body was buzzing with attraction. Excitement. She hadn’t experienced those particular feelings in a really long time. How was she even on a date with this man? “No. It’s fine. And it’s not your fault. I just wasn’t paying attention.”
“Well, that’s my fault too. You were probably about to give up on me.” He took the second chair at her table. “I was coming back from Charlotte, and there was a lot of traffic. I would have called, but by the time I realized I was running late, I was almost here.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a smile, still slightly overwhelmed by his physical perfection but starting to recover herself. “You were like four minutes late. No big deal at all.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure. I like wine better than mixed drinks. Something red. Maybe a glass of cab or something. Whatever Lincoln has back there that’s good.” When she finished talking, she wondered if she already sounded too high-maintenance. She’d definitely been called that by guys before.
Carter headed to the bar, chatted for a minute with his brother, and returned with a beer and a glass of wine. After he sat down and they’d both taken sips of their drinks, he asked with a wry twitch of his eyebrows, “Shall we get the regular blind date preliminaries out of the way?”
He was smart. And had a dry sense of humor. He might be a nice guy, but he definitely wasn’t a pushover. “Why not?”
“Savannah said she really liked you. How long have you known her?”
“Just a year or two. We did a fitness class together last year. I guess you’ve known her for a long time since you both grew up in Green Valley.”
“Yeah. We were in school together as kids. She’s a couple of years below me, but I’ve always been good friends with Lance. Her husband.” His brows drew together as he scanned her face, clearly trying to connect her to his memories. “So how long have you been living in Green Valley? I’m surprised we’ve never met before.”
“My family moved here in high school, but you were already grown up by then.”
“Oh. I see.” He made a face. “Not to be rude, but do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
Ruth laughed softly. “I’m twenty-six. I think we’re okay, age-wise.”
“Okay. Good. Thank God. I was suddenly afraid you were just out of college, and I was going to have to have words with Savannah about appropriate age gaps.”
The laughter that rippled out of Ruth at that wry comment was genuine and completely surprising.
Carter’s expression softened slightly as he watched her laugh. “I’m thirty-two.”
“I know.”
“How do you know?”
Ruth gave him a skeptical look. “Seriously? You do know that you’re you, right? In Green Valley. Everyone knows who you are. Carter Wilson. You might as well be royalty here. All the guys want to be your friend, and all the girls swoon over you.”
Carter curled up one side of his lips. “No need to exaggerate.”
“It’s not an exaggeration. In high school, we’d keep a log of Carter Wilson sightings.”
“What?” He looked absolutely horrified.
She giggled. “Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. It’s the price you pay for being rich, good-looking, and nice in a town like Green Valley.”
“I was happier before I knew that.”
“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much, but it had definitely been before her mother died. The wine was excellent. She’d grabbed one of the best tables in the bar. People were looking over at her with envy (because of her companion, of course). And Carter appeared to be completely focused on her.
Ruth figured she was pretty enough. She had long auburn hair, hazel eyes, a small, curvy figure, and a wide smile with really good teeth. (Lamentably, she’d gotten more compliments on her teeth than on any other part of her body.) But overall she considered herself attractive. Plenty of guys had appreciated how she looked. Her problems with relationships were because she wasn’t good with men—not because she was unattractive. She was always too honest. Too direct. She had no patience for preserving male egos, and her edges were sharp rather than soft. So she wasn’t used to holding the attention of a man like Carter.
She wasn’t a fluttery person. At all. But it was hard not to feel a few little flutters at the moment.
He adjusted in the small chair, propping his head on one hand as he leaned against the