Change of Heart (The Flanagan Sisters, #2)

by Claire Boston

  “I’ll order it. It’s my turn, remember? Do you want anything in particular?”

  “Whatever you like. I’ll take a quick shower.” He was a messy painter and always ended up with a myriad of colors all over himself.

  Evan took the quickest shower in history, not wanting to keep Carly waiting any longer than he already had. He threw on a pair of jeans and T-shirt and hurried back to the studio. She was sitting on the floor and McClane was sprawled across her lap with a look of pure adulation on his face. Carly was beaming. “You want to be a lap dog, don’t you?”

  “He would if he could,” Evan said, as his heart beat a little faster at the lovely image.

  Carly grinned at him. “I sat down to get a better look at the paintings and he climbed right on. He’s a heavy thing, isn’t he?”

  “He is. Come here, McClane,” Evan called.

  McClane turned his head away from Evan as if he couldn’t hear him, but otherwise didn’t budge. Damn disobedient dog.

  Carly laughed. “The pizza should be here in twenty. Are you still up for the movie night?”

  “Of course. Do you want to help me set up?”

  She nodded. “If I can get McClane to move.”

  Between the two of them, they shifted the stubborn bulldog and headed for the living room. He gestured to the couch and then realized it was covered in McClane’s hair. “Wait a second.” He brushed ineffectively at the cushions. It wasn’t coming off and if Carly sat down, she’d get hair all over her clothes. He glanced around for other options. “You know I could bring my mattress in and we could camp out on the floor,” he said. “That’s what we used to do as kids.”

  She smiled. “Sounds like fun.” They carried Evan’s mattress into the room, pushing it against the sofa. They remade the bed and McClane claimed his spot in the middle of it.

  “Have you thought any more about staying the night?” Evan ran a hand through his hair. “If you want to stay, it might be more comfortable to get into pajamas.” He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. “No pressure, or anything.”

  She checked the time. “It’ll probably be pretty late by the time you’ll get home. Are you sure you’re happy to take me to work in the morning?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “All right. I’ll get changed,” she said.

  She probably wanted a shower too. “I’ll grab you a towel and you can use the bathroom.”

  He dashed out, grabbed the towel, taking it back to Carly, who now had her bag with her. “Bathroom’s through there,” he pointed.

  He quickly swapped his jeans for tracksuit pants and the pizza arrived. Grabbing a couple of plates and the soda from the fridge, he carried it all back into the living room. McClane perked up at the smell of food.

  “Not a chance,” Evan told him sternly.

  Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, he called, “Pizza just arrived.”

  Carly walked in to the living room and Evan’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. She was wearing leopard-print footie pajamas, complete with inbuilt slippers. It was not what he’d ever imagined her wearing. When his gaze reached her eyes he realized she was a little unsure.

  “That’s fantastic,” he said. He resisted the urge to snuggle her. “Take a seat.” He put the DVD into the player and switched on the television. He handed her a plate. “Get it while it’s hot.”

  They helped themselves to the pizza and he put the box on the table out of McClane’s reach. “Are you ready for the experience of your lifetime?”

  She nodded, smiling. He hit play and they settled back to watch the movie.

  ***

  When they finished eating, Evan took their plates to the kitchen. Carly’s eyes didn’t leave the screen. He grinned.

  By the end of the movie, she was a bundle of nerves, twitching and jumping at the slightest thing. He felt kind of guilty, but she was so fun to watch. He’d seen the movie so many times he could recite it almost verbatim, so he found himself watching her for her reaction to something that was coming up.

  At the end she let out a long breath. “I’m exhausted.”

  “That’s only the first one.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t handle any more right now.”

  “Did you bring your own movie?”

  “No. I couldn’t think of one.”

  Evan offered her the bag of candy and she took a handful. “I’m not sure how I’ll sleep tonight,” she said.

  It was still early as far as he was concerned, but he was a night owl. “Well then, if you don’t want to watch a movie, and this is kind of like a slumber party, do you want to play truth or dare?”

  Chapter 8

  Carly stared at him wide-eyed, not sure whether he was joking. She’d heard about truth or dare games, and had always thought they sounded horrendous. Imagine being asked to tell one of your deepest secrets, or being dared to kiss a boy you didn’t like. Though if she was honest, she wouldn’t mind kissing Evan again. “Did you play truth or dare as a kid?”

  “As often as possible. It was an excuse to kiss the girl I liked.”

  “I can’t imagine you being shy.”

  He shrugged. “You’re never really sure whether the girl likes you back.”

  Their eyes met and Carly felt a pulse between them. “I like you,” she said, holding her breath, hoping she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

  He gave a half smile. “I like you too.” He leaned forward, ever so slowly, and brushed his lips against hers, once, twice, before deepening the kiss. His lips were warm and tasted like chocolate. Carly shuffled closer, bringing her hand over his shoulder and around his neck so she could run her hands through his hair.

  Swirly, zappy sensations spread through her, and when his hand brushed her breast, they went into overdrive. She moaned. He kissed her cheek, working down her neck, and reached for her zipper.

  Something snuffled between them.

  Carly shrieked and leaped back. It took her a second to realize McClane had woken up and decided to check out what they were doing.

  Evan swore. “You have the worst timing, mutt.”

  Carly pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart and let out a shuddery breath. The timing was perfect.

  Evan hefted the dog out of the way and grimaced. “The mood’s gone, isn’t it?”

  She nodded, almost wishing it wasn’t. But no, it was for the best. Perhaps she should tell him about her inexperience. Though it might scare him off. She wasn’t averse to sex, she just didn’t want to rush it. She squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them and took a deep breath. “It’s time for some truth.” She curled her legs under her and faced him, crossing her arms. “It’s been a while.” Her face heated.

  “What do you mean?” He looked concerned.

  Was he going to make her say it? What if sex wasn’t on his mind? She shook her head. Sex was always on guys’ minds. She’d say it quickly, get it over with.

  “The last time I had sex was over five years ago, and let’s just say the order of fireworks must have gone missing.” She felt like she was stepping out on a limb with no harness. “Can we take it slowly?”

  “Of course.” He ran his hand over her arm, in a soothing motion. “I’ve got to say I’m surprised. You’re a beautiful woman. I would have thought you’d have no end of suitors.”

  She sighed. She said she’d tell the truth. “I was incredibly shy as a child. Moving to the United States was a huge culture shock, and I was always so terrified I would do something wrong, so I kept my mouth shut. That continued into college. There weren’t many females in my courses and some of the guys didn’t like that I could program better than they could.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Then my software took off, and I was working all the time. By the time I noticed a guy was interested, it was clear they were only after my money.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Experience. I trusted the wrong guy, gave him a lot of mone
y and never saw him again. I should have realized, but I was too naïve. After that, I learned how to recognize the signs; all they wanted to talk about was themselves or my business. Sometimes they were after work, other times they wanted a loan. You’re the first guy who has asked anything about me, and the only one who has ever paid for a meal.” She sounded like the poor little rich girl and she didn’t want that. “I figured they weren’t worth my time.”

  Evan gaped at her. “Well, maybe I should thank those guys for being such douchebags. You fascinate me, Carly. You’re intelligent, incredibly caring and generous, beautiful and brave. The way you spoke in front of all those people at the exhibition, despite being terrified, had me in awe.”

  She jolted. “How did you know that?”

  “Know what?”

  “That I hate public speaking.”

  “There was a tiny tremor in your hands as you held onto the podium. You didn’t want to be there, but you did an excellent job of hiding it. I don’t think anyone else realized.”

  Carly was stunned. No one had ever realized, she was sure of it. She’d practiced and practiced and practiced until she was certain no one would be able to tell, and yet Evan had picked it the first time he’d seen her.

  “Your secret’s safe with me,” he said, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek.

  She closed her eyes briefly. She believed him. She really felt she could trust him and hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. “Thank you.”

  “What time do we need to get up in the morning?”

  She blinked at the change of subject. It would take at least an hour to get to work, but probably much longer because they’d be getting all the rush hour traffic. Even if she skipped her hour of programming, they still needed to leave by six. “Five.”

  He raised his eyebrows and she chuckled. “Houston traffic is a nightmare at rush hour and I usually start work at seven. I’ll make an exception tomorrow and start at eight, but I still want to allow a couple of hours for traffic.”

  “Next time we have a sleepover, let’s have it at your place,” he suggested. “I’m not a great morning person, so I’ll apologize now if I’m not coherent tomorrow.”

  Carly felt bad. “I can catch a cab.”

  “No way. I invited you, I’ll drive you home.” He was adamant.

  “All right.” Carly grabbed her cell phone and set the alarm. She put it on the coffee table next to them.

  “We should get to sleep.” Evan switched off the television and the room went dark. McClane lay at the bottom of the bed, snoring quietly.

  Carly slid down under the covers, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. She wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet. She wanted to talk some more. She felt as if she’d told Evan all about herself, and yet she barely knew anything about him. Was that a warning sign? No, it was just that they hadn’t got to talking about him yet. She’d make sure she asked about his past the next time they spoke.

  Evan kissed her slowly. “Good night, Carly.”

  She smiled. “Good night, Evan.” If he wasn’t a morning person, it wasn’t fair of her to rob him of his sleep. She turned onto her side and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling him close to him. Feeling incredibly safe and secure, she fell asleep.

  ***

  A hideous, high-pitched beeping noise startled Evan awake. “What? Where?” It was still dark outside. Was it his fire alarm? Was his house burning down?

  “Morning,” Carly said.

  Everything clicked into place. He wiped a hand over his eyes. “Already?”

  She chuckled. “The offer still stands. I can catch a cab.”

  It was extremely tempting, but the dim light of Carly’s cell phone illuminated her face. He’d take a couple of extra hours with her over going back to sleep. “Not a chance.”

  “Well, you don’t have to get up right away. I’ll be half an hour in the bathroom. I’ll wake you when I’m out.”

  No, that’d be worse, and he suspected she wouldn’t wake him again. He was tempted to ask to join her in the shower, but he remembered her request to take things slowly. It sounded like the guys she’d let get close had used her. Why had no one wanted to get to know her? It baffled him. “I’ll get breakfast. What would you like?”

  “I don’t eat breakfast until I get to work. It takes a while for my stomach to wake up.”

  Evan frowned. Knowing how busy she was, did she actually remember to eat? “Coffee?” he suggested.

  “That would be great.”

  Carly grabbed her bag and disappeared down the hall toward the bathroom. A few moments later, he heard the shower running. He got up and flicked on the light. McClane opened one eye, groaned at him, and then closed it and went back to sleep. Lucky bastard.

  Evan trudged into the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken this early. On auto-pilot, he switched on the coffee machine and opened the fridge. He’d meant to buy something nice for breakfast yesterday, but he’d got caught up in his painting. The best he could offer was toast or cereal. It was just as well Carly didn’t want anything. He put on some bread to toast and made his coffee. He’d forgotten to ask Carly how she had hers so he’d make it when she got out of the shower. The water was no longer running, so she wouldn’t be long.

  Spreading his toast with peanut butter, he sat down with his coffee. McClane wandered in.

  The smell of peanut butter always excited his dog. With a sigh, Evan got up, put another two slices of bread in the toaster and gave the bulldog one piece of toast. It was gone in seconds and McClane sat, waiting for the next piece. Evan grabbed his bowl and filled it with dog food. McClane ignored it and continued to stare at Evan.

  “Last one,” he said sternly as he gave the dog another slice. He wasn’t going to let those puppy dog eyes sway him again.

  By the time he’d finished his breakfast, Carly still wasn’t out of the bathroom. Slightly worried, he wandered down the hall. It was silent inside. “Are you all right?” he called.

  The door opened. “Just finished,” she said.

  Today’s skirt suit was mint green, with a flared skirt. She was almost as tall as he was in those white heels. “You look great,” he said, walking down the hall with her.

  “Thanks.”

  “How do you take your coffee?”

  “Black, please.”

  He filled a cup and gave it to her. Then McClane perked up and started to drool.

  “Time you went outside,” Evan said, and hustled him outside. There was no way he was going to give him the opportunity to drool over Carly’s clean clothes.

  “You didn’t need to put him out because of me.”

  “Trust me. He’s a hazard when he starts drooling, and you’d end up with love drool all over your shoes.”

  Carly chuckled. “All right.”

  “Toast?”

  “No, coffee’s fine.”

  He checked the time. Quarter to six. He needed to get a move on. “I’ll take a quick shower and then we’ll go.”

  She nodded, and he left her there drinking her coffee in his kitchen.

  ***

  Getting into his car, Evan suddenly realized how grubby it was. Perhaps he had a clean towel he could put down. Before he could check, she was already seated. She was so different in her business clothes, almost untouchable.

  As he backed out of the garage, Carly asked, “Do you mind if I check my mail?” She held up her phone.

  “Go ahead.” She was a busy woman, and if checking her email now while he drove helped her, he was happy for her to do it.

  The drive was mostly silent, with Carly occasionally sighing or groaning as her fingers flew over her smart phone. Then it rang.

  Who the hell was calling her at six thirty in the morning?

  “Damn it,” Carly muttered and pressed answer. “Morning, Matthew.”

  Evan heard an insistent voice coming from the phone, but couldn’t make out any words.

  “I apprec
iate your point of view, but I’m sorry I can’t make it. I have a prior engagement.” A pause. “Yes, I know attended last year, but this year I’m busy.” She closed her eyes. “It’s not my fault you told people I was going to be there. You only sent the invitation to me last week.”

  Evan glanced at her as she squeezed her hand into a fist.

  “No, I won’t cancel and no, I won’t accept money to attend. Goodbye, Matthew.” She hung up and when the phone rang immediately afterward, she pressed the cancel button.

  “What was that about?”

  She breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. “I attended a tech college’s open day last year and gave a speech about how technology has helped me. The organizer, Matthew, was under the impression that because I’d attended once, I’d attend every year, but he only told me about it last week. It’s next Saturday and I’ve got a software expo I’m committed to.”

  “If you didn’t have plans, would you have gone?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s my duty to give back to the community.”

  “Your first duty is to keep yourself healthy,” said Evan. “You’re allowed to give yourself a day off.”

  “I do. Every second week I go to Mama’s. I don’t give that up for anyone.”

  “And when do you give yourself a day for Carly – no events, no people, just you and a book, or a movie marathon?”

  She frowned at him. “I don’t need to do that.”

  “Everyone needs time out from the world, even if it’s only a couple of hours.”

  “Hmm.”

  He dropped the subject. At least she was thinking about it.

  Her phone rang again. “Hi, Hayden,” she said when she answered. “Oh, you’re not well? No, don’t come in. I’ve got the schedule you prepared, I’ll be fine.” A pause. “No, don’t bother calling a temp agency. I can answer my own telephone. You concentrate on getting better.” She hung up.

  “Hayden’s sick?”

  “Yeah. He sounded terrible. I must send him a get well basket.” Her fingers darted over the phone.

  Ahead, the traffic was congested so Evan focused on the road. By the time they’d arrived at Comunidad, Carly’s phone had rung five times and each time her posture stiffened further. Did she go through this every day? It was no wonder she’d fallen asleep on his veranda. Shouldn’t there be some kind of ban on calling people before nine o’clock if it was work-related?