Sprinkled with Love

“But he sort of works for us.”

“Not after he puts in that new light. He’ll be all done.” Suzanna gave her a little push. “Go ask him.”

“Suzanna!”

“Shh… Just go do it. What do you have to lose? After all, you almost asked Glenn. Dan is quite a few steps up from him. And he’s very easy on the eyes.”

Was she really that pathetic that she would ask just about anyone to go with her? Yes. It was better than one of her mother’s friends’ sons. Jillian had been down that road more than once and it was difficult. And knowing that her mother would most likely get a report back on the date made it that much more awkward.

“Fine,” Jillian whispered. She strolled back to the office where Dan was up on the ladder. “How’s it going?”

“Good. Hey, would you mind handing me that smaller Phillips head screwdriver in the top of my toolbox?”

Jillian fished around until she found the right tool and handed it up to him. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. Still, the thought of what she’d endure showing up at her cousin’s wedding alone or with one of her mother’s blind dates spurred her on.

She swallowed hard. “Hey, Dan, what are you doing this weekend?”

He paused from loosening a screw to look at her. “Aw, don’t tell me you have another project for me that needs to be done ASAP.”

“Well, not exactly—”

“Oh, good. Then it can wait until next week.”

“No, it can’t.” Her palms grew moist and her mouth dry. “I wanted to see if you’d go to a wedding with me on Saturday.”

His screwdriver slipped. The tip broke the old light fixture. Dan jerked back, almost falling off the ladder. Not exactly the reaction she’d been expecting.

“Sorry about that.” He looked a bit flustered as he examined the damage.

“Don’t worry. We didn’t want to keep it.”

“I can pay you.”

She shook her head. “It was my fault for talking to you while you were working.” Distracted by the accident, Dan seemed to have forgotten the question. Jillian swallowed hard. “So what do you say?”

He didn’t look at her. “About what?”

She fidgeted with the hem on her blouse. “Going to the wedding.”

He stepped down off the ladder. “Oh. Um…I don’t know how to tell you this.”

Was it just her imagination or had his chest puffed up? And had he suddenly got a bit taller? Jillian rushed to smooth things. “It’s okay if you’re busy.”

His demeanor had gone from flustered to something much calmer. “I didn’t know you felt that way about me. I wish I had.”

Felt what way? He thought she had a thing for him? Ugh! This was a disaster.

“You don’t understand—”

“I think I do.” He fidgeted with the screwdriver. “I hate to let you down, but I have a girlfriend. And we have plans this weekend.”

Since when did Dan have a girlfriend? How had she missed that? Boy, she was making a mess out of everything today. She wondered what else she’d been missing.

Her face was so hot now that an egg could be fried on it. “I’m sorry. I…I didn’t know about your girlfriend. Just forget I said anything.”

She whirled around and fled the office. She rushed out to the showroom so fast that Suzanna got a startled look on her face. She excused herself from a customer and came over to Jillian.

“What’s the matter?”