Unmanageable by Lavinia Kent

Author:Lavinia Kent
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2019-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Six forty-five. It was time to walk over to Veronica’s. Should he bring anything? A bottle of wine? Flowers? He wanted to, but he was afraid that either one would scream date and push her away. He had offered to pick up the pizza, but she’d turned him down, saying she’d already placed an order with Gino’s. Brian hoped that she’d chosen something he’d like. Not that he was picky, but he also wasn’t crazy about mushrooms or those things so loaded with mixed meats that you couldn’t see the crust. He knew men were supposed to like them, but he’d never seen the attraction. If he wanted a pile of meat, he’d eat a pile of meat.

He glanced down at his polo and khakis. Too dressed up? Again, he didn’t want to trigger her date fear. Which made him chuckle. He was supposed to be the one who avoided relationships. Particularly when he had more than enough on his plate and knew he wouldn’t be staying in Forbidden Cove. Maybe in a year or two he’d be ready.

So why was he upset that Veronica wasn’t more interested?

Although she was certainly eager for more after last night. He’d been shocked that she’d contacted him today, and even more that she’d proposed getting together so quickly. He’d fully expected that he’d be the one contacting her in a day or two and that then she’d pretend to resist until finally giving in for sometime next weekend.

And given how well he knew her schedule, thanks to Baxter, he’d have to admit that she actually was more than busy.

He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. No wine. No flowers. He’d play it her way—at least mostly. He wasn’t going to change.

He increased the pace, moving briskly. He was abandoning his nightly yoga, so he might as well see if he could get his heart rate up, although not enough to sweat. He’d save that for later.

And then he was at her house. He stopped, and stared at the second-floor porch. The windows were dark and there was no sign of life. She wouldn’t stand him up, would she?

He strode up the steps, knocked. No answer. He knocked again. Baxter bayed from the back, sounding like a true hound. Brian was about to try one last time when he heard feet on the inside stairs. Veronica hurried down the hall, her face slightly flushed.

Swinging the door open, she stepped back, waving him in.

Her eyes swept from his shoes to his neatly combed hair. “You didn’t need to dress up,” she scolded, but her eyes were laughing.

“I figured I’d leave the ladies across the street with a good impression.”

“I guess I did mention they’d be watching. Mrs. Nelson definitely likes a well-dressed man. Well, I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t. I spent the afternoon with my friend Jordan and got back later than I meant to. I was going to wash and blow-dry my hair—we spent time in her pool—but I ran out of time, so what you see is what you get.

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