She backed up a bit, but dang it, this was better than a soap opera, and she just didn’t want to leave. She knew she should — knew Ashton was going to be pissed if he caught her eavesdropping — and yet she kept on spying. Cable was expensive and this was free.
“Get over here and help me up,” Kalli called out.
“I warned you not to wear those heels on the docks,” he said impatiently. But he moved back toward her.
“What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t wear flats to a show, could I?” Kalli was no longer screeching. Her voice was now quavering, as if she were fighting tears.
Savannah was almost feeling sympathy for this woman. Where that was coming from, she just didn’t know. But if she ever had the opportunity to go to a show, well, she’d want to dress up too. She hated to admit it, but she could almost see the other woman’s point of view.
“You could have brought a change of shoes, Kalli.”
“And you didn’t need to bring me back here instead of to your nice place outside Seattle, which was much nearer to the show,” his fiancée countered as she took his hand and wobbled to her feet. “This is ruined now!” she snapped, holding up the broken shoe in her free hand.
“Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t sound sorry at all.
“Dammit, Austin Daniel Storm. Do you know how much these shoes cost?”
“I’m sure they cost a lot. Are you done with your tantrum, or do I need to continue to act like I give a damn about a pair of overpriced shoes? Especially shoes that really don’t do that much for you.”
He said the words with no inflection, as if he were having a polite conversation. It took Savannah a moment to realize he was insulting the woman he was intending to marry. Apparently, it took Kalli a moment to realize it too.
But when she did, the rage on the woman’s face was obvious. She yanked her hand away from Ashton’s and took several stilted steps back, one heel on, one off.
“You know what, Ashton? You can go find some oil and … use that big hand of yours on yourself tonight.” With that, she lurched around and headed back up the docks. She’d refused to shed the unbroken shoe, but she was limping along as quickly as she could.
“I’ll probably have a better time,” Ashton mumbled. “It’s been weeks anyway since I’ve slept with you,” he muttered too softly for Kalli to hear, but just loud enough for Savvy to catch every word.
Savannah almost laughed out loud, but she suppressed it. That would certainly get her caught. Still, a squeak escaped her mouth, and, damn her luck, Ashton looked in her direction. With superhuman speed, she jerked backward, barely managing to catch herself. She’d almost pitched over the ladder right behind her.
She lay back as flat as she could, not daring to move an inch. But she couldn’t help but listen for any possible sound to alert her that Ashton had moved on.
Without knowing how much time had passed after her triple axel, she finally decided she was either going to move or freeze out there on the deck. But just as she began to get up, she was given another fright.
“Enjoy the show?”
So much for her acrobatic skills. Klutzy acrobatic skills. She’d been busted.
Chapter Six
Heart thundering, she flopped over onto her back and stared straight up at the intimidating figure that Ashton made. And at the moment, he wasn’t even trying to scare her — or she didn’t think he was. She’d managed to avoid the man for a few days, but now that it was after midnight with absolutely no one around, he decided it was a good time for a chat. Of course, it didn’t help that he’d caught her snooping in on him.#p#分页标题#e#
If she’d just gone below deck the way she should have when the whole brouhaha began, she wouldn’t be in this awkward position right now — literally and figuratively.
Then, Ashton shocked the heck out of her when he suddenly dropped to the deck and lay down next to her. She tensed wondering what to do. She’d never been in a position like this before.
“I wasn’t spying or anything,” she finally said when the silence was almost deafening.
“Give me a break. Sure you were. But in your defense, I would have done the same if I’d been in your position.”
He didn’t seem angry — amused was more like it. She hadn’t been expecting that. But she didn’t know this man, didn’t know him at all, and didn’t want to. So how could she judge what sort of mood he was going to be in?
“Okay, fine, I can admit I was watching the show, and it could probably win an Emmy if someone was smart enough to tape it. However, I hadn’t set out to do it. I was sitting here, just drinking a nice cold beer and looking at the stars, when you and your fiancée began making a screen-worthy ruckus. What was I supposed to do? Interrupt my night and run and hide? Go below deck because you and that woman of yours were squabbling? I wasn’t ready to do that yet.”