Part 6 (1/2)

at the threat of tears. ”I did not mean to upset you,” he said hastily.

Annie stood up and stalked across the iron-gray carpet. ”It's not your fault,” she whispered.

She heard his footsteps cross the room, felt his presence just behind her. ”It is my fault, Annie.”

Tentatively his hand brushed her shoulder. She heard the sincere concern and contrition in his voice, and it touched her heart as much as his hesitant caress. ”I had no intention of distressing you, but I perceive now that I should not have made such a personal observation. Please accept my apology.”

Annie shook her head. She managed to get her voice under control. ”No,” she said more firmly. ”It wasn't you. I mean, you didn't make me mad. I guess-- I guess in a way you're right.”

There was a puzzled silence. ”I beg your pardon'” Annie turned to face him. ”I am boring,” she said bluntly. ”I go to work, I go home, I watch TV, I go to bed. Then I get up and start over again. And the thing that really bugs me is that I guess I was boring even when I was married to Steve. I was so happy with him, but ... I haven't partied in a long, long time.”

James looked down at her for a long moment. ”I think,” he said at last, ”that what you think of as boring is perfectly normal. The family that owned me spent most of their time either working, or enjoying each other's company. They rarely held gatherings in their home.” A slight smile touched his full mouth. ”And I never once saw one of them wear a lampshade.”

Annie felt the corners of her own mouth quirk up in response to the dry humor in his voice. ”It's just that--” She waved at the abandoned photo alb.u.m, lying open on the couch. ”I look at those pictures, and I feel so--so old.”

”I believe you are confusing old with mature,” James said gently.

”Maybe.” Annie sighed.

James regarded her with another flicker of amus.e.m.e.nt. ”Tell me, Annie, do you really feel the desire to walk around with a gla.s.s bottle in your hand and a lampshade on your head'”

It sounded so ludicrous she had to grin. ”No. No, of course not.”

”Perhaps you have learned something in the past ten years.”

”Yeah, maybe.” Annie crossed the room and looked at the laughing girl in the photo alb.u.m for a long moment, then reached down and closed it. ”Maybe I have, at that.”

Chapter 5.

”It's called pizza.”

”It is wonderful,” James said, stuffing another large chunk into his mouth and speaking, rather indistinctly, around the pizza. ”I have never had anything like it.”

”I'm glad you like it.” Annie had decided to call out for pizza, since she really wasn't in the mood for cooking. And given James' recent disclosures, she hesitated to ask him to do it, lest he a.s.sume she thought of him as some sort of servant. The last thing she wanted to do was insult him.

He had opened the door to the pizza delivery boy with the utmost caution, earning a strange look from the young man. James believed in being cautious. Considering recent events, she could hardly blame him.

The TV was on, but Annie had muted it for a commercial break and never gotten around to hitting the mute b.u.t.ton again. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to have company--real company, not the chattering empty noise of television. She had been alone for a year, except for the occasional evening spent with Kay, and she hadn't realized how very lonely she was.

Furthermore, James was good company. Last night she had thought he was insane. Tonight she found she was beginning to like him. A lot.

He had changed into one of his new pairs of chinos and a navy blue polo s.h.i.+rt, and his golden hair rippled in flawless waves to his shoulders. She hadn't seen him comb it all day, yet it was as unmussed as ever. She wondered with a touch of envy how he managed that. Her own hair fell to her waist, but when she left it loose it needed to be combed every hour on the hour to look decent. Generally she just pulled it into a ponytail and forgot about it.

”You look nice in your clothes,” she said, watching him devour the piece of pizza. He looked fabulous, but she wasn't about to tell him that.

”Thank you,” he said, glancing down at his s.h.i.+rt. ”The truth is, I think I look rather peculiar.”

”I suppose the styles you're used to are different.” Something occurred to her, and she paused with the

slice of pizza partway to her mouth. ”Or do you...'” She let the sentence trail off.

He looked at her in puzzlement, then suddenly flashed a killer smile. His teeth were remarkably white and straight. Even his mouth was perfect, she thought as the impact of that smile hit her like an anvil. She stared at him blankly, dazed.

”We do wear clothing, if that's what you're asking.”

”I just wondered,” she said awkwardly, hoping he hadn't noticed her gawking at him like a teenybopper.

”After all, you showed up here buck naked.”

”I could not manage to get the temporal displacement module to permit clothing to pa.s.s through,” he

explained. ”I am not expert in operating such a machine.” He grinned again. ”I am in fact fortunate that I

did not leave any significant portion of my anatomy behind.”

She felt her cheeks growing red. She had observed him closely enough to know that no significant portions of his anatomy had failed to make the trip. ”Want another piece of pizza'” she said hastily, hoping he wouldn't notice her embarra.s.sment.

James looked at her with a knowing smile, and she realized he had noted her reaction, but he did not

comment on it. ”Of course.”

She pa.s.sed him another piece of pizza, plucking a piece of ham off it and offering it to Oscar. The cat had unbent enough to remain in the same room as James, although he remained next to Annie, keeping her between himself and James. Greedy as ever, Oscar gobbled down the ham.

James offered the cat a piece of ham. Oscar's ears instantly went back and he made a spitting noise.

”He still doesn't like you,” Annie said apologetically.