up?
“So?”
“She was doing the same thing to me. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, Lois Jacobs came over with her newly divorced daughter and tried to set me up. When I was in the market, a few women came up and tried to set me up with their daughters, friends, what have you.”
She made a clucking sound of faux sympathy. Really, if that was the crux of his problems, he had it easy. “You poor baby. It must be so hard fending off all that unwanted attention. How do you do it?”
“I’m trying to avoid it. Like you.”
Touché.
“I need to focus on my dad and help my family out as much as I can,” he continued. “I can’t afford any distractions.”
She didn’t know if she should be insulted or not. “I’m not a distraction?”
“You’re . . . you.”
“You don’t even know me.” There. Let that sink into him.
“I know enough.” His eyes told her exactly what he was remembering in that moment. “Anyway, like I said, everyone in my life is trying to fix me up. It’s the beginning of June. Weddings are going to be cropping up like roses. People are going to try and set us up.”
“You want to date me so you don’t get set up with anyone else? Just last night, you were telling me that all we had was a one-night stand.”
“I’m a guy. Guys say stupid shit all the time.”
She didn’t say anything.
“That was the part where you were supposed to deny it.”
“Why would I? You did say something stupid.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
She almost took pity on him as she closed her trunk. “You keep referring to it as a ‘one-night stand,’ except it wasn’t—it wasn’t even a half hour stand. It was twenty-four minutes, tops.”
“I’m like Domino’s. If you don’t get it in thirty minutes or less, the next one is free.”
And she would still get heartburn. “So now you want to ‘date’ me?”
“Fake date,” he clarified. “I’ll appear at things for you, and vice versa. It’ll give us breathing room. Maybe if people see that you’re with me—”
“What? People will suddenly forget I was shot?” she demanded. “C’mon. Get real. If anything, I’ll be under more scrutiny for being with a guy like you. Someone who’s new to town. Everyone is going to want to figure you out. If I’m with you, I’m going to get more questions.”
“Sugar, your thinking is off. I’m as bad and dangerous as they come. You know what they say. If you want the fire off you, put the heat on someone else. I can do that for you because you’re going to help me out, too.”
She laughed. Mr. Dangerous. She’d been right in so many ways. What Wes was proposing bordered on the ridiculous. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass.”
“Suit yourself.” He started to walk away, then stopped. He strode back toward her and gave her a business card. “But if you change your mind, call me.”
Chapter Four
W es was still shaken by what he’d learned about Ginny when he arrived home at Dad’s. She’d been shot. Jesus.
Her face had grown so pale when Lois had told the story, and he’d been shocked because Ginny had struck him as normal and real and just down to Earth, and that happening to her was completely wrong. She had tried to downplay all of it, especially when Lois had referred to Ginny as a hero; he hadn’t missed Ginny’s soft denial or how her gaze had grown shuttered.
At first, he’d assumed Ginny had been uncomfortable with the praise. Perhaps she didn’t want the story bandied about because that must have been extremely hard for her to overcome. It must be difficult to live here after such a thing had happened—she probably couldn’t escape from residents hailing her as a hero.
His timing or his approach in the parking lot hadn’t been the greatest. He’d stupidly assumed she would talk to him. Of course she had avoided the subject, with how he’d not even recognized her in the frozen food section. But she was hurting, and all he’d wanted to do was
“So?”
“She was doing the same thing to me. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, Lois Jacobs came over with her newly divorced daughter and tried to set me up. When I was in the market, a few women came up and tried to set me up with their daughters, friends, what have you.”
She made a clucking sound of faux sympathy. Really, if that was the crux of his problems, he had it easy. “You poor baby. It must be so hard fending off all that unwanted attention. How do you do it?”
“I’m trying to avoid it. Like you.”
Touché.
“I need to focus on my dad and help my family out as much as I can,” he continued. “I can’t afford any distractions.”
She didn’t know if she should be insulted or not. “I’m not a distraction?”
“You’re . . . you.”
“You don’t even know me.” There. Let that sink into him.
“I know enough.” His eyes told her exactly what he was remembering in that moment. “Anyway, like I said, everyone in my life is trying to fix me up. It’s the beginning of June. Weddings are going to be cropping up like roses. People are going to try and set us up.”
“You want to date me so you don’t get set up with anyone else? Just last night, you were telling me that all we had was a one-night stand.”
“I’m a guy. Guys say stupid shit all the time.”
She didn’t say anything.
“That was the part where you were supposed to deny it.”
“Why would I? You did say something stupid.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
She almost took pity on him as she closed her trunk. “You keep referring to it as a ‘one-night stand,’ except it wasn’t—it wasn’t even a half hour stand. It was twenty-four minutes, tops.”
“I’m like Domino’s. If you don’t get it in thirty minutes or less, the next one is free.”
And she would still get heartburn. “So now you want to ‘date’ me?”
“Fake date,” he clarified. “I’ll appear at things for you, and vice versa. It’ll give us breathing room. Maybe if people see that you’re with me—”
“What? People will suddenly forget I was shot?” she demanded. “C’mon. Get real. If anything, I’ll be under more scrutiny for being with a guy like you. Someone who’s new to town. Everyone is going to want to figure you out. If I’m with you, I’m going to get more questions.”
“Sugar, your thinking is off. I’m as bad and dangerous as they come. You know what they say. If you want the fire off you, put the heat on someone else. I can do that for you because you’re going to help me out, too.”
She laughed. Mr. Dangerous. She’d been right in so many ways. What Wes was proposing bordered on the ridiculous. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass.”
“Suit yourself.” He started to walk away, then stopped. He strode back toward her and gave her a business card. “But if you change your mind, call me.”
Chapter Four
W es was still shaken by what he’d learned about Ginny when he arrived home at Dad’s. She’d been shot. Jesus.
Her face had grown so pale when Lois had told the story, and he’d been shocked because Ginny had struck him as normal and real and just down to Earth, and that happening to her was completely wrong. She had tried to downplay all of it, especially when Lois had referred to Ginny as a hero; he hadn’t missed Ginny’s soft denial or how her gaze had grown shuttered.
At first, he’d assumed Ginny had been uncomfortable with the praise. Perhaps she didn’t want the story bandied about because that must have been extremely hard for her to overcome. It must be difficult to live here after such a thing had happened—she probably couldn’t escape from residents hailing her as a hero.
His timing or his approach in the parking lot hadn’t been the greatest. He’d stupidly assumed she would talk to him. Of course she had avoided the subject, with how he’d not even recognized her in the frozen food section. But she was hurting, and all he’d wanted to do was
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