Tin Angel (5 page)

“You take after her,” he said softly.

“Who?”

“Your aunt.” He reached across the table and lifted her hands, studying them. “They’re slender and graceful, just like hers. It’s amazing. And to think you barely know her.”

Alice pulled her hands back and stuck them under the table. “Some things can’t be helped.”

“Such a shame. She’s a wonderful woman.”

Alice noticed the sparkle in Jack’s eyes. He obviously admired her.

“And your father. Is he like her too?”

She dropped her gaze from his intense blue eyes. She hadn’t expected him to bring up her imaginary father. “No, he wasn’t. He’s not…much like her. Tell me about yourself. What is it you do for work?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.

His face lit up as she’d expected. Jack loved his work—especially the children—and she knew it was a subject he could talk about for hours. Many nights after he’d had dinner at her place, he’d stay past midnight, talking about school and the children.

“I teach music over at the elementary school. Music is my passion,” he said.

“M—” Alice bit back her words. She’d been about to say,
Mine too
, then realized her mistake. She couldn’t appear too similar to a woman she was supposed to barely know.

“Merchandising,” she spouted, looking down at her skirt. “Fashion merchandising. That’s what I do.”

The sparkle left Jack’s eyes. “And I’ll bet you’re quite good at it too.” From his tone, she knew he hadn’t meant it as a compliment. She’d better be careful, or Jack would become more suspicious of her than he already was.

Thankfully, the waiter arrived. “Are you ready to order?” he asked, putting an end to that uncomfortable conversation.

“Yes, we’ll each have the braised beef short rib,” Jack said, “and bring us a bottle of your best red wine.”

She watched him over the rim of her water glass. The copper lamp in the center of the table cast a warm glow over his swarthy complexion. His raven hair glistened. Oh no! Her thoughts were beginning to wander to places they shouldn’t. She’d best control her reaction to him, at least until they were through with dinner. She lowered her lashes and studied the tablecloth’s red-and-white-checked pattern.

“Is something wrong?”

When she looked up, worry shadowed his expression. He was a compassionate man, one who didn’t deserve to be deceived, but it was impossible for her to ignore the powerful feelings churning inside. “I was just thinking how happy I am to be here with you.” At least that wasn’t a lie.

The lines creasing his forehead disappeared. He rested his elbows on the edge of the table and leaned in toward her. “I’m enjoying your company too.”

Although she didn’t doubt his sincerity, she couldn’t help but wonder if, given a choice, he wouldn’t rather be with Alice. How odd that she should feel that way. After all, she was young and beautiful—the object of every man’s desire. So why in the world would she think he’d prefer the company of an old woman? Deciding to ignore such crazy musings, she accepted his compliment with a wide smile.

“That boyfriend, the one you left back in New York, must be crazy to have let you go.”

A heated blush stole up her neck. He did desire her. For a sinful moment, she wondered what it would feel like to spend the night wrapped in his arms.

With impeccable timing, the waiter interrupted with the wine. He popped the cork, poured Jack a glass, and waited silently while Jack swirled, sniffed, and sipped. When Jack nodded his approval, the waiter poured a glass for Alice.

She brought the goblet to her lips, then quickly set it back down, nearly splattering wine over her lap. Doc Brooks was headed toward their table. In his mid-sixties with a mop of white hair swept to one side and slicked down with hair spray, the short, heavy-set man moved with amazing agility.

“Charlie, great to see you,” Jack said, springing to his feet and shaking the doctor’s hand.

“My wife and I love this place. We don’t miss a week.” He glanced at Alice through thick bifocal lenses. “Pleasure to meet you…”

“I’m sorry, this is Ally, Alice’s niece,” Jack said.

Doc Brooks frowned. “That’s funny. I’ve known Alice for years, and she never mentioned a niece.”

Both men stared at her. Her knees began to shake. “I hadn’t seen my aunt since I was a child.” She hoped her nervousness wasn’t taken as a sign she was lying.

“I see. How’s Alice doing?” the doctor asked, his tone anxious.

“She’s spending the holiday with my dad.” Alice prayed Doc Brooks would hurry up and leave.

“That’s odd. She never said a word.”

“Not to me either,” Jack chimed in. “Ally’s father took sick. She left suddenly, isn’t that right?”

Her fingers trembled in her lap. “Yes.”

“I hope she’s careful. Alice has such trouble getting around.” Doc Brooks’ small, round eyes focused on her face. “It’s nice to have met you, Ally is it? Quite a striking resemblance.” He scratched his ear as he walked back to his table.

When Alice turned to Jack, he was still staring at her. “What?” she asked, her defenses on high alert.

His sensuous mouth turned up into a smile. “You look amazing tonight.”

A nerve twittered at the side of her cheek. “Thank you.”

He took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb over her skin. Electricity seemed to arc through her. A man hadn’t touched her that way since Tom. She’d forgotten how wonderful it felt. She closed her eyes, and her nervousness evaporated. She was beautiful, and Jack desired her. All the feelings she’d kept bottled up inside were dangerously close to erupting. She wondered what his kiss would feel like. Would it be soft or deep and sensual? The all too vivid image of him pressed hard against her made her mouth go dry. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. What had happened to her common sense? She mustn’t have these kinds of daydreams.

Alice opened her eyes. The look on Jack’s face brought back all her worries. Was that suspicion she saw? But when he realized she was watching him, his expression changed to one of warmth.

The waiter set a plate in front of her. She lifted her fork and took a bite.

Jack filled her wineglass to the rim. “Tell me, what do you think of Silvercreek?”

She set down her fork and looked over at him. His eyes were friendly, not probing as they had been a few moments ago. “I haven’t seen much of it, but the people I’ve met are charming.” She held his gaze.

He smiled, and she liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Allow me to remedy that by becoming your tour guide.”

She took a quick drink of wine to calm her rapidly beating heart. “I’d like that.”

The delicious dinner and glass of wine combined with Jack’s charm put Alice at ease. By the time they’d polished off a wonderful dessert and were sipping coffee, she was getting the hang of being her alter-ego, Ally. She’d produced an answer to each of Jack’s politely probing questions.

“How long have you been teaching?” she asked, directing the conversation away from herself.

He took a drink of coffee, then set down the cup. “This is my first year at Silvercreek Elementary. I taught at a school in Boston for nearly four years but began my career at the school I attended as a child. I was there for a while, then got the itch to try big-city life.”

“How did you like it?” she asked.

Jack leaned back in the chair. “Shock and awe about sums it up. Boston’s only an hour from my hometown, but they’re worlds apart.”

Alice sipped her coffee. Although she knew his feelings about the city, she enjoyed listening to him talk.

“Growing up, I knew most everyone in town,” he continued. “When you’re young, you don’t necessarily see that as a good thing. I sure didn’t. Having the whole town know my business made me long to be anonymous. I’m sure you can relate to that.”

She arched a brow in surprise.

“To the anonymous part,” he explained. “You’re just visiting here. You can do whatever you want, and no one will know or care. That’s got to be appealing.”

She shifted her gaze away from him and stared into her drink. Being so shy, she’d never had many friends. She didn’t socialize—never had until she met Tom, but then her whole world collapsed when he died. Her fingers tightened around the cup.

“I’m sorry. Have I upset you?”

Beneath his concern, she thought there was a slight change in tone, maybe even a faint hint of sarcasm, but she couldn’t be sure. Had his suspicion of her resurfaced? Why?

Alice looked over at him and forced a smile. “No, no. I’m fine.” To keep him talking about himself she asked, “How did you end up here?”

Jack shrugged and waited while the waiter refilled their cups before answering. “The nightlife wasn’t for me, neither was the traffic or the stress that went along with it. I longed for a small town—one like where my Aunt Stacy lives. As a boy, I spent my summers with her. She’s the complete opposite of my mother.” He raked his hair off his forehead. Alice knew this was a difficult subject for him. “My parents liked to travel…without a child to cramp their style. So I want what Stacy has…a life where family comes first.”

Alice poured some cream in her coffee, then stirred it with a spoon. “She sounds wonderful.”

“Indeed,” he answered. His eyes darkened, and she knew he was missing her.

A few moments later, his mood seemed to brighten. “Alice keeps me from getting too homesick,” he said with a smile. “She reminds me of my aunt. There’ve been many nights I’d sit in Alice’s parlor, listening to music and playing gin rummy with her.”

She remembered those nights fondly. Jack was almost as good at the game as she.

“Do you play cards?” There was no misreading the hopeful gleam in his eyes.

She ran her hands over the napkin on her lap and tried to rid herself of the ridiculous thought that he might be able to read her mind. “A little.”

“We should play sometime. But I have to warn you, although I’m not a sore loser, I like to win.”

“Do you always?” she asked.

The waiter brought over the check, and Jack handed it back along with his credit card. “What? Win?”

“Yes.”

He laughed. “It seems only when Alice lets me.”

Her mouth twitched. She fought hard to hold back a smile. How did he know she would sometimes throw a game? And she’d thought she’d done such a good job keeping it from him. “It seems like you’ve settled in here.”

Jack slipped the credit card the waiter returned to him into his wallet, then scribbled his name on the receipt. “I love this town. I could see myself spending my life here. Now, all I need is to find that special someone.” His gaze locked with hers.

The warmth in his eyes grew to a steady heat that echoed through her and made her wonder where this night might end.

“We should probably get going,” she said softly.

Jack rose and stepped around the table to pull out her chair. His hand brushed her arm, and a tingle ran up the back of her neck. She hurried through the restaurant, suddenly feeling the need for fresh air, but before she could reach the door, her heel caught on something. She started to fall forward. Grasping for anything to keep her balance, her fingers locked on to one of the decorative trees flanking the entrance. As she careened headfirst into the plant, strong arms encircled her waist, putting her back on her feet.

“Darn these shoes,” she muttered under her breath. She should’ve known better than to try to wear three-inch heels. She’d nearly lived in slippers for decades. A little practice at home before venturing out in public would’ve been smart.