From Temptation to Twins(21)

He knocked again and waited, half bracing himself, half humming with the anticipation. Despite their animosity, he’d missed her. He’d missed her a lot, and he couldn’t wait to see her.

But it was Melissa who opened the door. She seemed startled to see him standing there. Her hair was in a high ponytail. She was dressed in a gauzy purple blouse and tight blue jeans. Her makeup looked fresh, and she was wearing a pair of jazzy copper earrings.

“Am I interrupting?” he asked. “Did you have a date?”

“No.” She gave a quick shake of her head. “No date.” But her gaze strayed to the staircase behind him.

“How’s the hand?” he asked, attempting to gauge her mood.

If Jules had told her about the easement, he’d expect her to be angry. She didn’t seem angry, exactly. But she did seem unsettled.

She raised her hand to show him. “Getting better fast. It really doesn’t bother me much.” She gave a little laugh. “The doctor said I have good aim. A quarter inch in either direction and I’d have done some real damage.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Caleb realized how it sounded. “I mean, I’m glad it wasn’t worse.”

“Me, too.” She let her hand fall to her side again.

He glanced past her into the house. “Can I speak to Jules?”

“She’s not here.”

The answer took him by surprise, putting the brakes on his plans.

But then he wondered if Jules was dressed up, too. Did she have a date? He hated the idea that she might.

“Can I help you with something?” Melissa asked.

The question gave him an idea.

He hadn’t considered the merits of explaining the situation directly to Melissa, bypassing Jules. It was obvious to him she was the more reasonable of the two. There were even a couple of moments when he thought she would have supported some of his ideas, had it not been for Jules’s staunch refusals.

Maybe he’d been talking to the wrong sister.

“You might be able to help me,” he answered. “Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

She hesitated for just a second, glancing behind him again. “Sure.”

He knew he should ask if it was a bad time, offer her an out if she hadn’t been sincere. But it wasn’t often he saw her alone. And co-opting her could turn out to be a good idea. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it before.

She opened the door wider and moved out of his way.

Although the Parkers had been neighbors his entire life, due to the family feud he’d never been inside their house. As he moved from the small foyer, he saw that it was compact. It was mostly kitchen with aging fir cupboards and light green walls. The ceiling was off-white, and a row of three windows looked over the bay. It was a clear night, and the moon reflected off the black water.

A faded sofa and armchair took up the corner beside a stone fireplace. Nothing was new, not the brocade furniture, nor faded linoleum nor powder blue countertops. But nothing was shoddy either, and everything was clean.

“Can I offer you some iced tea?” Melissa asked, walking farther around the corner, turning down the music and moving into the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Caleb answered following her.

He stopped partway, bracing his hands against one of six kitchen chairs. They were painted white, made of wood, with curved backs with dowels spaced at four-inch intervals and cotton-print cushions tied onto the seats.

She filled two glasses with ice and retrieved a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator.

He tried to guess at the refrigerator’s age. It had to have been around for several decades. All he could think was that they didn’t make them that sturdy anymore.

“I guess Jules didn’t mention the easement,” he opened.

Standing silent while she poured drinks and letting her wonder about his purpose didn’t seem productive.

“She told me about it,” Melissa said.

It wasn’t the answer he was expecting. “She did?”

“You expect me to be hostile.”

“Yes. No. On the surface, it’s a setback for you.”

“On the surface?” Melissa crossed to the table and handed him a glass.

She pulled out a chair, and he followed suit, sitting down cornerwise. “I would say all the way through.”

She still didn’t seem angry, and he had to wonder if they had a counter-strategy.

Rather than argue, he came to his point. “She didn’t get back to me on it.”

“She said she gave you an answer.”

“In the heat of the moment, maybe. I didn’t assume it was final.”

“You expected her to change her mind?” Melissa’s tone wasn’t accusatory, more curious, and perfectly pleasant.