Free That Carolina Summer (North Carolina) by Janet Dailey Page A

small has to mean jewelry.” She glanced at her father, then Kathleen. Both watched her. “It can't be a watch. You gave me one for graduation."
    When she snapped open the jeweler's case, Annette didn't have to pretend surprise or delight. Her response was genuine as she gazed at the diamond stud earrings inside. She looked at her father.
    “Are they real?” she whispered.
    “If they aren't, they are very expensive imitations,” he declared.
    There was a small lump in her throat when she glanced at her stepmother. “It was your idea, wasn't it, Kathleen?” Annette stated with a knowing smile, and felt the comfortable encirclement of family love. “I'm glad we picked you for a mother."
    “Now wait a minute, Annette.” Her father reached out to curl his fingers possessively around the hand Kathleen rested on the table. “I know you like to take credit for finding Kathleen, but I ultimately did the picking."
    “Dad, you're just like all men,” Annette declared with a faint sparkle in her eyes. “You have to be prodded once in a while."
    “Is that a fact?” He eyed her with amused tolerance.
    “It is,” she stated. “A woman has to put ideas in a man's head. There might have been only four of us sitting at this table tonight if Marsha and I hadn't put in a request for a brother."
    “As I recall, I was thinking about little boys long before you mentioned that,” her father chuckled.
    As Annette removed one earring from its velvet bed, Marsha volunteered, “Let me help you put them on."
    With her sister's assistance she didn't need a mirror, but she wished for one. “How do they look?” She had to rely on her family to admire the results.
    “Fantastic!” Marsha assured her, and the others added similar praise.
    Pushing out of her chair, Annette walked around the table to her parents. “Thank you, Daddy.” She bent down and kissed his cheek, then turned and hugged Kathleen. “Thank you both."
    When she straightened and turned to walk back to her chair, Annette found herself face to face with Josh. For a heart-stopping second the smile on her lips froze in place as she stared into his enigmatic brown eyes. Tension seared the air between them, heating her blood. It thawed her expression, as she was unable to deny the raw pleasure that seeing him gave.
    Her gaze wandered over his handsomely hewed features and lingered an instant on the strong line of his mouth, remembering how his kisses had destroyed her preconceived notions of love's feelings at their last meeting. She became conscious that he was dressed in a dark evening suit and tie, his white shirt contrasting sharply with his sun-browned skin. The formal attire gave him a worldly air, a male urbanity that excited and challenged.
    All the while Annette had been observing the changes in him, Josh had been noticing her sophisticated appearance. He took special note of her hairstyle, dress and makeup. When his inspection was concluded, cynicism flickered in his expression and Annette realized he considered her appearance to be an adolescent's version of dress-up.
    She was reminded of her parting declaration to him two days earlier that she wasn't a child. Fate was offering her a ready-made opportunity to prove it.
    There are occasions when time has a way of appearing to stand still. Although it seemed they had looked at each other for long minutes, in fact, only seconds had passed.
    “Good evening, Annette.” Josh broke the silence initially.
    “Good evening.” She nodded demurely, poise sweeping through her with remarkable strength. The moment of pleasant revenge was at hand and she didn't intend to let it escape. “I'd like you to meet my family, Mr. Lord."
    A dark eyebrow arched briefly at the formal term of address, cool amusement glinting in his eyes. Then Josh was dragging his gaze from her and turning to speak to someone else.
    “I'll join you in a few minutes,” he said, drawing Annette's attention to the two middle-aged men in business