Real Romance - By Ginny Baird Page 0,30

into the front hall and froze, as an extremely tall brown-haired guy materialized at her back.

"You must be Jack. Jack Wagner," David said, stepping around Marie and stretching his hand out toward Teresa's husband. "Carolina basketball, right? ACC Championship year."

Jack gave a modest grin and nodded his big, square jaw.

David knew he'd recognized the face.

"Would somebody—anybody—mind tell me what's going on here? And just who let him in?" Marie shouted, as a flushed David turned to face her.

Mark quietly backed away, as the others appeared to decide whether or not they wanted to be discreet, or stay and watch the action.

"Well, I think," Meg said, tugging on Johnny's arm, "that we should all go and see what's cooking in the kitchen, and leave these two lovebirds alone."

"Good plan, sweetie," Johnny said, leaning over and planting an affectionate kiss on her cheek. "Especially since," he whispered in her ear, but not quite softly enough, "I'm the one who asked him to bring the turkey!"

Marie gave her brother an accusatory glare, but he just took Meg's arm and ignored her as he exited the room.

"Wow," David said, bringing his hands together in a clap, "what a great family you have."

Marie blinked behind her perfectly straight frames. "All right David, the truth. Just what are you doing here, and just how did you finagle a dinner invitation from my unsuspecting little brother?"

She looked so beautiful standing there, wonderfully domestic with flour dusting her bright red cheeks, her sensuous curves hugged ever so tightly by a full-length, green print apron. Those mesmerizing brown eyes and spectacular lashes flashing behind... wait!

"You got them fixed!" David blurted out. The surprise waned to disappointment when he realized that meant she'd taken them to someone else.

"Don't look so crestfallen," Marie said with a little shake of her head. "Though you may not be my type where romance is concerned, I didn't toss you over for another optician."

David instinctively stepped one inch closer, but she inched back.

"Caroline replaced the frames for me. No charge."

"Caroline?" David asked, startled. "But she didn't say a word." And, blast it all, she knew first-hand all the agony David had gone through since last week when Marie had shut him out of her life.

"Of course not," Marie huffed. "Caroline apparently has a deeper sense of loyalty than my traitor brother!"

Johnny, who had stuck his head into the foyer and was about to come get something, suddenly changed his mind and disappeared down the back hall.

"Oh, don't be too hard on Johnny. He just happened to pick up the land line. And, after all the times you'd slammed it down in my ear—"

"Now, don't you go defending my brother!" Marie said, taking one big step in his direction.

"No, I wouldn't dream—"

"And don't," she said, coming closer and thumping him on the chest, "go sharing your dreams—or fantasies, as they may be—about us being engaged with my family!"

David looked into her eyes, all fire and ice, and swore he felt his adam's apple melt.

"I didn't," he squeaked, then cleared his throat.

"So, is this the way it's going to be, then?" she asked, stepping up to him so her hairline was level with his shoulders. "More dyed-in-the-wool, bald-faced lies?"

She tilted her chin upward, set both hands on his shoulders, and gave him a rude push backwards. "Get out of my house!"

"Now, Marie," her sister Jill burst in. "Is that any way to treat the man you've pledged yourself to for eternity?"

Marie gritted her teeth and made some kind of snarling sound David couldn't identify. "For the last time—"

Jill laid a soothing hand on David's arm and a peace-making arm around Marie's shoulder. "Come on now, kids," she said, forcing a brilliant smile. "It's Thanksgiving. Let's all try being a little grateful for what we've got, huh?" She gave Marie a light squeeze, patted David affectionately, then walked into the arms of Dan, who'd been watching from the sidelines.

"Hello!" Marie screamed. "Hello, I know you're out there!"

David watched in amazement as heads popped out from around door frames and the rest of her siblings emerged from their hiding places with guilty looks.

"Really, guys," Marie scolded, "I thought you all had outgrown that nonsense by the time I was seventeen."

"Not quite," Mark said with a grin. "And, boy, did we see some good stuff! What was that fellow's name? Big guy you took to the prom?"

To Marie's relief, Johnny walked over and popped Mark on the head with a rolled-up newspaper. Just like Mark to make trouble. It was