After paying for his purchases, Adam loaded up his truck and breathed in the heavenly sent of grilled beef, setting his stomach to rumbling. While he was here in town, he might as well catch a bite to eat at Lou’s Diner. Everyone knew that Lou had the best burgers around. It was lunchtime, after all.
The place was packed, but that was no surprise. Lou’s was a staple in the small northeast community. After waiting a couple of minutes, Adam was shown to a booth along the window. Foregoing the menu – he knew just what he wanted – he waited for the server to come by for his order and looked outside. He was a bit shocked when he realized his seat had a perfect view of the bookstore across the parking lot.
Or had he subconsciously ended up exactly where he wanted to be?
***
“I’m sorry the guy didn’t show, Liz,” Holly said, clutching her bag of discounted paper backs and her signed copy of the murder/suspense hardback. She had hundreds of stories on her eReader, but sometimes she just wanted to hold an actual book in her hand, feel the weight of it, smell the pages.
“No biggie,” Liz said with a casual shrug. She had a bag, too, but hers was nearly all historical, period type romances. “It was more for your benefit than mine anyway.”
Holly stopped dead in her tracks, turning to her friend in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, he was hot and everything, but a little too rough around the edges for me, you know? Definitely more your type than mine.”
“I have a type?”
Liz rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. Big, strong, alpha types with a white knight complex.”
Holly gaped at her. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
“Me,” Liz said matter of factly. “I mean, don’t get me wrong – I love to read about them – but in real life? A little too intense for me. I prefer Armani to Eddie Bauer, Bruno Magli to Red Wings.”
“See a lot of Armani in these parts, do you?” Holly teased.
“No, but I can dream, can’t I?”
***
Adam was halfway through his burger when he saw them. The blonde and the brunette came out of the book store, each carrying a bag with the bookstore’s logo on it. He watched with mild interest as they walked out into the parking lot together, chatted for a few moments, then parted ways.
When they split off into different directions, it was the brunette his eyes instinctively followed. She had a nice walk – a natural sway that was graceful without any attempt to impress. On the far side of the lot, she stopped by a late model SUV – one of the smaller compact jobs – and got in. The fact that she’d been discreetly scanning the lot and had the foresight to check under the car pleased him; women could never be too careful these days.
A minute later, he caught sight of her chocolate and cherry waves as the dark blue vehicle drove past the diner. Once the taillights were out of sight, Adam sighed and went back to finishing his burger. On a sudden impulse, he ordered a refill on his cherry Coke and a slice of chocolate cake.
Thirty minutes later, his heart actually stuttered a little when he saw the navy Sportage listing off on the shoulder. Pulling up behind her, he caught the bob of dark hair by the front passenger wheel. Adam put on his flashers and got out to offer his assistance.
***
Holly poked her head up when she heard the crunch of gravel and stopped breathing for a second when the tall male form eased from the truck that had pulled over behind her. It was him! The guy from the restaurant!
“Hi,” he said easily. “Need a hand?”
Given the slight hint of amusement in his eyes, he recognized her, too. Thankfully, it seemed as if he was too polite to remind her of their previous encounter. It was definitely a plus in her book. And if the flannel hugging his biceps was any indication, the frozen lug nuts on the rim wouldn’t be a problem for him. Damn Jiffy Lube and their hydraulic tools anyway.
Holly released her death grip on the tire iron and stood up to her full not-so-impressive height. Pushing her curls back from her face, she left a nice dark streak across her sweaty brow.
***
Adam tried hard to hide his grin.
“Yes, actually,” she said on an exhale. “I can’t seem to get these nuts off.”
“Well, that is a problem,” he said, somehow managing to keep a straight face. “Not one I’m personally familiar with, but I’ll do my best.”
She grinned at him, her cheeks pink with an honest-to-God blush, and a little explosion went off in his chest. She had the prettiest smile. It took him a minute to realize she was holding out the tire iron to him. “Then I humbly defer to your manly expertise.”
It took a few good tugs, but he managed to get the tire off with little trouble. He turned to ask if she had a spare, only to find her standing behind him with it in her arms. Since it was a full-size spare (another point in her favor), it covered her practically from knee to shoulder.
“I would have gotten that,” he said, taking it from her. She shrugged, then stepped back to let him get on with it. “Least I can do.”
“Appreciate it,” he said, meaning it. Most women wouldn’t have tried to help, would have been content to sit back and let him do all the work. Not that he’d have it any other way.
He finished changing the tire, then carried the flat to her open trunk. After closing the lid, he removed a blue kerchief from his pocket. Rather than wiping his hands, though, he handed it to her. She looked at him, confused. Adam pointed to her forehead. “You’ve got some grease, right there.”
Holly’s eyes widened, then her cheeks blushed that lovely shade of rose again. He thought he heard her mutter “shit” beneath her breath, but it was so softly done he wasn’t completely sure. She took the folded cloth he offered and rubbed vigorously. “Did I get it?”
She had, but Adam couldn’t resist. “Not quite. Here, let me.” He took the kerchief and made a few gentle strokes across her brow. She stood completely still while she looked at him with those big green doe eyes. It was all he could do not to lean down and kiss the daylights out of her right then and there. He’d never felt the urge to kiss a woman quite so fiercely.
“There,” he said, forcing himself to take a step back before he did something stupid. “That ought to do it.”
“Thanks,” she said softly. Christ, if she didn’t stop looking at him like that, he really was going to do something stupid. Like crush that sweet little body up against his to see if his tactile memory was remotely close to the real thing. Of course, this time he’d make sure the contact lasted for more than a millisecond.
“You know, I bet a hundred cars passed since I pulled over, and you’re the only one who stopped to help.”
Adam didn’t know what to say to that, so he wiped the grease and dirt from his hands and said nothing. They stood there for a few moments in silence, but it wasn’t as awkward as it should have been. For some reason, Adam was reluctant to leave and kept wiping at his palm long after the grime was gone, shooting surreptitious glances at the pretty woman as he did so. Dressed casually again, hair loose, face relaxed and natural, she was even prettier than he remembered. Then she opened her mouth to say something and Adam inwardly cringed. Crap. Everything was going so good so far. He hoped to hell she wasn’t going to ask him out and ruin it. Or even worse, try to offer him something in recompense for his effort. She was cute and everything, but -
“Thank you.”
He blinked, waiting for her to say something else. She didn’t, and he did a little mental fist pump. “You’re welcome.”
She smiled at him again, then turned and walked around the front of her vehicle to get in. From where he stood, it didn’t look like she was in any particular hurry to leave, either.
“Hey,” he called on a sudden impulse as she placed her hand on the door handle. “What’s your name?”
“Holly. Yours?”
Good, she didn’t offer her last name. That showed intelligence and caution. “Adam. Do you like coffee, Holly?”
She
hesitated for a few seconds. Adam didn’t think he breathed during that time. Then she smiled and nodded. “I like coffee.”
Relief flooded through him. Suddenly he felt as nervous as a kid. “Would you like to have some? With me? Now?” Great, he winced inwardly. Way to sound overeager, dumbass.
Her eyes softened just a little around the edges, her smile was kind. “No,” she said, dashing his hopes for a few thankfully brief seconds. “I have to go home and let my dog out. But how about later, maybe around seven? Ground Zero?”
“Seven’s good,” he said, pleased with her choice. Ground Zero was a nice, clean, well-lit little place with great coffee and a casual, cozy atmosphere. It was the perfect place for a first date. Not that this was a date. More of a pre-date interview. If things went well, they’d see.
“Shall we meet there?”
Holly nodded. “Sounds good. See you then.”
Only after watching her drive away did he finally let out the breath he’d been holding. So far, so good, but he refused to get his hopes up just yet. He’d been disappointed too many times. Further analysis would be relegated until later that night.
Chapter 7
“So Brandon’s your nephew, huh?” Holly asked, sipping her hazelnut cream. She refused to get her hopes up. So far, Adam was the perfect gentlemen. Besides stopping earlier to change her tire -which earned him quite a few points – he’d asked her out for coffee and was fine with meeting here. He’d been waiting in the parking lot when she’d arrived five minutes early, and held the door open for her. Once inside, he’d asked her what she wanted, then took care of ordering and paying.
She was glad that she’d taken a little extra time with her appearance, choosing form-fitting faded Levi’s that made her butt look good and a soft, forest green sweater that accented her eyes. Especially since he looked so ruggedly handsome in his jeans and white button-down with the collar open at the very top and his sleeves folded back to reveal corded forearms.
Sitting across from him now, she was glad, too, that she’d chosen the corner booth, because the muted lighting accentuated the sun-bleached caramel highlights in his silky chestnut hair and made her fingers itch to run through it. Two hands on the cup kept her from doing just that. “Bet he’s a handful.”
“He’s a good kid,” Adam said truthfully., thankful she had chosen a safe topic on which he could easily converse. Although he felt none of the usual awkwardness around her that he usually did on an initial date, if that’s what it was. “Smart, too. He’s going to make one hell of an engineer.”
The way his eyes softened just a little and his lips curved slightly suggested that Adam was both close to and fond of his nephew. “You’re very proud of him.”
“Yeah. It’s not his fault he inherited his father’s curse.”
Holly’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “A curse, huh? Is that what you call it?”
He chuckled. It was a deep, low rumbling sound that sent little tingling shivers in some of her more womanly parts. “Yeah. Women throwing themselves at him all the time. Who would want that?”
“Who, indeed,” she hummed, wondering how Adam handled that same cursed affliction. If she looked closely, she could definitely see some family resemblance, but where Brandon’s features were of the picture perfect, movie-star variety, Adam’s were more rugged. His hair was a bit unruly, as if it had been hastily finger-combed as an afterthought. His skin had the sun-kissed look of someone who spent a good deal of time outside. A brief glance downward revealed strong, capable hands and a few calluses.
Of the two, Holly knew which one she preferred.
“What about you? Any nieces or nephews?” he asked, breaking into her mental inspection.
“A couple, but they’re all still pretty young yet. The oldest is in seventh grade, the youngest, about six months.” Thinking of the last time she had seen them - at a family gathering that had turned into more of an intervention - the corners of her mouth curved down slightly.
“You don’t like kids?”
“Hm?” she hummed, her gaze snapping back to his. Clearly he’d been watching close enough to catch the slight frown she hadn’t caught in time. She could add “perceptive” to the mental checklist she was creating in her mind. So far the plus column had a lot more entries than the minus column, which was still shockingly empty. “Oh, no. I love kids. It’s just kind of a sore subject with me.”
“Why is that?” Adam asked. Normally he was not quite so intrusive right out of the starting gates, but he was determined to find something wrong with her. The sooner, the better, too, because the more time he spent with her, the more he was inclined to possibly overlook some of his prerequisites for ascending to the next level (should it become necessary). Once he started settling, he was in trouble.
Holly scratched a non-existent spec from her coffee mug with the tip of her well-manicured but practically short nail. It was a few minutes before she glanced up at him with a rueful smile. “I have four siblings – two older, two younger - each of which is married, actively procreating, and professionally employed.”
Adam shrugged, waiting for the innate alarm built into all single males to sound at the reference to marriage and kids, but it didn’t. Weird. “So?”
She dropped her eyes again, but not before he caught a flash of something raw and vulnerable. “So... I’m thirty, not married, have a dog instead of kids, and work from my home. In my family’s eyes, that equates to bottom of the ninth, down by a boatload, with a full count and our worst hitter just off injured reserve up to bat. In other words, all but hopeless.”
The baseball analogy amused him, a not-so-subtle attempt to infuse humor in a subject that was obviously painful for her. Instead of shying away from it, she took it, dressed it up a little, and put it right back out there. “You paint quite a picture.”
She shrugged, but there was no mistaking the stubborn tilt of her chin or the challenge in her eyes. “No use in sugar coating it. It is what it is.” Then she flashed him a grin. “You seem like a nice enough guy, Adam. You should know what you’re up against.”
Jesus, he liked this woman. “Forewarned is forearmed?”
“Exactly,” she beamed, seemingly pleased that he had caught on so quickly. “As innocent as this is, if my family finds out about you, they’ll hold a family meeting – after the shock wears off, of course. There’s nowhere you’ll be able to hide that they won’t find you. They’ll probably try to bribe you. It won’t be pretty.”
“I take it you don’t go out much.” Adam’s smile grew, reaching his eyes.
Holly snorted softly. “Not much, no.”
Solitude was something he understood very well; it was the reason behind it that interested him. Dare he hope that she, like him, was past all the superficial bullshit with the dating scene? Because nothing else made any sense to him. She was adorable, witty, smart, and didn’t take herself too seriously. What the hell was he missing?
“Why not?”
***
Holly sat back, an enigmatic smile on her face. Adam was so easy to talk to, to be around. She’d already broken her first cardinal rule - talking about herself and her family issues. Generally speaking, there was no faster way to end an evening. And yet he was still here, looking unfazed and even slightly amused. Most guys would have left skid marks within seconds of hearing words like “marriage” and “kids” from an aging woman well on her way to spinsterhood that they’d just met over coffee. Granted, it was some really great coffee, but still.
What the hell, she decided. She already liked this guy way more than she should at this point in the game. Best to break out the big guns now and save herself a lot of pain and heartache later. As soon as he found out how she paid her bills, there’d be skid marks for sure.
“You seem like a pretty astute kind of guy, Adam.” He inclined his head in acceptance of the compliment. “What do you think I do for a living?”
One brow raised. God, that was sexy. She’d never been able to
pull that off, though she had once practiced for several hours with a hand-held mirror and a flashlight in her closet when she was younger and first became aware of the phenomenon.
“Is this a test?” he quipped. “Am I being graded?”
Her lips quirked. “More like a game show, really. Think of it as a chance to win fabulous prizes or go home empty handed.”
“Empty handed? Really? Most shows have at least a consolation prize.”
“I guess I could spring for one of those day-old scones over there for being a good sport.”
“And the fabulous prizes?”
“I’m still working on that part.”
He grinned, the look in his eyes suggesting what he would pick for a prize if she asked him his opinion. She didn’t. Just the fact that he seemed interested was enough for her, no fishing expedition needed.
“Do I get a phone-a-friend? Ask the audience?“
Holly felt her lips quirking again. He was teasing her, and not in a mean or mocking way. She liked it. A lot. “No.”
“Oh, well in that case, let’s see.” He sat back, crossed his arms, then brought one hand up to his mouth in a classic “thinker” pose.
Of course he was already pretty sure he knew what she did for a living, but this was an opportunity to impress her a little. Normally he didn’t go for that kind of thing, but he was enjoying himself too much not to play along.
“You seem very organized and intelligent. Well-spoken. I’m guessing you went to college?” She nodded, amused. “Fairly confident despite your self-mockery. You live alone, which shows competence and independence. You’ve already admitted you don’t date much, and I don’t get the impression you’re much of a party girl, so I’m guessing you went for something safe, respectable and relatively quantifiable, like mathematics or science.”
He paused. “No, wait – something with computers. A programmer, or an analyst perhaps. How am I doing so far?”
Five Minute Man: A Contemporary Love Story Page 3