Cupid’s Quest

by Ann, Natalie

  “You bet I did. Nine tomorrow morning. Hope that isn’t too early. I was just ready to text you and send you the link.”

  Okay, so maybe it was excitement more than anything that had her hanging up on him.

  “Not too early. I don’t sleep much past seven half the time on the weekends.”

  “Good. Because I’m pretty booked tomorrow and that was the only time I could squeeze you in.”

  Not what he wanted to hear when he was hoping to spend the day with her. Then he tried to remind himself that she had a job that had nontraditional hours.

  Didn’t she say she was in a relationship with her job? Guess he’d have to see how that went, but the last thing he’d do is ask her to work around things for him. Someone she just met.

  “So about tonight?” he asked. “Can you make dinner?”

  “Yeah. If you don’t mind a late one. I’ve got a showing at six. Just one. I book an hour, but it’s normally less than that. Though the clients I’m with tend to take a lot of time too.”

  “How about you just text me when you’re ready and then I can pick you up?”

  He was wondering if she’d give him her address or not. “That works. When I send you the link to the house, I’ll add my address too.”

  “Are you in the mood for anything special?” he asked.

  She hummed low in her throat. Oh man, his blood was pumping just as hard as it was when he grabbed her in the parking lot and plastered his lips to hers.

  “I’m in the mood for more of last night.”

  “I can manage that. How about food? Or are we skipping that?”

  This time she laughed. “You don’t really think I’m the type to go right for that on the second date, do you?”

  “It was worth a shot,” he said.

  “I’m not that easy.”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to work on it. How does Italian sound?”

  “It sounds yummy. I love comfort food. Can’t get any more comfortable than a big bowl of pasta and meat.”

  “I really like you,” he said. “Most women don’t seem to eat that way.”

  “I like you too. Not because of the food. But in this case, I guess you could say it has to do with my childhood.”

  More things he’d have to ask about. He’d seen enough kids in foster care in his career. What they made of themselves, or at times what little they made of themselves.

  It seemed to him that she just wanted the simple things in life that many took for granted. He’d try to remember that.

  “Then nice comfy food it is.”

  “See you tonight, Josh.”

  “Same, Ruby.”

  He hung the phone up and turned his head to see Mick standing there. “Hot date tonight? Ruby, huh? Sounds like a good time.”

  He snorted. “Date yes. Hoping it’s hot. As for a good time, she isn’t like that.”

  “But you want her to be?” Mick said, leaning one hip on his desk.

  “At some point. For now it’s about fun. You know how that goes, don’t you?”

  “I’m missing fun from my life. Got the nag at home still,” Mick said, grinning. Josh rolled his eyes wondering if that was just Mick joking or not. “How about a double date?”

  “Nope. I don’t need or want a wingman or another woman to bring my date down.”

  “Damn,” Mick said. “I was hoping it’d put Allison in a better mood.”

  “You’ll have to do that on your own. Was there something else you wanted?” Josh asked.

  “Nope. Just heard you on the phone and had to come over and be nosy.”

  “Well Pinocchio, you can go back to your desk. I’ve got work to do.”

  Mick laughed and turned to walk away.

  Josh got back to work and looked at the clock knowing he had about four hours before he saw Ruby again. Plenty enough time to do what he wanted.

  10

  Tempt You

  “Chocolate?” Ruby asked when Josh showed up at her door before seven. Thankfully the clients didn’t like the house, didn’t waste too much of her time, and she was able to get home and change and get to dinner at a reasonable hour.

  “What’s more comfortable than chocolate?”

  She laughed and opened the door to her apartment wider. “Not much. You’re one smart man. Good chocolate too,” she said, eying the box from Krause, a local chocolate company that had been around forever in the Capital Region. One of her favorite treats if she was honest with herself.

  “I handpicked them all out myself. Hopefully I did a good job.”

  “Let me find out,” she said, pulling away the blue ribbon and opening it. Oh man, there were lots of peanut butter and caramel truffles. “Are those marshmallow and coconut ones too?”

  He smiled, his hazel eyes almost glowing. “I got you all my favorites. I figured since we had a lot in common, we might in the chocolate department too.”

  She wasn’t sure they shared all that much, but he was spot on with the chocolate. “Well, if they are your favorites too, then I would be rude if I didn’t offer you one.”

  “We can have them after dinner, if you want.”

  “You can, but I’m stealing one now,” she said with a big grin and grabbed the huge marshmallow one and bit it in half. She didn’t miss his eyes dropping to her lips. On a whim, she put the other half to his lips. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you?”

  “Oh, you temp me, all right.” He opened his mouth and she put the other half of the truffle there.

  “Now I’m ready for dinner,” she said. “Did you get a chance to look at the house?”

  “I did,” he said. “Needs some work, but by the pictures it seems to have everything I’m looking for.”

  “I know it’s a little bigger than you said. Four bedrooms, three and a half baths, and a finished basement. Even an office on the first floor. It’s move-in ready.”

  “If you’re sixty,” he said when they got to his SUV and climbed in.

  “It needs a facelift. The house is about forty years old, but it looks like they did updates twenty years ago. It’s still very livable though.”

  “Yep. Has good bones. Has the space for sure,” he said.

  She knew he might have a problem with the amount of work, but he said he was handy. “Since it’s just you, I’m sure you could do a little bit of work at a time if you liked it.”

  “Why do you think it’s perfect for me?” he asked.

  “It’s the development. Right on the outside of Colonie, but an easy drive to just about anything you need. The development is called Paradise Place.”

  He burst out laughing. “Does it have palm trees?”

  “No,” she said with a wide grin. “Though that might make it more desirable.”

  “So it could be a bidding war?” he asked. “It’s already almost at the top of my range without factoring in the work.”

  “I know. But everything there is priced high. You won’t get in for much less than that. It’s a big development. Not cookie cutter. This is the original part of the development. It’s grown over the years. It’s about two miles by five miles. I’m not even sure how many houses there are. But there are plenty of mature trees, and the lots are a decent size. Many have pools in them. Lots of fenced-in yards and privacy. If you want new construction you can get that too, but I know you don’t.”

  “No. I’d rather have something older. The question is how old or how much work on the rest of the stuff it needs.”

  “I spoke to the listing agent. I know her.” She’d worked with Carolyn at her other job and made a call and said she had someone that might be interested. She hoped she wasn’t speaking out of turn, but she had a good feeling about this place.

  “What did you ask about?”

  “Roof is five years old. Furnace is six years old. Central air was replaced last year. All the big expensive things are done. You are only looking at cosmetic stuff.”

  “That is huge,” he said.

  “I know. You never mentione
d if you wanted carpet or hardwood. I know there is carpet, but the agent said there are original hardwood floors under the carpet throughout the whole house.”

  “Even better,” he said. “Normally you don’t know that until you buy it.”

  “This family has lived in the house for thirty years. They covered the wood floors themselves. It helped to know that.”

  She’d gathered as much as she could about the house, but she knew plenty about the development. She’d sold a few houses there. If she was to pick any area to live, this would be on the top of her list.

  Like Josh with his chocolate guess, she was thinking they might share the same thoughts of this house.

  “What else?” he asked. “If the development is that big and that old, does it have anything to offer?”

  She smiled and turned in his SUV. “A park, a pavilion that can be rented out, basketball and tennis courts, a baseball field, volleyball nets, and a massive playground. It’s not a gated community by any means, and I’m sure there are people in that common area that don’t live in the development, but not always. The family that built this development still lives there. They take a lot of pride in their work. They even throw a summer party for the residences of the whole development to get to know each other and mingle.”

  “Sounds like you know this place well,” he said.

  “I do. Like I said. The perfect place.”

  * * *

  It sure sounded it to Josh. And he had to wonder if maybe Ruby thought it was perfect for her too?

  Was she thinking of more than just a few dates? Was he?

  Yeah, he kind of was and wondered why when he never had before.

  “So if you could get into this development, would you?”

  “I might. I can’t afford it on my own. Trust me, this house is at the bottom of the price tags and it’s because it’s older and needs updating. I do know the owners are looking to relocate and would like a fast turnaround when the time comes.”

  “Fast works for me. I’ve got no contingencies.”

  “Which are points in your favor if you like it.”

  “You are getting me excited just talking about the area.”

  Which was odd for him since he didn’t get this way about much in life. He knew how fast everything could be taken from him and with most things in his life he didn’t hold on that tightly.

  He tried to go with the flow and that helped with his job. Don’t take it home with you. Don’t let it eat you alive.

  If he was someone that was going to do that, it would have happened by now.

  “I can’t wait until you see it now,” she said. “And if it’s not right, no worries. We’ll find you the perfect place.”

  “Are you making it your quest?” he asked when they pulled into the restaurant.

  She giggled. “Now you are just making fun of me.”

  “No. I mean I’m kind of joking, but I think I’m serious too.”

  “Then yes, I’ll find you that place. It’s my word. How long it might take, that will be the question.”

  For once he wasn’t in a hurry though because that would mean he got to spend more time with her.

  11

  In Over Their Head

  Ruby wished she had more time with Josh today after the showing, but she was pretty booked. She had about a two-hour window she could spend with Josh and then she had to move on to another client and then another in the afternoon. She’d be done by five if she was lucky and even then she wasn’t positive.

  Dinner last night at the Italian restaurant was nice and cozy. Comfortable. Comfort food like she’d said she was dying for.

  She’d gotten a big plate of ravioli. Josh had gotten spaghetti and meatballs.

  And when they’d had their fill, they went back to her place and each had a few more pieces of chocolate on her couch.

  “That place was good,” Josh had said. “Not as tasty as my grandmother’s sauce, but not bad.”

  “Do you see your grandparents often?” she asked, cuddling under his arm. The TV was on, but neither of them was paying attention to it.

  “Once a month. I’ve got to go back and get food.”

  She started to laugh. “Food?”

  “She freezes meals for me. She is afraid I’m going to wither away if my freezer isn’t stocked with enough meals for at least five times a week.”

  “That is so sweet. What does she make?”

  “Everything. Whatever she cooks for my grandfather she freezes the whole meal like a TV dinner. Not sure how she does it, but it works. I take it out and either pop it in the microwave or the oven.”

  “What do you do for your other meals?” she asked. She cooked her own food, as it was cheaper. Leftovers were her lunch or easy things if she was on the road. Hardly ever did she get takeout or fast food.

  “I grab something easy for breakfast. Toast or eggs and coffee. Lunch can be leftovers from dinner or I make a sandwich. If I’m on the road I grab something, but I don’t buy often. It’s wasteful.”

  She’d grinned and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I feel the same way. But I didn’t have a lot growing up either so I’ve learned to save and be wise with my money.”

  “Renting isn’t wise though,” he said. “My grandparents have been on my case for years to buy a house, but I haven’t been ready. I didn’t know where I was going to land and stay, but I like it here.”

  “I’ve seen a few houses that I’ve put an offer on, but they’ve fallen through.” Afterward she’d been happy they had but wouldn’t admit that. “I set a limit and if I can’t get it for that price then I drop out. I haven’t found one that has made me want to go over my limit. I agree that it seems wasteful to throw money away on rent, but I don’t want to get in a house I can’t take care of either. Or one that I’m worrying I won’t have the money to maintain.”

  “I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of people get in over their head.”

  “Enough. Everyone likes shiny new. Some just don’t care that they are paying PMI for years because they don’t have enough to put down. I guess when it comes down to it though many might never be able to buy if they need that percentage down.”

  “Wasteful,” he said again.

  And that was the end of their conversation because he’d tipped her chin up and covered her mouth with his. His lips moving side to side, his tongue coming out and tasting her.

  The chocolate that both of them had eaten still lingering on their tongues gave a nice sweet and hot kiss for her to remember into the long hours of the night.

  It wasn’t just the kiss though, but his hands that moved up and down her arms, around her waist and under her shirt.

  Yeah, she’d felt like a teen making out on the couch in someone’s basement that she’d always imagined but never experienced.

  Foster kids had reputations to begin with and the last thing she wanted to do was feed into that so she’d kept to herself and didn’t date.

  No reason to set herself up for bringing someone to her “home” when it wasn’t allowed anyway. Nor did she want to explain too much of her life. Not as a teen when she’d be judged or ridiculed.

  As an adult she was able to make her path in life and be judged on that.

  That was what she did.

  And here she was on Saturday morning ready to go show Josh the house that she hoped was perfect for him.

  When she drove through the development on the way to the street, she felt like she always did when she showed a house around here. A welcoming of sorts. She hoped he would feel it too.

  She pulled in front of the white-sided colonial that had a nice brick front porch. There could totally be a few rocking chairs out there, maybe even a wooden swing while you gazed around the neighborhood.

  The houses were all different styles and sizes, but nothing was really small. The Butlers who started this development still lived in it themselves and the last thing they wanted were people to feel like they couldn’t find their home as they drove through be
cause they all looked alike.

  Josh pulled in right behind her and got out. “What do you think so far?” she asked.

  “Good location. I like that it’s right on the outskirts of Colonie but close to everything else. An easy drive to the office for sure.”

  “Definitely,” she said. “What about the neighborhood that you could see when you came in?”

  “It catches the eye. Every house is maintained well. This is the older section, you said?” he asked.

  “It is. As you move east into the development the homes get newer.”

  “I noticed you call them homes and not houses here. Why is that?”

  “Because this place seems more like a home than a house,” she said, smiling. “Let’s go in and we can see what you think.”

  “Nice front porch,” he said when she unlocked the front door.

  “I thought so too.”

  “Foyer is open. High ceilings,” Josh said. “A plus right off the bat.”

  He was commenting on the house early on and hadn’t done that once yet. Definitely promising. “Dining room through there, formal living room on that side.”

  He popped his head in the dining room and then the living room. “Good size. Both need the wallpaper removed.”

  “Agreed,” she said, moving them down the hall. “It’s not a big open concept since it is an older home, but you said that wasn’t a requirement.”

  “No. This is good.” The kitchen connected to the dining room, then there was an area for a smaller table and a large family room with a wood burning stove on the other side. “Not sure how I feel about the stove in the corner.”

  “Most people like fireplaces now,” she said. “But there was one in the living room.”

  “Odd that it was there and not back here,” he said. “But I’d get rid of that stove. I probably wouldn’t use a fireplace anyway. It’s nice for atmosphere though.”

  “Have to have a place for Santa to slide down the chimney and then you won’t have to make an excuse as to how he’d get down a gas one.”

  He laughed. “There is that. The kitchen cabinets are nice and solid. I don’t care for the dark color, but those can easily be repainted. The flow is good. Appliances and countertops need to be replaced at some point.”