I knew her too well. There was a lot more she wasn’t saying. “And?”
She shrugged, shaking her head as she whipped the cream. “Nothing. I guess I’m just starting to give up hope. Getting tired of dating losers.”
“So, quit dating losers. Start dating good guys.”Like yours truly.I wasn’t a saint, and based on my track record most women would say I was a lousy bet, but if Gia ever took a chance on me I’d treat her like the queen she is.
“Oh yeah, like it’s that easy. You have yet to find a good girl and settle down. Why is that?”
Because I’ve got my heart set on you.“I’ve been burned.” That was an understatement. “Cheated on, lied to, used for my money—” All true statements, but she didn’t need all the dirty details. “Anyway, I’m in no hurry to find someone. When the time is right, it’ll happen.”
“Why a woman would mistreat a guy like you is beyond me.”
“Awww.” I leaned in and kissed her forehead, making her blush. “Aren’t you sweet.”
“I’m serious! With all the deadbeat losers out there why would they treat a good guy like shit?”
I helped her carry the loaded plates to the large oak dining table in the middle of the kitchen. This room hadn’t seen a renovation in twenty-five years. I’d have to do something about that if I wanted to make this my permanent home.
“You assume,” I said, retrieving the maple syrup and orange juice from the fridge, “That I treated all these women so well. I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t. Not that I was an asshole, just not big on commitment.”
“You’ve been pretty tight-lipped about that since you got home.” She added paper napkins to the table. “Your previous relationships. You said there was no one special, but you had to havesomeserious relationships since high school.”
I’d been tight-lipped for a reason. If she thought I was a commitment-phobe she’d write me off without a second thought, just like every other guy who made a play for her. “Uh, define serious,” I said, tongue in cheek.
She thought about it for a minute before sliding into the chair across from me. “Did you ever have feminine hygiene products stored in your bathroom?”
I almost spewed my orange juice before I coughed and said, “Uh, no.”
“Hmm.” She took a sip of coffee, wrapping her small hands around the oversized mug. “Women’s clothes hanging in your closet?”
I pretended to consider it before I said, “Hell, no. I value my closet space.”
“Okay, Mr. Jeans-and-t-shirt-every-damn-day.”
“Are you saying if I upped my wardrobe game you’d let me take you out for dinner?”
“Oh, shut up.”
She always thought I was teasing when I asked her out, and I didn’t have the guts to tell her I wasn’t playing. “Alright, so you want to marry me, but dinner at a steakhouse is off the table?”
Gia winced. “I guess I should explain that little outburst on your front porch, shouldn’t I?”
“Already having second thoughts, huh?” I grinned, trying to lighten the mood, even though my heart was battering my poor chest.
“It’s not that, it’s just… a huge ask.”
“Come on, G. We go way back.” I moaned appreciatively after taking a bite of her French toast. “There’s nothing you can’t ask me.”
“I know you have… an active social life.” She frowned at her plate. “And this plan of mine would kind of put a wrench in that.”
I was a normal, healthy single guy in my early thirties. I didn’t date any more or less than anyone else in my situation. I wasn’t a man-whore, but I sure as hell wasn’t celibate either.
“I’m still listening.”
“Ok.” She bit her lip, looking thoughtful. “So, um, you know how hard I’ve been working to build my brand, right?”
I nodded as I continued eating. No sense letting this amazing food get cold. I had a feeling her pitch may take awhile. Little did she know there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for her.
“And I have more social media followers than I ever could have imagined a few years ago. Enough that they launched my book right onto the bestseller’s lists.” She pressed her hands together in prayer mode. “Bless their hearts.”
