It's Never too Late

Was someone in her house?

Shifting to pull the covers up over her breasts, her nipples came in contact with the sheet and felt...sore.

In an instant she remembered everything. The little bit of wine she’d had to drink could not be blamed for the wanton behavior she’d exhibited the night before.

&nbs

p; Only love could have so transformed her.

Another shuffle from the other room had her tingling all over again. Mark was still there. Getting something to drink? Using the bathroom? She wanted him to come back to bed. Quickly.

Glancing at the clock, she calculated that they’d have another three hours together before either of them would need to leave.

Three hours before life caught up with them. She didn’t want to waste a minute of that time being alone.

Out of bed before she’d completed the thought, Addy pulled on the light cotton robe she kept hanging on the hook on the back of her bedroom door and hurried down the hall toward the light at the end of it, belting her robe as she walked.

He’d turned on a light? Or had they left it on when they’d gone to bed?

Whatever she’d been expecting to see when she reached the kitchen fled from Addy’s mind as she saw what was waiting for her.

Mark stood, staring at her, a sheaf of papers in his hand.

And, too late, she remembered that she’d been working before she’d gone outside the night before. She’d pulled more papers out to refer to during the phone call from Greg Richards.

“You’re researching me.” His tone was not fully accusatory. There was question there, as well, and Addy scrambled for words.

How much did he know? How much time did she have?

What did she have to say to keep him believing in her?

“This looks like some kind of background check.” Not something she’d have thought of, but it could appear that way, she supposed.

“You’ve got my GED scores here. They’re circled in red.”

When one was being accused, the best defense was silence until the accuser spilled everything he knew and the conclusions he’d drawn.

“I had to get home in case Nonnie woke up and needed me. I was going to leave you a note.”

She believed him.

And was in no position to lay blame in any case. She’d known, going in, that she was the bad guy here. She couldn’t blame Mark for anything. No matter what happened from here on out.

He held up the paper he’d pulled from the stack. “This is a spreadsheet of Montford students who didn’t meet entrance criteria,” he said. The list of eleven.

Addy nodded. She knew she’d have to answer to this. She just hadn’t realized it would be this soon.

She’d thought she’d be the one initiating the conversation.

And she’d expected to be dressed.

He was.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I did a lot of research. I was asked to look through a lot of tedious records and see if I could find anything that flagged itself as a potential lawsuit against the university.” Was he going to hate her?

“I am a potential lawsuit?”