Romance Me (Boxed Set) (6 page)

He winked at me. “Along with cleaning out your hairbrush.”

I loved his teasing. “My purse is sacred. It’s the one place I allow chaos in my life.” I leaned my shoulder into his jokingly. “Besides, Chester took care of that for me already, remember?”

“Yes.” His face grew serious. “I remember.”

Although the room was crowded with chatter, everything fell silent as if the two of us were alone with a physical cord pulling us together. In a few sentences, it felt like we’d shared everything. The feeling overwhelmed me.

“Evening, everyone!” Abby marched out in red velour sweats and her blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders. “Great to see you all. Let’s hit the arena.”

Although Abby’s cheery voice rang throughout the room, Henry kept his gaze on mine. “Ready?”

It felt like a loaded question and I answered it honestly. “Not in the slightest.”

****

After class ended, Henry and I chatted outside about the pups and what they were learning (Kenzie coming out of her shell; Chester, not a thing). I had to tear myself away since I, uh, had a real date I was supposed to be on in a few minutes.

I rushed to drop Chester off so I wouldn’t be late meeting
lookn4luv
at the coffee shop. Geoff and I had emailed again a couple of times to clarify timing and how to recognize each other. Although I saw the red rose lying across a bistro table as agreed, the man sitting there wasn’t
lookn4luv
. It was a guy who could possibly be
lookn4luv’s
distant not-as-good-looking cousin, but why would he be here? Maybe Geoff couldn’t make it and sent his relative to tell me? Which would be pretty, you know, odd . . .

I approached the table slowly. “Hello?”

His head jerked up from his cell phone screen. “Wow! You’re even prettier in person, Ellen.”

My brows drew together in confusion. “And you are, who?”

“Geoff Bent.” He stood, shook my hand, then gestured for me to take a seat. “I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain. First, these are for you.”

Keeping my purse on my shoulder, I dropped into the wooden bistro chair as the man claiming to be Geoff handed me a dozen red roses. “Thanks, uh, Geoff.”

Due to the sadly hopeful look on his face, I accepted the bouquet even though it dawned on me that he’d falsified his photo.

“You’re welcome.” He flushed, bowed his head, then met my eyes. “The picture I posted on
Detailed Dating
is actually of me, I swear. I just used a photo editor to make myself look more how a woman would want me to.”

Okay, his admission tugged at my sympathetic side. It did. But, I wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “You’ve covered the way you think a date would want you to
look
, but how
honest
would she want you to be?”

He looked confused. “I don’t follow you.”

“There’s zero chance of this going anywhere. Any possibility went out the window when you put up that phony photo.” I watched his shoulders slump. “A good relationship can’t come out of deceit.”

His brows came together. “But, I’d never get a date with a girl like you otherwise.”

I thought of Henry, his beautiful gray eyes, and my insides warmed. Admittedly, every girl probably wouldn’t find him as sexy as I did. He didn’t have that model look like Dillon that made him universally hot, but I felt so attracted to him it was hard to think straight. Surely, someone would feel that way about the man across from me.

“That’s an absolute and total copout, Geoff.” I stabbed my index finger on the table as I made my point. “Besides, why would you want to be with someone who wouldn’t want to be with the real you?”

The look on his face told me he’d never considered that.

“You could be a nice guy. In fact, you probably are.” I sighed, tightened my doggy-mangled purse on my shoulder, and stood. “So, I’ll give you some free advice. Put up an authentic photo of yourself, be honest with any potential date, and don’t settle for someone who doesn’t want you for exactly who you are.”

He nodded to me. “I’ll try. Thanks, Ellen.”

“You’re welcome.” The last of my irritation melted away and I turned to leave. “Best of luck.”

“Before you go, can I buy you a coffee?” When I gave him a skeptical look, he raised his palms. “Just as friends?”

Deciding he was a decent guy with a few insecurities, I sat back down. “Sure.”

Geoff ordered at the counter, returned to the table, and began fiddling with his stir straw. He appeared lost in thought as he twirled it again and again.

I sipped my latte and the hot liquid rolled down my throat. “Something wrong?”

“What you said before? About a person liking me for who I am?” He bent the straw, then straightened. “There’s this girl. My neighbor, actually.” A smile played at his lips. “I’ve been wanting to ask her out for a while, but my brother thinks she’s out of my league . . . ”

Nice sibling. No wonder Geoff was insecure. “Really?”

“I think about her a lot.”

“Do you think she likes you back?” My voice had an encouraging tone. “You know, likes you exactly the way you are?”

“I’m not sure. She offered to help me with my laundry last week. Yesterday, she stopped by to see if I needed anything from the store. She smiles a lot.”

“Sounds like she’s got it bad for you.” Wait . . . he liked her and she felt the same, but he didn’t ask her out? It made no sense. “Don’t let your brother’s negativity influence you. Ask her out.”

He fingered his straw. “But Sean, my brother, fell hard for a girl last year. When he built up the guts to ask her on a date, she laughed in his face. It crushed him.”

“Wow. That’s a shame,” I said, thinking how brutal that girl had been, with lasting effects on Sean and now his brother. “Geoff, you can’t avoid asking her out because some other girl was rude. Just because it didn’t go well for Sean, doesn’t mean it won’t be great for you. Every relationship is different. You should follow your heart and give this person a chance.”

His eyes lit up hopefully. “You think?”

“Absolutely,” I said, excited for him, and nervous for me. I’d given him such optimistic advice when all my life I’ve favored the practical approach. What was happening to me?

He smacked his palm on the table and nodded. “All right. I’ll do it.”

“Good for you.” My mouth curved upward even as I realized something had changed inside me.

We talked for a bit longer before I thanked him for the coffee and headed home. The entire drive, my words echoed through my mind.
“Every person is different. You should follow your heart and give this person a chance.”

Maybe I ought to take my own advice. Maybe things would be different for me than they had been for my mom.

As with every night since I’d met him, I went to sleep thinking of Henry. This time I didn’t force my thoughts away. Instead, I let my dreams run wild. As I drifted off, a smile spread across my face as I pictured a white dress, two beautiful children, and a life filled with laughter.

CHAPTER FIVE

I arrived at Rachel’s twenty minutes before obedience class on Thursday, excited to take a chance on Henry and not so enthusiastic to break things off with Craig tonight. I mean, dumping someone ranks about as fun as getting dumped. It would’ve been easier to cancel with an email, but ending things via the internet seemed cold.

As I walked up the path toward Rachel’s apartment, I found her slumped in the wicker chair on her tiny front porch. Chester was cuddled in her lap, sucking on the head of a stuffed bear like it was a pacifier.

My pace slowed as I approached. “What’s going on?”

She set her beloved dog gently on the ground, then lifted her sunglasses to reveal red-rimmed eyes. “I’m done with men.”

My eyes widened. “I thought you had another date with George’s friend Dillon tonight.”

“Ha!” She said it as a joke, then she started cackling as if the joke were on her. “You were so right about everything, Ellen. I should’ve listened to you.”

Uh-oh. “What happened?”

“I took a chance. That’s what happened.” She threw her arms in the air to express just how stupid she’d been. “You said compatibility is the key. You warned me not to go out with someone just because he looks hot with his shirt off.”

My eyes narrowed. “Did he do something to you?”

“You mean Mr. Octopus Hands? Yeah, he
tried
.” She smiled, sweetly. “He came by after work, was all over me, then had the nerve to be annoyed when I slowed things down.”

My eyes narrowed in disgust. “What a dirtbag.”

She inhaled deeply. “After our night at The Oasis, it felt like we were connecting, you know? So, I let my guard down.”

I nodded. It hadn’t been an official date, but I’d felt that way yesterday with Henry as we’d talked before, during, and after class. I’d told him personal details that I rarely shared with anyone and I sensed it had been the same way with him.

“Tonight, Dillon was a completely different person.” Her face scrunched up. “Why didn’t I listen to you? I should’ve had him fill out a dating application to see if he’d mark the box ‘sleaze-ball temporarily disguised as a nice guy’.”

“Oh, Rach.” I pulled her stiff body into a hug. “You couldn’t have known. Next time will be different.”

She leaned against me, sniffled, then drew back. “Exactly. Because there won’t
be
a next time. If I ever get the absurd notion to date again, I will let you screen him thoroughly before I invest one ounce of feeling into him.”

I reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

“Me, too.” She checked her watch. “Do you want me to take Chester to class for you tonight so you can get ready for your second date with Craig? He sounds perfect for you and I shouldn’t have encouraged you to go after that other guy. Nothing came of that, did it?”

“No.” Only that I’d let myself fall for him, pictured our life together, and felt blissfully happy all day long at the thought of seeing him tonight. But, Rachel’s tear-streaked face proved what happened if you took a chance on a guy who wasn’t compatible. Ouch. My heart sank as I decided not to risk it with Henry. “You sure you feel up for taking Chester?”

“Are you kidding? I’d love to.” She grabbed his leash. “He’s the only male worth spending time with anyway. Er, except for Craig. He sounds nice and not like he’d maul you on the second date. Plus, you know his history and what he wants for the future. He’s not someone just looking to hook up.”

“Right,” I said.

Then, I went home to get ready for the date with the man who I knew wanted the same things I did. I told myself over and over that this was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, it didn’t help the emptiness I felt inside, missing my last chance to spend time with Henry.

****

Since Craig was venturing out into the wild world of ethnic cuisine, I met him for dinner at an Indian restaurant in downtown Sac near the state capitol building. Thirty minutes into our conversation and his notepad made another appearance. Not just to check stuff off this time, either. We’d apparently graduated into actual note taking.

“What is your stance on public education?” Craig poised his pen above the small lined pages. “Do you plan to send your children to the local school or are you thinking a private education would be better?”

“I don’t have any kids,” I said, wishing I could eat my samosas without an inquisition.

“Of course you don’t have children yet. I’ve read your
Detailed Dating
profile multiple times,” he pointed out patiently. “I’m forecasting for the future. Trying to assess any potential conflicts we might have in child rearing.”

I shrugged. “As long as it’s a good school, I’d be fine with either.”

“Very flexible.” He sounded impressed as he scratched something off his list and then wrote a word with an exclamation point after it.

I reached for my water, drained my glass, and couldn’t help feeling like I’d stood up Henry. Had he been disappointed that I’d skipped the last class? Had he been up all night again doing whatever caused those dark circles under his eyes? Had he asked Rachel about me? Had he asked Rachel out? The thought made me sick to my stomach.

“Ellen?”

Craig’s confused tone brought me back to the table and the fact that I was on a date. “What did you say?”

His brows furrowed. “How much did you miss?”

“The whole thing,” I admitted, wondering if Kenzie had mastered her “special project” today, whatever it was that Henry had chosen for that. I’d been hoping to cure Chester of his destructive issues, but, in actuality, I didn’t think anything in the world—not even the peppy and perfect, Abby Wilson—could rid the chew monster of that habit.

“Hello? Ellen?”

Oh, man. Had I missed what he’d asked for the second time? Focus, Ellen. “I’m so sorry, Hen—I mean, Craig. Would you mind repeating that?”

He took a deep breath, wrote something down (not flattering, I presumed) and then cleared his throat. “I asked what you would do if you’ve been married ten years and . . . ?”

I waited, but he didn’t finish. “And what?”

“Just making sure you were listening this time.” He seemed relieved that I had been. “If you’ve been married ten years, your husband was in an automobile accident—through no fault of his own, mind you—and he became crippled.”

A horrible image popped into my head of Henry riding his bike and getting hit by a speeding car. I flinched. “That’s a terrible thought.”

He lifted his fork, eyed his masala suspiciously, then set it back down again without taking a bite. “Unfortunately, we can’t predict what life will throw at us, but I think it’s helpful to know how you would handle something that tragic.”

The thought of Henry losing the use of his legs made me ill. But he’d survived losing his parents and I knew in my heart he could survive anything life might hand him. “When I get married, it will be for better or for worse. If there’s a worse, I’ll do everything in my power to help my partner.”

“I completely agree.” Craig smiled, then made a check mark in his notes. “What are your thoughts on—”

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t working.” I signaled the waiter for our check.