your son in fifth grade? He’s welcome to join our study class this morning.”
“Oh, no, he’s in the nursery.” And she was getting antsy about checking to see how Jacob was accepting his new situation.
“Well, I’m glad Mr. Matteo stopped by to introduce us. If there’s anything you need, or if you have any questions…”
That’s when it hit her. These two men barely knew each other! Why else would they call each other Deacon Tackett and Mr. Matteo? Until now she had assumed Wade had merely wanted her to meet a friend of his. But they obviously weren’t close, and she didn’t have an older child for Ellis to teach, so why was Wade putting her through this?
“Geneva does a lot of sewing.” Wade ignored Ellis’s attempt to close the conversation and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Perhaps you could charm her into helping with the costumes for this year’s Christmas play.” The smile Wade flashed the other man seemed fraught with meaning. Then, turning to Geneva, he added, “The deacon is a real pillar of the community. His family has lived in the area for more than a century. They even have a road named after them.”
Why was he telling her this? Not knowing how else to respond to this seemingly unnecessary bit of information, she merely said, “That’s quite impressive.”
Wade gave her an amused grin. “Personally, I’d rather have a roller coaster named after me.”
She wasn’t surprised. A date with Wade Matteo was probably just like a roller-coaster ride—full of exciting turns, giddying heights and heart-stopping plummets, that ultimately ended up right where they started. Whoever dared to take such a ride would certainly have a story to tell and a memory to cherish, but nothing more.
Realization dawned with such crackling intensity that it nearly blinded her. Wade was setting her up, and he’d chosen to pair her with Ellis. She felt herself blush, not certain whether to get angry with him for being so presumptuous or go along with the match-making attempt.
Taking another, more assessing look at Ellis, she realized Wade had chosen wisely. Now, there was a man with whom she could go somewhere. From what little she knew about him—that he was a leader in the community, that he seemed kind and polite and, best of all, that he liked children—she decided this was someone she could possibly build a relationship with. There wouldn’t be any hairpin turns or spiraling heights of ecstasy as in a roller-coaster ride perhaps, but he seemed like just the kind of man she and Jacob needed.
Ellis obviously hadn’t caught on to Wade’s machinations yet. He pointed at the two of them. “How long have you two been dating?”
“Oh, no, we’re not dating,” Geneva quickly supplied. “We just live together.”
Wade gave her a look that told her she’d blown it, and then his Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to hold back a laugh.
“I mean we live in the same house.” Suddenly the spring day seemed to have grown unseasonably warm, and Geneva realized she hadn’t actually clarified the deacon’s misconception after all. So she tried again. “I’m at the back, and he’s in front.”
Oh, good grief, that sounded even worse!
Ellis’s blue eyes darkened as his gaze darted between them. Geneva had the sickening feeling that not only had she ruined her chances with him, but also with anyone who might talk to him.
To her relief, Wade fished her out of the hot water she’d gotten herself into.
“What she means is that I’m her landlord. Geneva lives in an apartment attached to the back of my house, which is next door to Sean.”
Ellis’s eyebrows descended to a more normal position, and he gave a soft chuckle. “Of course.”
The conversation fell suddenly quiet, and Ellis glanced over his shoulder at the children who were swatting each other with their lesson books.
“Would you like to see it sometime?” Wade seemed impervious to her growing discomfort. “Tuesday evening, maybe?”
Geneva caught his elbow and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t think—”
“Sure,” said Ellis. By now the kids had stopped their horseplay and were chanting a jump-rope song about sitting in a tree and k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Ellis seemed not to hear as he smiled benevolently at Geneva. “Is seven o’clock okay?”
“That’s perfect,” Wade said, cutting off her protest. “Bring an appetite. I hear Geneva is quite the cook.”
This was getting out of control. What would people think when they found out the town’s resident playboy was procuring dates for her? What must Ellis think about this peculiar setup? A knot clutched at her stomach as she considered the expectations such an arrangement might arouse.
Wade stabbed at the buttons on the phone and stopped before he reached the last one. It should be such a simple thing to ask a wealthy heiress to accompany him to a charity ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to punch that last number.
He felt like a phony…he didn’t even like the woman. That had never stopped him before, so he couldn’t understand why he was having so much trouble going through with it this time. Hell, he didn’t even have this much trouble asking the deacon for a date with Geneva.
Maybe Geneva had something to do with his hesitation. He hadn’t been the same since she moved in. At first he’d told himself it was because a single woman on the premises, especially one as wholesome and motherish as Geneva, tended to cramp his style. Instead, he found himself daydreaming about unfastening her hair clip and letting her rich brown locks tumble over his fingers. And if he wasn’t careful, his thoughts led to imagining the softness of those curls tickling his bare chest as they lay together in each other’s arms.
Then, to shake himself out of the foolhardy reverie, he reminded himself of his resolve to date only career women or those over forty who had no desire to add to their families. Geneva embodied every quality that he sought to avoid in women: she was in the prime of her childbearing years, making clear in actions and words her wish for a large family. She was the kind of woman who wanted permanence…and promises of things he could not fulfill.
Wade paced the kitchen floor, reminding himself that the end justified the means, and forced himself to redial the woman’s number.
Cherise Watson was the daughter of a wealthy businessman-turned-senator, and though her father had died a few years ago, she and her mother still had strong ties to others in the political arena. Wade had long been a dedicated fundraiser for the children’s hospital. Not only would a generous donation from Cherise provide the hospital with a new magnetic resonance imaging machine, but a well-placed word in the right politician’s ear might garner the research funds the facility so desperately needed.
Geneva hoisted Jacob to her hip and allowed him to peek carefully into the nest at the two most recent additions. One of the parent birds sat in an oak tree, chirping its indignation at their intrusion. Setting her son down, she contemplated the best way to approach the problem. Although she thought her landlord could have been more subtle, and definitely more tactful, in his matchmaking effort, she was grateful that he had introduced her to such a nice man.
Fortunately, after church she was able to talk a bit more with Ellis without interruption from her busybody neighbor. Their conversation helped convince her that the deacon’s desires mirrored her own. He loved children and wanted a traditional family life but, as was her own experience, his exacting standards narrowed the dating pool so that his options were severely limited.
She stood back from the house and examined the bare area beside the light fixture. If she moved the wreath those few feet, perhaps the parent birds would adapt without complaint to the minor adjustment. And she would regain the use of her door.
For the past couple of days, she’d been using Wade’s house as a cut-through to her apartment. Despite his insistence that her entering and leaving through his living quarters was not an inconvenience, Geneva was equally insistent that she had to find another solution. Today.