that all that mattered?
“Maybe you and Ashley should get together to work out a settlement for the damages from the accident,” Maggie suggested without any attempt at subtlety.
“We’ve taken care of that,” Ashley replied at once.
To his shock and dismay, a streak of totally unfamiliar perversity sliced through Josh. “I’ve been thinking maybe we were a little too hasty. Neither of us was thinking too clearly.”
“I was thinking just fine,” Ashley retorted. “I offered to pay for all the damages since it was my fault. That offer still stands.”
“As a lawyer, you should know an offer like that could open you up to exorbitant demands,” Josh countered. “You’ve admitted guilt. You couldn’t possibly have been thinking clearly or you would never have done such a thing.”
“I was taking responsibility for my actions,” she retorted. “You turned me down.” Her gaze narrowed. “Are you changing your mind? Suddenly feeling the onset of whiplash, perhaps?” she inquired tartly.
If it would keep the fire in her eyes, Josh would have prolonged the argument as long as possible, but they were being watched with total fascination by everyone else at the table. He didn’t want to encourage the meddlers.
“Possibly,” he equivocated, rubbing his neck. Sure enough, sparks of indignation lit her eyes.
“Well, be sure to let me know when you’ve made up your mind,” Ashley replied, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. “Why is it that men can never make a decision about anything?”
“Hey,” Rick and Mike protested in unison. “Don’t turn this into some sort of gender war and drag the rest of us into it,” Mike went on.
“Uh-oh,” Maggie said. “Watch your step, Ashley. You’re about to unite these men in a common cause. Something tells me it won’t be pretty.”
“Doggone right,” Josh agreed, suddenly eager to stir the pot. “Men are not the problem. We think logically and rationally.”
“Oh, please,” Ashley said. “What was logical or rational about letting me off the hook so easily?”
“You were clearly shaken up. I was trying to be a nice guy,” Josh retorted.
“Ha!” Ashley muttered.
“Women hate that,” Rick advised.
“They see it as a sign of weakness,” Mike confirmed.
“Well, you can be sure I won’t make that mistake again,” Josh vowed. “I thought you were a reasonable woman.”
“I am. You’re the one behaving like an idiot. You’re no more injured than I am.”
He frowned at her. “You’re calling me an idiot?”
“You bet I am.”
As the exchange ended and her declaration hung in the air, Ashley suddenly blinked and looked embarrassed. “What just happened here?”
Maggie grinned at them. “Offhand, I’d say we just witnessed an explosion of hormones. I, for one, found it rather fascinating.”
“Stimulating,” Melanie added, casting a pointed look at her husband.
Before Josh could utter a desperate denial, Ashley whirled on her sisters. “Eat dirt,” she muttered, then stood up. “I have to go.”
Josh was way too tempted to follow her. Instead, he merely winked as she passed. “Drive safely,” he murmured under his breath.
She stopped and scowled at him. He waited for her to utter the curse that was obviously on the tip of her tongue, but she fought it and won.
“Lovely seeing you again,” she said sweetly. Her voice, thick with Southern syrup, nonetheless lacked sincerity.
“I’m sure we’ll cross paths soon,” Josh said. “Hopefully without colliding.”
Though he had to admit, as he watched her walk away, that bumping into Ashley D’Angelo, literally or figuratively, was starting to make his life a whole lot livelier.
3
Fresh from his second disconcerting, intriguing encounter with Ashley D’Angelo, Josh knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable talk with Stephanie for another minute. That explosion of hormones Maggie had referred to had been very real. It had been a couple of hours now, and he was still half-aroused when he thought about it. Stephanie had never had that effect on him. They’d been friends who’d understood what was expected of them and accepted that real passion wasn’t part of it.
Even as he reached for the phone, he acknowledged that it was probably a conversation he should be having face-to-face. Since he didn’t plan on being back in Richmond for a while, though, he wanted to get it over with now, tonight. Something told him that by morning, or at least by the time he had his next encounter with Ashley, he should be totally free from the past.
Fortunately, Stephanie was a night owl. Even though it was after eleven, he knew she’d be awake. What he hadn’t expected, though, was the sound of a party in full swing in the background when she answered. She sounded carefree and happy, happier than he could recall her being in a long time. Somehow when they were together, she always seemed subdued and thoughtful.
“Steph, it’s me,” he said.
“Josh, sweetheart, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this late.”
“Evidently.” He had no idea why he couldn’t seem to keep the edge out of his voice. He wasn’t jealous. No, if anything, he was relieved. Maybe this odd mood he was suddenly in simply had to do with the possibility that now wasn’t the best time to have this conversation, after all. “Look, you obviously have company. Maybe I should call back in the morning.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s just a few friends kicking back on a Friday night. I’ll just go into the other room, where I can hear better.”
The music and laughter grew more muffled. “There. That’s better,” she said. “How’s it going? Are you having a good time? Are you getting all that deep thinking done?”
“Some of it,” he said.
“I wish you’d let me come with you. Maybe I could have helped. You’ve always liked bouncing ideas off of me in the past.”
“Normally that’s true,” he said, “but not this time. I had to work this out on my own.”
“You’re thinking about us, aren’t you?” she asked, sounding resigned but not surprised.
Josh had always known that Stephanie was smart and intuitive, but he hadn’t expected her to cut right to the chase on this one. “Yes,” he admitted. “I think we need to talk about where we’re headed.”
“Okay,” she said.
“I owe you better than a conversation on the phone, but I didn’t want to wait till I get back.”
“Come on, Josh, just say it and get it over with,” she chided.
“I know your father is counting on us announcing our engagement soon and that we’ve been talking about it for a long time now,” he began. “But I think you and I both know that he’s more enthusiastic about the idea than either of us are.”
His words were greeted with silence.
“Stephanie?”
“What are you saying, Josh?” she asked.
He sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to be brutally honest. “That we’re all wrong for each other, Steph. We both know it. We’ve been trying to make the pieces fit, but they don’t. This isn’t your fault, Stephanie. You’re amazing. It’s me. I want something else. I wish I could explain it better than