Abort mission. Something about this man had danger warning alarms going off in my mind.
“Um…I have a great doctor.” I turned away. “Enjoy your evening.” I scurried away to a corner.
That man… Well, he was terrifying. It took all I had not to turn and see if he was still watching me.I shook off the negative vibes that still reached out to me.
I tried to slow my breathing as I opened my notes and typedDarian Cole—NO!!
I didn’t want this night to be a total loss. What else could I try? I met Mom’s eyes, and she snapped her finger and pointed to the table. I knew that from my childhood this meant time was up. I had pushed my luck as far as it would stretch.
An older man with a cane blocked my path. He smiled at me with a gap-toothed grin as I glanced at him curiously.
He wasn’t my first choice, but maybe he had horses?
“Good evening.” I nodded.
“Hello there, Miss.” The man raised his eyebrows. “With shoes like those, your feet must have great arches.” He grinned. His eyes roamed down my legs and landed on my feet. “Can I look at them?”
Wait. What?
“Your feet.” He gestured toward them again.
“You want to look at my feet?” What was he talking about? I shook my head and figured I must have heard him wrong.
“Oh yes, without your shoes, please.” The man looked at my face again, before he rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he practically drooled.
Ew! Gross!
I checked the name tag. Brad.
I ran away and held back the gagging sound in my throat. I opened my notepad on my phone.
Brad—NO NO NO.
What a waste. Time to admit defeat, beg forgiveness, and go home.
I peeked over my shoulder and saw the man with the cane in slow but steady pursuit. For the first time in my life, I might agree with Jane that running had some sudden new benefits.
I glanced at the table where I’d left Mom. She was talking to another woman beside her and smiled. I couldn’t leave now. Maybe I could hide? I continued through the room while keeping my eyes on Mom.
Mom’s eyes met mine and her eyebrows suddenly pulled down in concern, then I slammed into something solid. My nose smashed against an immovable wall of muscle, and my phone went flying. I stumbled back.
My eyes watered as I reached up and gingerly pressed around my nose.
Ouch!
Apparently, I’d hit a man. What the heck was this guy made of? Concrete? My gaze followed the shoes upward.
Oh wow.
My mouth fell open. Maybe it was because I’d spent the evening pinballing between fifty-year-old men, or maybe my vision was still blurry, but holy hot cakes… wow. He looked vaguely familiar, but surely I would have remembered him.
The man had sharp brown eyes and tightly trimmed facial hair. He towered over me in suit pants and a long sleeve button-up shirt snug against his chest. My throat tightened. He smelled divine, like the smell of rain after a dry spell. I was drawn to him, pulled in by his magnetism.
His lip dropped into a grimace and his eyes fell to my phone lying face-up on his shoe, screen glowing with my long list of NOs.
Whoops!
I bent and scooped up the phone. “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was walking and?—”
