But I here I was trying to gather the courage to ask her out. Again.
Nervously clearing my throat, I moved closer and caught a whiff of her perfume. It wasn’t at all as I would have expected it to be. If asked, I would have said it would be light and floral but it wasn’t that at all. It was soft but sensual, exotic and musky. It spoke of hidden mysteries and even deeper desires. If I hadn’t been under this woman’s spell before I would have been now.
“I’m sorry we got off to such a rocky start,” I said, rubbing my sweaty palms against the denim of my jeans. “We should get to know one another better.”
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Why?”
Yeah, why? I really didn’t think this through.
“Because we seemed to get along in the elevator before you knew who I was.”
Her gaze skittered away before returning. “I think you know why.”
“I know that you don’t support what I’m doing but there’s more to me than just this project, Ashlyn. I think there’s more to you, too.”
“You want me to just forget what you’re doing?”
“No, but we can talk about it. I can tell you why certain decisions were made and you can tell me why I’m wrong.”
Ashlyn was tempted. I could tell. For just a moment she appeared to want to say yes but then she shook her head and clutched that clipboard more protectively against her chest.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Anyone else would have stuck his tail between his legs and slunk away. Not me. I was a glutton for punishment when it came to this female.
“Just coffee,” I suggested. “Not a full meal. Just a cup of coffee and maybe a pastry. You can talk the entire time and convince me that I’m making a mistake.”
Her head tilted to the side as if contemplating the veracity of my offer. “If I was right would you even admit it?”
“Absolutely.”
“But you don’t think that I am right?”
Well…no.
“I’ve had experts study this project and I think we’re doing the right thing. But I am open to your argument against it.”
Slapping the clipboard down on a shelf, Ashlyn pulled herself up to her full height, which was still tiny.
“I don’t need to be coddled or mollified. You’ve heard my arguments against your project and they failed to sway you in any way, so I think coffee, lunch, tea, dinner, or any other form of food and beverage would be a waste of time. I do, however, appreciate your patronage of Past Perfect and you’re welcome to shop here anytime during regular business hours. We don’t accept personal checks. Now if you’ll excuse me I have work to do.”
With that, she turned on her heel and marched to the back of the storeroom and out of sight behind towering stacks of boxes. I stood there for a moment digesting the mammoth smackdown I’d just received before also turning and heading back into the store where George and my albums were waiting for me.
Ashlyn Hill wasn’t interested. Full stop. The sooner I wrapped my mind around that fact the better off I’d be. Time to move on. There were too many fish in the sea to worry about one pretty blonde.
With pink cheeks. And pillowy lips. And a feisty intelligent nature.
Shit. This was bad. So very bad. Now what?
CHAPTER SIX
Ashlyn
I shoved a handful of popcorn into my mouth as we found our seats in the theatre. Emmy, Shelby, and I had decided to see the latest chick flick and after the day I’d had at the shop I needed the distraction.
“What did he expect me to say?” I asked, fiddling with the controller on my seat. “There was no way I was going to say yes to coffee or anything else.”
Shelby stole some of my popcorn. She always said she didn’t want it and then ended up eating ours.
“Why? He seems like a decent enough guy. He’s smart, successful, and he has his own teeth and hair. At least, it looks like he does. Men like him don’t grow on trees, you know. Do you have a better offer?”
No, but… I couldn’t go out on a date, even a casual coffee date, with my mortal enemy.
“We don’t have anything in common.”
There were two older couples sitting in the row in front of us and they seemed inordinately interested in our conversation. One of the women wasn’t even trying to hide it, having twisted around in her seat to look back at us.
“How do you know?” Emmy asked. “You’ve barely talked to him and only about one subject. You might have lots in common.”
“I doubt it.”
The woman in front of us didn’t appear to agree. She desperately wanted to say something, but her husband elbowed her and whispered something in her ear causing her to turn to the front again. But she was still listening.
“You’re being stubborn,” Shelby scoffed. “I’m sure there’s more to Kyle Lewis than what you’ve read about in magazines and newspapers. He’s an actual human being and I bet there are many things that he likes that you do, too.”
The mention of Kyle Lewis had the woman’s head whipping around again, her jaw slack with shock. What? Was it so hard to believe that he might ask me out? Was I that ugly?
Emmy cleared her throat and gave the woman a look that would have had me cowering in the bathrooms. Her cheeks red, she turned back…again. But she was still listening.
“Like what? Ice cream? Everyone likes ice cream.”
“I like cake better,” Emmy said with a laugh. “Too much dairy for me. But seriously, you should go. He said that he’d listen to your arguments. Why would you pass up that chance?”
Another good question that I’d been asking myself since this morning. Mostly I didn’t think it would do any good but there was a part of me that held onto hope that it might.
“He won’t change his mind,” I finally answered. “It’s just a ruse to get me to go out with him.”
Shelby’s mouth fell open in mock horror. “What a terrible person he must be. Asking you out and offering to let you do all the talking. He’s some kind of monster, I tell you. Run far and fast.”
This time the woman and her friend had turned around fully in their seats and were gaping at us. Their poor husbands looked like they wanted to dig a hole and jump in. Emmy wasn’t one to mess around, though. Smiling sweetly, she held out her box of opened candy to the ladies.
“Sno-Cap?”
These poor women were going to have whiplash by the time the previews ran. I distinctly heard one of the men whisper, “Mind your own business.”
Good advice. Too bad Shelby and Emmy weren’t going to take it. They had a bee in their bonnet about me and Kyle Lewis.
“He’s not a monster,” I conceded. “I just can’t imagine that we would have a good time. I don’t want to go out with someone and argue the whole time.”
Shelby was already shaking her head. “Why would you argue the entire time? I’m sure you could find some common ground. I don’t agree with Brad about every little thing, but I can still be with him. For example, I’m not fond of his political views and I can’t fathom how he doesn’t like sweets, but we don’t argue about it. When we first dated, we talked about other things. We simply learned about each other. You can like people that you disagree with. Can you imagine only surrounding yourself with people just like you? How boring. You don’t want to become one of those people that only want to be around others that agree with them. That’s an echo chamber and as a mental health professional I can’t recommend it.”
I didn’t want to think that I was the type of person that needed everyone to agree with them. I’d always enjoyed a healthy debate of ideas with my friends, but Kyle Lewis wasn’t my friend.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s not going to ask me out again.”
Not after the way I’d turned him down. I hadn’t meant to be so nasty and cold, but he’d thrown me by inviting me out again and I hadn’t known how to deal with it. I wasn’t great in crunch mode. I was a planner by nature and when I had to act off the cuff,
it didn’t always work out well.
“He probably won’t,” Emmy agreed as the theater lights dimmed. A hotdog and a soda started dancing on the screen and the two couples in front of us appeared to be more interested in them than us. “I doubt he enjoys getting turned down. I bet it doesn’t happen often. I doubt you’ll see him again unless he wants to buy more records.”
That was fine with me. Better than fine. I was thrilled that I wouldn’t be dealing with Kyle Lewis again.
So how come I felt so let down?
* * *
Ashlyn
A giant bouquet of beautiful, fragrant flowers in a lovely crystal vase.
That’s what was sitting on my kitchen table after a harried delivery man had dropped them off this morning. I was sure this was some sort of mistake, but it was my name clearly on the envelope. The darn thing weighed a ton and I’d hefted it onto the table and opened the card.
They were from Kyle Lewis.
Honest to frog, I never would have guessed that these were from him, especially after I’d delivered that dick punch when he’d asked me out yesterday. If anything, I should have expected a horse head in my sheets.
The sentiment on the card was simple and straightforward written in a bold hand.
Please reconsider my invitation. I’d very much like to discuss the project with you or any other subject you might care to talk about. Kyle
The flowers really were gorgeous, and I hated myself for loving them. He hadn’t sent anything so conventional as roses. Roses were fine, but they weren’t my favorite flower. Instead he’d chosen brightly-colored, jewel-toned blooms I didn’t even recognize but had the most heady and exotic scent. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from taking a deep whiff every time I passed by the arrangement.
However, I was no pushover for a few posies. He was still taking a wrecking ball to bunch of historic homes so that made him a jerk, no matter how good his taste in floral decor.
I also wasn’t going to admit that he might be the reason that I hadn’t slept so well last night. I’d tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning and it didn’t have anything to do with him. I simply couldn’t get the room the right temperature and I might need a new mattress and pillow. Plus, I had a great deal on my mind and long to-do list now that the holidays were over. I still had that girls’ vacation coming up at Spring Break with my friends that was supposed to be a sort of bachelorette party for Shelby’s wedding at the end of the summer. I needed to think about losing a few pounds if I was going to wear a bathing suit on a sun-drenched beach.
Leaving behind the vase of flowers, I locked my house and headed out to the local animal shelter where I volunteered most Sundays. I loved animals, especially dogs, but my schedule was a nightmare and not conducive to being a responsible pet owner so I volunteered with them instead. I’d walk them, pet them, bathe them, and generally help around the shelter and then come home covered in fur and slobbering kisses.
My friends argued that I could absolutely have a dog if I wanted to. I could take it into the store with me during the day and then home with me at night. They did have a point. But I also traveled for business quite a bit and I didn’t want to dump my pet on someone else to take care of. It wouldn’t have been fair to them or the dog.
I did find myself weakening every now and then when a particularly adorable canine would come into the shelter. Last week we’d taken in a yellow Labrador that was about six months old, surrendered by a family that didn’t realize how much work an active puppy was going to be. I’d fallen in love with “Sam” immediately when he’d looked at me with his big sad brown eyes and I had almost scooped him up then and there.
I hung up my coat in the office, giving the manager a cheery wave. “Hey, Natalie. Did you have a good Saturday?”
Tall and thin, Natalie had silver hair and a kind face. I’d known her for years, but I’d never seen her dressed up or even wearing makeup. Like every other day, she was dressed to work in old blue jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots. The only difference was today she was grinning from ear to ear and practically vibrating in her chair. Had all the animals found homes yesterday? She was positively glowing.
“This has been the best weekend ever,” she gushed. “Absolutely fabulous. And you’re one of the first to hear the big news. We made our donation goal for the first half of the year and then some. Isn’t that amazing?”
Amazing and impossible. It was only the end of January. How on earth could we have made our six-month goal when last week we had tens of thousands to go?
“For the year?” I asked cautiously. “That does sound a little too good to be true, Nat.”
Nat held out a check, her cheeks flushed with color. “But it is true. And there’s more where that came from. That’s just an initial donation.”
I accepted the check but it fell from my nerveless fingers, fluttering onto the surface of Nat’s desk. I’d taken one look at the payer and almost passed out.
He was everywhere I went. I couldn’t escape.
Kyle Lewis had donated a hundred thousand dollars to the animal shelter.
“Kyle Lewis,” I choked out. “That’s very…generous.”
The cynical part of me wondered if he was trying to buy goodwill in Arborville.
Nat, however, had no qualms about accepting the money and who could blame her? This was a small no-kill shelter with a tiny budget that operated mostly with donated labor, food, medical care, and supplies.
Nat reached out and grasped my cold hands, holding them tightly. I could see the unshed tears in her eyes. “It’s a Godsend is what it is. I didn’t want to say anything, Ashlyn, but things were looking pretty dire since last fall. We didn’t make our goals for the last two years. A monetary windfall from Lewis Technology will make all the difference in the world. Remember how you and I talked about trying to get corporate sponsorship?”
We had, and I’d been a huge cheerleader for that idea but now I had a sour taste in my mouth when I should be rejoicing. This wasn’t about me, or Kyle, or even Natalie. This was about the animals in need and that check would make sure that they had a warm place to live, food to eat, and veterinary care until we found them a loving forever home.
I was being a selfish bitch and I didn’t like myself at the moment one little bit. Everything wasn’t about me and my battles.
“This is wonderful news,” I said and I meant it. It was good news. “Did he stop by during the week?”
Her smile brightened and she clasped her hands together. “No, he’s here right now and he wants to pick out a dog for adoption. I told him that I would have one of our volunteers help him. You can do that, can’t you? I wouldn’t trust this job to anyone else. You’ll know just what to say.”
I knew what to say alright, but I didn’t think that was what Nat had in mind.
“Of course, I will,” I heard myself responding but honestly what else could I say? It would be an opportunity for me to thank him for the flowers. Then tell him to never do that again. “I guess I’ll go help him now.”
So much for my fun and relaxing Sunday.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kyle
I’d always believed that a man made his own luck and he shouldn’t wait on the universe to do him any favors. I believed in making things happen, not sitting back and waiting for life to come to me. However, I couldn’t take any credit for my good luck this morning.
Ashlyn volunteered at the local animal shelter and she’d been tasked with helping me find a new furry friend. She was conflicted about it too, from what I could tell – happy that I was adopting a dog but not so happy that she was the one that had to assist me in doing it.
Me? I took it as a sign that pursuing her romantically wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever had.
“What kind of dog were you looking for? Big? Small? Older? Puppy?”
We were back to the store yesterday and her stilted questioning. I was a nice guy. At least I’d been told that, and I had no reason to not believe it. P
eople generally liked me, and I made friends easily now that I was past all that awkward teenaged nerd stuff. Ashlyn might not agree with me about the tech campus but that was only one single subject, not my whole life.
“Hi Ashlyn. It’s nice to see you again.”
I wasn’t going to let her turn what should be a fun morning of playing with dogs into an uncomfortable few hours that we both only tolerated. The fact was she didn’t know me well enough to hate me. If later she wanted to turn my photograph into a dart board I’d be supportive. Hell, I’d give her an autographed eight-by-ten glossy and a dart set.
“Kyle.”
At least she hadn’t called me Mr. Lewis again. But she was still standing there looking as stiff as a mannequin. What she needed was a puppy to hold. No one could stay uptight with a bouncing baby dog all up in their face.
“I’m not actually sure what I’m looking for. A dog that likes to play, I guess. Wants to go on runs with me and is active, so maybe a younger one? I don’t mind training him or her.”
“You’ve had dogs before?”
“Grew up with them but I didn’t have any pets when I lived in New York City, but now I have a house and a big fenced-in yard.”
Her nose had wrinkled when I mentioned the Big Apple. I’d lived there for about five years because it felt like I needed a central hub between the US and Europe, but I’d come to the conclusion a while back that I wasn’t a city person. I liked wide open spaces and small towns, just like I’d grown up in. That’s how I’d ended up in Arborville.
Ashlyn nodded and turned toward the main kennel doors. “Let’s go then. Follow me.”
It was mayhem when she opened the door. Barking dogs bellowing loud enough to bust my eardrums. The scent of hope, fear, and sadness hit my nostrils and my heart squeezed in my chest. Some of these dogs had seen some bad times.
Pick me. Pick me. If I could, I’d take them all home but the best I could do was write a big check and hope that they found families of their own. This was the best part of having a few dollars in my bank account. There sure had been a long time before when I didn’t have two nickels to rub together.
Tease Him (ManTrap Book 2) Page 4