Priceless(47)

He had a pretty good idea what she was driving at, but he decided to give her the satisfaction of making her point. “Such as?”

“Are you looking for some evidence that Beth doesn’t fit in here?”

He started to deny it, but Destiny knew him too well. Besides, Beth had had the exact same suspicion. Obviously, these two people, who knew him better than most, could see straight through him.

“It crossed my mind that she might come to that conclusion,” he conceded eventually.

“And then what?” Destiny kept her gaze on his face while she awaited his reply. When he said nothing, she asked, “Surely you weren’t hoping that she’d dump you?” At his continued silence, she regarded him incredulously. “That’s exactly what you were hoping, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like I’m this incredible prize,” he said defensively, “especially for a woman who hopes to marry and have a family.”

“Oh, please, this is no time for false modesty,” his aunt said, dismissing the comment as ridiculous. “Besides, has Beth said anything about getting married?”

“No.”

“Is she ready to start a family?”

“She hasn’t mentioned it, no.”

“Then aren’t you jumping ahead a bit prematurely?” She regarded him intently. “Or is that the point? Are you the one who’s beginning to think about marriage?” Amusement sparkled in her eyes. “Oh my,” she said happily. “No wonder you’re terrified and looking for the fastest exit. Even worse, since you’re not sure you’ll take it, you’re obviously hoping to push Beth through it.”

Mack’s head was spinning from Destiny’s convoluted logic. He couldn’t cope with that and his concern over Beth’s whereabouts at the same time. “Maybe I should call her cell phone. She could be stuck in traffic.”

“Avoiding the question won’t make it go away,” Destiny chided. “And if she were stuck in traffic, don’t you think she’d call?”

“Do you have an answer for everything?” he grumbled.

Destiny smiled happily. “I like to think so,” she said as the doorbell rang. “Why don’t you get that, Mack? And try to wipe that scowl off your face before you get there. You don’t want to scare the woman to death before she even crosses the threshold.” Her smile spread. “Or do you?”

When he reached the front door, his temper was still simmering, though whether his irritation was directed toward his impossible aunt or Beth was hard to say. He flung open the door, took one look at Beth’s disheveled appearance and immediately forgot all about his lousy mood.

“What on earth happened to you?” he demanded, noting that before she’d ruined them, her clothes were very feminine and flattering compared to the tailored look he’d grown accustomed to. She’d really made an effort for tonight’s dinner.

“Flat tire,” she said succinctly.

Judging from the grease all over her, she had changed it herself. “Didn’t it occur to you to call a garage or me?”

She gave him an impatient look. “I know how to change a tire. I figured it would be faster to do it myself than to wait for a tow truck to get there in the middle of rush hour. I should have gone back home to change again, but I was already so late, I decided I’d better come on over.”

Still not reassured, he studied her from head to toe. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

She rolled her eyes and held out her arms for his inspection. “See, no blood. No bruises. Just grease. Do you suppose I could use a bathroom to clean up?”

“Come with me,” he said, and led the way toward the kitchen instead. “The soap in the bathroom isn’t going to do it. Ben used to have a snazzy little car he worked on in the garage. Believe me, this house is no stranger to grease and oil. There’s bound to be something in the garage we can use to get off the worst of this, though I’m not sure anything will help with the clothes.”

She glanced down at her flowery silk dress and groaned. “This was brand-new.”

Mack shook his head. She could have seriously injured herself wrestling with the damn tire and she was worried about her dress. “I’ll buy you another one,” he said impatiently.

She regarded him with a withering glance. “I can buy another dress myself.”

“But that doesn’t solve the immediate problem.” He handed her some rags and a can of cleanser. “You get started on the grease and oil and I’ll speak to Destiny. I’m sure she has something you can put on. You’re about the same size. I’ll be right back to show you where the downstairs powder room is.”