Glancing up at him again, she struggled to keep a blank face as she held his needle-sharp gaze. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Brad Thomas."
Brad rose, offering his hand with an affable smile.
"Brad, this is Cole Whittier. He grew up in Bayville," she said her words clipped as she maintained her composure with rigid control.
The two men shook hands, exchanging conventional greetings.
Cole turned back to Elinor. "Is something wrong, El?"
"Of course not," she said between clenched teeth, frustrated that he didn't have the decency to acknowledge when he'd been caught in his own scheming.
On the other side of the table, Brad still stood his pleasant face growing worried.
Cole crouched beside her chair. "What's the matter, sweetheart?"
"If you'll excuse me," Brad muttered. "I need to make a phone call."
"I am not your sweetheart," Elinor snapped, throwing her mangled napkin on the table. "And you can get up from your knees," she hissed when he didn't move, "because I'm not buying it."
"Not buying what?" he questioned slowly, his eyes narrowing.
"This!" She gestured at his crouched posture. "And the soft, concerned words. Aren't you afraid that by coming over here you'll blow all your hard work with Norell?"
"Could you at least give me a clue as to what we're talking about?" Cole asked, giving a good impression of trying to maintain his patience.
"I doubt," Elinor bit out, "that you need any clues. It doesn't look like you've missed a trick."
Cole rose to his feet, his face like stone as he towered over her. "What's the matter, Elinor?" he asked in a low-taunting voice. "Having second thoughts about last night?"
"No," she shot back, rapidly approaching a towering rage. "I'm just realizing how accurate my first impression of you was. Why don't you go back to your influential dinner guest. She must be wondering where you are."
Elinor made the mistake of allowing her eyes to meet his. She ducked quickly, not wanting to acknowledge the dawning realization in his expression. This was not about her being jealous. It was about Cole's scheming, manipulative, money-hungry behavior.
Unless, of course, a voice whispered in her head, he's with Norell not because she's the mayor's daughter, but because she s gorgeous and sexy.
"Oh, there you are, Cole!" a voice trilled from behind him.
He turned slowly, the pleasant smile that appeared on his face not quite reaching his eyes. "Yes, Mrs. Stephens?"
The mayor's wife, no less, thought Elinor bitterly, as the woman clutched at Cole's arm.
"Oh, you naughty boy," Susan Stephens said archly. "You just wandered off and Norell and I have been looking everywhere for you."
"I'm sorry," he replied, the words polite. "I stopped to say hello to Elinor."
"Oh!" Susan gave an exaggerated start of surprise. "Why, of course. Elinor, I didn't even see you there."
"Hello, Mrs. Stephens." The old biddy never saw anyone who couldn't further her social aspirations, Elinor thought, feeling furiously embarrassed.
Her heartsick anger with Cole seemed suddenly transparent, obvious to the most casual observer. And heaven knew that Susan Stephens wasn't casual when it came to noticing embarrassing tidbits about people. It would probably be all over town by tomorrow that Elinor Prescott had lost her heart to a playboy millionaire.
That would really give the tittletattlers something to chew over. Level-headed Elinor actually thinking she could attract a man as charming and sexy as Cole Whittier.
"I suppose you two are over here discussing council business." She laid a proprietary hand on Cole's arm. "Our Elinor's always such a conscientious girl."
"Thank you," Elinor responded her mouth feeling as dry as ashes.
"My goodness, Elinor," Susan uttered in a stage whisper as she spied Brad hesitantly approaching the table, "are you on a date? My, my. How exciting. We wouldn't want to interrupt anything."
"No, I—"
"Don't worry," Susan interrupted her as soon as Brad walked up. "We're leaving. You two lovebirds can go on back to yourselves."
Brad's mouth dropped open, fishlike, his pleasant face more worried than ever. The older woman tugged on Cole's arm to no avail.
Ignoring Susan, Cole studied Brad, appearing to give him his total attention for the first time. Elinor had seen that cool, assessing look on his face before, and she was glad men no longer challenged each other to duels.
It would be just like Cole Whittier to imagine that Brad presented a challenge to his supremacy. Apparently, he thought he had the right to stake as many claims as he wanted, no matter whose heart got bruised.
Just at that moment, Norell came up behind her mother. "Daddy's out front with the car . . ." She paused. "Oh, hello, Elinor. How nice to see you." The other woman smiled.
"Hello," Elinor mumbled, suddenly feeling as if she'd come out on the wrong side of a cat fight.
"Well, we'd better go if Daddy's out in front," Susan urged again, tittering. "The mayor's always a bear if he has to wait."
Elinor wanted to strangle Susan Stephens with the long strap of her too-glittery evening purse.
Bitterly aware of Cole still standing beside the table, his face like granite, his blue eyes glacial, Elinor felt her misery blossom into resentment.
She lifted her chin, smiling brilliantly up at the three beautiful people standing beside the table. "It was so nice of you all to stop by. I hope you have a lovely evening."
She couldn't be in love with Cole. Elinor switched off the kitchen light and stepped into the hallway. That would be a really stupid move, and she prided herself on having common sense.
But her heart felt like last week's helium balloon. How could she let herself become so vulnerable so quickly? It wasn't as if she hadn't recognized his manipulative potential.
Cole smiled and people melted, men as well as women. Friendly, intelligent, and courteous, he had a charm that carried a knock-out punch. People liked him.
She had liked him. Even lusted after him.
The temptation must have been irresistible to him. Had he recognized from the start that she quivered like jelly when he was around? She'd tried so hard to hide her reaction.