The Boy Next Door by Amy Knupp

Author:Amy Knupp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2007-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

LINDSEY TOOK TIME TO GO inside and change out of her damp clothes before returning to her dad’s house. She didn’t want to follow Zach directly. She didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to think about what had just happened. She’d beaten herself up enough already.

Twenty minutes later, she pulled up to the curb at her dad’s. She hopped out without a glance next door. She was nervous enough about facing her dad, even though there was no way he could know she’d kissed Zach. Giving another moment’s analysis to her spontaneous stupidity would make her nauseous.

Thank goodness for slow-cookers. Before she’d gone outside to shovel the driveway, she’d told her dad to eat when he was hungry, not to wait for her. So at least he wasn’t sitting around waiting for dinner.

Instead, he sat at the kitchen table waiting for her.

She’d been hoping she could slip in unnoticed…that he’d fallen asleep or gotten caught up in a crossword puzzle or…something.

“Where have you been?” His voice was relatively quiet, so it was a safe guess he didn’t know about the accident next door.

“There was a minor accident nearby. I went to help.”

She didn’t look directly at him, busied herself with spooning out a bowl of soup. Please, let it drop.

“Where was the accident?”

Lindsey’s back was to him as she sawed off a thick slice of sunflower bread. “Next door. No one was hurt.” She turned and brought the food to the table.

He held back a comment—she could actually see him consciously bite down on it.

Lindsey sat across from him and ate in silence.

It would kill him if he found out she’d kissed Zach.

She’d kissed him, for God’s sake. She had every reason not to look at Zach, let alone touch him. If she was brutally honest, she’d loved it, too. She hadn’t given her dad’s feelings a thought until later.

Well, one thing was certain. She’d pushed Zach farther away by kissing him. She wouldn’t have to worry about anything deeper developing between them. Maybe her dumb move was a good thing after all.

She absently stirred her soup.

“Have you heard from Mrs. Hale today?” Lindsey asked when she could no longer stand the quiet.

Her dad mumbled an affirmative.

“Is she coming home soon?”

“You tired of babysitting?”

“I’m not babysitting. I’m helping you out when you need it.” Just liked she always had. She had no problem with it, and he never had, either. Until now.

“Hmph.”

“You’ve been a grump since she left.”

“You try sitting in the same house, day after day, while people screw up your newspaper. I’m going stir-crazy, Lindsey.”

“You two have something going on I should know about, Dad?”

“Who two?”

“You and Mrs. Hale.”

He wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Nah, nothing going on. She’s a good woman to put up with me.”

“You can say that again.” Lindsey took a bite of bread and watched him while she chewed. “You care about her.”

“I just said—”

“I mean beyond that. More than a friend.”

He seemed flustered, didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Just a friend,” he finally muttered.

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