Heartless Hunk - Ann Omasta Page 0,6

she bugged her eyes out in shock at me made guilt surge through my veins. If the idea of stealing away to some picturesque little town with her wasn’t so tempting, I might have backed down and agreed with her. But this opportunity was just too good to pass up.

I truly couldn’t imagine anything better than visiting a coastal Maine village with this beautiful redhead by my side. Well, I suppose it would be better if she actually wanted to be with me, but I would have time to work on that.

This trip would give me plenty of opportunities to use my charm to win her over, and once I did that, I would never let her go.

My head kicked back as I realized where my thoughts had gone. I was a love-’em-and-leave-’em type of guy, not a never-let-her-go, sappy kind of chap. This woman was already messing with my head, and I’d only officially met her a few minutes ago. It was concerning to consider how strong my feelings already were for her, but not so worrisome that I would give up this primo chance to go to Maine with her.

Smiling at Soraya to silently thank her for unknowingly championing my cause, I decided it would be best to make a quick exit before Violet had a chance to put her foot down and refuse to go with me.

I stood before asking Violet, “Will this weekend work for you?”

She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times, likely trying to figure out how to give me a firm rejection. Soraya jumped in to smoothly answer for her, “This weekend will be perfect. What time would you like to pick her up?”

For the first time since the start of this crazy plan, I faltered. “Oh, umm. I don’t have a car.”

“No worries,” Soraya responded breezily. “We’ll rent a car.”

Looking right at Violet, I asked, “Do you mind driving? My skills behind the wheel are a bit rusty.”

She gave me a strange look, likely because nearly everyone in the city was out of practice with driving. Finally, she answered, “Okay, I can drive.”

That sounded to me like a confirmation that she was willing to give this road trip with me a try. Not wanting to give her the opportunity to back out, I slid her one of my thick business cards with all of my contact information before hightailing it out of there.

Once I was alone in my apartment, I sat down on my dark gray leather sofa and stared out of my large living room window. This trip was a bad idea. I knew that, yet I felt powerless to put a stop to it. I wanted it too much to cancel on her.

I didn’t see a way that a relationship with Violet could work out favorably for either of us. There was no long-term potential here. Even though I was normally the last person to be concerned with the longevity of a relationship, I wanted the possibility of a future with Violet––the one person I could never have.

This trip was most likely going to bring us both closer to a great deal of heartache. A smart man would try to avoid that.

Accepting the inevitable, I said aloud to the large, empty room, “What does one wear to visit coastal Maine?” before heading to my closet to pack my small suitcase.

7

Violet

What had I let those two yahoos talk me into? Why had I allowed them to convince me that this trip would be wise? It was likely to be the furthest thing imaginable from smart… It was going to be an absolute disaster.

I couldn’t imagine the shocked stares we would receive as I walked up Blueberry Cove Street on the arm of another man. This was going to be the story of the decade. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up in the Brunswick Bay Gazette. Perhaps it wouldn’t make the cover of the weekly newspaper, but seeing me with a man, other than Dylan, was bound to be newsworthy in our tiny burg.

What would Dylan’s parents say? The thought of seeing them at all made me feel queasy––let alone seeing them with another man by my side.

This was a bad idea. I needed to cancel.

I retrieved the business card from my purse and picked up my phone to dial Oliver’s number. He couldn’t blame me for cancelling. It had been an absurd plan from the start. I didn’t even know the man––at all.

Something held me back