The Trouble With Angels Page 0,56

her watch. "We should probably leave right away."

"No problem," Ted said, and kissed his grandmother on the way to the door. Catherine wore a worried look, and he wondered if something were amiss with her. "I'll see you later," he promised.

"Go," she said, shooing him out the door, "and have fun."

With his back to Blythe, Ted met his grandmother's gaze and rolled his eyes, so she'd know what he really thought of this little get-together.

Blythe wrapped her arm around his and walked in a meandering crisscross pattern, with her head leaning against his shoulder. "I have the feeling you've been avoiding me lately," she said in a soft, sexy murmur.

"You're the one who broke our date," he reminded her.

"I know. I wasn't feeling well." Her arm tightened around his.

"So you said."

"I haven't talked to you in days," she purred, and rubbed against him like a warm, cuddly kitten.

"I've been busy." Now didn't seem the time to mention Joy.

"I hope you're not upset with me over that little mishap with the car. You were right, I was being silly. It's just that...well, you know what it's like when you have a new car, and mine was barely off the showroom floor."

Ted did know. "I might have overreacted myself," he said, willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Now that she'd brought up the subject of the accident, he realized how much her attitude had troubled him. It was a side of her he'd never seen before, and frankly he hadn't liked it.

The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside. He did enjoy her company, and they certainly shared a great deal in common. For a time he'd actually considered proposing to Blythe.

Then how could he explain the powerful attraction he felt for Joy? He wondered if it was possible that what Joy claimed was true. Could his sudden interest in her be the same thing that happened to her brother Billy shortly before he became engaged?

Ted would rather not believe he was that fickle, but the evidence was standing next to him, her head on his shoulder. At one time he'd considered marrying Blythe, that much was true. Seriously considered it.

Until he'd met Joy. Until he'd sat next to this mechanic's daughter in a city park and kissed her. From that moment forward, everything had changed. Now all he had to do was convince her.

"You've gone quiet all of a sudden," Blythe said.

"Sorry."

"Is something on your mind?" Blythe traced her perfectly manicured nails down the length of his forearm. "Maybe you should spend the night and we can sort everything out," she whispered close to his ear.

"If I spend the night, we won't be talking, will we?"

Blythe laughed delightedly. "We could always talk afterward."

Ted smiled and squeezed her arm but discovered, to his chagrin, that he wasn't tempted by her invitation. In fact, the thought of making love to Blythe Holmes seemed very wrong. He couldn't account for that because he'd spent his share of evenings at her luxury condo.

It seemed to take the sluggish elevator ten minutes to reach the main floor, although in reality it was only a matter of seconds. The doors glided open slowly, and Blythe reached inside her purse for her car keys.

Ted started across the lobby, eager to make his escape, when the very thing he'd feared most happened. He saw Joy. She was sitting next to Charles, the elderly man she'd been talking to earlier. As before, it looked as if she were carrying on a lengthy one-sided conversation.

As luck would have it, she glanced up just then. Her eyes rounded with surprise and hurt when she saw him with Blythe. Her gaze held his for a moment, and then a sad, knowing look came over her and she looked away.

Ted wanted to stop, walk over, and explain, but he didn't know what he'd say, what excuse he'd offer. Of one thing he was sure: he'd never intended to hurt Joy. He couldn't bear knowing he had.

Just as Joy turned on the television and plopped down in front of it, the doorbell chimed. This was not the time for company. Joy had never felt less sociable in her life.

She walked over to the door and checked the peephole.

Ted Griffin.

Groaning, she twisted away from the door and closed her eyes. It would take a better woman than she was to deal with him just then.

She held her breath. He rang the bell again. Joy didn't dare move, or blink, or give any indication