Maybe that was Alex’s problem. He trusted too easily. The way he’d been looking at Vivianna made Katy think he believed every word coming out of her mouth, and Katy guessed she was pretty good at spin. Katy wondered what else she was good at. The way Alex was eyeing Vivanna’s cleavage... made Katy wish he’d look at her cleavage that way.
She snatched her book off the side table and cracked it open. Halfway into the third Chapter her eyes drifted shut.
Her phone buzzed. She opened her eyes and glanced at her clock. She’d been asleep for two hours.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Damn, I woke you,” Alex said.
“Alex?”
“Go back to sleep.”
“No, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”
“It’s stupid.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Am I nuts?”
“Well, duh,” she teased.
He didn’t laugh.
“Sorry, come on, what?” she pressed.
“I can’t get her to leave.”
Katy sat up in bed. “Do you want her to leave?”
“Yeah. She’s…”
“Self-absorbed?”
“That, too.”
“Tell her you have to help a friend. Call me back when she’s gone.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Katy got up and splashed water on her face, combed her hair and… what the heck was she doing? She brushed her teeth, wondering how hard it would be to get rid of the vivacious Vivianna. Alex was a kind man. He wouldn’t say anything hurtful, even if Vivianna pushed him.
Her phone buzzed. Alex.
“Is she gone?” Katy answered.
“Yep, and she was not happy.”
“Tough beans.”
“What is wrong with me?” he said.
She shifted onto her pillow top bed. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t find someone on my own? My business partner has to set me up with these superficial, entitled prima donnas.”
“It seemed like you liked Vivianna.”
“Oh, you mean that blank-stare-grin thing I do?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m checked out. It looks like I’m engaged though, doesn’t it?”
“It really, really does.”
“I’ve perfected that one. A lot of people bore me,” he hesitated. “But not you.”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to say that, but thanks. So who’s up next on the docket?” she said to redirect the conversation.
“Eden for brunch tomorrow. I don’t suppose…?”
“What time?” Katy said.
“Seriously?”
“Sure. I need the overtime.”
“Noon and I’ll double your fee.”
“I was kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“We’ll fight about money later. I’ll be there at ten-thirty. Fruit, egg strata and fresh bread sound good?”
“Perfect.”
A pregnant pause filled the line.
“So, what did you do after you left my place?” he asked.
“Came home and read a book.”
“Sounds nice.”
Being with you would have been nicer.
Katy closed her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Bye.” She pressed End and took a deep breath. Another few hours of serving Alex and potential wife number two lay ahead. She hoped Eden was as perfect as she seemed.
Katy wanted to find Alex the perfect woman because she wanted him to be happy. Maybe then she’d stop thinking about him and move on with her own love life.
Chapter Four
The next morning Katy made vegetable strata, fruit salad and gluten-free rolls that she’d serve with organic honey. She was taking the rolls out of the oven when Alex approached her from behind. She could always tell when he was close, and not just by his aftershave.
“How do I look?” he asked.
She turned and eyed him. He wore black jeans, a form-fitting T-shirt and cowboy boots. He looked good enough to eat.
She ripped her gaze from his sparkling blue eyes and looked down. “What’s with the boots?”
“Eden’s family owns a ranch so I thought it would make a good impression.”
“Nice. See, you have the ability to be considerate and empathetic.” She smiled and waved the wooden spoon at him. “Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
He grabbed the spoon. She tugged. He wouldn’t let go.
“Let go of my spoon, buster,” she said.
“No one’s ever called me considerate.”
“At least not to your face,” she joked.
But he wasn’t smiling. He was studying her like he’d never seen her before.
The buzzer went off and his fingers released the spoon like he’d been shocked. “I’d better…” he thumbed toward the door.
“Don’t want to keep her waiting.”
When he broke eye contact, she sucked in a quick breath. Only then did she realize she’d been holding it.
“I think it would be nice if I met her at the elevator.” Alex glanced at Katy. “You know, another considerate move?”
“You’re on a roll, buddy.”
He left the apartment and Katy leaned into the counter. This was getting tense, fighting this unwanted attraction to a guy who had no interest in a genuine relationship with a woman.
No interest in love.
And Katy had promised herself that she wouldn’t settle for anything less the next time she entered into a relationship.
If there was a next time.
An hour into the meal, Alex invited Katy to join them at the table.
“No, I shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” He glanced at Eden. “Katy is my big sister’s best friend. She can tell you all kinds of stories about me growing up.” As if he just realized what he’d said, he frowned. “On second thought—”
“Join us,” Eden said with a wink.
Katy sat down and the three of them chatted for another hour about work, the Seahawks and gluten-free diets.
“My brother had celiac disease, so we learned to eat healthy and pay attention to how or bodies reacted to certain foods,” Eden said. “ Gluten-free foods are tasting better all the time.”
“It’s the way she cooks it,” Alex said, eyeing Katy. “She can make Brussels sprouts taste good.”
“What are your favorite recipes?” Eden asked Katy.
“Stir-fry dishes with Tamari, breads and gluten-free, dairy-free brownies with chocolate chips.”
“Hey, you haven’t made that for me,” Alex complained.
“You have to earn your way back to the sweet stuff. Besides, how do I know you aren’t popping marshmallows and chocolate bars when I’m not around?”
“You don’t.” He smiled.
“Oh, gosh, it’s nearly three,” Eden said. “I told a friend I’d show her little brother around town. He was accepted at Seattle U.”
Alex stood and accompanied Eden to the door. “I’ve got a networking business thing on Wednesday night. I was wondering,” he paused, “if you’d like to accompany me?”
“Sure, I’m off on Wednesdays.”
“Great, I’ll email you the details,” he said.
Katy watched them through the reflection of the hall mirror as they awkwardly stood at the door. Hug her!
Instead he offered his hand. “Thanks for coming, Eden. I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”
“Me too.”
Alex leaned forward and kissed Eden’s cheek. A tender, lovely gesture.
Kathy sucked in a quick b
reath and smiled. Eden seemed like the perfect girl for Alex.
She placed dishes in the sink and turned on the water. Alex walked up beside her. “Well? The kiss was a nice touch, huh?”
“Yes, lovely.” She smiled, but couldn’t look at him.
“What’d you think of her?”
She glanced at him. “I think she’s great.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Katy ripped her gaze from his adoring blue eyes and focused on the dishes. This was good; Katy should be pleased. A knot of sadness welled in her chest.
Alex reached over and turned off the water. “Let’s get out of here.”
“The dishes—”
“I’ll do them later.”
“You will not.”
“Scouts honor.” He put up two fingers.
“Anna said you were kicked out of Scouts.”
“Misunderstanding.” He took her hand and pulled her into another dance hold. “Where do you want to go?”
“Paris,” she joked.
“The Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Notre Dame.”
“No, wait, I’ve got an early job tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll settle for the Market.”
“The Market it is.” He smiled.
And her heart skipped. Whoa boy. This was getting worse by the minute.
“I’ll get my jacket,” she said, breaking the hold. Every time he touched her Katy’s body temperature spiked. She wondered if helping him find a girl was igniting the fire extinguished by her husband’s betrayal.
Katy had to accept the fact that although intellectually she may not want anything to do with love, emotionally her body was craving the closeness. Yet somehow she’d have to stop her body from craving closeness with Alex.
****
Alex enjoyed hanging out with Katy. She was authentic and fun, a nice change from the women he’d dated in the past.
Hang on there, chief. This isn’t a date.
“Time for donuts,” he said, guiding her past Rachel the brass pig.
“Donuts,” she said, her voice flat.
“Yep.” He glanced at her. She looked adorable in her purple beret with short blonde hair framing her round face.
“You know what kind of oil they use to make donuts?” she said.
“Relax, it’s one donut, not a liter of polyunsaturated death oil.”
They turned the corner and he bought a bag of donut holes. He offered her one and she turned up her nose.
“Come on, one bite?” The donut hole pinched between his fingers, he held it to her lips.
“Fine.” She took a bite and her lips grazed his fingertips.
He couldn’t breathe for a second, the wind knocked completely out of him. Her green eyes widened as she licked her lips. What was happening here?
“You want more?” he barely got out.
“Sure,” she said.
He held out the donut, steeling himself against what might happen next.
She blinked and shook her head. “What am I thinking? No, I don’t want more. See, that’s what happens with these sugary-oily things. It’s like a drug. It makes you crave another bite even when you don’t really want one. Come on, I need to check out my favorite jewelry place downstairs.”
She walked away. Alex didn’t move at first, stunned by his reaction to a simple donut share, and it was more than just a physical reaction. He couldn’t describe it exactly but he’d never felt this kind of intensity with a woman.
Someone bumped into him from behind, breaking the spell. He popped the rest of the donut into his mouth and dug in the bag for a second, and a third.
As he watched Katy glance at the fish vendor up ahead, he wondered if spending the afternoon with her had been such a wise idea. Alex was dense about a lot of things, but he wasn’t oblivious. He felt the charge of awareness that arced between them, yet Katy didn’t seem fazed.
Even if she had felt something, Katy couldn’t be on his list of potential girlfriends. She needed someone who could love her with an open heart. Alex knew how Katy had been nearly destroyed by her ex husband, a control freak-workaholic who had affairs behind her back. What an idiot. Who in their right mind would betray a sweet, intelligent and delightful woman like Katy?
She deserved so much better than her jerk ex-husband, and she deserved better than the likes of Alex, another workaholic who’d closed off his heart years ago so he wouldn’t have to feel the pain of being in love.
Shoving back the memory of his tumultuous relationship with his ex-fiancée, he plastered a smiled on his face. He was going to have fun with Katy, damn it. He enjoyed her company and wouldn’t waste the time they spent together.
“Sorry about the donuts,” he said, catching up to her.
She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he offered.
“Yeah? How, by cooking me dinner?”
“If I do that you’ll never speak to me again.”
“Come on, down here.” She led him down to the lower level of the Market into a store with wooden masks and statues in the window.
As she headed for the jewelry case, Alex analyzed the unusual masks on display. He held a mask up to his face and scanned the store. Everything looked a little different from behind a mask. Katy turned to him.
“How do I look?” he asked.
“Charming.” She joined him and also held a mask to her face. “How about me?”
“Fascinating.”
“Imagine going to a costume party wearing a mask, and no one knew who you were,” she said.
“Could be dangerous.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because you could say whatever you wanted and they wouldn’t know it was you.”
“You could say, ‘hey sexy, wanna dance?’” she said.
“Or, ‘nice cleavage.’”
“Or, ‘I’ve always wanted to do it in an elevator.’”
He slowly lowered his mask. “Really?”
She didn’t remove hers. “Oops, awkward…”
He raised the mask to cover his face. “Okay, I’ll share something personal so you won’t feel embarrassed.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“I had a crush on you when you where in middle school.”
She lowered her mask. “You had a crush? What happened?”
He lowered his mask. “Megan O’Reilly happened.”
“You mean the redhead with the freckles who wore loafers?”
“Yeah, sorry. I guess she was more my speed.”
“And your grade.” She placed her mask on the stand. “You’ve gotta watch out for us older women.”
He placed his mask on the stand as well. “Tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry.” She touched his arm and his body lit on fire.
“For what?” He stared at her hand, marveling at how it made his body feel.
“Anna told me a little about, you know, your ex.”
Right, Alex’s ex who was three years older than him.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, wandering out of the store.
She followed him and grabbed his jacket sleeve. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“Why? You didn’t break my heart.”
“Yeah, but I reminded you of a painful memory.” She nibbled at her lower lip. “I’ve got an idea.”
She looped her arm through his and marched through the Market.
For the next few hours they poured through comic books and laughed over silly gag gifts. As they ambled through the Market, Alex realized Katy was one of the few people he enjoyed spending time with simply goofing off.
He convinced her to join him for an early dinner and they split crab cakes and a salad. He loved watching h
er eat, marveling at how she’d close her eyes for the briefest of moments, thoroughly enjoying the flavors.
“I should be buying you dinner,” she said, and took a bite of crab cake.
“You’ve come to my rescue by cooking two last minute meals, and now you’ve distracted me with a trip to the Market,” he said. “Why would you owe me dinner?”
“Because I upset you earlier.”
Sure, he was upset because it suddenly struck him that he’d never enjoyed his ex-fiancée’s company as much as he enjoyed spending the afternoon with Katy. He was an idiot when it came to love, no doubt about it.
“It’s fine. I learned my lesson,” he said.
“Which one is that?”
“Love is hard work, and painful as hell. It’s just not worth it.”
“But there’s the good stuff, too.”
“Not if you’re a Remington. My family’s cursed. My engagement blew up in my face, and have you heard the way my sister and Trevor scream at each other? And don’t even get me started on my parents.” He shook his head. “I should have known better than to think I could have a normal relationship.”
“Love is different for everyone. I can’t speak for your parents, but Anna is my best friend and I know she and Trevor love each other. Okay, so they fight, but maybe it’s foreplay and they have great make-up sex.”
“That’s warped,” he said.
“It’s just different. My parents loved each other dearly and were always kind to each another, even if they disagreed. Love doesn’t have to be hard, Alex. It can be fun and joyous. I hope that’s what it looks like for me someday.”
She picked at her crab cake with a pensive expression.
And he wanted to do something, anything, to wipe that look off her face.
“What do you call a bee who’s having a bad hair day?” he asked.
She glanced up. “What?”
“A frisbee.”
She cracked a smile.
“What do you call a pig that does Karate?”
She shrugged.
“A pork chop. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear. What do you call—”
Valentine Romance- The Best Short Valentine Romances of 2014 Page 3