Chapter 20

He couldn’t prevent himself from launching one last jibe. “Mother, did you ever even consider the possibility of just asking Evan? Or were you already positive that no man would willingly be with me without being coerced?”

He didn’t stay to hear her answer.

No one slammed doors in the Carmody household. But he managed a satisfyingly firm snick as he shut the door behind him. He heard her call out to him, but he didn’t slow down. Driven by an overwhelming need for air, he grabbed his keys and headed for his car. The delay opening the gates at the end of the driveway had him biting his lip. Finally free of the estate, he drove to Bay Park and spent an aimless hour walking along the shore trying not to think. Then, needing something more to occupy his mind, he headed back into town and stopped at his office. The tiny literary publishing house he’d built had always been a refuge for him.