Yours Truly

Seven

SEVEN

Peter was as nervous as a cat in a room full of snarling dogs. He wanted the fun back that he and Annette had shared this afternoon. Yet, a different mood had crept between them during dinner. Suddenly, he'd come tongue-tied. His mind refused to find other topics of conversation besides the newspaper and the article. He couldn't stop staring at her pretty face or laughing at something she said that was funny. But Heaven help him, he wished he would stop staring at her lips. Her heart-shaped mouth was adorable, and he wanted to kiss her.

Earlier in the meal, she'd excused herself to drop in the kitchen to give a compliment to the chef. Nellie was cooking tonight, and Peter's taste buds could tell the difference between her cooking and the man who cooked on Nellie's days off. It wasn't long before Annette returned, but then just as they finished their meal, she had to leave the table and go back to the kitchen to thank Nellie again.

It dawned on him that Annette was stalling their departure from the restaurant for some reason. Sadly, it also made him more nervous about their ride home, alone in the open buggy. He wished now that he had brought his covered buggy, but he'd thought Malcolm was coming with them.

Annette returned to the table and sat. Her eyes were lit with happiness, which was confusing since she had just been in to talk to Nellie. "Annette? May I ask why you look so elated?"

She glanced around them at the other tables before leaning toward him. Since they didn't sit directly across from each other, it was easier for him to lean in and inhale her sweet fragrance.

"I just realized," she whispered, "that Nellie is the one who wrote that letter to the newspaper."

He arched an eyebrow. "She's Shy Nellie?"

Annette nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"When I went to talk to her the first time, she seemed shy, but I didn't receive a distinct impression that she was the one. However, just now, we had a little more time to talk, and she wanted me to thank my father for hiring the Lovelorn." Annette's smile widened. "Why else would she say that if she wasn't the one who had written the letter?"

"Do you think she's going to come out of her shell and find a beau?"

"I don't know for certain, but at least I can keep an eye on her to see if she does."

"Annette," he said in a low voice as he took her hand in his, "you really need to stop trying to figure out who these people are. They didn't use their real names for a reason."

She straightened but didn't pull her hand away. "Well, Nellie used her name."

"True, so I'll let this one slide, but those others... you really should give them their privacy."

She shrugged. "I should, but it wouldn't be as much fun."

He chuckled. "Probably not, but put yourself in their shoes. Would you want someone from the newspaper watching you closely to see if you had written a letter?"

"No." She frowned.

"Then they don't want you to know, either."

"You really know how to ruin my fun." She pulled her hand away and took another drink of her water.

"Nah," he winked, "we can still have a different kind of fun."

She laughed. "Like we did this afternoon?"

"Of course."

"What have you planned for tomorrow? Throwing me in the pond with the ducks?"

He laughed loudly, gaining a few heads turning his way. He quickly lowered his voice. "Why didn't I think of doing that earlier?"