He wished he could think of something profound to say. Some wise words to get through her infatuated defensiveness and bring her to her senses. But all he could think of was, “Brandy, no one has the right to curse at you like that. And he damned sure doesn’t have a right to put his hands on you in anger. If he has hit you, or shoved you—”
“You don’t even know him!” Brandy snapped, hunching her skinny shoulders in an unmistakably closed posture. “Just leave me alone, okay?”
Sighing, Geoff held up both hands and stepped back, signaling surrender. He watched as Brandy ran up the steps into her grandparents’ house.
Okay, he’d blown that big-time, he thought in disgust. Instead of convincing Brandy to give Marlin the boot, he had probably sent her right back into his abusive arms.
Maybe Cecilia would have a better idea of what to do. He turned back toward her house, remembering to retrieve the package from the hood of his car.
In response to his knock, Cecilia opened the door with a smile that went a long way toward restoring his good mood. And then she pulled him inside, tugged his head down to hers, and gave him a kiss that nearly fried his brain circuitry. There wasn’t an inch of him that wasn’t hard by the time they finally broke apart for oxygen.
“What—” His voice cracked, and he had to stop to clear it before continuing. “What was that for?”
“For the rocker,” she said, her eyes glowing as she smiled up at him.
“You already thanked me for the rocker, on the phone.”
“Now you’ve been thanked in person.”
“In person is definitely better,” he murmured, and pulled her into his arms again.
He managed to end the kiss this time before it flared completely out of control. He was within a heartbeat of taking her right there on the entryway floor. His arms were around her, their bodies plastered together. He’d have sworn he was holding something else when he came in….
Clearing his thoughts with a slight shake of his head, he reached down to scoop up the package he had dropped sometime during the first kiss. “I forgot. I brought you something.”
Suddenly she was frowning. “Another gift? Really, Geoff, that wasn’t necessary. I mean, the rocker was already too much. You mustn’t keep—”
“Maybe you should see what it is before you start fussing.”
Looking decidedly wary, she accepted the bag and peered into it. And then she smiled and pulled out a small, colorful tin. “It’s tea.”
“Herbal. It’s made of rose leaves and some other stuff from the garden that’s supposed to taste good when you steep it all in boiling water. My grandmother loves it—and its caffeine free. Much better for you than all that coffee you drink.”
Her smile was just a bit embarrassed by her automatic assumption that he had brought her something expensive. “It looks good. I’ll try a cup tonight. Thank you.”
“Something smells delicious.”
“Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Need any help?”
“You can stand there and look pretty while I finish up.”
“Very funny.” But he was smiling when he followed her into the kitchen.
Cecilia had just set the food on the table when Geoff suddenly smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I almost forgot.”
“What?”
“Your neighbor. Brandy.” He quickly told her what he had overheard when he’d arrived at her house. “Your, um, warm welcome sent it completely out of my head. She’s over there by herself now, if you think you should check on her.”
Concerned, Cecilia moved to the kitchen window and peered out. “Her grandparents must have just gotten home. I see their car in the carport now.”
“Good. Then they can talk to her.”
“Oh, they’ll talk to her. They’ll tell her what a loser Marlin is, and she’ll get mad and yell back at them. Then she’ll storm out to the backyard and sulk for a while. And tomorrow she’ll be with Marlin again, letting him treat her like dirt because she has convinced herself he’s her soul mate.”
Geoff scowled. “I’ve got to tell you, Cecilia, I think the guy’s doing worse than treating her badly. I think he’s physically abusing her.”