by Natalie Ann
“Not much,” he admitted. “I didn’t realize it until you just threw it in my face like a cold bucket of water in a snowstorm.”
“Sometimes that is what it takes.”
“So how many times have you gotten burned?” he asked her. Oh yeah, he hit a nerve when her face flamed up like a torch.
“Does it matter?”
“I think it does. I think that is part of the problem with us.”
“There is no us,” she said.
“I want there to be.”
“I repeat: we don’t always get what we want.”
He reached for her and pulled her close, kissed her hard, and felt her body yield against his, her hands going into his hair and holding him in place. After a minute, he lifted his head, grinned, and said, “Don’t lie to yourself.”
12
Emotionally Manipulated
Holly was mortified she just let Brendan kiss her. Not only that, she wanted him to do it again.
Who was she kidding? As annoyed as she was over everything, she still wished things would have worked out better.
But like she’d told him, it was one date. And one date didn’t equal a relationship in her eyes. Obviously not in his either.
“All this proved is that I’m attracted to you and I’ve got a weakness for a man that can kiss well.”
“I’ll take any advantage I can get,” he said, moving back and pulling her over to his couch. They were sitting next to each other now. “I’m sorry. I truly am. Maybe I need someone to hold my feet to the fire.”
“I’m not going to chase you. I’m not going to be your mother. You’re a big boy. You need to figure it out.”
“You’re right. I am and I’m going to. Give me another chance. Let me make it up to you. You name the date. Your choice. If I mess up again, then I’ll accept defeat as much as I don’t want to.”
“So you give in easily.”
“No. I don’t. But I’m not going to beg either. I’m adult enough to know when I mess up and I’ll try not to, but I draw the line at being emotionally manipulated. If I mess up, then I have to accept it. Maybe I learn from it.”
“Or maybe you don’t,” she said.
“Maybe. But I’m going to prove you wrong. I guess the question is, do you want me to prove you wrong?”
She did, she very much did. “I’m not sure what I want. It seems the words out of my mouth don’t always agree with the actions of my body.”
He grinned. “That’s good to know. Dinner tonight. How does that sound?”
“You just said the next date was my choice.”
“It is, but this is an apology dinner. It’s the least I can do.”
She didn’t want to cave but knew she was going to. “Fine. When and where do you want to meet?”
“I don’t get to pick you up?”
“No. We aren’t there yet.”
He laughed. “I’ll get there. Can I text you a time and place in a few hours? I need to finish a few things up and make sure I don’t leave you waiting. I can tell I’m on thin ice and you’re ready to drop bricks around my feet and let me sink.”
“I guess you are pretty smart.”
“Just being cautious. I’ve learned to be that way when I want something.”
He kept saying the words, but now he’d have to prove himself. “We’ll see.”
She and her mother left shortly after, her mother talking nonstop in the car. “So what was going on with you and Brendan in his office? And how did you know Rosie?”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to let her mother in on it but knew she’d find out soon enough. “I had dinner at Brendan’s house over a week ago. I brought Reese with me and come to find out Rosie and Reese are from the same litter.”
“Dinner? As in a date?”
“That’s what they are calling it now. I hadn’t heard from him since and was ready to write it off. He just proved to me everything I’ve been avoiding for years.”
“Holly, you can’t put everyone in the same category as Jack.”
“Or Kyle,” she added.
Two exes in her past who didn’t want her but rather a good time. Or her family’s name, which really didn’t mean much to many. When Kyle found that out, he dropped her fast. He’d thought he was getting into a family with money. He thought wrong and moved on.
“Kyle was a prick that no one liked. He doesn’t count.”
“I fell for it.”
“You fell for his good looks and nice body.”
“Mom!”
“It’s the truth. Don’t beat yourself up over that. Now, Jack. Well, you’ve got a reason to be sour there.”
She snorted. “It doesn’t matter. He was way out of my league just like Brendan. I said I’d never get involved with someone like that again and here I am doing it.”
“Doing it? As in going on another date?”
She put her foot in her mouth with that one. “He apologized. Said he was busy with work and so on. He wants a second chance. He’s supposed to text me a time to meet for dinner tonight, but if he doesn’t then it’s done.”
“What’s done? You had one date and you are talking like you’re breaking up with him.”
She didn’t like the humor in her mother’s voice. “I told him that too. I just meant that if he blows me off again, we’ll work together on the toy drive and that is it. Don’t worry, I won’t put the business in a bad situation.”
Her mother turned to look at her in the car. “Don’t worry about the business. This is about you. You come first and always have.”
“But we need this right now.”
“I need you to be happy more than I need the business to get a boost. I don’t picture Brendan the type that would back away from what we are doing just because you decided you didn’t want to give him another chance.”
“That’s another thing. He is telling me he fights for what he wants, but how can he tell I’m what he wants by one date? Give me a break.” She’d never believed in anything like that before.
“Why are you giving him another shot?”
She felt heat in her face. “I am attracted to him.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with that. Be upfront and give your expectations.”
Holly laughed. “I did exactly that. He knows where I stand. He said he isn’t used to putting much effort into relationships and he wants me to hold his feet to the fire.”
“I think it takes a big man to admit that.”
She thought so too. “I told him I wasn’t going to be his mother. He’s a big boy, he can figure it out.”
“That’s my girl. The question is, will he figure it out?”
“Only time will tell.”
“You’ll have to let me know how your date goes tonight?”
“Maybe,” she said. There were things she’d rather not share with her mother and had already said more than she planned on.
They pulled back into Lane’s. “How long will it take you to work up a quote for everything that Kat wants done?”
“Not long. Why don’t you come in and we can figure out what you need in terms of supplies for it?”
She was expecting her mother to drive the budget for it up. “I won’t go overboard. I promise.”
“They are paying for it. I think we give them two quotes and let them choose what they want.”
“Why?” her mother asked. “Give them one and let them decide if it’s too much. Don’t give yourself more work. That is your problem, Holly.”
“What problem is that?”
“You always give yourself more work. You always try to map it out and figure out the way to get what you want. Life doesn’t work like that. Try being the person who throws a dart at a map for once.”
She felt herself shiver over the thought. “Please. I can’t live that way.”
“Maybe you’d smile more if you did.”
13
Two and Out
Brendan knew it was now or never. Do or die. Give and take
. Whatever other sayings there were.
Holly left his office with her mother and he started to scramble to get all his work done.
He needed a night out with her since he’d been working till close to ten each night after coming in at six. Maybe he wasn’t staying here until ten, but he worked a few more hours at home.
When he got a new idea in his head, he was driven and the outside world didn’t exist.
Maybe that was part of the reason he didn’t put much effort into relationships. He spent so much of his focus on his career and then his charity work that there wasn’t time for anything else.
The women he dated were fine with him spending time at work as long as he made it up to them with gifts and nights out. Vacations and so on.
He did what made him happy. That was how he told himself he was going to be after his heart was repaired.
But looking at his life—was he really happy?
He had money.
He had success.
He’d had women.
But he hadn’t had love.
Did he want it? He was guessing that maybe he did.
Did he think he was in love with Holly? No. Not this soon.
But did he think he could get there with her? Yeah, he kind of did and wasn’t ready to throw in the towel until he was positive.
So he was going to do everything within his power to not blow this because he was positive she wasn’t one to give three strikes. It was going to be two and out, and he was down one already.
Once he had enough things in order, he sent Holly off a text to meet him at six at a pub downtown.
She needed time to get Reese home and fed, whether the dog was at work with her or at doggie daycare. He had to get Rosie home and taken care of too.
Not only that, there was no way he was going fancy with Holly. He was a fairly good judge of character—at least he thought he was—and she wouldn’t want to change nor would she want to dress up after working all day.
Burgers and a beer suited him and he was pretty positive it was going to suit her.
He hoped.
When she walked in at six and he was there waiting for her, he was thrilled to see her lips twitch. “I didn’t want to take a chance you’d get here before me and think I wouldn’t show.”
That twitch turned to a smile. “How long have you been here?”
“Ten minutes. I wanted to cover my bases in case you were early, but you’re right on time.”
“I would have been earlier but traffic was busier than I thought.”
“Let’s get a table then,” he said, walking over to the hostess.
They were seated in a booth in the back corner, giving them some privacy to talk, their drinks were in front of them, and their food ordered. Just like he thought, burgers and beer and a woman after his own heart.
“So tell me why you don’t take relationships seriously?” she asked, going right in for the kill. Good lord, it was like a dagger to the heart.
“You pull no punches,” he said.
“Why at this point? I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Which he figured and hated to hear, but it put him right in his place again. “I was just thinking after you left that I always thought I was happy in life. People see me and see the success I’ve become. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and provide this same level of comfort for my family. I do a lot for the community, but you opened my eyes that I don’t do much for me.”
“I was able to point something out to you? A flaw?”
He laughed. “You did. I guess it is a flaw.”
“You aren’t offended I said that?” she asked.
“No. And you know why? Because most women only want me for what they see on the outside. They want fancy dinners and parties and events. Jewelry and trips.”
She grinned and looked at his shirt, he was still dressed the same from work. “And you are anything but those things nor do you have the time.”
“It makes me sound selfish to say I don’t have the time,” he said.
“Not necessarily.”
“But you’re right when you said that isn’t me. I like being comfortable. I can dress and act the part, and I do. But I’m sure walking around my office today you saw the type of person I am.”
“I did. At first I was kind of shocked to see how people were dressed—shoes were off, feet on the desks, music playing in some rooms. The game room threw me off.”
“I’m in the video gaming business. Of course I’m going to have a large room set up with TVs and gaming systems.”
“But people were in there playing. Not working. And you have a pool table.”
He did those things because it was a stressful job with long hours and sometimes he needed to walk away and recharge. Kill some steam. Have some fun. Why shouldn’t his employees get the same treatment?
“Work shouldn’t always be serious,” he said.
“Nor does it look it with some of the furniture you had. I saw someone napping,” she said, appalled, then moved back when her loaded burger and fries were put down in front of her.
He shifted over for his own meal.
“I told you we’ve been working late. Sometimes people need to rest their eyes.”
“You’ve got to have potential employees beating down the door to work for you.”
He did. He treated his staff well, but he had high expectations. “I do.”
“And you expect them to work for it,” she said.
“Yes. Just like I’m going to work to get you to give me this second chance.” She stopped mid bite of her burger. “Did I manage to surprise you with that statement?”
“You did. So why me? Because I don’t like fancy dinners and dressing up?”
“That’s part of it,” he said. He was going to be truthful. He had a feeling she’d know if he wasn’t and there was that trust he had to build up again.
“What’s the other part?”
“That you’re real. You tell it like it is. You have no problem putting me in my place. Not many do that.”
“Because they don’t want to risk losing the golden ticket they were hoping to get.”
Holly wished she hadn’t said that when Brendan burst out laughing. “Very true. But you don’t care about that.”
“I don’t,” she said firmly.
She never cared about a man’s worth in terms of his wallet, but rather in terms of his personality. Was he nice? Was he an asshole? Did he treat people well? Money never meant much to her though she couldn’t get Jack to see that.
And then when thoughts of her ex popped into her head during a meal she was actually enjoying she wanted to just let out a large scream. She didn’t. She took a huge bite of her burger and gathered her thoughts.
“So your mom seemed excited today,” he said and she was thrilled with the change in topic. Did he sense she was uncomfortable right now? Probably.
“She was. I’ve got a quote drawn up. I’ll look it over one more time and submit it to Kat tomorrow.”
“We’ll go with it.”
“Just like that, without looking it over? What if it’s a ridiculous amount?”
“It won’t be. That’s not your way. Matter of fact, I’m confident it’s probably going to be lower than what anyone else would charge us for the same work.”
She had been toying with lowering the price and their profit a bit. She’d even done some research to see what other places were charging for what her mother wanted to do. After hearing those words from his mouth, she was going to keep them as is.
“Why do you think that?” she asked.
“Because you have family values. It’s not in your nature to take advantage of a situation. Especially for a profit.”
“No. Never.”
“And you’re getting worked up, which tells me something has happened in your past. That maybe someone accused you of that before?”
She didn’t want to talk about her past. “Was Rosie upset that you dropped her off and left? Reese gav
e me some grief.”
He laughed at her. “Fine, we won’t talk about it...now. Yes, she is used to being with me so she never likes to be left alone.”
“The same with Reese.”
“We’ll have to get them together again. Maybe this Friday night we can do dinner at my place again?”
She wasn’t sure if he was feeling her out or not. “So far I’d say yes. You haven’t done anything to turn me off to another date...yet.”
“Do you think I will?”
“I think you will try not to,” she said, grinning at him.
And when dinner was done and they were out in the parking lot, the chilly breeze floating around them, Brendan pulled her in close and kissed her softly.
The guy sure did have some magical lips that she knew she was going to end up becoming addicted to.
“My place, Friday night, for dinner?” he asked, lifting his head.
“Yes,” she said softly, then pulled him down for another kiss. He said the next date was her choice, but this was exactly what she would have chosen. Scary? Absolutely.
“I think we are more in tune than we thought,” she said a minute later.
“Why is that?”
“That would have been my suggestion for the next date and since it was supposed to be my choice, I’ll let you get away with it.”
He grinned and kissed her again.
14
Dart At A Map
Friday night at six Holly showed up at Brendan’s place with Reese.
Their third date. The third date rule was sticking in her head and though she was a rule girl, she’d never followed this rule.
But she was listening to her mother’s words and throwing a dart at the map and the map was of Brendan’s house where it hit his bedroom.
There was an overnight bag in her SUV and that was where she was keeping it for the moment. If it turned out he wanted her to spend the night, she’d come out and get it, but she wasn’t assuming anything.