He sent her a lazy smile.“Is that what is considered a thank you around this town?”
“A thank you?”Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.
He continued to smile as he nodded his head.
He was so frustrating.One minute he wasn’t speaking to her and pretending she was invisible, and then he was flirting with her.She’d been wondering about his on-again, off-again flirting.
Then she had a thought.He only flirted with her when they were alone.But when there was someone around, he didn’t want them to know that he might be the least bit interested in her.Maybe he was afraid that somehow word might get back to his girlfriend.
Angered at the thought she was second-best, she said, “Stop following me.”
“I just wanted to make sure you got safely to your car.”
Seriously?That was the best he could do?“And yet you’re the reason that I almost fell.”
“You’re the one that stopped suddenly.”
She wasn’t doing this.She wasn’t going to verbally spar with him.Nope.Not gonna happen.
“I have to go.Reed and Sadie are waiting inside for you.”Not waiting for his response, she turned and continued toward her car.
“I get the feeling you’re mad at me.”He was following her again.
She inwardly groaned.Who knew the guy could be so frustrating?
She ignored him and kept walking.Her car was only a few steps away.Once inside, she could drive away—without him.
She pulled her keys from her coat pocket and remotely unlocked the door.It was tempting to just get in the car without saying a word and driving away, but she couldn’t do that.She didn’t want Brad to think she couldn’t stand up to him.He wasn’t the first guy who wanted his cake and to eat it too.
When she reached her car, instead of opening the door, she once more turned around.“Brad, what are you doing?I already told you that I’m leaving.Nothing you can say will change my mind.”
“I wasn’t going to try and change your mind.”
She pressed her hands to her hips.“Then why are you still following me?”
“Because my stuff is in your car.”
“Oh.”Heat swirled in her chest and rushed to her face.She’d totally forgotten that she’d picked him up at the airport while she was out running around, picking up last-minute party supplies.
She pressed the door unlock so he could get his stuff out of the backseat.But instead of doing that he got in the front seat.
She swung around to look directly at him.“What are you doing?”
“I feel like we didn’t get to finish the conversation we started on the dance floor.”He sat there, as though he weren’t going to move until they finished speaking.
“I don’t even recall what we were talking about.”
“I do.You were telling me that I wouldn’t understand what it’s like to live in a small town.”
She hadn’t forgotten; she just hoped he had.Of course, he had a memory like an elephant.And she also remembered his important phone call from Linda.
With the car windows starting to steam up, she realized she better start the engine.Then she cranked up the defoggers.She certainly didn’t want to be spotted with him in her car with the windows steamed up.Oh boy.The gossip would sound something like:Abby was making out with Brad.It was hot and heavy.
As if something like that would happen.Laughter at such a totally ridiculous idea bubbled up in the back of her throat.She swallowed it down.She wasn’t about to explain to Brad the steamy images of them that had just passed through her mind.
With the heat turned the whole way up, she said, “I don’t have time for this.I need to get to the coffeeshop.”
He arched a brow.“What’s wrong?”
