Distracting Dad by Terry Essig

Author:Terry Essig
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Ted cleared out in short order, leaving Nate and Allie alone in her bedroom, a situation that sounded a lot better than it actually was. Nate had one hand in his pants pocket while he massaged the back of his neck with the other. “I don’t know,” he said while he rocked on his heels. “This little vignette kind of strikes me as a microcosm of my life lately.”

“What do you mean?” Allie wistfully eyed her paint-spattered bedspread. It was only a couple of months old. The tag with the washing instructions was still crisp and legible.

“Here I am alone with a beautiful woman in her boudoir. Close your eyes and think about it,” Nate directed. “The possibilities are endless. At least they should be endless. If I were the kind of guy who indulged in locker-room kind of talk, man, the other guys would be green with envy. Last night a total babe slept with me after knowing me for only a few hours and now, here we are, rendezvousing in her bedroom the very next afternoon. Describe the scene to anyone else and what would they assume? Afternoon delight, that’s what.”

Allie stared at him in amazement. Nate’s eyes were closed. His face wore a wistful expression.

“Without lying or exaggerating, I would have them so convinced that I was a complete stud.” Nate sighed at the mental imagery.

“What did you add to your coffee when you took your afternoon break?” she wanted to know. “I think somebody substituted something funky for the sugar. Either that or your office’s cream has gone bad.”

“But then, you know, I open my eyes and wham! Reality hits.” Nate opened his eyes and he gazed around. Sure enough, the mess was still there. It wasn’t simply a bad dream. “On the surface,” Nate continued, “my life sounds ideal. I work for myself. I own my own condo. My father is devoted to my happiness and there’s a gorgeous woman warming my bed at night. But you know what?”

“What?”

Nate waggled a finger at her. “It would only work if the guys I was trying to impress knew absolutely nothing about me. Because the reality of my life? Well, it bites, you know?”

Allie tried hard to be a the-glass-is-half-full kind of person, but she was hard-pressed to argue with Nate’s interpretation of the past two days. The glass was definitely looking half-empty right about then.

Nate opened up his arms, held them wide. “And I’m a jerk. Thinking only of myself. Allie, I am so, so sorry.”

She sniffled. She couldn’t help herself and wasn’t that embarrassing in the extreme? She hated weepy females.

“Come here,” Nate said.

“No,” Allie said, swiping at her nose with the back of her hand. “I’m okay. Really,” she insisted. “I’m all right.”

“Come on,” Nate encouraged, arms still open.

Oh, damn, she was going to cry. Allie looked around, everywhere but at Nate. “It’s just that…it’s just…”

“I know. Come on now, I won’t say a word if you flood me out. You deserve a good cry.

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