Operation Date Escape

talk?”
    “Why?”
    “I know you’re angry with me.”
    He chuckled. “Angry doesn’t even begin to cover the way I feel.”
    “Please, Cole, if you’ll just let me exp lain why─”
    “ It’s too late,” he said, cutting her off.
    No! It couldn’t be too late.
    “Cole, I really am sorry.”
    His scowl deepened. “Yes, you are.”
    Her heart pinched painfully at those hurtful words. “Please try and understand that everything was happening so fast between us. I needed some time away to think.”
    “ Think about what?” he asked mockingly. “Your next chapter?”
    She froze as his words struck her. “What?”
    “Isn’t that what you and I were all about , Kelsie? Another chapter for your damned book.”
    Her mouth fell open. How had he found out about her book?
    “What? No comment, Cupcake?” he taunted angrily. “I thought writers were supposed to be good with words.”
    She looked up at him, ignoring the prickling sensation of unshed tears at the backs of her eyes. “How did you find out about it?”
    “About ‘ it ’? Are you referring to your big secret? Operation: Date Dumper.”
    “ Operation: Date Escape,” she corrected as tears filled her eyes. “How?”
    “Hell, Kelsie, the whole town knows about your ‘bad date’ survival book. It made the front page.”
    She gasped. “That’s impossible. I just found out about the book offer yesterday morning when I got home.”
    “Hang on,” he said and then disappeared back into the station.
    She wanted to race after him, fearing he wouldn’t come back out. Who was this man? The Cole she’d fallen in love with had never acted this way. He’d always been patient and understanding with her. And she’d always been open with him about her faults and he’d accepted them. At least, she thought he had.
    After several long, agonizing minutes, he returned carrying a newspaper. “Take a look for yourself,” he said, thrusting it her way.
    She took it from him and scanned the front page, coming to a stop at the heading over a two column article where her name jumped out at her from amongst the printed words. “I don’t understand.”
    “ Keep reading,” he said gruffly.
    She did with a gasp of horror.
    “Sound familiar?”
    She bit at her bottom lip as she read, her heart sinking. News of her book offer was right there in black and white for all of Worthington to see, Cole included. There before she’d had a chance to explain.
    “ How did the paper get this information?” Not that it mattered at that point. Making things right with Cole was more important.
    “Are you saying it’s not true?” he asked with a hint of hope in his voice. “ That you didn’t write a date escape book?”
    “I did ,” she admitted. What else could she say?
    He muttered a curse.
    “ You weren’t supposed to find out like this,” she said on a choked sob. “I don’t know how the paper found out. No one knew except for...”
    She groaned.
    “What?”
    “My mother.” Nanci knew about the book offer, but this was more her mother’s style.
    “What about Melinda?” he asked, anger still etched into his face.
    She held up the paper and pointed to the write-up. “My mother did this. I know she did. I told her about the book offer yesterday when she came by my apartment. She has a friend at the paper. I’ll bet you anything she called him and asked him put it in.” It was the only explanation that made sense. Damn her meddling mother. She’d wanted to tell Cole her exciting news herself.
    “ Whether or not your mother spilled the news to the paper isn’t really the issue, now is it?” The tenderness she’d seen in his eyes that last night they’d made love was nowhere to be seen. The icy stare that had replaced it was shredding her heart to pieces.
    “Cole...” She reached out to touch his arm only to have him pull away from her. “Please, believe me. I intended to tell you about it.”
    “When? ” he demanded. “After I became the laughingstock of my department. Oh, wait, too late for that.”
    “I don’t understand. What does my book have to do with you?”
    He raked a hand back through his dark hair with a hiss. “Damn it, Kelsie, it has everything to do with me. With us. I thought you and I had something special together. What a fool I was.”
    “We do,” she cried out.
    He shook his head with a frown. “I’m not buying it. I know better. The proof is right here.” Taking the paper from her hand, he held it up for her