before? How white his teeth were? How much Brian looked like a male model?
“Sure. See you later,” she called to Brian on his way out the door.
“It’s a date,” he replied.
It certainly is, she thought, bemused and bedazzled a bit by the circumstances.
“You have a what?”
Arden had to hold the phone away from her ear to counter the force of Lida’s scream. “A date.”
“With who? How? When did this happen?”
Arden struggled with her mascara, cradling the phone to her ear and almost dropping it. She gave up juggling to focus on Lida’s voice. “His name is Brian Doyle. He’s a sales rep for Bobsin Bitts.”
“And here I thought you’d have gone ahead and dialed the way-back phone for a certain Mr. Dirty Worker Man.”
Arden’s heart pitter-patted, even as she scoffed. “Um. No. Brian’s been coming to the shop since I opened.
“And he only asked you out today? What did you do to him?” Lida broke away from the phone to holler, “No, Henry! Super Glue is not for making collages! I swear, it’s like the second I get on the phone, all hell breaks loose. Which is saying something, considering the chaos when I’m not on the phone.”
Arden laughed. “It was the weirdest thing, Lida. It’s like I woke up today and decided I was open to the idea of dating. And all of a sudden I started noticing men noticing me!”
“The veil has been lifted. Hallelujah!” Lida yelled again. “No! Cats do not need press-on nails! Arden, I have to go.”
“You go. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“You call me tonight, if you know what’s good— Henry Allen Crowley! Put that Super Glue down immediately!”
“Go,” Arden urged. “I’ll call. I promise.”
She stared at her reflection. What had Brian seen in her eyes today that was different from the last time he’d come into the shop? Arden brushed her hair and applied lipstick, quelling her anxiety with action. Whatever it was, she hoped she hadn’t lost it between this afternoon and now.
Then, before she knew it, it was time for her to go.
“So, Arden—” Brian smiled at her over their after-dinner coffee, “—where do we go from here?”
Arden put down her cup. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You know. You’ve been playing hard to get for about five months now.” Brian flashed her that charming grin.
“Hard to—” Arden laughed to cover her shock. “No, Brian.”
His hand slipped across the table to capture hers. His finger caressed her palm, and Arden shivered...but not in a good way.
“Oh, don’t be shy. I could tell you wanted to get to know me better. And hey, it’s against my personal policy to get involved with clients. But now I’m no longer your rep...”
Brian smiled again, his smile no longer so charming. Now it was full of teeth. Like a shark.
Arden extricated her hand without fanfare and picked up her cup to disguise her trembling fingers. “To be honest, Brian, I didn’t—”
“I’m only in town for tonight,” Brian interrupted, annoying her. “And I know you have to get back to your...kids.”
He said the word like it was distasteful, and her face must have shown her dislike because he again cut her off before she could speak.
“I mean, kids are great, you know? Love the little ankle-biters. And I think a woman with kids knows how to treat a man.”
Incredibly, while Arden sat with lips parted in shock, Brian waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Why? Because we’re more desperate to keep one?” Arden demanded.
Any sane man would have backed away, but Brian was pure salesman. “Want to come back to my hotel room with me? I can make it quick.”
Arden stood. “I’m sure you can.”
Brian got up, too, apparently mistaking her outrage for eagerness. “How about if you follow me? That way, you can scoot out and pick up your kids when we’re done.”
“I don’t think so.”
That smooth brow furrowed. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to drop you off—”
Arden broke into his speech with a laugh. “I’m sorry, Brian. I was being unclear. I shouldn’t have said ‘I don’t think so’. I should have said no.”
“No?”
“No.” Arden took a step away from him. “Thank you for dinner, but there’s no way I’m going back to your hotel room with you.”
Fortunately the restaurant was almost empty or Brian’s sneering response might have caught more attention. “Why not? I’d say that’s exactly what you’re looking for. All you’ve done for the past five months is tease me, Arden. You can’t tell me you don’t want a piece of this.”
He
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