by Amanda Ashby
“No,” Matt admitted with a frown. “Yesterday was kind of topsy-turvy, but I definitely plan to do it today.”
“Good, and please explain that you were suffering from temporary insanity when you mentioned the baby thing to Keith,” Emma said in a strict voice. “In fact, would you like me to write you a note? I could explain that apart from your excessive neatness you’re a pretty nice guy who only occasionally does dumb things.”
“Yeah, I read in a dating handbook that the best way to get a girl to say yes is by giving her a note from his sister,” Matt retorted.
“No need to be smart,” Emma said. “I’m just trying to help.”
“I know, but I have asked women out before,” Matt replied. “And come to think of it I’m not sure Kate knows what the competition was about. I certainly didn’t mention it and she didn’t appear to use the Internet much or have the radio on.”
“An ostrich? Well, that’s promising.” Emma sounded happier as Matt walked into his open-plan kitchen and peered out the window that looked out onto the street below. “She might even say yes.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means that who in their right mind would say yes to go on a date with a guy who’s eyeing up their womb as the potential incubator for his child?”
“I told you, it’s not like that,” he was stung into retorting. He might be efficient but it didn’t mean he wasn’t romantic. All he was trying to do was let the two things operate side by side. Was that really so bad?
“So why do you want to date her, then?”
“Because she’s—” Matt paused and licked his lips as he tried to explain the connection he felt to her. Or the way her mouth pressed together when she was concentrating, or the little furrow between her brows when she mentioned the problems she had with her building. But try as he might, no words came and he let out a helpless sigh. “Because I just want to.”
He inwardly groaned. Perhaps he wasn’t as romantic as he thought, but for whatever reason Emma seemed perfectly satisfied with his answer.
“Well, let me tell you something. I’m your sister and I love you, but Kate only met you yesterday so she has no idea how amazing and wonderful you are. And trust me, if you go with your list of crazy questions and your desire to be a father within a set time limit, she’ll run a mile. So, if you want my advice, throw out the list and just get to know each other. Test the waters, have some fun and then if you think that the relationship has legs you can sit down and have the conversation with her, without terrifying the pants off her.”
For a moment Matt was silent as he considered the possibility before finally nodding his head. “Okay. Since your advice can’t be worse than Keith’s, I’ll give it a go.”
“Thank you,” his sister said before sighing. “I can hear crying, which means my five minutes is up.”
“Okay. Take care and tell the twins there’s a trip to the movies when they’re disease free, and I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Will do,” Emma said before finishing the call. Matt then tried to turn his attention back to the report but instead found himself writing a list of possible ways to ask Kate out on a date. At the back of his mind he could hear Emma trying to tell him that romance wasn’t like that. That it was messy and spontaneous, but Matt ignored it. He didn’t care what his sister thought because he knew that the best way to get what he wanted was to plan it, and right now he wanted to get to know Kate more than he’d wanted anything in a long, long time.
***
“How much?” Kate held the cell phone away from her ear as if hoping that it would somehow change the price that Bernie had quoted her. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t.
“Like I explained, that’s how much it costs to get it removed,” Bernie said in a dour voice. “Oh, and you’ll need to move out for at least two days.”
Of course she would. Kate sat down in the old chair in the corner of her studio. It had been left behind by the previous owner and she normally used it when she wanted to sketch, but it turned out that it was also useful for apocalyptic events such as mind-blowing expenses.
“So, when you can do it?” She used her spare arm to grip the side of the chair as she sucked in a lungful of calming air.
“On the twenty-eighth, which is in about three weeks. So, do you want to go ahead with it?”
“I do,” she said before she could change her mind. Once the call was finished she jumped to her feet and tried to shake off the nerves that were now racing up and down her arms. She’d just hired a builder to come and do work that she couldn’t afford to pay for.
Unless she got the commission, she reminded herself as she walked back to her workbench. She’d been up since four to try and get everything finished in time, but by her calculations she still needed at least another ten days. Which was a pity since her meeting was in twenty-four hours. It wasn’t good math.
She rubbed her tired eyes and realized there was only one way she was going to get through the day. With lots of coffee. Unfortunately, her coffee maker had gone the way of her dishwasher, so the only way she would be getting caffeine was at the diner down the road.
Kate gulped. Leaving her gallery meant that she might run the risk of running into Matt, which would definitely be a problem. Especially considering her reaction on Monday evening. What had she been thinking? But of course she knew the answer to that one. She hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d been acting on impulse, just the way she’d done with Harry, and look how that had turned out. She’d ended up alone and heartbroken.
Even worse. She was the one who didn’t want a relationship. The one who didn’t want to risk being betrayed again and yet she had launched herself at Matt like a missile. Which was why, when he’d knocked on her door yesterday, Kate had done what any self-respecting denial fan would do. She’d hidden herself away until he’d left. He’d returned again later in the day, but thankfully she’d been upstairs and had again just stayed out of sight until he went away. Besides, he was obviously only there out of guilt and good manners, which was why she’d decided to put off their meeting for as long as possible. A month. A year. A decade. Any of those would work.
“Don’t judge me,” she said as Socrates jumped onto her workbench, despite the fact it was meant to be a cat-free zone. Then she let out a sigh. There was no way around it. She definitely needed coffee.
She grabbed her purse before peering out the window. There was no sign of his red convertible that was normally parked out in front of the place and she let out a grateful sigh as she stepped outside and fumbled with her keys. As long as he didn’t come back within ten minutes, she’d be safe and, more important, loaded with caffeine. And perhaps some sugar, because it really was going to be a long day.
“Kate,” a voice said, and she looked up to see Matt standing at her doorstep.
Her traitorous pulse fluttered in approval.
He was wearing a crisp white shirt that seemed designed purely to show off his sharp jawline and masculine neck, while in his hands he had what looked like a plate of brownies.
Damn him.
“H-hey,” she said as she tried to keep her distance from him. “I didn’t realize you were at home. Your car’s not here.”
“I’ve just started renting a garage two doors down,” he explained as he held out the brownies. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. This is the third time I’ve come by bearing gifts and if I’d had to eat this batch as well I think I’d need to get my waistband extended. Did you get my notes?”
“Oh,” Kate said as her eyes were drawn to his lean body. If he really had eaten too many brownies, there was definitely no sign of it. “Yeah, I did get your notes, but I’ve kind of been busy.” Busy avoiding this very situation. She licked her lips and wished that she wasn’t so attracted to a man who baked sugary delights.
“Please, don’t apologize. I just wanted to come by and say thank you for Monday.�
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“Oh.” She tightened her grip on the brownie tray as much to stop herself from doing anything crazy like touch his arm. “Like I said, you’re welcome. And now, if that’s everything, I was just on my way out. “
“You’re going out?”
“Um, yeah.” She nodded, not quite sure why he was looking at her the way he was. “Is something the matter?”
“It’s just you’ve got your painting smock on.”
“Oh.” Heat flared to her cheeks as she stepped back into the gallery and put the tray of brownies down before awkwardly reaching around to the back of the smock so she could unzip it. She normally didn’t bother wearing one, but it had been so long since she’d done a laundry run that she couldn’t risk getting any more of her clothes covered in paint.
Unfortunately, the more she wriggled, the more the zipper remained elusively out of reach. She swore as her body twisted around on itself causing her to go lunging sideways.
“Do you need a hand?” Matt asked, a small but bemused smile hovering around his mouth.
No. Definitely not.
She needed to keep her distance from him, and it was bad enough he’d turned up bearing brownies, but letting him get so close to her neck was only inviting disaster. However, unless she got out of the smock soon, she was going to be seriously behind on her schedule. When had life become so complicated?
“If you don’t mind,” she said and then caught her breath as he made his way over. Her heart fluttered as he stood directly in front of her, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her.
“Kate.”
“Yes,” she managed to croak.
“If you want me to have a look at it, you’re going to have to turn around.”
“Oh, right.” She knew that. She quickly turned around as much to hide her heated cheeks as anything. But if she had trouble breathing while he was standing in front of her that was nothing compared to what her lungs were struggling with now that he was behind her. In fact, as she felt him carefully push her hair around to the side of her neck, she thought her whole body was going to explode with the effort of expelling oxygen.
“I see what the problem is.” His breath caressed the nape of her neck, causing her spine to tingle in response. She could feel his hand moving away from her shoulders and trailing down to where the zipper was caught. Never had anything felt so exquisitely painful before.
“I’ll try to be as gentle as possible.” Matt’s voice was husky as his fingers pressed into her skin and continued to tug at the militant zipper until it was finally released. “There, all done.”
“Thanks.” She spun around to face him. Somehow, the idea of him being so close and not touching her seemed almost unbearable. “S-so I guess I’d better be on my way.”
“Actually, I did have an ulterior motive,” he admitted, and Kate sucked in her breath. If it involved any more hiding out then she was just going to have to be firm with him. That or sell her shop and move somewhere far, far away. “I wanted to ask you out to dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?” Kate’s throat went dry. Was this a test to see if she was going to stick to her word? “As in a date dinner?”
“Well, yeah, I guess if that’s what the kids are calling it these days.” His smile widened to reach his eyes. Then he titled his head and clamped down on his lower lip. Was he nervous? Her heart fluttered. There was nothing more endearing than a guy who was nervous when they asked someone out on a date. It also meant that she mustn’t have misjudged the situation as much as she thought she had the other night. Which might lessen the embarrassment she’d been feeling about it, but it didn’t solve her problem.
“There’s a new French place that has opened up at Pioneer Square. It’s had excellent reviews. Plus, if you wanted to go somewhere else for dessert we could walk along to Gio’s. They do an amazing cheesecake.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.” Kate blinked, almost expecting him to pull out a spreadsheet of the evening.
“Once a planner, always a planner.” Matt let out a reluctant laugh and Kate almost found herself smiling before she collected herself. Unfortunately, there was no way she could say yes. Not if she wanted to stay sane and focused on her work. Because if Monday night had proved anything, it had been that when it came to her neighbor, she wasn’t trustworthy. “So, what do you say?”
“I can’t go. I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” Some of the smile left his face. “Well, we could do it another night. Maybe when you’re not so busy.”
“The thing is that I don’t date.”
“Like ever?” Matt raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she had paint on her face.
“That was the plan. I kind of had a bad breakup and it put me off ever talking to a man again,” she admitted, while willing herself not to look at the slight bristle on his chin. She could almost imagine running her fingers across it. Or ripping his clothes off and touching his torso. It was a close call as to which one she wanted to do more. She also realized that maybe Jenny had been right about the pressure cooker. At this rate she’d be arrested for becoming a public menace. She licked her lips and lowered her gaze. “But it has recently been brought to my attention that my dating stance is a bit too inflexible and that it might have some . . . er, side effects.”
“I see.” He raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, for which Kate was profoundly grateful. “Does that mean you will go on a date with me?”
“I—” She paused and silently groaned. No one should have to have a conversation like this without coffee. “The thing is that I’ve been known to make bad decisions when it comes to the opposite sex and right now I have so much going on with this commission, not to mention the gaping hole in my ceiling. So even if I did want to go on a date, I’m not sure that now would be the right time. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he cut her off, his voice soft and warm. “I won’t say that I’m not disappointed, but I don’t want you to think of me as the terrible guy from next door who must be avoided at all costs.”
“O-of course I wouldn’t think that.” Kate’s cheeks warmed. Did he know that she’d been avoiding him? Then she offered him a small smile. “But thank you for asking. It was very kind of you.”
“Trust me, being kind was the last thing on my mind,” he confessed before catching sight of the six framed paintings that had been delivered half an hour ago. “And I can see that your framer got them done on time. They look amazing. So when’s the big pitch?”
“Tomorrow,” she admitted as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans to try and hide her telltale nerves. Mind you, the fact that she’d just turned down his dinner invitation meant that he probably didn’t care how nervous she was. “Actually, I’ve still got a lot of things to do before then.” Like trying to forget that the gorgeous man in front of her had just asked her out.
“Well, just make sure you have an early one tonight. Because when you’re tired it’s harder to think straight. You’ll find you get a much better result if you’ve had your seven hours,” he said before his face twisted into an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go into business mode on you. Emma says I’d organize the world twenty-four-seven if I could. “
“It’s okay,” Kate said, secretly touched that he even wanted to give her advice. With Harry it had all been about his career and what was best for him. “And speaking of Emma, how are the twins?”
“Itching, scratching and moaning,” he replied. “But apparently that’s all part of it and things should start easing up soon.”
“That’s good news.” Kate nodded, not sure whether to be pleased or upset that he seemed to be taking her rejection so well. “Anyway, I’d better get moving.”
“Of course—” he started to say before pausing. Then he grinned as he threw his hands up into the air. “Oh, to hell with it. Kate, let me help you
.”
“Wh-what?” She blinked. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“You have bags under your eyes, you couldn’t even unzip your smock and tomorrow you have one of the biggest opportunities of your life. Plus, you look like you need a hand.”
“But we just discussed this and I said that I wasn’t ready yet,” Kate said as she resisted the urge to pat her eyes to check for bags.
“You weren’t ready for a date, and I respect that, but all the things you’re dealing with are all the things that I happen to excel in. So, let me help you. In a totally non-datelike manner.”
“Why would you do that?” Kate sucked in her breath. When she’d first started dating Harry, he’d wooed her with flowers and pretty words, but no one had ever come along and offered to help her before. Not in such a practical way.
A small smile hovered around his mouth. “Let’s just say that it’s been brought to my attention that I’m too controlling and planned and that I don’t know how to be messy and spontaneous. And while I’m not promising how messy I’ll get, this seems like a good chance to practice my spontaneity. So, tell me what you need and I’ll do it for you.”
“I need coffee,” Kate said, still not quite sure if this was the smartest or dumbest thing she’d ever done. All she knew was that Matt was right. If she wanted to even have a chance at her pitch tomorrow, she was going to need some help. The fact that it was coming from a man who made her pulse race in a dangerous manner was something that she would think about later.
Chapter Seven
This was all Matt’s fault, Kate decided the following morning as she sat in the modern boardroom surrounded by her oil paintings and preliminary sketches. Normally she preferred to let her art do the talking, but in between helping her with her final preparations Matt had spent yesterday coaching her on his six simple tips for doing a business presentation, and somehow that had loosened her tongue.
She let out a small groan. What if the Petersons didn’t want an artist who talked so much? What if they didn’t care what Kate’s position on arts grants were? More important, what if they didn’t like the way she’d asserted herself? Or that she’d explained just why using such childlike painting techniques wasn’t a gimmick but rather an accurate interpretation of how she viewed the world.