Page 48 of Flirting with Trouble

There are a dozen reasons I should back out of this. But I want to go with Wells, so I respond before I can chicken out.

Me: Sure. I’ll meet you in front of my office at 4:30.

Wells: Looking forward to it.

I type, So am I. My thumb stills over the send icon, guilt hovering like a villain. We’re friends. There’s nothing wrong with that. I look at the words I’ve typed, and they don’t sound like just a friend, do they? Am I just overthinking?

I add, I love rock bands and a musical note emoji and send it off.

With my heart in my throat, I grab my purse and head out of my office.

Yvette looks up as I approach her desk. “Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I have to run an errand, but I shouldn’t be gone long. Can you please cancel my dinner reservation? I’ve got a line on a new band I want to check out. I’ll be leaving the office at 4:30 this afternoon.”

“I’ll take care of it. I’m excited for you. You haven’t done that in a long time.”

“Thanks. I’m excited, too.” I head out, praying I don’t look as guilty as I feel about canceling my dinner reservation and skipping out of work early to have fun with a guy who is the very antithesis of my late husband.

The afternoon moves quickly, and I’m on fire, making it through my to-do list with time to spare. I change into my Bad Intentions T-shirt and jeans and push through the glass doors of my office building at four thirty on the dot. Wells is waiting out front, as promised, looking too damn good in faded jeans and a gray T-shirt that hugs his broad chest.

Our eyes connect, and that familiar zing of electricity sizzles between us as smiles bloom across both our faces. His dark eyes drink me in, and he says, “There you are,” in the way that has become as familiar as the butterflies it causes.

“Hi,” I say as he leans in and kisses my cheek. God, he smells as good as he looks.

“I’m glad you could make it. Thanks for tabling your solo date. That means a lot to me.”

“You had me at rock band.”

“And here I thought Friday Flitabout would hook you.” With a hand on my lower back, he guides me toward the waiting black sedan and opens the back door.

I take my seat and watch him walk around the car and fold his big body into the seat beside me. My nerves prickle again as the driver pulls away from the curb. I can’t remember the last time I took off early from work on a whim like this, but surprisingly, I don’t feel guilty. I’m excited about seeing a new band with Wells.

“How was your day?” he asks.

“Busy but good. Sorry I couldn’t play WordLink much today.” I did fit in a few good rounds, but we never finished the game we started this morning.

“No worries. You can’t be Victorious all the time. Sometimes you have to be Victory Braden and wear your badass boss hat while you run your empire.”

“True, but I’m still going to beat you.”

He pats my hand. “It’s good to have hope.”

I love our banter, and I think I’ve figured out why it comes so easily with him. This is the type of back-and-forth I grew up with. My brothers and I were always teasing each other or giving each other a hard time about one thing or another. While it’s different with Wells, more intimate, it’s familiar and fun and puts me at ease.

“How was your day? Isn’t this tourist season? Don’t you have to be at the restaurant?”

“I spent all morning there before coming here.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be in the city tonight. Did you see more properties this afternoon?”

“No. I had a meeting with Seth.”

“My brother? About what?”

“We’ve been talking about partnering for the opening of the restaurant, and this afternoon we decided to move forward with it. His attorney is putting together a partnership agreement.”

It takes a second for me to process that. “You and Seth have been talking about partnering, and neither of you thought to mention it to me?”