Carolina Moon

fact, she thought she would just give up men altogether. They weren’t worth the time and trouble they drained out of a woman. She’d just cut them out of her life, and find other areas of interest.
    Cade walked in the door as Faith was digging her spoon back into the half-gallon carton, and since he knew what mood dictated that particular behavior, tried to slip right out again.
    But he wasn’t quite quick enough.
    “Oh, sit down. I’m not going to bite you.” She lighted a cigarette, then proceeded to smoke with one hand and eat with the other. “Everybody’s gone off to church to save their immortal souls. Aunt Rosie went with Lilah, I think. She likes to go to Lilah’s church more than she does Mama’s. I caught a glimpse of them as they were leaving. Aunt Rosie had a hat on big as a turkey platter and lime-green tennis shoes, so she couldn’t be going with Mama.”
    “Sorry I missed it.” He got a spoon, sat, and scooped out some ice cream. “So, what’s wrong?”
    “Why should anything be wrong? I’m just as content as a goose with a nest of golden eggs.” She blew out smoke, narrowed her eyes against it, and took a good look at him.
    His hair was a little damp so the gilt edges of it stood out. That meant a recent shower, since Cade never bothered to do more than rub a towel over his hair to dry it off after one.
    His eyes, blue as her own, were lazily content, his lips quirked in a half-assed smile.
    She knew just what sort of activity put that look on a man’s face.
    “You haven’t changed clothes since yesterday. Haven’t been home, have you? Well, well, well. I guess somebody got lucky last night.”
    Cade licked his spoon, studied her in turn. “And I guess somebody didn’t. I’m not going to sit here and discuss my sex life over your breakfast ice cream.”
    “You and Tory Bodeen. Isn’t that just perfect?”
    “I like it.” Cade scraped out another spoonful. “Don’t get in the way of this, Faith.”
    “Why should I? What do I care? Just don’t know what you see in her is all. She’s pretty enough, but she’s got a coolness around her. Sooner or later, she’ll freeze you out. She’s not made the way the rest of us are.”
    “You’d find out differently if you took time to get to know her. She could use a friend, Faith.”
    “Well, don’t look at me. I make a lousy friend. You can ask anyone. And I don’t even much like her. You want to bang her a few times, that’s your business. Hey!” She looked up, full of surprised insult, when he grabbed her wrist, thumped their joined hands to the table.
    “It’s not like that.” His voice had gone soft as silk, and there was the warning gleam of temper in his eyes. “Sex isn’t a casual pastime to everyone.”
    “You’re hurting me.”
    “No, you’re hurting yourself.” He let her go, then rose to toss his spoon in the sink.
    Thoughtfully, Faith rubbed her wrist. “What I’m doing is making damn sure I’m not hurt. You want to lay your heart out so somebody can stomp on it, that’s fine for you. But I’ll tell you one thing I know for sure. You don’t want to be falling in love with Tory. That’s something that’s never going to work.”
    “I don’t know whether I want to or not. I don’t know whether it’ll work or not.” He turned back. “What you don’t seem to know, Faith, is how much you’re like her. The two of you, barricaded against your own feelings in case, just on the off chance, that something might sting. She does it by closing in, and you do it by acting out. But it’s the same damn thing.”
    “I’m nothing like her!” She shouted it at him as he walked from the room. “I’m nothing like anybody but myself.”
    Furious, she heaved her spoon across the room, and leaving the ice cream melting on the table, stormed upstairs to dress.
    She had to take it out on somebody, and since, through the maze of her thinking it all stemmed back to Wade, he was elected. She dressed for this bout, too. She had her pride, and wanted to look stunning when she skewered him straight through the heart, ripped him into little pieces, then dumped him and danced away singing a happy tune.
    She wore silk, tailored and trim in a deep blue to bring out her eyes and make him remember them. She started to shove open the door to his apartment, stopped herself, and knocked formally.
    She heard yips and whines on the other side and rolled her eyes. He’d brought one of his sick mutts upstairs. How had she