Page 80 of Need You
“You mind if I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead. I seem to tell you more than I tell anyone else.”
“Why is that?” she asked, momentarily forgetting her first question.
He shrugged. “I guess I feel comfortable with you. And then there’s the fact that I grew up with three brothers. Not exactly an environment for sharing feelings.” He said “feelings” like it was syphilis. “Women are easier to talk to, you in particular.”
“Thank you.” It was a nice compliment, especially because her ex had called her distant and cold. “You can tell me anything.”
He slid her a sideways glance and smirked. “Yeah? Anything? Even if it’s X rated?”
She playfully smacked his arm. “Do all men have one-track minds?”
“Yep.”
“You do realize that you’re flirting again?”
“It seems to be a habit where you’re concerned.”
“But local women are off limits, right?” she said facetiously. “The question I wanted to ask before has to do with Lisa. You’re not over her, are you?”
He was quiet for a long time, which only confirmed to her that she was right. But then he said, “I’m over her, I’m just not over what she did.”
“The way you broke up?”
“Yeah,” he said, but she didn’t think he was being altogether honest with her, or himself.
“How come you don’t like to talk about it?” she pressed.
He took his eyes off the road for a second to look at her. “It’s the same as you not wanting to talk about what happened with you and your ex.”
Nothing he could tell her about Lisa could be more humiliating than what Robert had done. “Perhaps. To new beginnings, then.” She mimed a toast.
“You thinking about your new beginning in LA?”
She sighed. “Yep. I’ve got to sell my house first and find new office space. Right now, the small staff I have is working out of a warehouse.”
“How long you think it’ll take for a sale?”
“I don’t know. The agent assures me the house will go fast, but she’d probably say anything to get the listing. It is a beautiful place, though, and in an excellent location.” She crossed her fingers. “Until I get investors, I’ll need some of the money to start over.”
“So, you’re stuck here until then?”
“I wouldn’t call it stuck. I love it here, much more than I ever thought I would. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly the center of the fashion world.”
“Nope.”
He turned into the easement road and pulled over. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
“Colt, I’m fine. If it’ll make you feel better, you can sit here until I get inside.”
He got out anyway and escorted her onto her deck. As she unlocked her door, he moved closer and leaned in. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. It seemed like he wanted to, just like he had in his mother’s kitchen. But then he abruptly backed off, shoved his hands in his pockets, and waited for her to get inside.
“Good night,” he said. “Thanks for coming with me. I know it meant a lot to Hannah.”
Hannah?She bit her tongue.
Before she even shut the door, he turned on his heels and headed back to his truck. A few seconds later, she heard his engine start and the squeak of his garage door opening. A light went on in his house and she let out a sigh. The man was proving to be more temptation than she’d bargained for.
