gushed. “What would we do without women like you?”
Shannon smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way. We’re always looking for supporters. Why don’t you drop by the shelter sometime and I’ll take you on a tour?”
Lauren froze. “Well, you know, I’d love to do that, but up to my neck right now. Why don’t I give you my e-mail address and you can send me some information?”
Which you’ll delete the moment you receive it.
Shannon went through the motion of taking Lauren’s card, after which the woman suddenly had to be somewhere else. As she grabbed her husband’s arm and walked away, Russell said, “Nice couple. We should do dinner with them some night.”
“Yeah,” Shannon said, because what else could she say? “Sounds like fun.”
For another hour or so, she and Russell swirled and sniffed and sipped, during which time Shannon said hello to a few couples who were friends of her parents. When she introduced Russell, he turned on the charm, clearly wanting to become part of this place in a major way. By the time they left, he was in a jovial mood. He’d had just enough wine to loosen him up and just enough stroking from the management and the other members to feel as if he was part of the crowd.
When they returned to her apartment, she could tell he wanted her to invite him inside. Dismissing him at the door seemed a little ungrateful after the nice evening he thought he’d shown her, so they went inside and she fixed them both a cup of coffee.
He sat down on the sofa with her. Soon his arm was around her. He took her coffee cup, set it on the table, and kissed her.
“Thanks so much, Russell. It was such a nice evening.”
“It doesn’t have to be over yet, does it?”
“I have to get up early tomorrow morning.”
“It’s Saturday. I thought that was why you hired a caretaker. So you wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
“Saturday is a regular workday for me.”
She could tell he was a little put out, but true to Russell’s nature, he didn’t push. He just smiled at her, thanked her for a wonderful evening, and rose to leave. She followed him to her door.
“We should do this again,” he said. “I’ll see what other events are coming up.”
“Sure,” she said. “Let me know.”
After Russell left, Shannon closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a breath of frustration. He could do everything right, everything a man was supposed to do to get a woman’s attention, but nothing seemed to stick. Shannon looked at him and thought, This is nice. Why don’t I like nice? And then she’d wonder if she was being unreasonable for thinking that being with him was supposed to feel like more than a pleasant day at the park. More than enjoyable. More than agreeable.
More than nice.
Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. Eve. Aaargh. Shannon didn’t want to talk to her sister right now. She let it ring through, then picked up the message Eve left.
“Okay, so I know you heard your phone ring and you’re screening so you don’t have to talk about your date with Russell tonight,” Eve said. “Hope you said hi to all the snotty people at the club for me. And yes, I remember that I’m supposed to come by the shelter and take photos for the new brochure tomorrow. Looking forward to it. And by it, I mean him. And my him, I mean Luke Dawson. Can’t wait to see if he’s as hot as he was in high school. Later.”
Shannon tossed her phone aside. Damn it. Why did Eve have to remind her of Luke? After going out with Mr. Nice, she didn’t need to be thinking about, well…Mr. Not-So-Nice. And by Not-So-Nice, she meant exciting and compelling and…
And really, really bad for her.
She’d had too much wine tonight. That was the problem. It made her mind travel to places it had no business going. By tomorrow, she’d forget all about this feeling and realize what was good for her again.
And it wouldn’t be Luke.
The next morning, Luke had finished with the horses and was starting in with the cats, when he heard his text message tone. He pulled out his phone.
Hanson. Shit.
Missed you in Tucson. Too bad you couldn’t have seen me win!
A spark of anger slid along Luke’s nerves. He’d been watching the standings. There was still plenty of distance between him and Hanson, so he wasn’t