Naughty by Nature by Judy Angelo Page B

you,” she
said and gently pulled her hand from his grasp as she stole a quick glance at
Wolf.  He had an enigmatic look on his face which, of course, meant she had no
idea what he was thinking.  Darn.
    At that moment
Lydia raised her hand to wave at the men.  “Come help me up, guys.  Let’s move
into the dining room now.  I’m sure everyone is starving.”
    That evening Tessa
enjoyed a wonderful meal with Wolf and his parents.  Both Lydia and Ruben Spencer
had been such a surprise to her.  Lydia had been bubbly and upbeat throughout
the entire evening even though she’d had to be wheeled to the table in a
wheelchair.  Ruben, although a lot more reserved than his wife, was nonetheless
a pleasant man who engaged her in conversation about her experiences as a high
school teacher.  After hearing her stories he seemed relieved that he’d chosen
to work with adult learners rather than teens.
    And now, after
saying her goodbyes, she was walking down the steps with Wolf and inside she
felt like a very warm bulb had been turned on and she was glowing from the
inside out.
    Wolf opened the
door for her and she slid into the driver's seat.  He rested a long, lean hand
on the window and peered down at her.  On his lips was a smile.  “You were
great, Tessa.  For the first time since we got back from India I heard my dad
laugh out loud.”  He shook his head and his eyes were full of gratitude.  “You
came to help Mom but you ended up helping Dad as well.  And me, too.”  He held
her gaze.  “Especially me.”
    At that moment
Tessa knew from first-hand experience what they meant when they said, ‘cat got
your tongue’.  She had no idea what to say.
    Wolf cleared his
throat then straightened, looking almost as embarrassed as she felt.  He patted
the roof of her solar orange Audi TTS coupe, her one luxury in life, and looked
at it admiringly.  “Nice,” he said, as if noticing it for the first time.  He
didn’t fool her one bit.  She knew he was only changing the subject so he could
push that awkward moment behind him.  “I’ve never seen this color on an Audi
before.”
    “The only one in
Ontario.” 
    He raised his
eyebrows.  “You should give me a ride in it one day.”
    “I most certainly
will.”
    He nodded then
stepped back and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans.
    When am I going
to see you again ?  Unbidden, the question popped
into her mind.  As she stared up at him, her eyes taking him all in, she knew
she didn’t want to leave.  Not just yet.  Not till she knew she’d be seeing him
again soon.
    He must have been
thinking the same thing because he said, “When will I see you again?  Remember,
we still have that project to discuss.”
    “Thursdays are
usually best for me,” she said.  “Want to do lunch again?”
    He shook his
head.  “I have a better idea.  Why not come by my office on the weekend when
you’re not so pressed for time?  Then I can show you what I do and we can
bounce ideas off each other.  And,” he gave her a smile, “you won’t have to
rush off to a class full of kids.”
    “Sounds good.” 
She smiled back at him.  “And, as luck would have it, I’m free this weekend.” 
She was free every weekend but he didn’t have to know that.
    “Great.  What
about Sunday around one o’clock?  I can order in and we can have lunch at the
office.”
    “Sounds perfect.”
    “Okay, I'll let
you go now.”  He'd approached the car while they were talking but now he gave
it another pat.  “It’s almost nine o’clock.  You need to get home and rest. 
School tomorrow.”
    Tessa nodded and
switched on the engine.  “G’night, Wolf.”
    “G’night,” he
said, copying her.  “And call me when you get home.  Let me know you’re safe.”
    Tessa nodded and
as she drove out of the driveway and onto the road Wolf was still standing
there, hands in his pockets, watching her leave.
    And she knew without
a doubt that whatever she