The Apartment by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page A

Sean discovered how much he enjoyed her company. It was then that she’d become human to him. There was a problem, though; she had a thing about her mother. A mere mention of the woman and Hilary became as prickly as an Arizona cactus.
    This wasn’t the way he had intended their evening to end. The incident in the bathroom earlier had stayed on his mind all day. Their brief sensual encounter had baffled him, and he was sure it had confused her, as well.
    Not that he intended to do anything about it. His roommate was strictly off-limits. Sean wasn’t a fool. He knew trouble when he saw it, and Hilary Wadsworth spelled torment with a capital T.
    He walked into the living room, plopped himself down on the sofa and reached for the television controller as the first strains of her flute drifted toward him. His finger froze on the controller button. Her music was hauntingly beautiful, delicate the same way she was.
    His mind wandered back to the meal they’d shared. He liked the way she had of neatly smoothing out her napkin in her lap and the way she lifted her fork to her mouth as if it were as exquisite as the food she was eating. In cooking their dinner, he’d purposely chosen spaghetti just to see how she’d manage the long noodles with a knife and fork. And she’d done it, without a hitch. The dexterity with which she’d manipulated her fork and spoon had amazed him.
    Then he’d done something stupid. He’d laughed at her.
    Sean rubbed a hand down his face. Hell, he was acting like he was in love with her or something. Now, that would be a disaster. Their situation was rife with problems, and Sean could see he was going to have to be the responsible one. Hilary was just naive enough to fill her head with thoughts of love and apple blossoms. When she did find that special man, it would be someone a damn sight more cultured than he was. A man who appreciated attending a symphony. Someone who knew polo was more than a shirt style.
    With that thought in mind, Sean flipped the buttons until he found a program that suited his mood—wrestling. He stared at that for several moments, then turned off the television.
    He was on his feet before he realized what he was doing. He walked down the hallway to Hilary’s bedroom. Her door was closed, and the sweet melody of some ditty was as soft as a caress. His fist was clenched, prepared to knock against the door, when he hesitated.
    â€œOh, what the hell,” he muttered under his breath, and walked away. Making an effort to get along with Hilary had its downside. There hadn’t been nearly as many problems when they were snapping and fighting with each other. He’d actually enjoyed an exchange of wits. As far as he could see, being friends wasn’t ever going to work.
    Hell, he mused darkly, that was the crux of the problem—friendship was working all too well. He needed to keep his own head on straight, too, now more than ever.
    * * *
    Hilary hurried into the apartment, carting two heavy sacks of groceries. She barely made it to the kitchen table before the bags spilled out of her arms.
    With a growing sense of enthusiasm, she stepped back and sighed. Tonight would be a celebration. This was Sean’s first day as an employee of Halfax. He was a helicopter pilot, flying geologists and other scientists into Mount Saint Helens to continue their studies of the volcano. But it was more than the job that had prompted this dinner.
    The atmosphere between them had been strained ever since she’d given him the ticket to the symphony. This morning he’d been nervous about starting the job. Hilary wanted to do something to put their relationship back on an even keel once again.
    She regretted this whole thing with the symphony, and she knew Sean did, too. He wasn’t the type of man who would enjoy a symphony, and she should have recognized that earlier. He felt bad about laughing, and she was upset for having put him in