Page 23 of #Awestruck

I didn’t know which annoyed me more—his going into cabinets like he lived here or offering up things that weren’t even his. “No, I don’t.”

Time to stop fixating on Evan. I looked over my list. It wasn’t alphabetical, as I’d assumed it would be. In fact ... I flipped through the pages, reading names. My sister had given me a list of the kids who’d been in theater. The Chess Club. The AV team. The artists. I didn’t have a single football player or cheerleader or formerly popular teen on my list.

Evan was at the sink, rinsing out the glass before he put it in the dishwasher. Of course he’d be thoughtful like that.

I glanced at his list and saw that Aubrey had given my former tormentors to Evan to contact. It made me less angry with her that she’d done something so sweet. Even though I didn’t need her protection. I wasn’t thirteen any longer. I wasn’t afraid of them like I had been.

“Your niece and nephew are really cute.” Evan sat down, and I scooted my chair back ever so slightly, just so I wouldn’t keep accidentally smelling his cologne.

It didn’t really work. “Yes, they are. We have excellent genes.”

“I would definitely agree with you there.” I felt his gaze on me and looked up to see the teasing, sexy smirk on his face.

“Don’t do that,” I told him.

“Do what?”

“Flirt.”

“Why? Is it working?”

A little. “No.” I could feel the flush starting and willed it stop.

He leaned in, and I could feel the warmth of him against my exposed skin. “We’re all alone now, right?”

“Yes, just the two of us with no witnesses in a room filled with sharp utensils.”

He laughed. “Here’s to hoping we both make it out of this night alive.” I had to refrain from kicking him in the shin. Like I’d stab him. There was no way I was calling my older sister to tell her that I’d stabbed Evan Dawson in her pristine kitchen. She’d probably make me clean it all up.

I decided my best course of action was to ignore him. To do the job Aubrey wanted me to do and then go home. I’d been psyching myself up for the dinner. A dinner that would take place in a neutral area that I’d never been to before. This was different. He was here, in Aubrey’s kitchen, at her table. It was like I had these two worlds colliding, and I didn’t know how to process it all.

At the top of the list was a speech Aubrey had written out for me. It started off with, “Hi, this is [insert your name here].” I wondered what she would do if I called someone and actually said, “Hi, this is insert your name here.” I could tell her that I’d only been following her instructions exactly. It wasn’t worth the potential aggravation, even if I would have been amused.

I was supposed to confirm the list members’ mailing addresses and ask them if they’d like to order an early-bird ticket. Aubrey said in her notes that she wanted us to sell a hundred early-bird tickets. I wasn’t a saleswoman. My sister had recruited the wrong person.

This was apparently not the case with Evan.

“Hi, this is Evan Dawson. I’m calling you about the upcoming ten-year reunion for Westlake.” He paused to laugh, and that megawatt smile that had sold a million sports drinks made me feel like I couldn’t catch my breath. “Yes, it’s really me. Oh, just helping out a friend. Anyway, I wanted to make sure I have your correct mailing address and see if you’d like to buy a couple of early-bird tickets for you and your lovely wife.”

Oh, look at me. I’m charming and hot and rich and hot and famous and athletic and hot.Yes, I saidhotthree times in my head. Not even my subconscious was listening to reason about why we were not attracted to Evan.

“Fantastic. I’ll put you down for two tickets then. See you there.”

He hung up Aubrey’s landline. I wondered for a second why he wasn’t using his cell, until I realized he probably didn’t want a bunch of random people he’d gone to high school with having his private number.

A private number that he’d given to me without hesitation.

I tried not to read anything into that.

“How many early-bird tickets have you sold?” he asked me, and I recommitted to my plan to ignore him.

Which he didn’t seem to like. He pushed against the foot of my chair so that I was forced to face him. “What?” I demanded.

He looked slightly confused at my irritation. “Women don’t usually ignore me.”

“Only because they don’t know any better.”

“I was only asking how many tickets you’ve sold.”

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