I’m afraid that’s all the time I have.”
Dania scribbled the answer to her last question in her notebook then glanced at the massive grandfather clock in the corner. Two fifteen? That couldn’t be right. Matt’s appointment was scheduled to end at twelve o’clock, and he’d only needed ten minutes to clarify some points. That would mean …
Dania turned to the gentleman across from her, collecting her things as she spoke. “Mr. Young, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you this long.”
The man gave her a reassuring smile. “It was my pleasure, Miss Eison. I only wished I had more time to answer your questions, but if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for my introduction at the exposition.”
“Mr. Young,” Matt said from where he stood in the corner. “Neither one of us expected such generosity of your time. I’m sure I speak for the both of us when I say thank you.”
Was it her imagination or was there a hint of irritation in Matt’s voice, but why? Was it possible that Matt was jealous? The thought came to Dania out of nowhere. That was impossible. Mr. Young had been nothing short of professional in answering her questions and asking some of his own—nothing to indicate a more personal interest. Besides, the man was too full of himself to take an interest in anyone else.
Maybe Matt was irritated with her. She had taken up most of Mr. Young’s time this afternoon, and Matt had an article to get out. Yes, that had to be it, but that didn’t stop her from hoping he might be the tiniest bit jealous. Because that would mean Matt cared about her, and she so wanted him to care.
Dania closed her notebook and put it along with her pencil in her reticule, half listening as the men talked about the exposition. Mama had always told her that her heart would know when she met the man God had picked out just for her. But wasn’t that something mothers told their spinster daughters so they didn’t give up hope? Dania had thought so.
But then she met Matt.
“I thought you weren’t scheduled to speak until tomorrow, Mr. Young,” Matt said as he came to stand alongside her chair and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, as if declaring himself to the man.
But Mr. Young didn’t seem put off by it. “I’m not, but they’re introducing some of the more important speakers this afternoon at the state pavilion.” He glanced down at Dania and smiled. “Were you planning on attending tomorrow, Miss Eison?”
“Why, yes. I am—”
“We both do,” Matt added before she could finish her sentence. Though it was a simple response, there was a warning in Matt’s words, as if he were protecting her from Mr. Young’s perceived advances.
Dania rolled her eyes. Men!
“Then allow me to reserve you two seats. I’ve been told to expect a rather large gathering, and I’d hate to think of Miss Eison fighting the crowd to hear my lecture.”
A rather pompous statement but probably true. Shaking off Matt’s hold, Dania stood and held out her hand to Mr. Young. “How very kind of you.”
“Yes,” Matt bit out. “Very kind.”
Taking her hand, Young bent down and placed a soft kiss against her knuckles that made her go tense. Of all the … Dania drew her hand back and grasped her reticule to keep her hands from shaking. “Until tomorrow then.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
“That’s all right.” Matt’s fingers cupped around her elbow. “We can see ourselves out.”
Dania hurried out of the suite alongside Matt, matching him step for step until they stood in the hallway. She finally drew in a breath when the door to the hotel room mercifully clicked shut.
Strong hands came down gently on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
Dania rubbed her hands together, desperate to rid herself of the feel of Young’s lips on her skin. “I wasn’t expecting him to kiss my hand like that. It was …”
“What?” Matt asked. “You’re not going to say noble, are you?”
Dania’s heart tumbled around in her chest. Matt was more than a little bit jealous if his reaction was anything to go by. Well, there was one way to find out. She sucked in a calming breath and lifted her head to look at him. “I was going to say gallant. Like something you might read in one of Jane Austen’s books.”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t read British romance novels.” He smirked, then turned, dropping one hand to the small of her back. He gave her a slight push in the direction of the stairs. “If you ask me, the man was rather forward toward you.”
Dania ducked her head, biting her lip to keep from smiling. “Forward?”
“Couldn’t you see the man was flirting with you?”
If that was flirting, Mr. Young had better stick with his perk diagrams. “Flirting? Mr. Young only answered my questions. He was a perfect gentleman.”
“You may not have realized his intentions, but I saw what he was up to.” He must have noticed her confusion because his brows furrowed into deep lines. “The man canceled two appointments so he could spend more time with you.”
Maybe Matt was right. Maybe Mr. Young had been flirting, not that she would recognize a flirtation if it reached up and bit her on the nose. But Matt had noticed it and had acted to protect her from the man. Did that mean he cared for her, or was he simply being a gentleman?
Why was she even thinking about it? The mill owned her body and spirit for the foreseeable future, and whatever time she had to spare was devoted to her mother and sisters. There wasn’t enough hours in the day to explore a relationship with Matt right now or for several years to come.
But she did love to tease Matt. “He’s not too old for me.”
Matt slammed his hat on his head once they’d reached the lobby. “Old enough to be your father.”
Dania chuckled. “I don’t think he’s that old. Maybe thirty-five.”
“Forty, if he’s a day.” He opened the door then stepped back to allow her to walk through.
She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Matt really was quite fun to work into a lather. Dania took his offered arm once they were on the sidewalk. “Mr. Young is quite attractive.”
The muscles in his arm tensed beneath her fingertips, and she struggled to breathe. “I didn’t notice.”
“Really?” Dania stole a glance at him. Poor man might break his jaw if he gritted his teeth together any harder. “I thought a newspaperman like you would notice every little detail.”
“I remember the important stuff, not whether the man can button his shirt correctly.”
As much fun as this was, it was time to stop this little game. “Well, he can flirt all he likes, just not with me.”
If she thought that would set Matt at ease, she was mistaken. “You don’t like him in a romantic sort of way?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I do not see myself with someone like Mr. Young.”
“Then what kind of man do you see yourself with, Dania?”
She’d hoped to avoid so intimate a question from Matt, but what could she expect? He was a reporter, for heaven’s sake, and more inquisitive than any man had the right to be. Best to be truthful. “I’ve been so busy learning the ropes of the mill, I’ve not had much time to think about it. I’m not looking to get married, at least, not in the near future.”
She felt his eyes on her. “Isn’t marriage the goal of every woman?”
“Another one of your assumptions?” She met his gaze. “Or have you researched it for a future article?”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “Touché.”
They started down the street once again. The sun warmed her face, and she scolded herself for forgetting her parasol. Her freckles would pop out across her nose, not the creamy complexion her mother assured her attracted a man. But really, what was the point? “Besides, most men wouldn’t want a wife who runs a textile mill.”
“Why do you say that?”
She must have spoken her thoughts out loud. Unfortunately, Matt had heard her. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
Matt seemed to give it some thought. “Some men might appreciate a wife with a head for business.”
“Oh, really?” Shoppers and visitors to the exposition crowded the sidewalk, so she pressed closer to him. “And where might I find one of these heroes among men?”
Matt didn’t answer, only studied the store windows as if his very life depended on it. Well, she didn’t need his answer to know the truth. Papa had always been honest with her. That Dania’s responsibilities, that her decision to run the mill, would scare off any marriage prospects. She’d come to terms with it, or at least she’d thought she had until she met Matt. Now, she wondered if she’d accepted her father’s prognosis too soon.
They reached the street corner before Matt spoke again. “I’d be proud to have a wife who had the knowledge and wherewithal to run a business.”
Dania turned around to face him and suddenly found it hard to breathe. From her perch, she was at the perfect height to stare into his earnest blue-green eyes, to take in the tiny scar at the tip of his chin, to note the firmness of his lips.
She leaned back slightly to give herself some room. “You really believe that?”
“If a woman wants to pursue a career, she should have the right to do so.”
“Even if she’s your wife?”
The crooked smile Matt gave her tugged at her heart. “If that’s what she wants, yes.”
“That’s a very modern attitude.”
He shook his head. “Not really. I figure if it was good enough for King Solomon to write about, it’s good enough for me.”
“Proverbs 31.” Dania’s smile grew. It wasn’t every day an attractive man shared scripture with her. She stepped into the carriage and got settled, pleased when Matt sat beside her. “How do you know about that passage of scripture?”
“My ma thought it was just as important for me to memorize as it was my sister.” He leaned closer, brushing his shoulder against hers. “It is advice to the prince on what to look for in a good wife.”
Dania hadn’t known the history behind the verses. “Your mother sounds like a very wise woman.”
He nodded. “She read the Bible to us at the breakfast table every morning before Pa and I went to work.”
“Mama was the same way, only she’d read to us once Papa and I got home from the mill.” The memory of those times filled Dania with longing. “I’d be so dirty with little pieces of thread clinging to me like dandelion seeds. Mama always put a pitcher of hot water and a cake of soap out on the porch so I could wash off the oil and dirt from the machines before I came inside. Then we’d sit down to supper, and Mama would read. She liked the book of Proverbs and all of the New Testament.” She smiled. “Those were such good times.”
The world around them went quiet for a long moment. Finally, Dania turned toward Matt, only to find him staring at her, confusion darkening his eyes. “Your father forced you to work in the mill?”
Dear goodness, Matt made it sound as though her father had held a gun to her head. “It wasn’t like that. As the oldest, I always knew I would need to learn the workings of the mill. That meant every piece of machinery, all the different materials we use. Everything.” She paused for a moment, still remembering the day she’d gone to Papa and told him her plans. “I’m the one who made the decision to work at the mill, Matt, not Papa.”
“Most girls of your social status would be more interested in dresses and dances than going to work.”
Dania pressed her lips together. “You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Making assumptions about me.” She drew in a deep breath to calm herself. “Don’t paint me with the same brush just because you had a bad experience with a so-called ‘lady.’”
Matt captured her hand in his then gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry. It’s just that …” He hesitated. “You’re a very unusual woman, Dania Eison. Kind and generous, and so beautiful.”
She tried to speak but could only manage a whisper. “You think I’m beautiful?”
Her pulse kicked up a notch at the interest in his eyes. “Surely this isn’t the first time you’ve heard that?”
“No.” But the other times had felt wrong—as if it were expected rather than a compliment. Matt wouldn’t say something like that unless he truly believed it. A blush warmed her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He gave her hand another squeeze then let it go, much to her dismay. “So what would you like to do now? We could grab a sandwich and head over to Piedmont Park. I might be able to rustle up some day-old bread so we could feed the ducks.”
Oh, how she’d love to spend the afternoon strolling around the lake with Matt, learning more about him. A day without the burdens of home weighing her down. But she had taken up a great deal of his time. “You don’t have any obligations at the paper?”
He shook his head. “My assignment was turned in last night, so I’m all yours.”
I’m all yours. Three short words, yet spoken by this man, they had the ability to tilt her world slightly off-center. How could that be? She’d known him for scarcely two days, yet it felt as if she’d known him a lifetime. Was this what falling in love felt like? Dania didn’t know; she’d never been in love before. With Matt, it made perfect sense.
How could such a relationship work? Everything Matt held dear—his mother and sister, his career—was here in Atlanta. Moving to Tifton was out of the question. If she moved, her family as well as the community that depended on her would suffer. Papa had told her she’d have to make hard decisions, but did she have to give up her chance at happiness, too?
Dania’s chest squeezed into a painful knot. They only had this afternoon. A few wonderful hours to remember when the responsibilities of her life bore down on her in the years to come. Dania met his gaze and nodded. “A picnic in the park sounds lovely.”