‘‘Yeah.’’ He sent her an innocent look. ‘‘Like I said, I got in kinda late, but it was a hell of a game.’’

She huffed out a breath, yanked open the refrigerator to get out cheese and milk. ‘‘Men,’’ she muttered. ‘‘All of them idiots.’’

‘‘What’s that?’’

‘‘Nothing. Well, I hope you had a fine time watching your baseball game.’’ While Grace was home alone, miserable.

‘‘I can’t remember enjoying myself more. Went into extra innings.’’ He was grinning now, just couldn’t help it. She looked so flustered and furious and was trying desperately to hide it.

‘‘Well, hot damn.’’ Fuming, she shifted to get the fettuccine out of the cupboard and saw his face. She turned slowly, holding the package of pasta. ‘‘You didn’t go over to Jim’s to watch a ball game last night.’’

‘‘Didn’t I?’’ He lifted a brow, glanced thoughtfully at his beer, then sipped. ‘‘You know, come to think of it, you’re right. That was some other time.’’

‘‘You were with Grace.’’

‘‘Was I?’’

‘‘Oh, Ethan.’’ With clenched teeth she slammed the jar down. ‘‘You’re making me crazy! Where were you last night?’’

‘‘You know, I don’t believe anyone’s asked me that since my mother died.’’

‘‘I’m not trying to pry—’’

‘‘You’re not?’’

‘‘All right, all right, I am trying to pry and you make it impossible to be subtle about it.’’

He leaned back in his chair, studying her. He’d liked her, almost from the first—even when she made him uneasy. Wasn’t it funny, he mused, to realize that sometime over the last few weeks, he had come to love her. Which mean that teasing her was, well, required.

‘‘You’re not asking me if I spent the night in Grace’s bed, are you?’’

‘‘No. No, of course not.’’ She snatched up the pasta, then set it down again. ‘‘Not exactly.’’

‘‘Were the candles her idea, or yours?’’

Anna decided it was a good time to get out a skillet. She just might need a weapon. ‘‘Did they work?’’

‘‘Yours, I imagine; probably the dress, too. Grace’s mind doesn’t work that way. She’s not what you’d call . . . sneaky.’’

Anna hummed and prepared to make her cheese sauce.

‘‘And it was sneaky, underhanded, meddling, to send me over there that way.’’

‘‘I know it. But I’d do it again.’’ More skillfully next time, she promised herself. ‘‘You can be annoyed with me all you want, Ethan, but I’ve never seen anyone more in need of some meddling.’’

‘‘You’re a pro at it. I mean, being a social worker, you make a living meddling in people’s lives.’’