Her grip relaxed. Now she could almost see him smiling. “No, I mean it. Most women would be thrilled to do anything with you. I bet you’ll get a high bid at the auction even if Veronica doesn’t bid on you.”
He tapped the phone. “Are you sure this is Serena Higgens? The Serena I know isn’t near so kind to me. The Serena I know never misses an opportunity to put me in my place.”
“I haven’t been that bad.”
“You ain’t been that good.”
“Don’t say ain’t.”
“See? You never stop.” His voice turned warm. “Never.”
She almost chuckled, knowing that he’d inserted that little ain’t just to get her going. Of course, her correcting him was for the same purpose. By now their give-and-take felt special and fun. As if it was something only the two of them could ever share.
That made her think again about the reason for her call. “Now, stop joking for a second and listen to me. I’m trying to be serious!”
“I know. I’m surprised, that’s all.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be. We might have had our differences from time to time, but I still think you’re going to be a great success.”
“I just don’t want to be embarrassed.”
“Believe me, I’m sure you won’t be embarrassed. You’re gonna be just fine.” Actually, she was sure he was going to be better than that.
And it was also too funny how Jarred was talking. Almost as though he thought he was the only person on earth to have ever feared public humiliation. From her own experiences, she knew he wasn’t.
“How can you be so sure of that? Are you going to bid?”
“I wish I could. But you know I don’t have any money for that.”
“I’m just teasing. I wouldn’t expect you to want me anyhow.”
She would. “You might be surprised.”
“You’re joshing me again! Don’t turn chicken on me now, Serena. You’ve done nothing but fuss about the way I talk, eat, carry umbrellas and chew.”
Images flashed of their time together. Images of them eating ice cream and chatting. And getting uncomfortably close under umbrellas.
And then the irony hit her. Here she was, doing her all-fire best to make him into someone bright and new…and she was still completely infatuated with the man he’d always been.
But that didn’t help his situation. “Perhaps you could get Veronica another way?”
“Even if I decided to do that, it won’t matter. I promised the city council that I’d participate in the auction. I don’t have a choice. I made a promise.”
“Yes, I guess you did.” And he wasn’t the type of man to back out of a promise.
“Yep. I need the help and the auction is just around the corner. We have no time to lose.”
“But surely other things are more important than…” Her voice drifted off. How could she put into words what she was thinking without offending his goal or Veronica? “Than auctions?”
“It’s a commitment. And a promise. Listen, Serena, I think things are going better anyway. Just the other day, I passed her at the coffee shop, and she went so far as to say hello.”
She laughed. “That’s progress.”
“In no time at all, she might even shake my hand.”
From the safety of her bedroom, Serena grinned. Oh, but he made her smile. He always had.
“Hey, how about you come over here for a lesson? That way I can still check on my dad.”
“I can do that, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. This auction involves table manners, Serena. There’s no telling what I’m doing wrong.”
“Don’t worry. I bet you’re doing everything wrong,” she teased. Well, only half teased.
“Great. Eight o’clock?”
“I’ll be there,” she said before hanging up.
Then she looked around and wondered what had gotten into her. She was actually looking forward to seeing him.
Looking forward to his smile and the way he made her feel as though she was the only person who really understood him. As though she was someone special in his life who really mattered.
Well, when he wasn’t mooning over Veronica.
She couldn’t help it; she smiled. Suddenly, the thought of Jarred picking up the wrong fork or blowing his nose during a meal didn’t sound all that scandalous. It sounded like Jarred.
Which was the completely wrong thing to think. The two of them had lived in the same town practically all their lives. She’d sat behind him in Geometry and he’d teased her in a good-natured, friendly way.
Now he was using her to get the attention of someone prettier and more successful. She was his means to an end. She needed to remember that.
When the phone rang again, she picked it up quickly. “Jarred, what else did you forget?”
“Um, Serena? I mean, Miss Higgens? This isn’t Jarred. It’s actually Pete Ross. From the bank.”
“Hey, Pete,” she replied. “What’s going on? And what’s with the Miss Higgens and telling me you’re from the bank? We’ve known each other for ages.”
“I’m, uh, on an official call right now.”
“Oh?”
“Serena, the fact is, you’re overdrawn.”
“Oh, my goodness!” As the words echoed in her ear, she winced. It probably wasn’t possible to sound any more like a silly fool. But as reality set in, the nervous pit in her stomach expanded to the size of a watermelon. “By how much?”
“Sixty dollars.”
She swallowed. All things considered, it wasn’t too much. But since she wasn’t due to get paid for another eight days, it might as well be a thousand dollars. Thinking back to the last time she balanced her checkbook, she said, “I don’t understand how that could have happened. I had almost a hundred in it on Saturday.”
“I’m looking at the screen now, Serena. Maybe you had a couple of bills you forgot about?” He paused. “Here’s an automatic withdrawal for insurance. Did you remember to deduct that?”
There surely couldn’t be anything more demeaning than going through her bank account with Pete Ross as if she was in sixth grade.
But shoot, she had forgotten about that blasted insurance!
After a lengthy pause, he cleared his throat. “It’s also my duty to tell you that you have a fine.”
“A fine?”
“Yes. From me.”
“You?”
“I mean, us. The bank. We had to charge you for writing a bad check. We covered for you but charged you thirty dollars.”
“Is that part of the sixty I owe?”
“Oh, no. It’s in addition. I am sorry to tell you the bad news.”
He really did sound mortified. Poor guy. “I see. Thank you for calling, Pete. I’ll see if I can borrow some money from my sister.” Oh, she hated doing that. “I’ll be in tomorrow with—”
“I could lend you some money if you want.”
She nearly dropped the phone. “I’m sorry, Pete…but what did you say?”
“I, um, I don’t want you to worry so much. I’d be happy to help you out.”
“But, Pete, wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest or something?”
“Not if it was a loan between friends.” He chuckled. But it was forced. A little high-pitched sounding. “And we are that, right? I mean, we have known each other forever.”
“Since grade school—”
“That’s a long time.” As he continued, his voice became a little bit more sure. “You know, Seri, we never did meet for coffee.”
Serena couldn’t figure out how he managed it, but his slow reminder set off a slew of warning bells, loud and shrill. “You’re right. We never did. We’ll have to do that sometime.” She closed her eyes. Her promise sounded as weak as ever.
“Since we have a date set in the future, why don’t you let me help you?”
He sounded so sincere. Plus, well…she really had no choice. She was in dire financial straights. Beggars and choosers and all that. “All right,” she
said, wishing the moment she said the words that she could take them right back. “But only a hundred dollars. And I promise to pay you back as soon as I get my paycheck.”
“Don’t you worry about that right now.”
She frowned. “I’ll be worrying.”
“I hope not for long. Now that we have that settled, please say yes to letting me take you out to dinner. Tonight.”
Little pinpricks of doubt began dotting her skin. “Actually, Pete, I don’t feel much like eating.”
“You must. After all, we have something to celebrate.”
They did? Now she was getting seriously creeped out. In all the years she’d known him, they’d never done more than talk casually at community events. Did he now think she owed him something? “Pete, you know I can’t afford a dinner out.”
“That’s why I’m asking you. It’s my treat.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’m already borrowing money from you—”
“We both know one thing has nothing to do with the other.”
But it kind of felt as if it did. Serena leaned back and wished she could throw the phone out the window. These latest conversations she was having were throwing her for a loop. “Well…”
“Say yes.”
“Well, all right.” She was being silly. Pete was so nice. And, well, a dinner out would be a treat. “It can’t be a very long dinner. I’ve got a meeting at eight,” she apologized. There was no way she could cancel on Jarred. He was paying her for her time.
Kind of how Pete was, too?
Her stomach cramped up some more.
“Then how about we eat early?” he asked smoothly. “At six-thirty? We could visit and catch up and I could give you that loan.”
Oh, she didn’t like how he was bringing up that loan already. “Six-thirty is just fine.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
She swallowed. What was going on with him? Usually the somewhat nerdy Pete Ross was all buttoned up and circumspect. But maybe he really was just looking forward to their dinner.
And, heck. Why was she overreacting, anyway? He was reliable and compassionate. And once more, he’d always been kind to her. Now he was even willing to give her a loan when she really needed it.
She should give him a chance. She knew she should. Good, stable guys were definitely not a dime a dozen. Maybe she would enjoy his company.
Besides, Jarred Riddell was simply a crush. One day he was going to hook that Veronica Snow and move on.
And he would. She would do well to not forget that.
Before things got stranger, she quickly replied. After all, she really didn’t have a choice at all. She was overdrawn and she needed money. He was willing to help her. End of story. “Thank you, Pete. I’d love to meet you for dinner. That’s so kind of you.”
After a few more words about meeting him at the Golden Dove, she hung up, then looked longingly at her bed. If there had ever been a time when she wished she could crawl under the covers and hide from the world, this was it.
Her day couldn’t be crazier. Never before had she had two meetings with two eligible bachelors.
Never before had she owed so much money to so many people.
Never before had she felt so out of control.
She hoped her heart could take it.
Chapter Twelve
“You look great, Serena,” Pete said when she met him in the Golden Dove’s ornately decorated bar. “That dress looks nice. Real nice.”
“Thank you.” Self-consciously, she smoothed down the royal-blue jersey knit that seemed to hug every curve. Tracy had given it to her for her birthday. After trying it on once, she’d stuck it in the back of her closet. In her opinion, it was too formfitting. She always felt as if every curve and bump was on display when she wore it…though, of course, Tracy had said that women’s curves were a good thing.
For some reason, Tracy’s comment had stuck in her mind that afternoon. So instead of her usual jeans and boots, she gathered her courage, pulled it out and slipped it on.
And to her surprise, the color did accent her hair well…and she had to admit that the royal-blue did make her green eyes a bit more vibrant.
Looking around at the beautiful hand-carved filigree surrounding the bar and the burgundy leather-covered bar stools, she said, “Eating here is such a nice treat. I’ve only dined here a few times.”
“I don’t go here often, either. But I thought, well, why not?” He smiled. “You only live once.”
With some surprise, she noticed he had a dimple in his cheek. “That’s exactly right.”
“Wine?”
“Sure. That would be real nice. Thank you. Char donnay?”
He signaled over the waiter. “Gin and tonic for me and a Chardonnay for the lady.”
Serena eyed him a little longer. Here, out of the bank, he looked so confident. Better. When their drinks came, he lifted his to toast. “Here’s to us, Serena.”
Though the toast and the “us” connotation caught her off guard, his earnest expression made her shake off her lingering doubts. So did the fact that they were called to the table at that very moment.
As soon as they sat, Serena opened her menu and concentrated on her dinner choices. Perhaps if they ordered quickly, dinner would be over soon. She ended up picking shrimp and a salad because it didn’t cost too much.
Pete ordered prime rib and another gin and tonic.
When they were alone again, he pulled out a white envelope and slid it across the red tablecloth to her. It stood out bright and blinding, like some mismatched valentine. “Here you go. I didn’t want you to have to wait another moment for this.”
Her cheeks flamed as the table of four watched her pick it up, then not so discreetly slip it in her purse. “Thank you.” Needing to say something else, she said sincerely, “And thank you for calling me today to let me know about my bank account. I really do appreciate it.”
“I’m glad I was able to save you from all that embarrassment.” Looking her over, he said, “Besides, if helping you out is the best way to get you to go out with me, then I think I came up the winner. You know, I’ve been wanting to take you out for some time.”
This was the second time he’d made that reference. “I’m sorry if I’ve forgotten, but I honestly don’t remember you asking me out before. Ever.”
“I have. Well, I’ve tried to gather up my courage,” he said. “Remember six months ago when we knocked into each other at the grocery?”
She’d always felt that their “knock” hadn’t been completely an accident. “Now I do. You, um, invited me over for steaks.” There’d been two “butcher’s specials” in Pete’s basket. She’d looked at the meat that had already started to turn and ran away as fast as she could.
“Yep. I was going to ask you to be my date last year, too. To the banker’s ball, but then I’d heard you weren’t going to be in town.”
“Well, here we are together. And it has nothing to do with the money.” She really hoped she meant it. “I’m glad we finally were able to make this work.”
“I’m really glad to hear that. Really glad.”
She sipped her wine and tried to view his earnestness in a new light. It was flattering, right? “I’m glad that you’re glad.”
Luckily, their meals came and she concentrated on eating. Fast.
But Pete wasn’t in such a hurry. Instead of picking up his fork, he stared hard at her. “Serena, I don’t know if you knew, but I’m certified in scuba diving.”
Huh? Where had this come from? And where was it going? “I didn’t know that.”
“Oh, yes. I’ve dived off the coast of several islands and plan to go again in just a few months. Did you know the reefs surrounding St. Thomas are supposed to be incredible?”
“No.”
If he was disappointed with her less-than-enthusiastic response, he gave no indication. “It’s true. Do you swim?”
“Some.” Not that there were too many opportunities to s
wim anywhere in Electra. The community had never wanted to put much money into a recreation center—there were too many other needs around town.
He winked. “Maybe you’ll consider driving over to Bardstown and joining the Y. You can take scuba lessons there. You never know when they’ll come in handy. Who knows? Maybe one day someone tall, dark and handsome will invite you to go on a cruise to the Caribbean.”
Slowly, she sipped her wine, wishing the glass had been a little bit more full. This was surely the most worrisome conversation she’d had in some time—and she’d thought Jarred’s proposal of charm-school lessons would top just about anything.
“I’ll think about that.”
“Yes. Please do,” he said, cutting off his first bite-size portion of meat.
Serena looked at the remains of her shrimp and salad with a sinking feeling. Usually she would have really enjoyed the chance to have a meal out. Especially at a nice restaurant like the Golden Dove.
But though she’d been wishing that some kind of spark would materialize, she now realized she could never think of him in a romantic way. Yes, she was really stuck between a rock and a hard place. She’d said yes to his loan and yes to his dinner because she wanted to be his friend. If their positions had been reversed, she knew she would have offered him assistance.
She was keeping her mouth shut during dinner because she felt she owed him.
But those realizations didn’t make her feel any better about herself or her state of affairs.
Actually, fact was, he knew too much. He knew her bank account, he knew her financial troubles, and he wasn’t afraid to use it all to his benefit. She felt like a caged animal at the zoo. Locked up and confined and forced to make the best of a bad situation.
After taking another bite, Pete grinned in obvious pleasure. “I do love a good steak, don’t you?”
“Definitely.” With a feeling of regret, she bit into a shrimp and chewed slowly.
And then almost choked when she saw Cal Jr. and Jarred walk through the front door and head their way. Oh, heaven help her. He still looked so good to her. So much better than Pete ever would.
Pete tapped his spoon on the table. “Serena, did you hear me? I just asked if you’ve ever spent much time at the honky-tonk. Billy Bob’s. Have you?”
My Favorite Cowboy Page 10