Part of him thought it was ridiculous that a man his age, with his notoriety, needed to worry about making an impression on a beautiful girl and was nervous about asking her out, but they had history. They’d done some heavy-duty flirting on the night they first met that ended in a kiss that still made his temperature rise when he thought about it, which was often. He didn’t want to be pushy, though, but he wasn’t going to let her slip away, either. If he had a chance with her, he needed to take it right now.
He leaned against the brick exterior of the building and tapped his foot on the concrete as he watched the door. A rush of anticipation fluttered through his chest, much like the feeling he got before a game, and he wiped his clammy palms on his jeans and licked his lips.
The door swung open, and his heart lurched, but it wasn’t her. Two men in business suits stepped onto the sidewalk, chatting about their day. And then he saw her. Her golden hair, tied in a neat ponytail this time, picked up the reflection of the sunset. Golden highlights shimmered around her like a halo. She looked like an angel.
Her white doctor’s coat was replaced by a black cardigan which she wore over an orange sheath dress that stopped just above the knee. Plain black pumps and a black Michael Kors laptop bag put the finishing touches on her sophisticated outfit. With style and grace, she glided across the sidewalk and straight toward him.
“Robert.” She brought a hand to her chest, while a warm smile indicated her pleasure at seeing him. Her eyes traveled over his body for a quick second. “It’s nice to see you. What are you doing here?”
“Hi.” The sight of her rendered him dumbstruck for a moment, and he couldn’t do more than smile. Then he remembered the way she looked at him and it fueled his ego. His gaze washed over her once again because he couldn’t stop admiring her beauty. It drew the eye and held your attention. He couldn’t look away if he wanted to. “You look beautiful. That color looks amazing on you.”
She looked down at her dress. “It’s a little colorful for work, but it welcomes fall.” She tugged on her sweater and rolled her eyes. “Now that I see it with this, I look like I’m ready for Halloween.”
His smile widened, amused at her statement. “Not at all.” His eyes traveled over her from head to toe again, enamored with the sight of her. “You wear it well.”
“Thank you. Like I said, you’re a charmer. So, what are you doing here?”
He’d spent hours rehearsing what he planned to say to her, but every word of it went straight out of his head. “I wanted to tell you how practice went and how strong my leg is. Better than before the injury.”
“Really?” She glanced down at it. “I’m very happy to hear that.”
They were both silent for a moment.
“Do you want to get a cup of coffee?” Robert motioned to the coffeehouse a few doors down, where she sometimes stopped to pick up a cup on her way back from lunch. “Just for a bit? So we don’t have to stand in the middle of the sidewalk?” For effect, he stepped aside when someone passed.
Hesitation clouded her expression, and he thought she was going to decline. But she nodded and said, “Sure. I’d love to hear about your progress.”
As they walked down the street, he had the urge to take her hand, which was totally crazy since their relationship was strictly professional, at the moment. So, he took her briefcase instead. He didn’t ask if he could carry it. He just took it from her and kept walking. She, however, paused for a second to look at him with surprise before she continued.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” she commented.
“Why? Isn’t it what a man is supposed to do? I mean, I know you’re a modern woman and can open your own doors and whatnot, but I still think a man should do those things for a woman. Especially with a woman you’re familiar with. It’s polite.”
She looked at him for a beat. “You’re like no one I’ve ever met before.”
He smiled as he ate up the compliment but didn’t say anything.
“You’re walking with a bounce in your step.” She watched his feet. “Even carrying my heavy bag.”
“I could run from here to the corner and be back before you reach the coffeehouse. Wanna see?” He held the soft briefcase under his arm like a football and poised, ready to sprint.
“Don’t you dare.” She placed her hand on his arm to stop him, and it felt like a zap of fire.
“Why not? I’ve been running on the field.”
“My laptop is in that bag. I don’t want you to drop it.”
He laughed, and she smiled at him. When they reached the coffee shop, he pushed open the door, stepped inside, and held it open so she could enter. “That’s the proper etiquette when you enter a strange place,” he explained. “The man walks in first and holds the door for the woman. So, if there’s something amiss, the woman doesn’t walk straight into it.”
She squinted her brow with confusion. “What?”
“It’s like when we walked here. I stayed on the outside next to the street. The woman is supposed to stay on the inside.”
She stared at him with confusion. “Where did you hear all that?”
“My mother. She’s old-fashioned and used to tell us things like that all the time when we were growing up. My brother used to laugh it off, but I listened. It just sounded right to me.”
Amber let out a long sigh. “There aren’t many men like you in this world, Robert.”
