by Unknown
“Thanks, but I need to go home.”
Far, far away from the sexy and attractive Bryce.
“I’ll walk you to your car.”
She’d had to sell her car after she’d got laid off. “I took the bus.”
He swept his hand through his hair. “Would you like a ride home?”
What a stupid move.
Some idiot had accosted Dani, and Bryce had asked her to get into a car with him, someone she barely knew. He wanted to kick himself. That was what he got for acting impulsively.
But he hadn’t been able to help himself.
Dani brought out his impatience. Bryce didn’t like that.
Nor did he like how she had been constantly on his mind since having coffee and how he couldn’t stop staring at her now.
But damn, she cleaned up well, even if her clothes still looked a couple of sizes too big. If he weren’t careful, he was going to blow this.
The investigation, he meant.
“I can call you a cab,” Bryce offered.
“I take the bus all the time.”
“It’s late,” he countered. “My treat.”
“I’m a big girl.”
“I know you can handle situations after seeing you in action. But you shouldn’t have to deal with anything else tonight.”
The determined set of her jaw reminded him of his sister when she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Bryce knew when to surrender.
“If your heart is set on riding the bus home, I’ll walk you to the stop.”
That was the least Bryce could do. He felt guilty for using information from her e-mails. She’d called his being at the restaurant a coincidence. Good thing she didn’t know that no chance or luck had been involved in his witnessing her date-gone-bad.
Frustration gnawed at him. Bryce hated how guys like Gregg could slip through the system without being weeded out. He felt protective over Dani, the way he did with all his customers, and right now a part of him wanted to hold her. Though he normally didn’t hug clients.
A hug would probably go over as well as his offer of a ride home had so he kept his hands to himself.
“I’m sure the last thing you want to do is get into the car with a total stranger. Or a player or a liar.” Bryce remembered what she’d said. “Not that I’m strange or any of those other things. But you wouldn’t know that.”
“I wouldn’t,” she admitted. “It’s hard to separate the good guys from the psychos these days.”
He fell in step with her. “Unless one happens to be carrying around an axe or a chainsaw.”
“That would give them away.” She walked toward the street corner. “Still, I can’t imagine you wielding a knife with a crazed look in your eyes.”
“Once you get to know me, you’ll realize I’m harmless.”
Dani stopped at the corner and hit the crosswalk button. Traffic zipped across the intersection. “When I get to know you?”
Bryce nodded. “That’s the only way I won’t be a stranger to you. You never know when you might need another ride home.”
“You’ve got this all figured out.”
“I’m working on it.”
“What did you have in mind?” she asked.
She was tempted. He could hear it in her voice. Good.
“Dinner and conversation,” he said.
The light changed. The walk sign illuminated. She stepped off the curb. “As long as nothing else happening will be assumed.”
“I never assume anything.” Bryce didn’t want to let her go without getting a commitment from her. He wanted to know when he would see her again. “How does Friday sound?”
“This Friday?” she asked.
He nodded. Waited. Reminded himself that patience was a virtue.
“Okay,” she said after what seemed like hours but was only minutes. Probably seconds. “That sounds good.”
They reached the other side of the street. “Great.”
A bus pulled to the curb, the brakes squealing as it rolled to a stop. The door opened.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a taxi?” he asked.
“Thanks, but I’m comfortable taking the bus.” She started removing his coat. “Your jacket—”
“Keep it,” he said. “You don’t want to get cold. Give it back to me on Friday.”
She stepped onto the bus and glanced back at him. “Thanks for everything.”
Bryce hated to see her go. “You never know who you’ll run into on Muni. E-mail me when you get home, if you get the chance.”
“Will do.” She smiled down at him. “Bye.”
A disturbing feeling settled in the bottom of his stomach. “Goodnight, Dani.”
An hour later, Bryce stared at his laptop monitor. No e-mail from Dani yet. He’d even checked to see if she’d logged into the Web site. She hadn’t.
His fingers tensed over the keyboard.
Maybe he should call her. She’d listed her phone number when she’d registered for the site. And then he remembered. Blinddatebrides.com had her number. Not him.
He glanced at the clock.
What was taking Dani so long to get home?
Worry seemed premature. Still…
Bryce should have called a cab for her, but he hadn’t been thinking straight. Not since he’d met Dani for coffee…
Had it only been yesterday?
He felt as if he’d known her longer.
Still, his interest in her made zero sense given what he knew about her and what he didn’t.
Yes, Dani was pretty, but she wasn’t the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Tonight she’d worn her hair in a ponytail, but had bypassed the makeup again. He liked the fresh-faced natural look. And that subtle perfume of hers—vanilla with a hint of something else, something exotic—smelled so good. He wouldn’t mind waking up to that scent on his pillow.
But cyberspace was full of players and liars. Dani had said so herself. And thieves and spies, he reminded himself. Was she one of them?
Bryce didn’t think so.
He recalled her look of surprise when she’d first seen him at the restaurant. Her smile had told him she’d been relieved and happy. Not even an award-winning actress could fake the kind of sincerity she’d shown tonight.
Dani was probably a timid dater. Okay, she had been able to take care of Gymguy on her own, but he couldn’t imagine her as a scammer or spy, in spite of what she’d said. Taken out of context, almost anything could sound suspicious. And that made his motives for following her seem suspect.
Still, he would remain cautious.
He couldn’t forget his responsibility in all this—make sure no one caused trouble on the Web site. Blinddatebrides.com was his priority. No getting sidetracked allowed.
The phone rang. The only person he wanted to talk to didn’t have his number. Bryce noticed the name on the caller I.D. Caitlin. She wouldn’t call at this hour without a reason.
Bryce snatched up the receiver. “Hey, sis. What’s going on?”
“Mother doesn’t want Father to bring his newest girlfriend to the engagement party.” Caitlin sniffled as if she’d been crying. “And she wants me to be the one to tell him. If I do that, he might not come. He might not win any father of the year awards, but I want him there, Bryce.”
The crack in his sister’s voice squeezed his heart. The ripples from their parents’ divorce hadn’t lessened over the years. He still remembered the years of yelling, screaming and breaking things that had led up to their split. “Don’t worry. By the time the party rolls around, the girlfriend will probably be his new wife.”
“That’s what I told Mother,” Caitlin said. “She got even more upset. You’d think, after twenty-some years apart, with almost a dozen marriages between them, they’d be able to get over it.”
Bryce stepped around a stack of newspapers he needed to take out to the recycling bin and sat on the couch. “I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks.” Gratitude filled her voice. “I kne
w I could count on you.”
“That’s what big brothers are for.”
“Are you okay?” Caitlin asked. “You sound…I don’t know…different.”
He glanced at his laptop, sitting on the coffee table. “I’m waiting for something.”
“You’ve never been good at waiting. Remember on Christmas Eve when you woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to open presents?”
“I was ten.”
“And now you’re thirty-two. Not too much has changed.”
“Thanks, sis.”
“Anytime,” Caitlin said. “So what are you waiting for at this hour?”
“An e-mail.”
“I was hoping it was a woman,” she admitted.
He wasn’t about to go there. “Sorry.”
“Don’t forget, you need to find a date to the engagement party or you’ll be fighting off all the single women there. And a few of the married ones, too.”
“I can handle them—” he thought about Dani “—though I may have a lead on a possible date.”
“Who?”
“A woman.”
“Give me a name. Something.” Caitlin sighed, but he would guess she was smiling now. “Come on, Bryce. You saying ‘date’ without making it sound like a four-letter word is huge.”
“There isn’t anything to tell right now.” Inviting Dani to the party probably wasn’t a good idea given the circumstances. “But if the situation changes I’ll let you know.”
“Promise?” Caitlin sounded more like a little girl than a bride-to-be.
Bryce knew his sister would call their mother about his potential “date.” Maybe that would take some pressure off Caitlin and whether their father and his girlfriend could attend the party. “I promise I’ll let you know if I ask someone, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Are you kidding? Hope is already overflowing.”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” Caitlin countered. “The fact you’re actually considering getting away from your computer long enough to meet and go out with a woman is almost miraculous.”
Bryce frowned. “You make me sound like a total geek.”
“If the pocket protector fits…”
His computer dinged. He glanced at his in-box and saw an e-mail from Dani. Finally. “I gotta go.”
“That e-mail you’re waiting for is from her, isn’t it?”
He clicked on the message. “Goodnight, sis.”
“It is.” Caitlin laughed. “Goodnight, big brother. Keep me posted on what’s going on. And don’t forget. You promised.”
The line disconnected. Bryce turned off the phone. The e-mail appeared on his screen. He pulled his computer onto his lap and read.
To: “Bigbrother”
From: “Sanfrandani”
Subject: Made it
I’m in my apartment though there were moments I doubted whether I’d make it back or not. A group of mimes boarded at Divisadero and decided I needed to be entertained. Not a smart decision on their part. I would rather face a psychopath wielding an axe than a clown.
-d
To: “Sanfrandani”
From: “Bigbrother”
Subject: RE: Made it
Glad to hear you survived the trip in spite of the mischievous mimes. Sorry I wasn’t there to see it.
Note to self: leave face paint at home on Friday night.
To: “Bigbrother”
From: “Sanfrandani”
Subject: RE: RE: Made it
You didn’t miss much except for seeing a grown mime cry. Good call on the face paint or you’d be spending the evening alone and in tears.
To: “Sanfrandani”
From: “Bigbrother”
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Made it
Wouldn’t want that.
Meet me under the rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts at six-thirty on Friday. I’ll bring dinner and we can have a picnic.
To: “Bigbrother”
From: “Sanfrandani”
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Made it
What can I bring?
To: “Sanfrandani”
From: “Bigbrother”
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Made it
I won’t suggest dessert.
To: “Bigbrother”
From: “Sanfrandani”
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Made it
I have no problem providing dessert as long as it’s not assumed to be me.
P.S. Looking forward to Friday.
Bryce smiled. So was he.
CHAPTER FIVE
NOT a date, Dani reminded herself as she adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag and walked along a path at the Palace of Fine Arts. That was all she had to remember tonight and she’d be fine.
Marissa had e-mailed, calling the not-a-date with Bryce strictly another information-gathering meeting. Grace had agreed in an e-mail of her own, suggesting Dani keep the conversation tonight focused on Blinddatebrides.com and his online dating experiences.
Good advice from both her friends, except for one thing…
Dani wanted this to be a real date.
Not that she wanted a boyfriend per se, but she wanted to see Bryce, to spend time with him. And, to be honest, she couldn’t care less if Blinddatebrides.com even came up in the conversation.
On her right, two swans swam across the lake. Elegant and graceful, a pair mated for life.
She watched them, feeling a little envious. Not that she wanted a husband in the near future, if ever, but the idea of something lasting a lifetime was beginning to appeal to her heart and soul. Nothing in her life had ever lasted long.
Was it so horrible to want forever? Or to want to go on a date with Bryce?
He was a really nice guy. She enjoyed his company. No sense pretending she didn’t because of what might happen.
One date wouldn’t stop her from finding a new job or moving forward with her life. One date wouldn’t make her dependent on someone. One date wouldn’t change anything.
Dani walked to the exact center of the Romanesque rotunda and looked up at the top of the dome.
The vastness of the structure made her feel so small, so inconsequential. The way she’d felt ever since being laid off from her dream job. She hated feeling this way, floundering and frustrated and living a lie. That wasn’t the kind of person she’d strived to be all these years. Dani wanted to make something of herself, make a difference, but she felt as if she were standing on a playground merry-go-round being spun around by a group of mean kids with no way to get off.
She wanted off. Out.
Dani was tired of things being out of her control, of struggling to check the next item off her to-do list. She needed to lighten up and have fun. Tonight with Bryce would be a good start.
So might something else. She remembered a piece of trivia she’d read about this place on a San Francisco tourist Web site.
Dani clapped her hands together once. The sound echoed perfectly through the dome.
“I used to do that when I was a kid.”
She jumped, startled by Bryce’s voice. He looked handsome in a green polo shirt and khaki pants. With his casually styled hair and steady grin, he reminded her more of a fashion model than a computer geek. Except for the paper bag he held.
“You don’t have to be a kid to do it,” she challenged.
His gaze, intense and unwavering, met hers. “Step aside.”
She did.
Bryce handed her the bag. The scent of rosemary wafted out. He positioned himself at the center, looked up at the
dome’s ceiling and clapped. The sharp sound echoed through the rotunda. “Satisfied?”
“Very.”
“Me, too.”
The way he studied her made her think she’d gotten a smudge of dirt on her face. “What?”
“You wore your hair down.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I couldn’t find my bandana.”
“Your hair’s longer than I thought it would be.”
Dani couldn’t tell if her hair length was a good thing. Not that his opinion mattered. Much. “I keep thinking I should cut it and go for one of those trendy new styles.”
“Your hair looks great the way it is,” he said. “You shouldn’t change it unless you really want to.”
He sounded as if he’d had this conversation before. And then she remembered. Caitlin. “Spoken like a true big brother.”
Bryce shrugged, looking a little embarrassed and a lot more like his profile picture—that shy, easy to hurt guy Dani had imagined.
“It’s sound advice,” she added. “Thanks.”
“Just don’t ask me to braid your hair.” He shivered. “I still have nightmares over that one. Caitlin, too.”
Dani laughed. “Don’t worry, I can braid my hair myself.”
He made an exaggerated swipe at his brow. “Good, I was worried for a minute.”
She was a little worried herself.
Bryce was too cute, the kind of guy you wanted to take home. Intelligent, nice, attractive, funny. Her friends would like him. Her mother and sisters, too.
Not a date, she reminded herself.
“Nice outfit,” he said.
“Thanks.” She’d chosen a nice pair of brown pants, a blue blouse and a cropped lightweight jacket. Not super-fitted clothes, but these showed a few curves. She’d considered wearing her baggy sweats or another of the loose-fitting outfits hanging in the back of her closet and forgoing makeup again, but something inside of her had revolted at the thought of playing the role of ugly duckling again. She wanted Bryce to see her for who she was.
Inside and out.
His gaze, slow and appreciative, didn’t stop at her breasts, but ran the length of her and back up again. “Your shirt brings out the blue of your eyes.”