Derrick raised his hand. She froze. He stroked her cheek with his finger, lingering over her cheekbones and trailing over her lips. “Thanks for dinner, Sydney. It meant a lot to me.” He dropped his hand and picked up her limp one. He gave the back of her hand a chaste kiss and took a step back.
To her confusion, he was still aroused, though he seemed in no hurry to remedy the situation.
“Good night.” She waved, wondering what he’d do.
He nodded. “Good night.” Then he left.
The bastard.
Chapter Three
“So?”
Sydney glared at her alarm clock, then at her best friend. Hailey had arrived at a god-awful early hour. And she’d invaded Sydney’s sanctum, her bedroom. The woman sat on her bed, bunching covers and exposing Sydney’s bare legs to the cold October morning.
“You’re just begging for a beating, blondie.”
“Oh, hell. Here. Now talk.” Hailey handed her a cup of hazelnut latte, by the smell of it.
Sydney inhaled, sat up and smiled. “Oh, yeah.” After a good jolt of caffeine, she managed another frown. “It’s not even ten on a Saturday morning, and here you are, all yellow-haired and perky. Can’t you engaged types go cuddle at this hour and leave your best friends alone?”
“We could, but then we’d have no idea how the date went. Well? Are you and Derrick friends again?”
Were they? Sydney didn’t know. “He acted like a perfect gentleman. Did he make the lasagna?”
“Probably. Barbara made sure her sons could cook at an early age. Well, except for Gage. I think she spoiled him.”
Sydney sighed. “Look, I’m just going to say this once. Derrick Warren is not as bad as I thought. Happy now?”
“Ha! I knew it!”
“Now go away and bother someone else.” Some other frustrated, confused woman. Like… “How about Faith? What’s she up to?”
“Oh no. I’m not leaving you until I have details. Tell me.”
“Why are you being so mean to me?” Sydney whined. “Besides, of the two of us, Faith is more pathetic. Ever since she saw the light and broke it off with Dr. Sphincter—”
“That’s Pinchter,” Hailey corrected while laughing.
“Same difference. Anyway, she’s sworn off men. Personally, I’m glad she’s no longer being an idiot. Rich and handsome does not make a good man. But not dating isn’t healthy. Go infect her with your bubbly personality.”
“Not dating isn’t healthy. Neither is serial dating. You know, you and Derrick are a lot alike.”
“Shut up, Hailey.”
“You both won’t commit. He dates a ton of women—one at a time, mind you. And you won’t go out with any guy for longer than a month.”
Sydney guzzled her latte and prayed for patience. “Not true.”
“Really?”
She frowned, but to her annoyance, she couldn’t come up with an example to counter the argument. “My problem is simple. I don’t trust men. Period. But look at my history. My mother slept with a bazillion men, and I grew up thinking anyone named Uncle shared a bed with Mommy.”
“Gross.”
“And yet heart-wrenching. Out of pity, leave me alone. Please.”
Hailey socked her on the arm. “You wish.”
