He leaned his shoulder against the back window and tried to draw his gaze away from her lips to her eyes. “You know you can say anything to me.”

She laughed—but it turned into a groan; her brows puckered, and she shook her head. “I don’t think I can. It’ll just make things worse between us.”

He leaned closer but clasped his hands behind his back to keep from taking her in his arms and declaring his undying love to her. “Whatever it is, I think I’m man enough to handle it.”

Tears welled in Meredith’s nutmeg eyes, and her breathing increased. “I can’t.” She swallowed a couple more times, and an odd expression overtook her face. “I didn’t realize you knew my cousin Jodi so well.”

The sudden change in subject threw him. “What?”

“You ... and Jodi. I saw you together when I walked in.” She reached into the pocket of his shirt. “I saw her give you this.”

She pulled out the napkin Jodi had stuffed in there a few minutes ago. He laughed and enclosed Meredith’s fisted hand with both of his. “Your cousin told me she’d heard about the restaurant on Alaine’s program. She offered to come up with a marketing plan and some materials for me—as part of her portfolio or internship or something for grad school—if the time comes. She doesn’t have any business cards, so she wrote her number down for me. I’m supposed to call her when I know what my schedule’s going to be like the next couple of weeks.”

“Marketing plan?” Meredith’s cheeks darkened. “I thought—I mean I didn’t think—”

Hope kindled in Major’s chest. “You thought Jodi was flirting with me and that I was lapping up the attention of a girl about fifteen years younger than me?”

She nodded, her throat working hard as she swallowed, face as red as a five-hundred-degree oven.

He tried to contain his smile. “So, you were jealous?”

“I—no—I was surprised—”

“You were surprised that someone like Jodi would show interest in me? Or that I would show interest in any woman?” Other than you. He wanted her to admit it, to say aloud that she loved him. Of course, he would never be able to act on it, but he really wanted to hear the words.

“It’s not quite like that—”

He used the leverage he had by his grasp on her hand and pulled her closer. “Then what is it like?”

Her eyes widened—but not with fear. He leaned his head closer to her, heart thundering.

“Hey, is everything o—” Anne skidded to a stop as she came around the back end of the Volvo. “Oh, dear.” She shielded her eyes as if to keep from seeing anything else. “I’m so sorry. I’ll just leave now.”

“No, it’s all right.” The breathy huskiness in Meredith’s usually smooth voice stirred the smoldering embers in the pit of Major’s stomach. She pulled her hand, and he released it, though he didn’t want to. “I really need to be getting home anyway.”

Major gulped a couple of deep lungfuls of the chilly air to settle his nerves and slow his still-racing heart. Had he really almost just kissed Meredith Guidry?

* * *

Meredith was certain she was about to have a heart attack. Unless she was seriously deceiving herself, Major O’Hara had been about to kiss her before Anne interrupted them.

“Oh—okay, well, good night.” Anne gave an apologetic grimace and backed away to her own car a few spaces away.

Sweat beaded on Major’s upper lip, and he rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Meredith, I have to tell you something.”

The hyperventilating feeling returned to her chest. Would he now declare his feelings for her? Put her out of years of agony? “Yes?”

“I need you to know how I feel about you....” He wiped his hand down his face. “About you and Ward Breaux. I’m—I’m really ... happy that you’ve managed to find time to have a life outside of work. You deserve to have some fun and joy in your life, and I hope that you find it.”

Nooooo! Emptiness swallowed up all the warm, pleasant feelings she’d had this evening. He wasn’t supposed to be happy for her. He was supposed to be jealous, insanely jealous, over the fact she’d gone out on a couple of dates with someone else.

“Thanks, Major. That means ... a lot to me.” She slipped his jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to him—but she’d started shivering before the cold air hit her. “I guess I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

“Ten thirty, right?”

“Ten thirty?”

“The meeting to finalize the Hearts to HEARTS menu?”

“Right. Ten thirty.”

“I’ll bring coffee and snacks. I’m sure we’ll need them.” His grin didn’t quite deepen his dimples the way it usually did.

“See you then.” She climbed into the car, ready for this night to be over. She returned his wave and pulled out of the parking lot.

Meredith was about to give in to the tears that wanted desperately to be released, but her phone rang. She fumbled in her purse for the hands-free earpiece, hooked it over her right ear, and answered.

“Meredith? Antoine Delacroix. I hope it isn’t too late.”

“No.” She grabbed a tissue and dabbed away the moisture from her eyes and nose. “Thank you for calling.”

“Of course. My sister has told me some stuff about you. But I have to admit, it confused me. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to set us up on a date or if you have a job you want me to bid.”

Was Alaine Delacroix the reason Major was happy Meredith had started seeing someone else? “I have a house I’m remodeling, but I’ve about reached the limit of what I can do on my own—and time is a factor as well.”

“Oh. If that’s the case, the sooner I come by to evaluate the property, the better, huh?”

“Yes. But I don’t have my calendar with me. Can I call you back tomorrow morning once I have it in front of me?”

“I don’t really do mornings, so why don’t I give you a holler some time tomorrow afternoon?”

A contractor who didn’t “do” mornings? “Okay. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”

“Later, dude.”

Meredith disconnected with a derisive huff and took the earpiece off. Had he really just called her dude? Even the college students they hired to work large events were trained better in customer service than that.

At home she heard the puppy’s howls as soon as she opened the back door into her kitchen. She stepped out into the rear hall again at the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs.

“I was just coming to see what the noise was.” Anne hesitated on the bottom step.

“Just the puppy. I’m sure there’s a mess to clean up, but come in if you want to.” Meredith had no doubt that Anne’s visit had nothing to do with the racket the puppy continued to make.

Meredith changed clothes first before daring to open the bathroom door. But surprisingly, the puppy had managed to keep his mess to the newspaper. She still fought retching at the smell as she wadded it up, and she carried it at arm’s length out to the large trash bin outside, the puppy doing his best to trip her up.

Anne followed them out, and Meredith joined her on the deck.

“Are you going to keep him?”

Meredith smiled over the dog’s antics. “I’d like to. It would be nice to have a dog for some nominal protection once I’m living alone. I just don’t have time for him right now.”

“What about Jenn? I know she’d love to take him.”

“And how does she have more time than I do? She’s at the restaurant six days a week. Besides, she double-checked, and the lease she signed doesn’t allow pets other than cats, birds, or fish.”

“Too bad. He’s so cute.”

“Yep. But he needs a family with kids who’ll play with him every day. I might get a cat, just for the companionship. They sleep twenty hours a day, so it wouldn’t care that I’m hardly ever home.” She crouched down as the puppy came up the steps, and scooped him into her arms. He lavished her chin, jaw, and neck with kisses.

“I know it’s getting late, but I hoped you might want to talk.” Anne held open the door.

Wariness settled over Meredith. She trusted Anne implicitly, but how much should she tell her cousin about Major?

“Come in. I’ll put some coffee on.” Meredith deposited the puppy on the floor, washed her hands, and put on a pot of decaf dark roast. They talked about Anne’s wedding plans while the coffee brewed and Meredith fed the dog.

Finally, both cradling Meredith’s favorite large green mugs in their hands, they settled in the living room.

“So tell me what’s going on.”

“It was nothing. We were just talking.”

Anne frowned then seemed to understand. “No, we’ll get to that in a minute. I mean what’s this about your going out on a date for the first time in ten years and not telling me?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you. There’s been so much going on in my life the last week, I kind of lost track of what day it is.” And I wanted to have something completely of my own for just once in my life.

“You know I want all the details: who is he, where’d you meet him? Is he the ‘friend’ you went to the Savoy with Friday night?”

Meredith told Anne everything. She even pulled up Ward’s company Web site to show Anne his picture. Anne seemed duly impressed, but grew silent when they returned to the living room from the second bedroom/office.

“What about Major?” Anne asked.

“What about him?” Meredith picked at a loose thread in the arm of her sofa.

“You’ve been in love with Major for a very long time.”

Meredith got up and went back into the office for a pair of scissors to take care of that pesky thread.

“I didn’t really allow myself to recognize it until last year when we were all working on Cliff ’s wedding reception. I guess being in love myself made me finally recognize it in you.”