Pelican Court (Cedar Cove #3)(72)

“Cliff,” she said, unlatching the screen and holding the door open. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Surprise?” he repeated slowly. “I called last week. We made plans to spend the afternoon together.”

Grace vaguely remembered the conversation, but all that lingered in her mind was her eagerness to get off the phone so she could get back on the computer and talk to Will.

“Of course. It just slipped my mind. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

Cliff came into the living room and sat down on the sofa, frowning slightly.

“I was on the computer,” Grace explained. “Give me a moment while I get off-line.” She pulled out her desk chair and sat down. Her fingers went to the keyboard and she quickly typed out a message to Will, telling him she’d request vacation time. She wouldn’t know for another week or two if she’d get those days off, but with all her heart she hoped it would happen. Then she explained that she had company and needed to end their conversation.

When she’d finished, Grace whirled around in her chair and smiled warmly at Cliff. “You must think I’m an empty-headed dunce,” she said brightly, hoping to disguise the fact that she’d forgotten their date.

“Not at all,” he assured her evenly. But his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Buttercup rested contentedly at Cliff’s side, and as he ran his fingers through her fur, he frowned again.

“I’ll get my coat and be back in a moment,” Grace promised.

It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes to grab her coat, brush her hair and apply fresh lipstick.

Cliff was still petting Buttercup when she returned. He glanced up. “When was the last time you had Buttercup at the vet?” he asked.

Grace couldn’t recall, other than the first week after she’d gotten the golden retriever. “It’s been a year or so,” she said.

“I think it might be a good idea to schedule an appointment.”

“Why?” Grace was immediately concerned. Buttercup was her constant companion and friend.

“No obvious reason, other than that she seems a bit lethargic,” Cliff said, but his brow was creased. “There might be something wrong—she doesn’t seem herself. You haven’t noticed any changes in her behavior, have you?”

“None.” Grace tried to think, but nothing came to mind. The truth was, she hurried home from work every night to leap onto the computer. She realized guiltily that she hadn’t paid much attention to the dog since her correspondence with Will had begun. Often she didn’t bother to eat dinner until eight o’clock or later. Her time at home was precious because that was her only opportunity to connect with Will.

“Are you ready?” Grace asked, reaching for her purse.

“In a minute,” Cliff said. He continued to stroke Buttercup’s back, but Grace suspected he was gathering his thoughts rather than assessing her dog’s health. After a moment he stood.

“It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” she said, unable to read his mood. This was the role she’d played far too often with Dan, doing whatever she could to put him in better spirits. So many times she’d failed. Seeing the same humorless expression on Cliff’s face depressed her. It brought back memories of her life with Dan.

“I need to ask you something,” Cliff said after a long pause.

“Anything.” Well, almost anything, she amended silently.

Cliff walked over to the window and stared outside. “We haven’t seen much of each other lately.”

“You’ve been busy,” she said with a shrug.

“True, and I suppose that’s the reason I didn’t notice earlier.”

“Notice what?” she asked.

“How emotionally distant you’ve become.”

Grace shook her head, denying it. “You’re imagining things.”

Cliff rubbed the back of his neck and turned to face her. “Funny you should use those words. That’s exactly what Susan used to say to me.”

Susan was his ex-wife. Grace raised her hands in a confused, helpless gesture. “What’s this all about? I thought we were going to spend the afternoon together.”

“So did I,” Cliff murmured. He straightened, and his face was austere. “I can’t play this game, Grace.”

“What game?” She was losing patience with him.

“There’s someone else. You think I don’t know, but it’s clear to me. I can tell what’s happening—I’ve been there before.”

“What?” she exploded in a fit of self-righteousness. “How can you say that? Even if it was true,” she continued, undaunted, “it’s my business. You don’t have any claim on me.”

Cliff’s smile was sad. “You’re right, of course.”

“Don’t be like this,” she pleaded. Now that he was here, she was looking forward to going out with him, enjoying his company.

He shook his head as if to say he should have seen it earlier. “At first I assumed you were pulling away from me because of Dan. I gave you time to grieve for your husband, just like you asked.”

“Cliff, please, you’re making a crisis out of nothing.”

“Am I?” he asked.

He sounded resigned, and she briefly had the urge to walk into his arms, but Grace didn’t like the way this conversation was going.