Sean's Reckoning - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,59
glanced at Joey. “See what I mean, though. She’s edgy.”
Joey held up his hands. “I’m not getting in the middle of whatever is going on between you two. You figure it out, let me know. Now get out of here. I need to close up and get home to Paulie.”
Deanna was very aware that Sean’s gaze never left her as she took off her apron and grabbed her purse from the cupboard under the register. “You coming or not?” she asked as she headed for the door.
“Right behind you,” he said. Outside, he caught her hand. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m going home,” she said emphatically.
“I’ll walk with you,” he said, falling into step beside her. “Dee?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what we’re doing?”
“Driving each other crazy?” she suggested.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He stopped and drew her around to face him. “Good crazy or bad crazy?”
She looked deep in his eyes and saw the genuine confusion. It mirrored her own. She lifted her hand to his cheek. “I’m still trying to figure that part out.”
Sean sighed heavily. “Let me know when you do, okay?”
Deanna smiled at the plaintive note in his voice. “Believe me, you’ll be at the top of the list. You do the same, okay?”
He nodded. “Will do. So, what time’s your appointment in the morning?”
“Seven-thirty.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“Why?”
He seemed to be debating the answer. She had a feeling it was because he didn’t want to admit that he felt some crazy sense of responsibility for seeing to it that she and Kevin had a decent place to live.
“Curiosity,” he said finally.
Deanna nodded. “In that case, I’ll see you in the morning.”
She was about to go inside when he stopped her. His gaze on her face, he tilted her chin up and touched his lips to hers. Light as a breeze, the kiss was still enough to send a shudder through her.
For a man who worried so darned much about how little sleep she was getting, he certainly didn’t seem to mind doing the one thing guaranteed to keep her awake all night.
Sean hated the whole idea of Deanna hunting for a new apartment. He knew just how limited her resources were, even with that settlement from her old landlord. He also knew that despite what she’d said about using some of the cash for the new place, she’d tucked most of the money away in a savings account she didn’t intend to touch except in an emergency.
When he arrived in the morning, he discovered he was just part of the entourage going to check out the new apartment.
“Mom and me are looking at a new place to live,” Kevin said excitedly. “Once we move, you can come to dinner.”
Sean noticed that Ruby didn’t look nearly as cheerful as either Kevin or Deanna.
“Sean can come to dinner here,” she grumbled, sending a scowl in Deanna’s direction. “I don’t know why you’re so anxious to move.”
“Because we’re in your way,” Deanna explained patiently.
“You are not. This has been fun.” She turned to Kevin. “Hasn’t it been fun?”
“Sure,” he said, apparently sensing the need not to hurt Ruby’s feelings.
Sean gave Ruby a sympathetic look. “You’re wasting your breath.”
“I know,” she admitted.
“If you’re going to be a sourpuss through all this, then don’t come with us,” Deanna told Ruby. “I want objective opinions on this new apartment, not self-serving criticism.”
When Sean started to say something, she scowled at him. “That goes for you, too.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sharing a commiserating look with Ruby. “Where is this place?”
Deanna looked at a piece of paper on which an address had been written. She read it to him. “It’s only a few blocks from here.”
Sean winced. “And another world,” he said. “That area’s not that safe.”
“Would you stop with the grumbling before we even look,” she demanded. “Now, let’s go.”
Sean sighed and followed along as she and Kevin set out at a brisk pace. Ruby fell into step beside him.
“Can’t you stop her?” she asked in a low voice.
“You heard her. She doesn’t intend to listen to reason. She’ll only hear what she wants to hear. She’s in an independent frame of mind this morning.”
“No kidding,” Ruby muttered bleakly.
“Maybe the place will really be a dive, and she’ll have to admit it’s a bad idea,” he suggested, even though he knew that unless it was tumbling down, Deanna wasn’t going to back out of making this deal. He and Ruby had pretty much backed her into a corner.
When they