“I don’t think I’m that nice.”
He lightly kissed her. “You are.”
“Maybe. But right now I’m still grumpy.”
“Did Ramon tell you the cat’s name is Huckleberry?”
“Not in those words. He told me to go ask Huckleberry and I don’t know anyone by that name, which leaves the cat.”
“I was hoping we could just call him The Cat, but Huckleberry works, too. What else?”
She looked into his blue eyes. “Some lady came in and wanted to know if the job here was done. She’s been waiting seven months for a kitchen remodel, which is months longer than she expected. Do you have a wait list? Did you move me to the front of the line?”
“Yes.”
She shrugged out of his embrace and moved to face him.
“Yes to both questions?”
He nodded.
She tried to figure out what he meant. “Because we talked and you gave me a bid and then started work in two weeks.”
“I know.” His smile turned sexy. “I wanted to impress you.”
“But I would have waited.”
“I didn’t want that. Waiting meant I couldn’t spend time here, getting to know you.”
She blinked at him. “You made other customers wait because youlikeme?”
“Uh-huh. Consider it a perk of our relationship.”
“I feel mild guilt about cutting in line.”
“You didn’t. It was my decision. And aren’t you happy the work is done?”
“Very.” She stepped close and pressed her hands to his chest. “Thank you for wanting to impress me.”
“Anytime.”
“I’m looking forward to our dinner next week.”
“Monday,” he clarified. “Our dinner is Monday.”
She held in a smile. “You don’t want to wait until Thursday or the weekend?”
“Monday,” he repeated, his gaze intense. “Dinner.”
She raised herself up on tiptoe and lightly kissed him. “And breakfast,” she murmured. “Should I buy condoms?”
“I already have them waiting.”
“I like a man who’s prepared.”
“I’m still so mad at her,” Ryleigh fumed as she paced back and forth in Alex’s law office. She had the brief thought that her shorts and T-shirt were slightly out of place here, but was too wound up to care. She’d been alternating between angry and hurt, but right now the fury was winning.
“She doesn’t respect me,” she ranted. “She only thinks about herself.”
