“Some sort of…,” her eyes widened, and then she laughed. “Some sort of cad about town? You didn’t really just say that to me.” She shook her head in anger and disbelief before her face blanked completely. “Good thing we’re not dating then, isn’t it?”
It was my turn to be confused. “Aren’t we?”
Her shoulders fell and her expression turned sad and tired. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in a week Chase, does that sound like any type of dating relationship? No,” she answered her own question. “It sounds like a causal hook up, and I’m a big girl, I can handle the fact that you got what you wanted and now you’re done. I just thought you were different, or at the very least that you’d have the guts to admit it.”
I shook my head. “You’re wrong. Dead wrong, Carlotta.” I walked down the rest of the driveway until I was close enough to see that angry fluttering pulse in the base of her throat. “At first, I didn’t want to seem too clingy and scare you off, and then by the third day I realized I should have reached out sooner, and it seemed, I don’t know, too late to rectify. And you didn’t call either, so I figured that was it.” It sounded idiotic to my ears and Carlotta’s grunt told me she agreed.
“You’re the man Chase, and I’m an old-fashioned southern girl. I had a good time and I made sure you knew that, so you dropped the ball and I’m just responding in kind.”
She was right. It was up to me to take charge, to lead us down the path I wanted for us. “Have dinner with me. Tonight, at my place. Seven-thirty. I’ll cook.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t do pity dates.”
“Good,” I took another step closer and tugged on one of her wild wispy curls. “Because I don’t do pity dates either. Let’s call this a do-over. A proper date for a proper lady.”
Carlotta rolled her eyes, but her smile told me everything I needed to know, I hadn’t messed up so bad that we were over. “Fine. I’ll see you at seven-thirty.”
“Don’t be late,” I told her, pushing my luck.
She laughed and slipped inside her truck. “It’s a woman prerogative to be late for any and all occasions. But I will try my best.” She flashed a sweet, teasing smile and then started the engine. With a sexy finger wave, she took off and I was left there on the street, staring after her like a lovesick fool.
A quick thought occurred to me about our date tonight, and I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text.
Park in the garage. I’ll leave the door open for you.
Chapter 17
Carlotta
Park in the garage.
Chase’s message rang inside my head like big clanging bells, warning bells, tornado alarms, all afternoon. Was I setting myself up for disappointment by agreeing to dinner? Worse, was I putting our friendship and working relationship at risk by continuing this…whatever it is we were doing?
Undoubtedly.
Did I care? Not even a little bit.
Not right now anyway. I’m sure that later, in the cold, stark light of day, I’ll feel differently. But tonight, all I wanted was Chase.
However, I wanted him on my terms not his, so even though I’d slipped into my sexiest set of lingerie, lavender silk and lace, I’d covered it with jeans and a t-shirt. Completely and totally casual, just like our relationship. I’d made an effort, because of course I did, my mama raised a proper woman, but it wasn’t the type of effort I’d make for a man with potential.
He wanted a secret relationship, a love affair on the down low, but that’s not what I was about. So of course I parked my monstrous, but still ladylike truck right out front, on the street for the entire neighborhood to see.
I was nobody’s secret.
I knocked on the door, and looked around the neighborhood, smiling at the sounds of families and children enjoying their evening through open windows and blinds. Chase opened the door, looking casually delicious in a pair of worn jeans and a green t-shirt that stretched across his broad chest and shoulders even as it clung to his pecs. The shirt highlighted his green eyes, making them sparkle when they took in my equally casual attire.
“Carlotta.” My name came out like a breathless whisper, as if the mere sight of me was enough to steal his breath.
“Good evening, Mr. Mayor.” I smiled and ignored the way my heart raced at the sight of him, but somewhere, way in the background those warning bells still clanged.
His lips quirked into a smile at my greeting, but a second later his brows dipped in disappointment. “You didn’t park in the garage.”
“Of course not. If it’s a problem say so now, while there’s still time for me to catch dinner elsewhere.” Tough, that was my plan going in. If he pushed it I would happily—though reluctantly—hop back in my car and head to Grady’s Bar for a high calorie pastrami on rye. “Well?”
Some of that spark disappeared from his eyes, and I had a feeling that tonight wouldn’t go as planned. Not how I’d planned, anyway. After a long, tense stand-off, Chase’s shoulders fell in resignation, and he waved me inside.
“I’m not going to send you away Carlotta. I can’t.”