Page 64 of Single Girl in the City
“You’re walking into a country bar, where there will be loud music, dancing, drinking, and fun. Lots of fun.” He flashed his white teeth and two double-barreled dimples appeared. “Don’t you flash those things my way. They won’t work on me.” They totally worked on her. More than she’d like. And he knew it.
“Then why are you holding my hand?” She looked down and sure enough, she was holding his hand. Before she could snatch hers back, he laced their fingers. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Unless you ask really nicely.”
Her body heated to panty-melting hot at his comment. With a knowing squeeze, he led her across the parking lot holding hands as if this were some kind of date. Not a first date. They knew too much about each other for that. But a fresh and exciting date all the same.
“Okay. If you won’t tell me the good deed, can you at least tell me who it’s for?”
They reached the door and she tugged him to a stop. “Actually. It’s you.”
The glow from the full moon him from behind, the bill of his hat casting a shadow over his face. But she felt those serious blue eyes catch on hers.
“Me?”
She turned to face him and took both of his hands, wrapping them around her waist and stepping into him. “You,” she whispered.
He groaned. “Resisting you is becoming a problem.”
“Then don’t,” she said simply. “Just let tonight be. It’s nothing more than you adding a little fun into your life.”
He tightened his arms and tugged her closer. “You saying I’m not fun, Angel?”
“I’m saying you need to take some time for yourself. And since I couldn’t exactly hijack a tattoo shop, I figured I’d bring you into my world. Maybe even teach you something new.”
He looked around the bar, which was packed with men wearing Stetsons and women wearing city-folk cowgirl boots, and laughed. “This isn’t my first rodeo. I went to college in Austin and dated my share of Southern belles.”
Her smile went a little brittle at the comment. “I might be Southern but I’m as far from a belle as we are from Austin. More of a football fan who worked as the water girl.”
“If you’d gone to Portland High, I would have fumbled a lot.” He ran a finger down her jaw. “I feel like I keep fumbling with you. I don’t always say things the right way or use the right finesse when navigating us, and for that I’m sorry.”
“Navigating around a magnet in a metal boat is hard,” she said. “And I like that you’re straightforward. That way I know where I stand.” And that way she could protect her heart.
Oh, who was she kidding? Her heart was so exposed she was surprised he couldn’t see it beating. His generous nature, the way he loved his family, and the way he looked at her like she was the kind of woman who deserved someone of her own. Which was a dangerous place to be because once she handed over the letter burning a hole in her purse, their whole relationship would change. The countdown would be activated and she had exactly one week to make him feel for her the way she felt for him.
But that was what she wanted, right? To give up great in the hopes of experiencing amazing?
She felt Owen’s eyes on her, carefully assessing as if he had something to say on the matter, but he remained tight-lipped. “Then let’s go for a spin around the floor.”
“Before we go inside, I have something.” With a shaky hand she reached into her purse and pulled out the letter that had the potential to blow up everything. With trembling fingers, she handed him the letter.
“What’s this?” He glanced at the one-page, two-paragraph, to-the-point letter, then met her gaze over the paper.
She swallowed—hard. “My resignation.”
“I thought I had another week or two.” He folded it up and for a moment it looked as if he was going to hand it back. And for a moment, she wished that he had. But she couldn’t last another day, let alone week, pretending that the insane connection between them wasn’t there.
“We did, but things moved faster than I originally thought.” Mainly they did. “Nora is ready, you’re fully staffed, even Clive has found his rhythm.”
“Clive’s rhythm is to hide in the breakroom and hope that whatever problems arise disappear.”
“Oh, he’s a long way from being ready to handle it alone and Mandy should be working the same shifts as him, but there’s hope. He does great with the customers, and he can actually problem-solve easy things.”
“What? Like dogsit Littleshit?”
She laughed and it brought out this boyish grin that was equal parts sexy and enduring. “Like give you a little breathing room so you can do what you do best.”
He pressed her up against the wall, placing a hand on either side of her, then placed his lips on her ear and whispered, “Changing light bulbs with a beautiful woman?”
She hung her fingers from his belt loops, staying caged between his arms. Her heart gave a loudboom boom. “Charm the customers, make them feel like family,” she whispered. “You’re good at that.”
