Would he ask me out again? I wanted him to.
Would he kiss me?
Did I want him to? Yes, please.
When we arrived at my car, he handed over the roses. “This has been fun.”
“I agree.” I tucked the roses into the backseat so that my hands were empty. Would he correctly interpret my strategy?
Once I closed the door, he leaned against my car. And he was one of those men that had mastered that move. With his arms crossed, muscles stretched the sleeves of his shirt.
I forced myself not to inch closer. “I’m glad you stopped me.”
“I’m glad you changed your mind about leaving.” He moved closer. “Any chance you’d want to have dinner with me again?”
“I could be talked into that.” I crossed my arms, unsure what to do with my empty hands, but then thought better of it. I didn’t want to send signals that I was putting up a wall.
“I’ll pick you up, which would save you money on gas. Dinner will be on me, which saves you money. You have to eat, right? And I’ll let you choose the place.” He lifted one eyebrow.
“Is that you talking me into it?”
“Is it working?”
I nodded then shook my head. “But I don’t want to choose.”
“If I must, I will force my choice upon you.” He slipped his phone out of his pocket. “If I’m going to pick you up and arrange for dinner, I’ll need your number.”
Making sure my fingers brushed his, I took his phone and added my info. “I’ll let you name the contact.”
“See, that’s where a really good joke could get me in all kinds of trouble. There are rules.” He grabbed his phone and my hand with it. “Are there any rules against a goodnight kiss?”
“No.” I didn’t want him to think I was saying no to the kiss, so I quickly added, “There are no rules against that.”
He tugged me closer. “I’m happy to hear that.”
When he bent forward, my eyes slipped closed as I anticipated the feel of his lips on mine. And he did not disappoint. His lips moved against mine, and his very muscular arm circled my waist.
He didn’t linger long enough to make people stare, but it was long enough to send my heartrate skyrocketing.
To think I’d almost left.
When he broke away, he stayed close, his mouth hovering inches from mine. “I should probably say goodnight, but I don’t want to.”
I tried to tame my smile so I didn’t resemble the Cheshire cat. And it was definitely not the right time to toy with the buttons on his shirt. Not that I wanted him to take it off or anything, but I liked being close to him. And nervous energy made the urge to fidget almost uncontrollable. “I completely understand.”
Just as he closed the distance and touched his lips to mine once again, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it.
When his phone started buzzing, we both laughed.
“What would you wager that my mother is calling to ask about my date?” With his arm still around me, he turned the phone so that I could see that his guess was correct.
“I’m guessing my mom just called me for the same reason. And for the record, I’m not telling her about this last part.”
Adam winked. “Good to know.” He opened my car door. “Be careful driving home.”
Since he wasn’t on duty, ready to come to my rescue, I’d be doubly careful. But out loud, I only said a portion of that. “I will.” Letting my hand slip out of his, I climbed into the car. “’Night.”
He closed the door and did that double tap thing. He definitely had the guy things down: the lean, the double tap, the kiss. The other guys I’d dated had missed those training days apparently.
As soon as I shifted into reverse, my phone rang again. Mom would continue to call until I answered, so I put the car back in park and answered, faking my best sleepy voice. “Hello.”
“Did I wake you? You’re in bed already? Was the date that bad? Mrs. Cardona said her son was good looking. She thought you two would get along.”
I giggled, letting Mom in on my joke.
“Ay! Why do you tease your mother? I only do this because I care about you.”
“I know, Mom.” I scanned the lot and stifled a laugh when I spotted Adam sitting in his truck and talking on the phone. “We just left the restaurant. I was just about to drive back to Haley’s.”
“This hotel suite has two bedrooms. You can stay here with us.”
“I’m fine at Haley’s. Thanks though.” I shifted the phone to my other ear so I could spy on Adam while I talked. “He was very nice. A complete gentleman.”
Besides being good looking, those were the things that mattered to my mother. Haley would hear about his other qualities.
“Did he pay for dinner?”
“He did.”
“Are you going to go out with him again?” Mom had all the hope of a kid whispering their wish to Santa.
“If he calls me, yes.” Carefully worded, my answer wasn’t untrue.
A gleeful giggle sounded from the other end of the line. “I’ll call you back later.”
“Please tell me you aren’t going to call Mrs. Cardona.”
“Bye, Eve. Be careful driving.” Mom ended the call.
And if I had any doubt about what she was doing, that was erased when Adam hung up a minute later. He waved before backing out.
So far, I liked Adam, but being set up by our mothers could prove to be a problem.
When I got back to the apartment, Haley met me at the door. “Your mom has called twice.”
“Why did she call you? And when?”
“I assume because you didn’t answer. About twenty minutes ago.”
I dropped my purse and dug through my suitcase. I’d washed his t-shirt, but maybe there would be a hint of him still caught in the threads. “Let me change really quick, then I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Popcorn or ice cream? And both is not an acceptable answer.”
“Popcorn.”
“Is that because you’re feeling salty or because you’ve overdosed on sweet?”
“You’ll have to wait until after I change clothes to find out the answer.” I tossed the t-shirt over my shoulder and headed for the bathroom.
“Since you’re putting that fireman’s shirt on, I’m guessing your date bombed.”
“You know what assuming does.” I’d have fun telling her about my date.
The scent of butter filled the apartment, and I snuggled into my favorite spot at the end of the sofa. “You want the short version or the long version?”
“The long version, of course. Here.” Haley handed over a bowl and plopped onto the other end of the sofa. “Spill it.”
“The long version has parts I’m not ready to tell my mom.”
Haley dragged a finger along her lips. “She won’t hear it from me.”
“At six, he hadn’t shown up, and I was ready to bolt. A few minutes after, Adam walked in—”
“No! What did his date look like?”
“He didn’t have a date, but he was carrying eleven yellow roses.”
Her jaw fell open. Then she squealed. “It went well. That’s why you are wearing his shirt.”
“You’re interrupting my story.”
“Sorry. Keep talking.”
I popped a couple of pieces of popcorn in my mouth, making her wait. “When he walked in, I walked out. After the way he saw me in the tub, I wasn’t about to stay.”
“Then what have you been doing for these last four hours?”
“This is taking much longer than it needs to.” I licked butter off my fingers. The movie theater kind of popcorn was my favorite.
Haley shook her head. “You’re maddening.”
“Anyway, I walked out without my purse. He brought it to me. And he asked if I was embarrassed or disappointed.”
“The way he looks, no way. Unless he’s a snot in person.”
“He’s not. He’s charming and funny. And a great kisser.”
/>
Haley jumped up and did a little dance. “I’m so happy for you. This is awesome, and I won’t tell your mom about the kiss.”
“Thank you. Our second kiss was interrupted by our moms.”
“That’ll make dating complicated. I am a bit surprised though.”
“Surprised? Why?”
“You can’t stand dogs. I thought you swore that you’d never date a guy with a dog.”
“He didn’t say anything about a dog.”
Haley snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Hello! Dog hair on the shirt. That seems like a big clue.”
“Maybe one of the other guys in the crew has a dog. That would explain it.”
“I’ll bet you one week of dish duty that he has at least one dog.”
I knew better than to take that bet, but again my body betrayed me. My hand flew out to shake on the deal, and my tongue agreed. “It’s a bet.”
Chapter 5
While staying at Haley’s was minimally better than staying at my parents’, the fact that Haley woke up bright-eyed and bubbly made life rough. I liked to slowly come to terms with the loss of night then sip coffee in silence until I was ready to start the day.
And the two of us sharing one bathroom wasn’t working out so well. I pulled my hair into a ponytail. Hopefully no one at work would notice that it hadn’t been washed that morning.
“See you tonight, Haley.”
“Want me to pick up dinner?”
“I’ll make something. Text me when you decide what sounds good.” I cuddled Pookie before walking out the door then brushed cat fur off my blouse.
Surely a little bit of dog hair didn’t mean Adam had a mangy beast. It wasn’t that I hated dogs. I didn’t. I just . . . Who wanted to be toppled by a beast or have one sit on their head? Not me. Something I didn’t admit to anyone was that deep inside, I was afraid of them. Little dogs always seemed high strung and out of sorts. Big dogs—well, they were the topple and sit-on-your-head types. And the licking. I couldn’t handle the licking.
But dwelling on what furry friends Adam had wasn’t time well spent.
My mom’s perfect sense of timing made me wonder if she’d planted a mini camera in my purse. I’d just climbed into the car when she called.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Eve, hi. I was hoping to catch you before you got into the office.”
“I was just about to leave.”
“Oh, good. Put the speaker on. You can’t hold the phone while you drive. You’ll get a ticket.”
“Yes, Mom.” I’d fought the urge to call her all day Sunday because I didn’t want to seem desperate for information. But truly, I was almost to that point. What had Mrs. Cardona told Mom that had gotten passed from Adam? “What’s up?” My ability to sound casual impressed even me.
“Do you want to know what Mrs. Cardona said?” Was Mom seriously making me admit I wanted to know. Of course she was.
“Sure.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t call me yesterday. I told you I was going to call her.”
“I still can’t believe you called her so late on Saturday. And I figured if there was anything I needed to know, you’d call me.”
“Are you paying attention to the road? I don’t want to distract you.”
“I’m watching the road.”
“All right. So, I called Mrs. Cardona after I talked to you on Saturday.” Mom often introduced her stories with facts I already knew. “Mandy is such a nice lady. She’s in my book club. Have I mentioned her before?” Chasing tangents was another common element of Mom’s stories.
“I don’t remember that name.”
“I love when she suggests a book. I haven’t disliked a single one. But when Lulu Meyers gives a suggestion, I’m almost guaranteed not to like it. Anyway, back to what Mandy said.”
Traffic inched along, and I held my breath, hoping Mom would spill what she knew without me having to ask again.
“Adam didn’t say much to her. He said you were nice.” She sighed as if the news was disappointing. “I told her that he paid for dinner and that he was a gentleman. She was happy to hear that. I don’t know anything else about what Adam thought of the date. She did say he hadn’t dated in a while. So maybe he isn’t as great as his mother thinks he is.”
I turned into the lot and found a place to park. Telling my mom that he was a great kisser would guarantee that his mom heard that tidbit. Whether or not she’d pass that on to Adam was questionable. Shocking Mom wasn’t worth the risk of fallout from saying that. “Well, I thought he was nice.”
Nice was one of those words that could be used as a compliment or a slap-down. It gave my mother only a little drop of info, and when it filtered to Adam, hopefully he’d interpret the word correctly.
“Good. Well, I hope you aren’t too disappointed if he doesn’t call you.” Mom’s vote of confidence was heartwarming.
“I’m fine either way.” That wasn’t exactly true. I’d be a little bummed if he never called, but I wasn’t about to let that slip to Mom. “I just got to work, so I need to run.”
“Okay, dear. Have a good day. Oh! When will your house be finished?”
“Hopefully at the end of the week. But I’m not holding my breath.” Because we were dangerously close to a question I didn’t want her to ask, I wrapped up the call. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
For now, I’d dodged the question. But I knew how it felt to be displaced. Mom and Dad would be out of their house for weeks, maybe months. I had two extra bedrooms at my house. Thinking about that now would only make Monday more difficult, so the whole housing status got pushed back to tomorrow’s worry list.
That afternoon, I trudged back out to my car. Why had I volunteered to make dinner? I just wanted to pick up food from a drive-thru, get into pajama pants and a t-shirt—probably something other than Adam’s shirt—and mindlessly watch television.
But I wanted to be a good houseguest and a good friend. I climbed into the car and pulled out my phone. Haley hadn’t texted all day. Maybe sharing the apartment was too much for her. As I was tapping out a message to her, another popped up. I didn’t even finish typing.
Adam had texted: Nice, huh? Maybe I’ll shoot for really nice on our next date.
Really nice isn’t an easy achievement. I hoped none of my coworkers walked by and saw me grinning at my phone.
Could I buy you dessert and coffee tonight and maybe get the scoop on what I’d need to do to unlock that achievement?
Waiting a second or two was probably the coy way to handle the question. I typed so fast my fingers got tangled. Yes. Absolutely.
What if I pick you up at eight?
Perfect. I’m staying with my friend. I’ll send over the address.
See you later.
I’m looking forward to it. And I was. Immensely.
I sent over the address then texted Haley. Leaving work now. Will start dinner as soon as I get home.
Don’t bother. New client. I’m working late. Sorry. She loved her job, but it could take over her life sometimes.
No worries. Talk to you later.
Having a few hours to myself before dessert wasn’t a bad thing at all.
I drove home and picked up tacos on the way. But I was mostly on autopilot because I was trying to figure out what to wear. If I was too dressed up, I’d look like I was trying too hard, but too casual would signal that I didn’t care all that much. Why did I make things so complicated?
After eating and getting ready, my few hours felt like minutes. It was nearly eight, but Haley hadn’t made it home. I scribbled out a note letting her know I’d gone out for coffee and dessert. I laid Adam’s t-shirt on the table and set the note on top.
A minute later, someone knocked.
A deep breath calmed my nerves, and I opened the door. “Hi.”
“Hey. You look nice.” His gaze dropped to Pookie who was batting at my shoes. “Hey there, Pookie. You staying out of trees?” Adam rubbed the back of his nec
k.
He didn’t pet my cat. Normally his kitten avoidance would be a red flag, but Pookie had scratched him, so I forgave him for not petting my kitty. This time. “Scratches still hurt?”
“Only a little. But we aren’t going to talk about any of that.”
If he kept up this level of charm, I’d have to create yet another tier.
“Right. But I am sorry she hurt you.” I locked the apartment door.
“Seeing you again is easing the pain.” Grinning, Adam let his fingers brush against mine as we walked out to the truck. “I had dinner plans with my family tonight, or I would’ve suggested dinner.”
“I never turn down dessert.”
Great. Now he probably thought I was a pig who stuffed my face with multiple helpings of dessert every night.
“And I would have invited you to dinner, but I’m not quite ready to have our moms in the middle of things any more than they already are.”
“I agree.”
After helping me into the truck, he started the engine. “Cheesecake or pie?”
“That’s a hard question. With pie, there are so many options. And I love a warm slice of apple or a chilled slice of lemon meringue. But cheesecake has a certain satisfying creaminess.”
“Cheesecake it is then.” He winked.
When we stopped outside the restaurant, I grabbed his hand getting out of the truck and saw no reason to let go even after he closed the door.
Things were definitely moving in the right direction.
The waitress sat us at a table for two. I ordered a decadent slice that I knew would come drenched in chocolate, caramel, and other goodness. Adam ordered plain cheesecake. He didn’t even want any strawberry topping.
Maybe this relationship didn’t have a future.
Chapter 6
Thursday evening, I flopped on the sofa, and Pookie jumped into my lap. “Where did you order from? This pizza is really good.”
Haley dropped into the overstuffed chair. “It’s good because I didn’t have them put weird stuff on it. Who wants bell pepper touching their sausage or black olives crowding out the pepperoni?”
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