Page 137 of Temporary Vows

She smiles, her relief almost palpable. “See you in the morning.”

“See you.”

She practically hurries past me. I turn back to Parker to find him watching me with the interest of a fox.

He’s been really nice to me. I have nothing to complain about him, but I do sense an undertone of something in him that’s not quite right. It feels menacing and manipulative.

But, what do I know?

Look at Dorian. He’s kingof not quite right.And as for menace and manipulation? Yup, he’s right up that ally.

“Sorry to drop by unexpected. I thought I’d come and check on you,” he speaks first.

“That’s sweet of you.”

“Oh good. I didn’t know if anyone else had, with Dorian being away. And so busy.” He let the last two words stretch. The emphasis and implication was not missed on me.

“I spoke with Isla and Louise the other day. They’ve been checking on me.” They had, and their calls meant a lot. We were all going to dinner in two weeks too.

“That’s even better. Well, what’s one more person?” He pushes off the table and comes closer, stopping a few paces away. “There’s a quaint little English restaurant of Main street. I was wondering if you’d like to join me at some point if you’re ever bored.”

Okay. This is new. And a little… weird?

I gaze up at him, unable to hide my surprise. “Just me and you?”

“Yes.”

I think for a moment. This is nothing. It’s just a dinner invite. Not a date. Right?

Mentally, I kick myself. If I can’t recognize a date when I see one, no wonder my taste in men is so poor.

“I’m not sure I should do that. I don’t think… Dorian would be okay with that.” God, I feel so stupid saying that. Separate lives. The words flash in my mind like the red and blue lights of a siren.

To my surprise, Parker smiles. No one would guess I’d just turned him down. “He probably wouldn’t. But he’d have nothing to worry about. An evening between two literary scholars is exactly that.”

“Literary scholar. I didn’t know you studied literature.” Against my better judgement, my interest piques.

“Well now you do. I’m planning an event at the Jane Austin Society. I thought I might brainstorm ideas with a fellow enthusiast.” He raises his shoulders into a shrug, seeming genuine.

And now I almost feel bad for being a little too blunt. “That sounds wonderful.”

“I knew you’d say that.” He perks up. “How about I check back to see when you’re free. I can call here.”

Okay, this definitely seemed harmless. “Sure. That would be okay.”

“By the way,” he says, his voice dropping a notch. “If I may overstep, you do know, Dorian sees women all the time whether he’s at home or away.”

My skin goes cold, as cold as if I were standing in a wintry breeze. “Oh. Um…” What do I say to that?

“I’m sorry. I can see I overstepped.” He presses his lips and I can’t quite tell if he’s feigning innocence or if he’s being sincere. “I just thought you should know. You seem like a nice girl.”

I compose myself. I don’t want anyone seeing that kind of disappointment on me. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I just thought you’d feel less bad about dinner with me. Though I assure you my intentions are pure.” He presses a hand to his heart.

I already doubted the purity in his intentions, but his hand on his heart makes me disbelieve even more.

A man like Parker has reasons for dropping information. But I guess it doesn’t matter. That’s the least of my worries.