Restoring Romance (Welcome to Romance 1)

“But I left at least three messages asking you to call me.”

“Sometimes my messages don’t come through,” she mumbled, while studying a piece of lettuce she pushed around on her plate.

“Maybe you should consider getting a different cell service.”

He gave her a teasing grin, but it was wasted since she never looked up from her plate.

“That’s a good idea.”

Ash wasn’t acting like the same person she’d been at her house on Sunday or on Saturday, when he first met her. Something had changed, and the only reason he could think of was his outburst at the table. Could she still be that afraid of him?

“How’s Lucky?” he asked, in an effort to spark conversation. Perhaps they could have another spirited discussion about the merits of cat ownership versus dog ownership. Anything was better than nothing.

“She’s fine, thank you. How’s Kujo?”

“Big as ever.” This was going nowhere. “I was trying to contact you about buying your antiques, like I promised. Shall I come over tomorrow morning, early? My shop doesn’t open until eleven a.m. on Fridays.”

“I don’t know. The workers are painting the house tomorrow.” She stabbed the lettuce and jammed it into her mouth, chewing with vigor.

“Painting? The outside or the inside?”

“Both, I hope.”

“Are you planning to repaint it white?”

She swallowed and lifted her gaze, her eyes narrowed. “No, I’m not planning to paint it white again. White is boring.”

He shrugged, careful to keep his face impassive. “I just wondered if you’d already gotten your color approved.”

“Someone has to approve the color? It’s my house.”

“Yes, but it’s in the historical district. You’ll have to talk to the city council and the historical society about any colors you use on the outside.”

Her intense blue eyes blazed. “I can’t believe it! Do you know how long it took me to pick out colors for the house and trim? Now I have to convince some crotchety old fuddy-duds to approve my colors?”

“I’m afraid so.” With great difficulty, he kept a straight face. “You’ll probably only have to persuade one crotchety old fuddy-dud, since the president of the historical society also happens to be the mayor of Romance.”

“Is it a man or a woman?”

“A man. Why?” For some reason, her innocent question sparked a bit of jealousy.

“Ughh! It’s just that men often see me as a child and treat me like that, acting all fatherly. Women don’t judge me by my size.” She wiped her mouth with a paper napkin and wadded it into a ball.

Adam let his gaze wander down her curves. He couldn’t imagine a guy who would think she was a child.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” The corners of his mouth tried to curve up, but he squeezed his lips together. “This guy isn’t old enough to be fatherly.”

“He’s young? That’s great! Maybe he’ll be open to change instead of set in his ways.” She grabbed for her purse, fishing inside for her cell phone. “Let me make myself a note. Since you know him, do you happen to have his contact in your phone? What’s his name?”

“Adam Walker.”

Her eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing to slits. “A crotchety, old, fuddy-dud, just like I predicted.”

ADAM GROANED AS DANIEL banked a perfect shot to sink the eight-ball, winning the third straight game.

“Want to go for best four out of seven?” Daniel laughed, retrieving the balls from the pockets.

“No, I guess I’ll admit defeat.” Adam held his cue stick in front of his eye, looking down the shaft to see if it might somehow be defective. “For some reason, I’m off tonight.”