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fun?
    As he waited for her response, she released her breath in a long exhale. “Yes. I’d love you to be my date.”
    When he pinned the corsage to her bodice, the brush of his fingers on her skin made her moist. Her legs felt unsteady and her lips plumped as she remembered his kiss from years ago. Wanted more kisses.
    Wanted him. He’d made the first move by coming here tonight. Maybe he wanted her, too?
    A sudden thought came to her. “Does Dee know you’re here?”
    “No.” His gaze hardened. “Do you mean did she put me up to this?”
    His reaction made her backtrack. “No—”
    “I don’t tell my sister my business.”
    “You’re not here to rescue me? Because you feel sorry for the poor lonely divorcee?” God help her, that was the last thing she wanted.
    “Why did you go with me to the prom that night?” He countered. “Out of pity?”
    “No, it wasn’t pity.” She scowled as a spark of long-buried anger lit inside her. “It ticked me off when Dee told me that girl backed out at the last minute.”
    “Cindy.”
    “Whatever. Your date. The little witch had no business hurting you. You were a nice guy, and I liked you. So I stepped in. That’s all.”
    “But it was Dee who suggested it.”
    “No.” She wouldn’t let him believe that. “It was my idea.”
    “Well, this is my idea.” He lightly touched a petal on her corsage. “We good now?”
    In answer, Annalee took his arm. She’d be his date tonight. And with any luck, before the night was over, she’d be his lover.
    ****
    The class reunion was being held at The Oaks, a banquet hall on the edge of town. Annalee was quiet when they first arrived. She smiled and nodded at Eric’s small talk and attempts to put her at ease, but Eric couldn’t miss how she surreptitiously scanned the crowd. Why was she so nervous?
    “Do we need to sign in?” he asked, gesturing to a table outside the ballroom doors. A couple of women sat there, and one of them narrowed her eyes as they approached.
    “Annalee.” The woman’s mouth pursed in a smug little smile. Eric took an immediate dislike to her. “We weren’t sure you were coming.”
    “Hello, Sandra.” Annalee’s voice was cool, but her shoulders stiffened. “Why, I wouldn’t dream of missing it. The chance to catch up with all my old friends.”
    Sandra whoever-she-was eyed him, then made a show of checking the list in front of her. “You brought a guest? Oh, dear, I don’t see that you RSVP’d for one on the list.”
    “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Another, much friendlier, woman moved in. “Hi, Annalee. Eric, so nice to see you again.”
    “Hey, Ms. Van Horne.” Eric grinned as he recognized one of his favorite high school teachers. “Uh, is it still Ms. Van Horne?”
    “Oh, yes.”
    “I’m sorry about the inconvenience. I’ll gladly pay for my dinner.”
    “That’ll be fine. We’ve already had a few cancellations, so you’ll help fill in an empty chair.”
    “Thanks.” He managed to smile at the Sandra chick as he pulled his wallet out and handed her the cash.
    After some sighing and harrumphing, she handed him change and pointed out Annalee’s name tag among the others on the table. As they moved to enter the ballroom, Sandra called out “Oh, Annalee. In case you were wondering, Denny hasn’t shown up yet.”
    Annalee’s steps halted, and Eric froze beside her. He ground his teeth, wishing he could give Sandra a swift kick in the ass. He’d completely forgotten that Denny Donovan was in the same class. No wonder Annalee was on edge. Everyone who’d known them as a couple would be watching her, hoping for a meltdown or fireworks.
    She took his arm and squared her shoulders as they entered the room. Her glowing smile swept away his anger. “No one’s going to spoil this evening for me. Not Denny and especially not that bitch Sandra.”
    “That’s my girl.” He slipped his arm around her, ready to protect her from the busybodies. He’d keep her close,