Dangerous Habits by Susan Hunter

Author:Susan Hunter
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Himmel River Press

* * *

“I’ve been looking for you. You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?” Ben asked, but in the teasing tone of someone who knew he never had to worry about being ditched. He held a plastic cup toward me. I accepted and took a big gulp. One and a half margaritas in, I was a little less uptight about Miguel’s matchmaking efforts.

“Hey. Thanks. I just saw someone I know, and we got talking.”

“Ah.” He nodded as he pulled up a lawn chair and sat down beside me. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it sure is.” We were both silent for a minute, then both started talking at once.

“So Miguel says—”

“So where are you—”

“No, you go,” I said.

“All right. Miguel said you’re a big time journalist. What are you doing back in Himmel?”

“He’s exaggerating, as usual. I’m back to take care of some family stuff. You know,” I said evasively and took another sip. His hand accidentally brushed against my arm as he leaned over to reach for the chips sitting on the table next to us. He really was good looking. Or did I just think so because I was in the middle of a long dry spell, tempered now by a wet margarita haze?

“Yeah, I hear you. So, you’re from here then?”

“Born and raised. How about you?”

“I live in Chicago, but I used to spend summers here with my grandmother. She died a couple of months ago. I’m staying at her house, trying to fix it up to sell.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Well, she had Alzheimer’s. It was pretty hard to have her go like that. She was a special person.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again. I changed the subject.

“So what do you do, Ben? When you’re not fixing up houses?”

“I’m an IT security consultant.”

“No way.”

“Way. Why not?”

OK, I wasn’t so far gone that I was going to tell him he looked too hot to be a computer geek. But I was close. “You just seem too, too, uh—social. You seem too social.”

“C’mon. You don’t seriously think all IT people are awkward social misfits?”

“Um, kind of.”

“You’re a very biased person, Leah. I’m surprised. I thought journalists were supposed to be all about getting the facts, no judgments, just the facts.”

“I think you’re thinking of Joe Friday.”

He looked blank.

“ ‘Dragnet.’ ‘Just the facts, ma’am.’ 1987 Tom Hanks/Dan Aykroyd movie? Old-timey TV show? Really bad remake with Ed O’Neill 2003?” Oh boy. He looked dreamy, but he was dropping in my esteem. I put a lot of store by old movie and TV references.

“Sorry.”

“I forgive you.” He really was very pretty. “So how long will you be here?”

“Couple more months, I think. Until the house is in shape to put on the market. Right now the interior needs a lot of work.”

“I hope you’re handy.”

“I’ve been told I am,” he said with a grin. I was glad it was dark as I realized I’d walked right into that double entendre and felt a flush rise on my cheeks. And remembered Miguel’s comment about picking Ben out special for me.

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