Eli rolled his eyes. So like his mother to deliver a backhanded compliment.

“Thank you,” Aria said simply, and he admired her graceful acceptance of the comment. She handled herself well, better than he would have thought. “Do you need anything else from me?”

“No,” he said. “I’ll see you out.”

“I’m sure she can see herself out,” Frances interjected.

“I can,” Aria confirmed, looking as if she’d like nothing better.

“Nevertheless,” Eli continued. “I will see you out.” He stood and, taking her elbow, escorted her to the front door. When they reached the porch, his grip tightened. “Thank you for saving me tonight,” he murmured, gazing down into her bottomless brown eyes, aware of her bare skin against his fingers as he rubbed a thumb over her elbow, so smooth and so soft. “I know you’ll probably milk me for all I’m worth, but I want you to know that I really appreciate your help anyway. I would have been stuck without you.”

Aria smiled, her eyes twinkling. “You’re very welcome, Eli Lockwood. I’ll come by to talk to you tomorrow, if that suits.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” And, oddly, he was.

Before he could second-guess himself, Eli leaned over and kissed her cheek. She blushed deep red and hurried away, waving to him before she hopped into her car, a ridiculous little thing with a flower painted on the side. Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, he went back into the lion’s den.

CHAPTER 11

When Aria called Eli the next day, she got the answer phone and left a brief message. Later that afternoon, she was sitting at her desk banging out an article about a member of the Bridge Club who’d won a tournament up north when a disturbance at the other end of the office caught her attention. While newspaper offices were indisputably chaotic at the best of times, she was familiar with the particular brand of chaos belonging to the South Canterbury Chronicle, so when it became hushed, she immediately noticed. Curiosity got the better of her, and she craned her neck to see what was going on.

Eli was standing just inside the door, dressed for work in a suit that fitted perfectly, with a blue silk tie knotted around his neck. He was cradling a bouquet of pink roses and a bouquet of red roses in the crook of his arm. Every female in the room had stopped to stare at him. One or two swooned. When he caught sight of Aria, a grin spread across his face. She swallowed, mouth dry. He started toward her with purpose.

“Hi, Eli,” she called as he drew closer.

“Hi, yourself.” He settled on the seat she kept for guests and handed her the bouquets.

Her eyebrows shot up. “What are these for?”

“To say thank you.”

“They’re lovely, but you didn’t need to. We have a deal, remember?”