This was the part of the conversation he’d most dreaded—and he still wasn’t certain he could crack the door wide enough to let her in.

The strains of “I Won’t Back Down” filled the kitchen, and despite the tension rippling through him, a grin twitched at his lips. That had to be the ringtone on Eve’s cell. It fit her to a T.

She glanced at the counter, an annoyed frown marring her forehead.

“Tom Petty is calling.” He picked up his mug. “Go ahead and answer.”

And give me a couple of minutes to hash out my dilemma.

Although he didn’t speak those words, she seemed to hear them—because after a brief hesitation, she slid off her chair.

“Hold your thought. I’ll be back in a sec.” She crossed the room to retrieve her cell.

Leaving him to figure out how far he wanted to take this tonight—and whether he had the courage to go the distance.

11

OF ALL THE INOPPORTUNE TIMES for the phone to ring!

Eve snatched the cell off the counter and scowled at the screen.

Grace.

It figured. Her sister’s timing had never been the best.

She pushed the talk button, held up an index finger to Brent, and hurried into the hall.

This was not going to take more than one minute!

However . . . her guest was probably glad for the reprieve. It would give him a chance to decide how he wanted to proceed—or if he even wanted to continue their conversation.

Much as she hoped he would, pushing would be a mistake. He’d already shared far more tonight than she’d expected—which was why she’d beaten back the temptation to let the call roll. In his shoes, she would have appreciated a chance to weigh the pros and cons before wading into murky waters.

“Hello? Eve? Are you there?”

Oops.

She’d forgotten to greet her sister.

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s up?”

“Does something have to be up for me to call you?”

“Uh . . . no.” She ducked into her bedroom and closed the door. “I just thought you might have news.”

“I’m not the one in the headlines these days. What’s the latest with you?”

She hesitated. Telling Grace about tonight’s incident was a given, but if she dallied to explain the details—and answer all the questions her sister would throw at her—Brent could get tired of waiting and leave as soon as she returned.

“I do have an update—but can I call you back later?”

A few seconds ticked by.

“Why are you out of breath?”

Was she?

“Um, I’m kind of busy at the moment.”

More silence.

“Do you have company?”

Grace’s ability to link seemingly disparate pieces of information and come to accurate conclusions was amazing.

It was also irritating in certain circumstances—like this one.