nostrils flared as a light,
warm breeze kicked up, and she saw his eyes drop to her lips as her tongue
darted out to wet them. He didn’t say a word, but his jaw tightened and she couldn’t
help but wonder if he might have been fighting the same urge.
Could I be so lucky?
The lone cloud overhead, which had
been blocking the sun, drifted past and allowed the sunlight to shine properly
down on the parking lot. Almost simultaneously Seth squinted and reached up,
lifting his sunglasses from where they were hanging on the collar of his shirt
and returning them to his face as he said, “I should let you go.” He paused,
his hands slipping into his pockets again, and asked, “Will I see you tomorrow?”
Laughter lifted her lips once more
and she replied, “Unless you magically curb your caffeine addiction.”
A shadow of a grin tipped his lips.
“Highly unlikely,” he assured her.
“Until tomorrow, then,” Veronica
declared, extracting her keys from her purse. Seth nodded silent agreement
before turning and striding away. She remained still for a minute, simultaneously
disappointed in how the not-quite moment had played out and enjoying the view before
her more than she should. And as she watched him walk away she found herself
wondering what kind of car he drove. What does it matter what kind of car he
drives? Shaking her head at herself, she turned finally and stepped up to her
own car. He made the strangest thoughts pop up in her head.
She was barely in her car, seat
belt clicked into place, when her cell phone began buzzing from the confines of
the purse on the passenger seat. When she dug it out she instantly recognized
Mandy’s laughing face on the screen and put the phone to her ear, saying, “Hey,
Mandy.”
“Hey, are you busy? I found myself
with an afternoon off, and I can’t remember the last time we went to a movie
together,” Mandy declared.
Laughing lightly, Veronica replied,
“As a matter of fact, I am officially free. When’s the showing?”
“Half an hour.”
“I can do that. Meet at the theater
in fifteen?”
“Deal,” Mandy agreed.
As Veronica dropped the phone back
onto the passenger seat she couldn’t help but reflect on how much busier her
day was becoming than she’d anticipated. But that was okay, especially
considering the company she was getting to keep. Although if she was still
thinking about Seth when she met up with Mandy her friend was bound to notice,
and how would she explain that? Then again, she was starting to think
explaining would be easier than putting that gorgeous, well-mannered man out of
her mind.
Though the movie was only barely
two hours it ended up being well past nine before Veronica pulled back into her
driveway. She eased her car up the drive until it was parallel with her small
rental house and cut the engine, a smile seemingly engraved on her lips. She
wasn’t entirely sure that she’d stopped smiling since lunch.
“Whoever he is,” Mandy had begun as
they walked out of the ice cream shop, hands wrapped around single-scoop cones,
“he must be gorgeous.”
“He is,” Veronica admitted, knowing
it was pointless to deny that she was still somewhat distracted. She’d found
herself comparing the hero of the movie to Seth and, unsurprisingly, the hero
had come up short. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Oh?” Mandy asked, both eyebrows raised . “You’re not giving it up without making him earn it,
are you?”
Veronica had paled, nearly choking
on her ice cream, and quickly managed, “No! No, it’s not…we’re not together.”
Mandy’s expression relaxed at that
and she’d offered a grin as she teased, “But you want to be ‘together’ with
him, don’t you?”
The only struggle Veronica had had
with answering that was how honest she should really be, because the answer was
yes. There really wasn’t even any point in denying it, at least to herself . She’d been attracted—on a surface level—to him
since before
warm breeze kicked up, and she saw his eyes drop to her lips as her tongue
darted out to wet them. He didn’t say a word, but his jaw tightened and she couldn’t
help but wonder if he might have been fighting the same urge.
Could I be so lucky?
The lone cloud overhead, which had
been blocking the sun, drifted past and allowed the sunlight to shine properly
down on the parking lot. Almost simultaneously Seth squinted and reached up,
lifting his sunglasses from where they were hanging on the collar of his shirt
and returning them to his face as he said, “I should let you go.” He paused,
his hands slipping into his pockets again, and asked, “Will I see you tomorrow?”
Laughter lifted her lips once more
and she replied, “Unless you magically curb your caffeine addiction.”
A shadow of a grin tipped his lips.
“Highly unlikely,” he assured her.
“Until tomorrow, then,” Veronica
declared, extracting her keys from her purse. Seth nodded silent agreement
before turning and striding away. She remained still for a minute, simultaneously
disappointed in how the not-quite moment had played out and enjoying the view before
her more than she should. And as she watched him walk away she found herself
wondering what kind of car he drove. What does it matter what kind of car he
drives? Shaking her head at herself, she turned finally and stepped up to her
own car. He made the strangest thoughts pop up in her head.
She was barely in her car, seat
belt clicked into place, when her cell phone began buzzing from the confines of
the purse on the passenger seat. When she dug it out she instantly recognized
Mandy’s laughing face on the screen and put the phone to her ear, saying, “Hey,
Mandy.”
“Hey, are you busy? I found myself
with an afternoon off, and I can’t remember the last time we went to a movie
together,” Mandy declared.
Laughing lightly, Veronica replied,
“As a matter of fact, I am officially free. When’s the showing?”
“Half an hour.”
“I can do that. Meet at the theater
in fifteen?”
“Deal,” Mandy agreed.
As Veronica dropped the phone back
onto the passenger seat she couldn’t help but reflect on how much busier her
day was becoming than she’d anticipated. But that was okay, especially
considering the company she was getting to keep. Although if she was still
thinking about Seth when she met up with Mandy her friend was bound to notice,
and how would she explain that? Then again, she was starting to think
explaining would be easier than putting that gorgeous, well-mannered man out of
her mind.
Though the movie was only barely
two hours it ended up being well past nine before Veronica pulled back into her
driveway. She eased her car up the drive until it was parallel with her small
rental house and cut the engine, a smile seemingly engraved on her lips. She
wasn’t entirely sure that she’d stopped smiling since lunch.
“Whoever he is,” Mandy had begun as
they walked out of the ice cream shop, hands wrapped around single-scoop cones,
“he must be gorgeous.”
“He is,” Veronica admitted, knowing
it was pointless to deny that she was still somewhat distracted. She’d found
herself comparing the hero of the movie to Seth and, unsurprisingly, the hero
had come up short. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Oh?” Mandy asked, both eyebrows raised . “You’re not giving it up without making him earn it,
are you?”
Veronica had paled, nearly choking
on her ice cream, and quickly managed, “No! No, it’s not…we’re not together.”
Mandy’s expression relaxed at that
and she’d offered a grin as she teased, “But you want to be ‘together’ with
him, don’t you?”
The only struggle Veronica had had
with answering that was how honest she should really be, because the answer was
yes. There really wasn’t even any point in denying it, at least to herself . She’d been attracted—on a surface level—to him
since before
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