His lips twitched like he was going to smile. “Can’t I come in?”
That was a negative. “I don’t let strangers, especially of the male variety, into my apartment.”
He crossed his arms and narrowed his gorgeous brown eyes at me. “We are hardly strangers.”
“Isn’t it funny how sometimes the people we think we know the best are the ones we really don’t know at all?”
He stood there and stared at me for a moment. I didn’t budge. I was serious about not letting him into my apartment, and I was serious about not knowing him. After he broke up with me that was one of the hardest parts for me to reconcile. I thought I knew him so well, but in reality, I didn’t know him at all, because my version of Ian may have freaked out a little bit about the whole love thing, but he would have never treated me so harshly.
He bravely stepped toward me and loosened his tie. “I have a feeling I’m going to need more than two minutes to convince you. Can I take you to dinner?”
I stared into his deep brown eyes. I noticed he had some subtle lines around them now, and I even noticed a gray hair or two in that dark hair of his. So much had changed in thirteen years. Thirteen years ago, I wouldn’t have even given his invitation a second thought, but now I needed a third and even a fourth.
While I was mulling over his invitation, he smiled at me. “Will this impose on your belly dancing class?”
Before I could stop myself I half-smiled at the jerk. I was still so embarrassed about the look -at-my-butt incident this morning.
“Please,” he whispered.
I involuntarily shivered. It was chilly outside. Yes, that’s what that was.
We stood and stared at each other some more while I thought. Looking for a new job sounded dreadful. But working for my ex sounded worse. Except, I loved my job. Maybe I could convince him to quit. “Fine, wait here.”
He visibly relaxed.
I unlocked my door and hauled all my bags in before shutting itin his face. That gave me some satisfaction. I was greeted by my lazy tabby cat, Charlie, lying on the top of my couch waiting to be adored. I headed his way and stroked his head several times until he purred. He was such a diva. Afterward I freshened up a bit. I smiled to myself thinking of Ian standing out in the cold. Maybe that was rude, but the guy did break my heart once upon a time and he stole my job. And if memory served me correctly, he enjoyed cooler temps. After I took my own sweet time, I walked back out to meet him.
He was walking around the pool area looking around. When he saw me, he walked back my way. “Great, you’re ready.”
I wasn’t sure I wasreadyto be alone with him, but I was curious to see how and why he was here living my dream. We proceeded to the parking lot. He tried to make small talk while I kept my distance. His scent still did things to me.
“This is a nice complex. Do you like living here?” Ian asked.
I shrugged. “For apartments they’re great; a little pricey, but worth it.”
“Hmm . . .” he responded.
Weird.
When we made it to the parking lot he asked, “Should I drive?”
Absolutely not. I knew the kind of things that happened in his car. I didn’t need the reminder of the fond memories. “I was planning on following you in my car.”
He raised his eyebrow at me. “You won’t ride with me either?”
“You know what they say, stranger danger,” I said without apology.
He tried to compose himself before he spoke. “I forgot how willful you are.”
I smiled in mock delight. “So, where are we going?”
“Why don’t I follow you, so you don’t think I’m luring you anywhere?”
“Perfect.”
He stared at me hard, mouth agape. I let him get in a few more looks before I walked away, smiling to myself for throwing him off his game. I honestly wasn’t worried about Ian taking advantage of me. Heck, I had to practically throw myself at the guy when we first starteddating. Our spark was undeniable, but boy did he try to fight it. Looking back, I suppose he was right to; I was pretty young at the time. But the heart wants what it wants, and did my heart ever want him.
He followed me to my favorite restaurant, Alicia’s. I personally knew the owners, Alicia and her husband, Jose. They were my first client as a junior account manager at Chandler Media. That was seven years ago. They still used the logo and ad designs I created for them. The design used an old-world map of Mexico as the backdrop. I had offered several times over the years to touch it up or create a new one for them, but they’d become very attached to it.
