AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was everything she could do to keep the tears welling in her eyes from falling, so she picked up the pizza and started to eat.
Duncan looked down at Winston, who sat with great dignity by his chair and looked at the slice in his hand longingly. “You can’t have pizza,” he said. “We’ve been over this. It’s not good for you.”
Winston made a strange mewling noise, and mixed in a growl and a couple of barks, very clearly communicating his displeasure.
“Don’t blame me,” Duncan said. “Blame Dr. Vance. He’s the one who put you on the diet.” But Duncan tore off a bit of crust and gave it to Winston.
Winston ate it delicately and then looked at Duncan expectantly.
“Maybe you should buy gluten-free pizza,” she said. “Then you don’t have to feel guilty.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Duncan said. “I’ve never eaten a meal alone with him around. Have you known Atticus long?”
“Since I was a child,” she said. “He’d pop in when he was in town to see my dad. And I remember meeting his wife once.”
“Jane.”
“Yes,” Hattie said. “She was beautiful, and very kind to a very awkward girl. I was devastated to hear she was killed.”
“Murdered,” Duncan said, his face darkening with anger. “It was a shock to us all. It’s one of the reasons we’re so careful up here. Atticus has made a lot of enemies in his line of work. People look for ways they can get to him. We’re the only family he has left—even distant though we are—but he brings his daughter up every summer and most Christmases.”
“She’s…okay?” Hattie asked.
“Anna is still in the hospital, but she’s getting stronger every day,” Duncan said. “She was named after my mother. Which means she’s much too stubborn to die.”
“The last time I saw Jane was just after Anna was born,” she said softly. “It seems like a lifetime ago. But Jane left an impression. Like I said, she was very kind to a very awkward girl.”
“I can’t imagine you ever being awkward,” he said. “You’re one of the most striking people I’ve ever met.”
He made the comment casually, and it took her off guard. There was no pretense or hidden meaning. He just said what he thought and went ahead eating his pizza. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had given her a compliment, even an off-handed one.
“Did I interrupt anything when I came to your door?” she asked.
“You’re just now asking that?” He grinned, and she felt the slow rush of pure attraction flow through her veins. His smile changed his face completely. He’d been attractive before, but now…
She winced. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I was working.”
“What do you do?” she asked.
“A little of this and that.”
“Does it involve paint?” she asked.
“You know what they say about curiosity and cats?”
“That they’re knowledgeable and interested in people’s lives?” she asked sweetly.
“Why did Atticus lease you the house?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Talk about curiosity.” She blew out a sigh.
“I want to be knowledgeable and interested.”
“I told you. He and my father were like brothers, and they worked together from time to time. And when my father died, Atticus was there. He’s always been there in some way or another.”
“Atticus always takes care of family,” Duncan said.
