The Sixes by Kate White

Author:Kate White
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins US
Published: 2011-08-01T22:00:00+00:00

19

DUNCAN WAS POLITE as they left the inn, helping her on with her jacket, opening the door for her. Maybe, Phoebe thought, I simply misinterpreted the hold-you-captive comment he made last night—he might have been playful and hadn’t intended the remark to be taken literally. And he had extended their original date by almost an entire day.

But during their drive back to Lyle, he seemed distracted, even slightly aloof, and her gut told her something was definitely up. She realized he might be annoyed that she’d promised to go see Hutch after assuring Duncan she’d cease playing private eye. And yet she remembered she’d actually noticed a slight change in him when she’d first returned from the ladies’ room. He’d seemed more pensive.

Perhaps what she’d witnessed had just been a gradual mood swing—intensified by the wine at lunch and spending hours in the company of the same person. She remembered how right from the start she had wondered if Duncan was prone to moodiness and retreating into himself.

As they drove, Phoebe watched the landscape roll by and commented from time to time on how lovely it was. Duncan acknowledged her comments pleasantly but added nothing more.

“Is everything okay?” Phoebe asked finally. Men hated that line, she knew, and it rarely produced an honest answer, but she felt she had to give it a shot. “You seem kind of quiet all of a sudden.”

“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I got a call when you were in the ladies’ room about a few things I need to take care of today. I apologize for seeming distracted.”

“Not a problem,” she said. “Just wondering.”

Once they reached the outskirts of Lyle, Duncan seemed to relax more into his seat, and she sensed his remoteness dissipating. As he pulled up to her house, he glanced over and smiled.

“This isn’t going to cause your neighbors’ tongues to start wagging, is it? It’s not quite the walk of shame at this hour, but if any of your neighbors have hawk eyes, they’ll realize you’re basically wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday.”

“Well, they didn’t notice anyone climbing in my window or hauling rats through the back door, so apparently their observation skills aren’t all that good,” Phoebe said.

He put the car in park. “Why don’t I come in for a minute and make sure everything’s okay.”

Part of her was tempted to say yes, but she shook her head instead. She didn’t want to prolong the awkward vibe that had taken hold since lunch.

“Thanks, but I should be fine now,” she said. “The locksmith declared the house tight as a drum.”

A large vehicle came rumbling down the street at that moment, and they both looked up in unison. It turned out to be from a Philadelphia television station, and it was obviously headed toward campus.

“I wonder if there’s some new development,” Duncan said, narrowing his eyes.

“Or they’ve just come back from a late lunch at Taco Bell,” Phoebe said. “Speaking of lunch, thanks for a lovely day.”

He reached his hand behind her neck, pulled her close, and kissed her on the mouth.

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