chapter Four
Though Chloe wasn’t watching him, she knew Donovan had left the room by the time she spoke into the receiver. “Hello, Bryan.”
“I’m glad you’re still speaking to me.”
“I’m sure you couldn’t help being detained there.”
“No. Believe me, I’ve done everything I can to resolve this mess in a hurry so I can join you there, but it’s taking longer than I expected. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
“Does this mean you won’t be here tonight, after all?”
“No. I still believe I can get away in time to be there this evening. It could be very late, but we can start our vacation first thing tomorrow morning.”
It seemed oddly apropos that a cloud crossed in front of the sun at that moment, darkening the room for a moment. What might have been a frisson of premonition coursed through her. Maybe because the week had started so badly, she had a sudden feeling that she really should suggest to Bryan that he stay in Ne
w York.