“Insulted her.” A flabbergasted expression slowly broke over his thin face. “Good Lord, you don’t mean insulted in the antiquated sense of the word, do you?”
Jacob gave him a bland look.
“You slept with her?” Cyril nearly shouted.
“Quiet,” Jacob insisted as Lisa stepped out on the balcony with a tray in her hand. Cyril snapped his mouth shut into a frown as Lisa served them.
“I’m shocked. And I disapprove,” Cyril said when Lisa had left.
“I didn’t ask for your approval,” Jacob replied, his mild tone disguising his irritation.
“That girl isn’t your type, is she? I mean . . . she’s stunning, of course. But she’s a bit on the sweet side for someone of your tastes, isn’t she?”
“And so we get to the portion of the story where I insulted her,” Jacob said stoically, picking up his spoon.
Cyril shook his head, clearly bewildered. “She lives here in Tahoe Shores. What about your policy on avoiding local complications?”
“You make it sound like I have it printed out in a company policy regulation manual. It’s just a preference, not a hard-and-fast rule.”
“You’ve followed that policy like you were a devout Catholic and it was strict dogma. I’ve seen you walk away from considerable temptation when it comes to local women. Why is Harper McFadden worth the exception?”
“I did make an exception. Let’s just leave it at that. And now I’m facing the unpleasant consequence,” he grated out. “Not just from Harper. From you, too, apparently.”
He took a bite of Lisa’s usually delicious-tasting tomato bisque and frowned. Discussing his mistake could make ambrosia taste bitter on his tongue. He had gotten where he had in life by making smart, often risky choices accompanied by strict, unwavering self-discipline. His complete lack of self-control in regard to Harper had been plaguing him every waking second since she’d jumped off his boat last night like she was leaping from the mouth of hell to safe ground. She’d walked away on the dock without looking back, a fact that still infuriated and agitated him as he recalled it presently.
He hated when Harper walked away.
“It can’t be all that bad,” Cyril decided. “You’ll just have to apologize to her for whatever you did.” He paused in the action of bringing his spoon to his mouth. “What did you do?”
“I was distant in the aftermath, apparently.”
“You really shouldn’t have seduced a woman like that. She’s not the type to be satisfied with your limitations in regard to relationships.” Cyril set down his spoon abruptly. “I can’t imagine what you were thinking, although I suppose I shouldn’t be completely shocked. I saw the way you were looking at her the other night.”
Jacob stiffened.
“Everyone was talking about it,” Cyril said, shrugging. “It’s not every day you see Jacob Latimer panting to go and greet a girl.”
“I wasn’t panting.”
Cyril’s gaze on him was annoyingly sharp. “You think she’s special. That’s why you brought up the topic of her story and the film. Why?” Cyril asked, his irritation seemingly replaced by fascination.
“If you want the second course, mind your own business.”
Cyril was chastened only briefly.
“I think you should apologize. What’s more, I think you think you should apologize. She makes you feel vulnerable.” He shook his head, a smile breaking free. “Will wonders never cease? I’ve never seen you worked up over a girl, except for Regina upon occasion, of course, but that’s entirely—”
Cyril put up his hands in a surrender gesture when he finally took in Jacob’s furious expression.
“Don’t kill the messenger for stating the truth. It’s just common sense, to apologize to her,” Cyril insisted. “Embarrassment isn’t good cause to insult a person. Neither is liking them more than you think you should.”
J
acob refused to rise to the bait, taking another sip of his soup. Inside, he was boiling.
“She’s smart. Compassionate. Very pretty—even if not your typical taste,” Cyril mused maddeningly.
“How do you know what my taste is?”