Absolutely, Positively

him?”

    “No.” Molly poured tea for herself and sat back on the sofa. She curled one jean-clad leg under herself and gave Olivia a wry smile. “Maybe it's better that way. I warned Josh about naked women bursting out of cakes, but that still leaves a lot of entertainment possibilities that I'd rather not contemplate too closely.”

    “Bachelor parties do have a certain reputation.”

    Molly made a face. “Don't remind me. Talk about an archaic tradition. Must be a leftover from the Medieval days when the male members of the wedding party got the groom drunk and then pushed him into bed with the bride.”

    Olivia gave her a keen look. “So why did you insist that the Stratton and Trevelyan men throw a party for Harry?”

    “I think you can guess the answer to that.”

    Olivia met her eyes. “Yes. It doesn't take a degree in psychology to figure out that you want Harry to feel that his family cares enough about him to call a truce for his sake.”

    “It's the one thing he wants from them. The only thing he's ever asked of them.”

    “And you made certain he got it. I have to admit, I'm amazed. I didn't think there was any force on the face of the planet that could persuade the Strattons and the Trevelyans to put aside the feud even for a short time.”

    “The Strattons and the Trevelyans aren't so tough. You just have to know how to deal with them.”

    Olivia studied her with sudden understanding. “You really do love Harry, don't you?”

    “Yes.”

    “Has he—” Olivia broke off and looked away for a brief moment. “I'm sorry, this is a very personal question. You would be within your rights to tell me to mind my own business, but I can't resist asking. Has he told you that he loves you?”

    “Not in so many words,” Molly admitted.

    She was not altogether certain why Olivia had shown up at the door ten minutes ago. It was nearly nine o'clock. An hour earlier Josh had dragged Harry off to the parking garage on the pretext of showing him a brand-new Ferrari that he claimed was lodged in one of the stalls. There was more than enough Trevelyan blood in Harry to make him take a serious interest in that particular lure.

    What Harry had not known when he agreed to go down-stairs to view the mythical car was that he was about to be abducted in a stretch limousine that Brandon had hired for the evening.

    Molly had had a few anxious moments, but the fact that Harry and Josh had not returned to the condominium meant that the plot had been successfully carried out. Pleased at the promising start to her scheme, she had finished the dinner dishes and was about to curl up with a book when Olivia had arrived.

    As far as Molly could tell, Olivia simply wanted to talk.

    “Doesn't it worry you that he hasn't told you that he loves you?” Olivia asked.

    “He'll get around to it.” At least Molly hoped Harry would eventually get around to figuring out that what he felt for her was love. “Harry does things in his own time and in his own way. He's different.”

    “You keep saying that.”

    “It's true.” Molly smiled over the rim of her teacup. “I come from a long line of people who were all a little different. I know 'em when I see 'em.”

    “Yes, but Harry's differences, as you call them, go rather deep.”

    “Olivia, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

    Olivia looked briefly uneasy. “What is it?”

    “What did you see in Harry in the first place? It's obvious that the two of you were a bad match.”

    Olivia sighed. “You may not believe this, but I honestly thought at the beginning that we were a very good match. I met Harry at a small reception in his honor after he gave a talk on the contributions of eighteenth-century Enlightenment thinkers to the development of psychology.”

    “You figured you had something in common?”

    “Well, yes.” Olivia frowned. “Harry is very well respected in the academic world. He's intelligent. Well educated. He seemed well-grounded emotionally. At least he did at first.”

    “Ah, yes. His infamous self-control.” Molly grinned. “When did you discover that it conceals a seething cauldron of dangerous passions and dark desires?”

    Olivia went blank. “I beg your pardon?”

    “Never mind. I'm just teasing you. When did you decide that the two of you were not cut out for each other?”

    Olivia shifted slightly in her chair. “Are you sure you want to go into this?”

    “Absolutely. I'm dying of