by Unknown
“Uh-oh.”
“The fire investigator wasn’t sure which caught fire first, the oil or the plastic. By the time I returned to the kitchen, both were fully engaged in flames and the room covered in thick smoke. My mother and sister ran in while I was trying to put out the fire. I kept trying to remember what I’d learned about fires. One phrase kept running through my mind so I yelled it, ‘Stop, drop and roll.’ My mother dragged us outside and called 9-1-1. I wanted to go back in and use the fire extinguisher, but she wouldn’t let me. She said kitchens could be replaced. Children couldn’t. So I stayed outside, watching the flames grow and the smoke billow out.”
“What happened to the house?” Dani asked.
“The kitchen had to be gutted and redone. The rest of the house had some smoke damage, but was okay.” He smiled. “As soon as the damage was repaired, my mother had our cook fill the freezer with bags of frozen French fries. Sometimes, my mother still brings me a bag when she comes over.”
“That’s cute.”
“Try embarrassing.”
“That, too.” She smiled. “But now that I know about your cooking abilities, do you mind if we make the bonbons at your place? Just in case there’s another fire. I don’t have renter’s insurance at my apartment.”
Dani winked.
“Very funny. And smart.” Bryce laughed. “I don’t mind at all.”
He’d be willing to give a soufflé or a crème brûlée a try if it meant spending more time with Dani. He hadn’t enjoyed being with a woman this much in years. Yes, he dated, but only casually. He didn’t have time for anything more. Besides, finding a woman intriguing enough to put his work second probably wasn’t going to happen.
“So where do you live?” she asked.
“Not too far away.”
Bryce saw the expectant look in her eyes, but he preferred keeping his personal life private and didn’t open up to just anyone. Except…he realized he hadn’t been as guarded with Dani for some reason. Still, he wasn’t ready to tell her his house in one of the more “exclusive” neighborhoods in San Francisco had been a gift. Each Delaney received a house when they graduated college. A family tradition.
He’d thought about donating the house to charity, but practicality had overcome his objections. So he’d taken the house and rented it, donating the profits to a local charity, until he’d tired of apartment living this spring and decided to move in himself. “I used to live in Cow Hollow, but recently moved to Presidio Heights.”
If the neighborhood surprised her, Dani didn’t show it, but she glanced at the row of elegant, pristine houses on the opposite side of the street. Mentally comparing the Marina to Presidio Heights, he wondered.
“That’s a lovely neighborhood,” she said. “There’s a great consignment shop on Sacramento and I love that old theater, too. Not that I get to too many movies these days.”
“What about you? Where do you live?”
“Inner Sunset,” she said. “Not as trendy as around here, but there are some great places to eat and it’s easy to get where I need to go taking public transportation.”
“Except when you run into a band of menacing mimes.”
Her smile lit up her face. “Except then.”
She had a pretty smile. Pretty face. Pretty everything.
“Before I forget.” She reached into her large bag and pulled out his jacket, neatly rolled. “Thanks for letting me borrow your coat the other night and saving me from a cold walk home from the bus stop.”
“Anytime.” Bryce glanced at the sun, sinking toward the horizon. Soon it would be dark and the temperature cooler. Almost time to say goodbye. Or maybe not.
“It’s not that late. How does seeing a movie tonight sound?” he asked. “I can use my BlackBerry to see what’s playing.”
Her brows drew together, making it appear as if she were considering the offer. Good. That was better than a straight-out no.
“Okay.” She placed the remaining candies into a yellow insulated lunch box. “We can sneak what’s left of the bonbons into the theater and finish them off during the movie.”
“Bringing outside food in is usually against theater rules.”
“Do you always follow the rules?” she asked.
“I don’t suppose you do,” he countered.
“Not always.”
He appreciated honesty, but her answer only brought the suspicions he’d pushed to the back of his mind front and center. Instead of trying to flush out the truth, he’d spent the evening flirting and having fun.
What was going on?
Bryce never lost sight of where he was going, what he was supposed to be doing. He had never allowed his personal life to interfere with work.
Until now.
The line between investigating her and dating her was blurring to the point of being unrecognizable. He’d never met a woman who made him want to forget everything except her.
Bryce had no idea if Dani was being honest with him or not. Yet he hadn’t cared. Being around her made him feel good. He liked feeling that way. Still, he couldn’t forget he didn’t have time for a girlfriend. He didn’t want to lead Dani on. Though she might be the one leading him on.
Face it. Something out of the ordinary was going on. Here she was, dressed nicely and showing off her real looks like tonight was a real date. Not one where she’d dressed down, acting suspicious, like on their first meeting. Why the difference? Maybe it was time to say goodbye.
“If you’re tired or would rather not go…” he offered.
“I want to go, but on one condition.”
A condition would give him an out. A way to get some much-needed distance from her. He interacted daily with women at work, but not with this kind of relaxed interaction and flirting going on.
The switch in her from the other day bugged him. He didn’t get it. Was the change because of what had happened with Gymguy and she now knew she could trust Bryce? Or the elusive something else?
“What’s the condition?” Bryce asked.
“I pay for the movie.”
That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. He stretched out his legs in front of him.
Having her pay for breakfast the other day had been an anomaly. Women, especially those who recognized the Delaney name, assumed he would pick up the tab and never offered to pay. Of course, Dani didn’t know his last name. “I’m the one who asked you out.”
“So?” She stared down her nose at him. “You picked up dinner. I get the movie. What’s the big deal?”
“Not a big deal.” He wasn’t old-fashioned or chauvinistic, but he had more money than he knew what to do with. Based on what she’d said so far, her taking the bus and shopping at a consignment shop, Bryce guessed she didn’t have a lot of money. He didn’t want her spending what little she had on him. Especially given the circumstances. Like it or not, he had to get to the bottom of what she was doing on his Web site. “But what if I want popcorn? And a soda?”
“No problem.” Amusement danced in her eyes. “Feel free to order a box of candy, too.”
After her bonbons? He better say no.
“Are you always so—?”
“Difficult?” she offered.
“Easy.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
“Not easy as in sex. But in dating.” The way her eyes narrowed told Bryce he was digging his own grave here. “Easy as in making things more equal.”
She tilted her chin. “Why should one person have to foot the bill every time because past generations did it that way? Having things, especially finances, so lopsided doesn’t bode well if a couple ever wants to have an equal partnership in the future.”
“That’s smart thinking.”
“I wish I could take credit for it, but I found it on the Web site.”
“Web site?” he asked.
“Blinddatebrides.com. The site has good advice on how to have a successful relationship.”
Bryce’s team put up new content a
ll the time, but he’d been so busy putting out fires and thinking about Dani this week he hadn’t read any of the new additions to the site. “Sounds like you’ve been studying up on the subject.”
“Not really, since I’m not in the market for a serious relationship.”
Ouch. He wasn’t looking for any kind of commitment, either, but the way she dismissed one with him so easily stung. Dani might not know who he was, but several women considered him a catch.
“My friend Marissa e-mailed me the link a couple of days ago.”
His suspicions shot up like a radio antenna.
Had Dani mentioned him to her online friends? Maybe they’d provided that link to help her plot how to snag a guy. That might explain why she was on the site and had started dating after so many months. And wanted to continue their date at the movies.
“Did the article say what to do if a man wouldn’t let you pay?” he asked.
“Drop him like a hot potato because a man like that probably has control issues,” she teased.
He didn’t consider himself a control freak. “Or an unlimited supply of money,” Bryce offered.
“Even the richest man in the world probably would like to be treated to a meal or movie sometime.” She stared up at him, her eyes full of warmth and anticipation. “So will you let me pay for the movie?”
The hopeful tone shot straight to his heart and doused some of his suspicions. Okay, maybe she wasn’t on a husband hunt. Dani might be self-reliant, tough and evasive, but at this moment she wore her emotions for the world to see. He liked seeing this side of her. “I’d be honored.”
She placed the yellow insulated lunch box into her bag. “The theater will never know they are here.”
But Bryce knew.
And that made him wonder…
What were the other rules that Dani didn’t mind breaking?
CHAPTER SIX
Blinddatebrides.com is running sixteen chat rooms, sixty-three private IM conferences, and 5134 members are online. Chat with your dating prospects now!
Private IM conference #59 (3 participants)…
Englishcrumpet: What happened next?
Kangagirl: Don’t leave us in suspense.
DANI sat on her bed, placed her glass on the nightstand and caught up on the messages she’d missed.
Her friends cracked her up. They had been waiting for her to log on when she got home from her date and tell them all the details. She could imagine the silly grin on Marissa’s face, too.
Not that Dani minded. She’d been as curious about their dating lives. She remembered the first time Marissa wrote about her temporary boss Rick, even though she’d been dating men she’d met through Blinddatebrides.com at the time. And Dani would never forget Grace’s panic before her first date with Noah that her nineteen-year-old daughter Daisy had set up.
Funny how the three of them had grown closer since then, even though they’d never met in person, but Dani really wished they could. She couldn’t afford to go anywhere. So far neither Marissa, with her upcoming wedding, or Grace, with her pregnancy, had time to fly to San Francisco. Maybe someday.
Sanfrandani: Sorry, I was getting a glass of water.
Kangagirl: I thought you lost your connection.
Sanfrandani: Nope, thirsty. So, the movie turned out to be one of these epic battle guy flicks. No plot. Lots of special effects and death.
Englishcrumpet: Forget the bloody movie. Tell us about you and Bryce.
Sanfrandani: LOL! I am!
Sanfrandani: The movie was so bad all we could do, other than leave, was make fun of it as we watched. Bryce has the best sense of humor. We couldn’t stop laughing. People must have thought we were drunk or something.
Kangagirl: Were you drunk?
Sanfrandani: No, we drank wine with dinner, but we were just having fun at the theater.
Englishcrumpet: Tell us what happened next.
Kangagirl: And don’t leave anything out.
Dani imagined her two friends, oceans away, with their gazes glued to their monitors, waiting for her to finish telling them about the date. She knew what they wanted to hear—details describing a romantic evening for two, complete with tender gazes and passionate kisses. Too bad nothing like that had happened.
Sanfrandani: The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. He drove me home, walked me to the door and said goodnight.
Englishcrumpet: Did he kiss you?
Sanfrandani: No.
Kangagirl: Did you kiss him?
Sanfrandani: No.
As she stared at the “no” on her screen, regret and disappointment gnawed at her. She knew better than to have expectations for a not-a-real-date, but still…Dani wasn’t used to a guy not staring at her body or trying to steal a kiss. Especially when she wanted him to kiss her.
Sanfrandani: There was the almost kiss during the movie, but that’s it.
Kangagirl: You didn’t mention an almost kiss. What happened there?
Sanfrandani: Oh, sorry. It’s almost one in the morning here. Past my bedtime.
Englishcrumpet: We can wait to hear the rest if you’re tired.
Sanfrandani: I’m not sure I could sleep right now.
Kangagirl: Good, because I’d rather not wait!
Sanfrandani: Well, we were sharing a bag of popcorn. Bryce leaned over to whisper something. We both reached into the bag at the same time, and our hands touched. Really our fingers. They sort of intertwined. I looked at him. His face was so close to mine. He was staring at me.
Kangagirl: Sounds romantic.
Englishcrumpet: Very.
Sanfrandani: It was the perfect moment for a kiss. Even the music soundtrack was right for it. My heart was pounding. I wanted to kiss him, but then I turned my face away.
Englishcrumpet: Why?
Sanfrandani: I didn’t feel right, kissing him without him knowing the truth about me.
Kangagirl: This is serious.
Englishcrumpet: No kidding. You must really like him or you wouldn’t have worried about what he would think if he found out the truth.
Kangagirl: Did you make plans to get together again?
Sanfrandani: We didn’t, but…
Englishcrumpet: You like him.
Sanfrandani: More than I thought I would. But we only just met so I’m not sure why I feel this way. I mean he’s gorgeous and all that, but still it’s a bit disconcerting.
Kangagirl: Been there, done that.
Englishcrumpet: Welcome to the club!
Sanfrandani: I said LIKE not LOVE.
Kangagirl: We know.
Sanfrandani: I just wish I could be honest with him.
Kangagirl: If that’s what you want to do, then tell him the truth.
Englishcrumpet: He’s going to find out at some point if you keep seeing him.
But Dani didn’t know if she should keep seeing him. Being honest with Bryce could jeopardize her job. She couldn’t afford to be without a paycheck or she would have quit. She’d already wasted over six months of her life at Hookamate.com.
Kangagirl: If you’re not sure what to do, then wait. You’ll know when the time is right.
Dani hoped so.
But, after hearing what Bryce had to say about where she worked, she wasn’t sure he’d understand anything she had to say. And that realization tied her insides up into a knotted jumble.
Englishcrumpet: Think about what you might want to do, Dani. After all, what do you really have to lose?
My job. My heart.
Dani wasn’t sure which she wanted to keep safer. Both were at stake and that scared her. Maybe it would be better if she never saw Bryce again.
She thought about his green eyes and his beautiful smile that warmed her heart.
Maybe not.
On Saturday morning, Bryce crawled out of bed. A sleepless night left him longing for extra shut-eye, but he couldn’t fall back to sleep. Caitlin wanted to meet him for brunch in an hour, but he wasn’t that hungry.
Not exa
ctly true.
He wanted something. Someone. Dani.
Why hadn’t he kissed her last night?
He’d had plenty of opportunity, but he’d been trying to be a gentleman. To make up for her experience with other men. Bryce had wanted her to feel safe and comfortable with him, but he needed to remember that a gentleman still kissed his date goodnight.
Bryce walked to the French doors leading to a balcony and looked down at his yard.
Below, a hummingbird hovered near a blooming bougainvillea. The rapid wing motion and the way the bird flitted from one flower to the next, feeding off nectar, reminded him of Dani. Even though she’d sat with him during the picnic and at the movie, she never seemed to slow down or relax or simply be in the moment.
Was that her personality or nervousness or perhaps her age? She was only twenty-six. Six years younger than him.
He wanted the chance to find out which.
The hummingbird flew off in search of another flower. Bryce wasn’t about to let Dani get away so easily. He went downstairs to his computer and typed an e-mail.
To: “Sanfrandani”
From: “Bigbrother”
Subject: Today?
Had a great time last night. Any chance you are free for lunch today?
To: “Bigbrother”
From: “Sanfrandani”
Subject: RE: Today?
Not unless it’s a late lunch. I’m working today.
To: “Sanfrandani”
From: “Bigbrother”
Subject: RE: RE: Today?
A late lunch won’t work for me. I have a family thing. Tomorrow I need to check out a horse my sister is thinking of purchasing over in Danville. Want to come?
To: “Bigbrother”