Where Azaleas Bloom by Sherryl Woods Page B

did you ever know a college kid who couldn’t eat his
weight in pizza?” she countered just as stubbornly.
    “How about we wait and see how many leftovers there are?” he
suggested. “I have a big appetite. And the kids might turn up and want their
share.”
    “The Jolly Green Giant doesn’t have a big enough appetite to go
through this much food,” she insisted. “And the kids are eating with
friends.”
    “You realize while we’re debating this, the pizza’s getting
cold,” he said, reaching for a slice.
    She started to argue some more, but finally relented. It was
clearly futile, at least for now. “Okay,” she said, then warned, “but the
discussion’s not over.”
    He grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
    Regarding him with frustration, she asked, “Do you have to win every argument?”
    “Only when I’m right,” he said. “And, just so you know, I’ve
never been afraid to admit when I’m wrong, either.”
    “Now that I can hardly wait to
see,” Lynn told him, taking her first bite of pizza and nearly choking at the
heat that burst in her mouth. It was true that the slice had cooled, but the
jalapeños hadn’t.
    “Come on, wimp. It’s not that hot,” Mitch teased as she began
picking off the jalapeños.
    “Are you kidding me? I could heat the house from the fire in
these things.”
    “So, no more jalapeños for you,” he said, looking
disappointed.
    “No, no, I left one piece on here,” she said, pointing out a
tiny sliver. “Just enough for a hint of spice.”
    Mitch studied her for a minute. “Is that the way you want to
live your life these days, Lynn? Being safe, with barely enough spice to keep
things interesting?”
    She thought she detected a hint of criticism in there, but it
was a legitimate question. “For now, yes,” she told him. “For the kids’ sake I
have to be cautious. Things are topsy-turvy enough around here without my
rushing into things.”
    He nodded. “Fair enough.”
    “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? I thought you
weren’t looking for anything more right now, either,” she said, puzzled by his
reaction.
    “I wasn’t,” he said, then added more firmly, “I’m not.”
    “But?”
    “I seem to be a lot more open to the possibilities than I was a
few days ago.” He looked into her eyes. “And just so you know, I’m probably no
crazier about that than you are.”
    Lynn was rattled by his candor. She couldn’t think of a single
thing to say in response.
    They continued eating in silence. To her surprise, it didn’t
feel the least bit strained. It felt…comfortable.
    “Maybe we should pretend we never had this conversation,” she
suggested eventually. “We could just go on working together, be friends, no
complications.”
    “A nice theory,” he agreed, still holding her gaze. “I just
think maybe it’s too late.”
    “It’s not too late,” she said a little urgently. “It can’t be.
That’s all I can handle, Mitch. Seriously.”
    He smiled at her reaction. “No need to panic. We’re not
impulsive kids. We don’t have to rush into anything. I just figured you deserved
to know where my head is.”
    “Are you sure your head has anything to do with it?”
    A grin broke across his face at the question, and then his
booming laugh filled the kitchen. “Now that, my friend, is something I imagine
I’ll be puzzling over for most of the night.”
    Lynn couldn’t bear seeing him out on that limb all by himself
for another second. She finally allowed herself to relax and grinned back at
him. “Since we’re being honest, me, too.”
    Mitch’s expression sobered at once. “Now that is the best news
I’ve heard in a very long while.”
    He sounded so sure of that, Lynn thought, while she thought
maybe it was the scariest bit of news ever.
    * * *
    When her doorbell rang the next morning a little after
nine, Lynn glanced up gratefully from the computer. What had seemed so simple
last night with Mitch’s coaxing was