Ready for Marriage by Debbie MacOmber

Author:Debbie MacOmber [Macomber, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373219575
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
Published: 1999-05-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

“OF COURSE I REMEMBER Mary Jo,” Lois Dryden said cheerfully. “How nice to see you again.”

Mary Jo blinked, wondering if this was the same woman she’d had that painful heart-to-heart chat with all those years ago. The woman who’d suggested that if Mary Jo really loved Evan she would call off their engagement. Not in those words exactly. Mrs. Dryden had been far too subtle for that. Nevertheless, the message had been there, loud and clear.

“I didn’t know you two were seeing each other again,” Lois continued. “This is a…surprise.”

Mary Jo noticed she didn’t say it was pleasant surprise. Naturally, Evan’s mother was much too polite to cause even a hint of a scene. Not at the yacht club, at any rate. Now, if she’d been at Whispering Willows, the Dryden estate, she might swoon or have a fit of vapors, or whatever it was wealthy women did to reveal their shock and displeasure. Mary Jo realized she was being cynical, but couldn’t help herself.

Evan reached for her hand and clasped it in his own. His eyes smiled into hers. “Mary Jo’s working for me this summer.”

“I…I didn’t know that.”

“Would you care to join us?” Evan asked, but his eyes didn’t waver from Mary Jo’s. Although he’d issued the invitation, it was obvious that he expected his mother to refuse. That he wanted her to refuse.

“Another time, perhaps. I’m lunching with Jessica’s mother. We’re planning a first-birthday party celebration for Andrew, and, well, you know how the two of us feel about our only grandchild.”

Evan chuckled. “I sure do. It seems to me that either Damian or I should see about adding another branch to the family tree.”

Mary Jo felt the heat of embarrassment redden her ears. Evan couldn’t have been more blatant. He’d all but announced he intended to marry her. She waited for his mother to comment.

“That would be lovely, Evan,” Lois said, but if Evan didn’t catch the tinge of disapproval in his mother’s voice, Mary Jo did. Nothing had changed.

The lines were drawn.

Lois made her excuses and hurried back into the yacht club. Mary Jo’s good mood plummeted. She made a pretense of enjoying her lunch and decided to put the small confrontation behind her. Her heart was set on enjoying this day with Evan. She loved sailing as much as he did, and as soon as they were out in the bay, she could forget how strongly his mother disapproved of her. Almost forget.

They worked together to get the sailboat in motion. Once the sails were raised, she sat next to Evan. The wind tossed her hair about her face, and she smiled into the warm, cheerful sunshine. They tacked left and then right, zigzagging their way through the water.

“Are you thirsty?” Evan asked after they’d been out for about an hour.

“A cold soda sounds good.”

“Great. While you’re in the galley, would you get one for me?”

Laughing, she jabbed him in the ribs for the clever way he’d tricked her into getting his drink. She went below and brought back two sodas.

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