Rainy Day Kisses by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459296206
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 1990-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

7

The recipe for chocolate chip cookies was safely tucked away in a kitchen drawer. The impulse to bake them had passed quickly and reason had returned.

Monday morning, back at the office, Susannah realized how close she’d come to the edge of insanity. The vice presidency was almost within her grasp, and she’d worked too long and too hard to let this promotion slip through her fingers simply because she felt a little weak in the knees when Nate Townsend kissed her. To even contemplate anything beyond friendship was like…like amputating her right hand because she had a sliver in her index finger. She’d been overreacting, which was understandable, since she’d never experienced such a strong attraction to a man before.

“There’s a call for you on line one,” Ms. Brooks told her. She paused, then added dryly, “It sounds like that nice young man who stopped by last week.”

Nate. Squaring her shoulders—and her resolve—Susannah picked up the phone. “This is Susannah Simmons.”

“Good morning, beautiful.”

“Hello, Nate,” she said stiffly. “What can I do for you?”

He chuckled. “That’s a leading question if there ever was one. Trust me, honey, you don’t want to know.”

“Nate,” she breathed, briefly closing her eyes. “Please. I’m busy. What do you want?”

“Other than your body?”

Hot color leaped into her cheeks and she gave a distressed gasp. “We’d better put an end to this conversation—”

“All right, all right, I’m sorry. I just woke up and I was lying here thinking how nice it would be if we could escape for the day. Could I tempt you with a drive to the ocean? We could dig for clams, build a sand castle, and then make a fire and sing our favorite camp songs.”

“As a matter of interest, I’ve been up for several hours. And since you’ve obviously forgotten, I do have a job—an important one. At least it’s important to me. Now exactly what is the purpose of this call, other than to embarrass me?”

“Lunch.”

“I can’t today. I’ve got an appointment.”

“Okay.” He sighed, clearly frustrated. “How about dinner, just you and me?”

“I’m working late and was planning on sending out for something. Thanks, anyway.”

“Susannah,” he said in a burst of impatience, “are we going to go through this again? You should’ve figured out by now that avoiding me won’t change anything.”

Perhaps not, she reasoned, but it would certainly help. “Listen, Nate, I really am busy. Perhaps we should continue this conversation another time.”

“Like next year—I know you. You’d be willing to bury your head in the sand for the next fifteen years if I didn’t come and prod you along. I swear, I’ve never met a more stubborn woman.”

“Goodbye, Nate.”

“Susannah,” he persisted, “what about dinner? Come on, change your mind. We have a lot to talk about.”

“No. I wasn’t lying—I do have to work late. The fact is, I can’t go outside and play today—or tonight.”

“Ouch,” Nate cried. “That hurt.”

“Perhaps it hit too close to home.”

A short silence followed. “Maybe it did,” he murmured thoughtfully. “But before we hang up, I do want to know when I can see you again.

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