Perfectly Able (12 page)

“Ye try it, scallywag, and ye’ll find yer bones in Davy Jones’ locker.”

He laughed as he offered me his elbow and whispered in my ear, “I forget that you
have a penchant for killing off men. I’ll have to be on my best behavior.”

“Aye. It would be wise of ye.”
I shot him my best I’m-nice-but-don’t-cross-me smile as he led me into the restaurant. We were immediately directed to a small table near the rear of the room.

Ridge ordered
us a glass of cabernet as we looked over the menu.

After we ordered, he grinned at me and said, “You know, I’ve been skinny dipping with you, and I don’t even know what your favorite color is.”

“Red.”

“The color of blood. Why am I not surprised?”
he asked, grinning.

I laughed. “
I’m not quite as evil as you make me out to be.”

“
Says the woman who threatened to send me to the bottom of the sea.”

I held
up my forefinger. “Only if you tried to make me walk the plank.”

His cell phone rang, and he pulled it from the interior pocket of his suit and glanced at the caller. “It’s work. Excuse me, but I’m going to have to take it.”

I nodded my head to let him know I understood.

“It’s over
-torqueing and popping the clutch?” he asked as he stared down at the table. “Heat up zones one through ten by forty more degrees Celsius. Give it thirty minutes to heat soak, and try it again. That should solve the problem. If it doesn’t, call me back.”

He listened a moment more. “All right,
man. Good luck.”

Turning his attention back to me, he apologized, “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.”

He straightened his tie. “So anyway,
I wanted to talk to you about looking for a house. I have my financing in place, and I think I’m ready to start the process.”

Par
t of me was disappointed that his phone call had interrupted our bantering. He had now launched into business mode.

“Okay. Tell me a little bit about what you want.”

We covered his budget, and as far as the house went, I had pretty much nailed it on the head. “I’ve already printed the details of several houses you may want to take a look at,” I said.

His hazel eyes widened. “Very good, Miss Nottingham. I’m impressed.”

“A couple even have inground pools if that’s something that interests you.”

“
It would mean more upkeep, but it would also be fun. And I could get in some swimming without having to go to the gym. I’d definitely like to take a look at those, too.”

The server brought our steaks and refilled our wine.
Sipping the alcohol made me remember Ridge’s promise that we’d do body shots again, and I felt the heat rising to my cheeks.

“Are you available tomorrow evening?” he asked.

“Sure,” I answered, trying not to seem giddy at the prospect of seeing him again so soon. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

“No. I’ll pick you up. I should be able to go into work a little early, so I can sneak out earlier
, assuming my new boss doesn’t have a problem with that. He’s a bit of an ass, though.”

“That bad?”

He scoffed. “I had pitched him some ideas on our new project the week before I went to the cabin. We had a meeting on Friday afternoon, and can you believe that he pitched my ideas as his own?”

“Are you serious?”

He nodded. “And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. I despise liars and cheats, and he’s both of those things.”

“That really sucks.”

“The only thing I can do is hope that it benefits me in the end somehow. Anyway, does four o’clock work for you?”

“Four
would be fine.”

Our dinner was interrupted by another work-related call, and once we’d finished eating, he promptly wrapped up the meal, explaining that he was going to have to go in and work for a couple of hours.

When we reached my apartment, he walked me to the door. My heart raced as he leaned against the doorframe, looking debonair in his suit and tie. He had taken my breath away in his swim trunks, but looking at him now in all of his sophisticated glory released a flock of doves in my belly, their wings fluttering as they took flight.

“You want to come in?” I asked, praying that he would.

“I better get going,” he answered, his hands tucked in his pockets.

I nodded. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Grasping my arm, he stopped me as I turned to enter my apartment. “You really do look beautiful tonight, Ava.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

His face grew serious, and his intense gaze made a tiny shiver vibrate down my spine. My grin slowly faded as he moved toward me. I studied his features, and I could sense that he wanted to say something.

“I…,” he began before being cut off from a high-pitched voice behind him.

“Am I interrupting?”

I peered around the side of Ridge to see London standing in the hallway. “Yes, actually you are.”

“Don’t stop on my account. Please proceed,” London urged as Ridge took a step back.

“Ridge, this is my sister, London.”

“Hi, London,” he greeted, giving her a quick nod. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

London pressed her way between us
, tossing strands of silky hair over her shoulder. “All good, I hope.”

Ridge’s
warm hazel eyes found mine, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “Of course.”

“Oh, Ava, you were right. He is a hottie.”

My jaw dropped. “I never said….”

“
Ava has always attracted the sexy ones,” London spouted to Ridge. “I don’t know what it is about her, but men find her irresistible.”

“Is that so?” Ridge asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I pushed London into my apartment. “Get in there.”

She laughed at her own antics and called over her shoulder, “
She won’t be single for long.”

“London,” I warned through gritted teeth as I stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind me.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to Ridge.

He waved my apology away. “No need. I have a little sister, remember? Anyway, I better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

I watched him as he
walked to his car, looking suave in his expensive suit. Even though London had totally lied, she was right about one thing. Ridge’s combination of physical beauty, drive to succeed, and nice-guy attitude made him extremely sexy, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether he would’ve kissed me if it weren’t for London’s poor timing.

I exhaled
longingly and opened the door to my apartment.

“What the hell was that?” I asked London, who was peeling a banana as she perched on the arm of my couch.

“What?” she asked, concentrating on the fruit in her hands. “Why don’t you ever buy any potato chips? I’m having a junk food attack, and all you have is fruit, vegetables, and stuff full of fiber.”

“Don’t avoid my question.”
I stood with arms akimbo, glaring at her like an angry mother.

“Kelsey said he focused more on work than women
. I just wanted to let him know that if he doesn’t make a move, someone else will scoop you up.”

I picked up a decorative pillow and smacked her with it. “He might’ve made a move if you hadn’t decided to intrude on our conversation.”

She tapped her temple. “I planted a seed, and that’s much more important. Now, he knows you’re interested, and I made it clear to him that you’re a good catch and your worm won’t be in the water for long before you snag a big, sexy fish.”

“Pfft. You made it clear to him that you’re a pain in the butt.”

Studying me, London took a bite of the banana and swallowed. “He couldn’t find anyone better than you, Ava. I’m trying to do the guy a favor.”

I softened at her compliment. “Well, thank you, I think. But
you should have faith in me that I can get a guy without any help from you.”

“So you
are
interested,” she accused, her brilliant blue eyes watching me intently.

I sucked in a breath and shot her a huge grin. “He’s so sweet. You should’
ve seen him on our way to dinner, offering me his elbow like the perfect gentleman. I think I could seriously fall in love with him.”

“
Just make sure he’s worthy,” my sister warned. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“I’m a tough girl, London.”

“You’re a tough girl with a fragile heart,” she amended.

I sat on the couch beside her.
“You can’t take a shot at love without taking some risks. Now that I know what it feels like to have my heart shattered, maybe when I find someone who can put it back together again, I’ll love him that much more.”

“
Maybe,” she agreed, “but before you sign on Ridge’s dotted line, make sure you read all the fine print.”

I laughed at her analogy. “If only guys came with a disclaimer.”

She grunted. “There’s not enough paper in Creekview to print out a man’s disclaimers. But,” she breathed out and clicked her tongue, “Kelsey and Brandy seem to think that Ridge has the qualities of respectable boyfriend material. According to them, he’ll just need a gentle nudge…or maybe a really strong shove.”

“
Stop conniving,” I warned as I flipped on the television.

“We’re not conniving.”

“Seriously, London. Stop. Y’all have introduced us, albeit in a not so honest fashion. Now leave well enough alone. Either we’ll hit it off or we won’t. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Mom and Dad wanted me to pick up the carpet cleaner if you’re finished with it.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “And that couldn’t wait until the next time I came over?”

“Okay. So maybe I was just wondering what was going on.”

I frowned at her.

“Well, Kelsey said it’s hard to get any information out of Ridge.”

“Stop conniving,” I repeated my words from a moment ago.

“Geez,
can’t a girl come and see her sister without a reason.”

“I’m going to show him some houses tomorrow,” I said, knowing that was the kind of information she wanted. A tiny thrill shimmied through my body at the thought of seeing him again.

“Yes! I knew it!”

“It’s business. Not a date.
” I ran my hands through my hair.

London jumped up from the couch and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s good to see you perked up for a change, Ava. I’ve got to go, though. The girls are waiting. Promise me you’ll call me tomorrow and tell me how it went.”

“London, did you hear what I said? It’s just business.”

“Promise me.”

“All right,” I caved. “I’ll call you tomorrow night.”

And with that, London waved and rushed out of my apartment, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I got ready for bed. It wasn’t overly late, but since I planned on getting up early in the morning to go running before work, I lay down in bed.

As I waited for sleep to claim me,
I conjured an image of Ridge in my brain in his crisp suit and styled hair, and I compared it to images of him at the lake. I thought of the kindness he had shown me, like helping me into the lake, opening doors for me, and offering me his arm. I thought of the kisses that we had shared at the lake, and I wanted to experience that closeness with him again. As I finally dozed, the last thing I remembered was thinking about him the night we went skinny dipping. I visualized his wet, sculpted chest, and I imagined him stepping onto the bank in all of his naked glory.

***

Ridge was late picking me up. It was nearly five o’clock when he rang my doorbell.

When I pulled the door open, I was surprised to find him standing there looking quite disheveled compared to the previous day. He wore light gray suit pants, but his jacket was missing
. His red, silk tie was hanging loosely around his neck, and the top button of his black dress shirt was unbuttoned. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his palm when he looked up at me.

He looked tired, but he immediately smiled. “
Arr,” he growled. “Thar she be, me comely wench.”

I liked the possessivene
ss of his words, even though I knew he was only joking. But I was so stricken by his appearance that my pirate comebacks failed me. “Are you okay?”

I motioned for him to come in, and he walked into the living room.

“We’ve been in meetings with the big wheels all day
. I would’ve called once I realized I wasn’t going to make it in time, but there was no opportunity. So besides all of that, I got up early to go swimming, went into work early, and now I’m just beat.”