“Mmm. It’s almost disillusioning. There weren’t any motors in the old days.”
“Or Sony Walkmans.” He pointed to the sailor perched on the rigging, headset firmly in place. Lauren smiled at the sight, then shifted her gaze to the airport.
“If I had a downtown office with a view of all this, I doubt I’d ever get any work done. I could sit for hours watching the planes take off and land.”
“Not me. Even watching gives me the willies. I’m a white-knuckle flier.”
Lauren stared at him in disbelief. “A big guy like you?”
“Big guys crash harder.”
She suppressed a smile. “I suppose you’ve got a point. But you do fly.”
His expression was priceless, a blend of revulsion and resignation. “When necessary.”
“Which is far too often for your tastes.”
“You got it.”
Her eyes took on an extra glow. “I don’t think I could ever fly too often for my tastes. Not that I’ve flown that much, but I’ve always been so excited about getting where I’m going that I just sit back and relax. That’s about all you can do, y’know. Once you’re in the air, you’re in fate’s hands. It’s not as if you have control over anything that might happen to the plane.”
His grunt was eloquent. “That’s what bothers me. Iliketo be in control. Just like measuring hurdles….”
Lauren narrowed her eyes playfully. “I’ll bet you’re the type who checks over every blessed inch of a new car before you venture to slide behind the wheel.”
“I also sample the whipped cream, then the nuts, then the hot fudge, then the ice cream before I take a complete spoonful of a sundae.”
“But where’s the surprise, then?”
“The surprise is in the perfect blend of ingredients. The way I do it, y’see, I minimize the chance of disappointment. If something’s not quite right, I can get it fixed, and if I can’t do that, at least I’m prepared, so my expectations are on a par with reality.”
“You’re a man of caution.”
“Quite.”
“Another reason why you sat outside my shop for two days.” She tipped her head. “Tell me, what would have happened if I’d looked exactly like that picture you’d seen?”
“I’d have come in the first day.”
Lauren had wondered if he would ever have come in. “I don’t understand. My looks made youcautious?”
“That’s right.”
“But … I look better than I did in the picture, don’t I?”
“You look gorgeous.”
“Then?” Mired in confusion, she made no protest when he turned her into him and crossed his wrists on the small of her back.
“Gorgeous women intimidate me. I’ve been burned, remember?”
His smile didn’t ease her this time. Her eyes widened. “Do you think I’m after yourbody?”
He winced and shot an embarrassed glance to either side. “Shh.”
She grasped his arms to push him away. When he held her steady, she whispered, but vehemently, “Is that what you think? Well, let me tell you,Ididn’t ask you to walk into my shop. I didn’t ask you to take me on a cruise. I don’t want any part of your body! And even if I did, that wouldn’t be all I’d want. Before I ever got around to your body, I’d make sure that I wanted the rest.” She snorted in disgust and turned her face away. “Of all the self-centered, arrogant—”
“That wasn’t what I meant, Lauren. You’re jumping to conclusions. Has it ever occurred to you that you can intimidate a man?”
