Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds Page B

who he was."
       "And who is he?" Jim sounded mildly scandalized.
       "Stephen Calder Westing. As in the senator's son. As in high society, old money, and never had to work a day in his life. As in his only concern is that I might get pregnant and try to take him for everything he's got."
       Jim whistled silently. "You're right. He's not your type."
       "To say the least." A hint of her usual humor came back to her. "I don't think he even has a graduate degree."
       "Your standards are slipping. I thought you liked your men educated. He is pretty good at Trivial Pursuit, though."
       "True on both counts."
       "I'm not too surprised. He certainly seemed interested in you."
       "That night? No, I don't think so. He was just bored and had nothing better to do."
       "Beg to differ. He was watching you every minute. I was surprised not to see him around again. Though I guess you must have seen him again after all."
       She shrugged, not wanting to go into details.
       "So he said he didn't want to see you again?"
       "No, not exactly. But it couldn't have gone anywhere, and a quick fling isn't my style, so I told him I didn't think it was a good idea for us to see each other again."
       Jim eyed her suspiciously. "Cassie, did you ever give the poor man a chance to say what he wanted from you?"
       The very last thing she needed was to start worrying about whether Calder might have wanted something more. "Jim, believe me, I have nothing Calder Westing wants beyond a warm body. I know you want to see me happily married off, but he isn't the one."
       "I'm not asking you to marry him, just to think about whether you're sure what he wants from you, because I have my doubts."
       "You're an old romantic, Jim, and you should go home to your wife."
       "Always trying to get rid of me. All right, I can take a hint."
       "Since when?"
       He laughed. "I know better than to try to get the last word in. Good night, Cassie."
       "Good night," she said affectionately. She hoped his words wouldn't haunt her.

    Cassie's fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently as she slowly drove up the Penzance Point road. The last thing she wanted was to risk seeing Calder again, but here she was. Another one of Erin's messes.
       Why did Erin want to leave Scott's house at this hour of the night, anyway? And why all the secrecy? When she'd called, she hadn't explained why she wanted Cassie to say she was needed for a problem at the lab. If Scott had turned nasty, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
       The house looked even more imposing at night. Cassie took a deep breath before ringing the bell. She hoped Scott or Erin would answer the door. Anyone but Calder. She stepped back into the shadows, away from the front light.
       Luck wasn't with her. The door opened to reveal Calder's height, Calder's shoulders, Calder's dark hair, and all the things about Calder she hadn't been able to put out of her mind. Including the same look of surprise he wore that night in the water when he touched her.
       He couldn't think she was there to see him, could he? The possibility was mortifying, that he might think she'd come crawling to him for more. "I'm here to pick up Erin," she announced crisply. "Is she ready?"
       His lips tightened. "I don't know. I'll go see." He disappeared down the hallway and into the living room.
       He hadn't even invited her in. She stepped inside anyway, refusing to be left on the doorstep like a beggar. Men's voices drifted toward her. Apparently they had company. Maybe that was why Erin wanted to leave.
       Scott appeared by the living room. "Hi, Cassie. I'll tell Erin you're here. Come on in and have some wine or something."
       So Scott didn't know Calder wanted nothing to do with her. Well, Scott had invited her and it would be rude to refuse. Besides, she was curious to see how Calder behaved around other people.
       She realized her