know this probably isn’t the politically correct thing to say, but old folks just ain’t my bag,” he said.
It was all Ali could do not to dig her compact out of her purse and hold up the mirror for him to take a good look at himself.
She’d upheld her side of the deal she’d made with Aunt Rachel. Now it was time for her to cut this date short. She glanced at her watch. “Where does the time go? I have a ton of stuff to do today.”
“But you haven’t finished your coffee.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly drink all this coffee.”
A slow grin spread across Edward’s face. “How about we finish drinking them at my place? My Escalade is parked outside.”
“Thanks, but no, thanks,” Ali said, not feeling quite so polite. She picked her purse up off the floor.
“Wait!” Edward pulled a prescription bottle from his pocket and slid it toward the center of the table.
Ali looked down at the bottle. “Are those your heart pills? Do you need me to get you a glass of water?” she asked, concerned.
Edward laughed. “I know what you’re thinking. You figure I’m too old.” He picked up thebottle of pills and shook it. “But these magic pills have changed the game. I pop two of these babies, and I can put it on you for hours.”
Ali stared at him a moment as his meaning sank in, and then she jumped from her chair so fast it fell backward to the floor.
“I can go like a jackhammer,” Ali heard him call out to her as she bolted out the door.
For the first time since her divorce, Ali felt lucky. Edward’s poor wife had spent forty years with a man who turned out to be a jackass.
Thanks to her former best friend, Ali had found out her ex-husband was one early on, and now she had her entire life ahead of her.
Chapter Five
Hunter’s stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. Not that he needed reminding. Hunger pangs had struck around ten that morning and continued to plague him throughout his busy workday.
He’d skipped dinner last night to finish scraping off old wallpaper at the house he’d inherited from his grandmother, and then missed both breakfast and lunch today chasing leads on a growing stack of unsolved burglaries.
Now he was starved out of his mind.
Hunter followed the hostess as she weaved through the dining room of the upscale restaurant Ali had selected for the follow-up to his formal dining lesson. He stuck a finger down the collar of the dress shirt he’d hurriedly changed into to loosen the chokehold of his silk tie.
Muted colors, soft music, and candlelight marked the tasteful décor, but Hunter barely noticed the atmosphere. All he cared about washow fast they could get hot food in front of him and then keep it coming.
He spotted Ali as they approached the table. Instead of her usual ponytail, her hair fell around her shoulders in soft, tousled waves. She should wear it down more often, he thought. It looked good.
“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” He seated himself across from her.
Her brown eyes widened and she smiled approvingly. “You look handsome.”
Hunter smoothed his tie. He’d brought the navy suit to work with him this morning and changed into it after his shift had ended. He’d ignored Pete, who along with Bishop and Morrison couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Well, if it’s not Cinderfella,” Morrison had said, causing Bishop to bend over with laughter. “Will you turn into a pumpkin at midnight?”
Hunter had looked over at the two of them and shaken his head. “Maybe if you two put on some decent clothes once in a while, you’d be having dinner with a woman tonight, instead of each other.”
“Don’t look at me, I have a wife,” Pete had said before launching into a description of the dinner his wife, Sandy, had waiting on him.
Their joking, although good-natured, had annoyed Hunter.
However, Ali’s comment had the opposite effect and he was glad he’d made the effort.
“I believe we can skip the
It was all Ali could do not to dig her compact out of her purse and hold up the mirror for him to take a good look at himself.
She’d upheld her side of the deal she’d made with Aunt Rachel. Now it was time for her to cut this date short. She glanced at her watch. “Where does the time go? I have a ton of stuff to do today.”
“But you haven’t finished your coffee.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly drink all this coffee.”
A slow grin spread across Edward’s face. “How about we finish drinking them at my place? My Escalade is parked outside.”
“Thanks, but no, thanks,” Ali said, not feeling quite so polite. She picked her purse up off the floor.
“Wait!” Edward pulled a prescription bottle from his pocket and slid it toward the center of the table.
Ali looked down at the bottle. “Are those your heart pills? Do you need me to get you a glass of water?” she asked, concerned.
Edward laughed. “I know what you’re thinking. You figure I’m too old.” He picked up thebottle of pills and shook it. “But these magic pills have changed the game. I pop two of these babies, and I can put it on you for hours.”
Ali stared at him a moment as his meaning sank in, and then she jumped from her chair so fast it fell backward to the floor.
“I can go like a jackhammer,” Ali heard him call out to her as she bolted out the door.
For the first time since her divorce, Ali felt lucky. Edward’s poor wife had spent forty years with a man who turned out to be a jackass.
Thanks to her former best friend, Ali had found out her ex-husband was one early on, and now she had her entire life ahead of her.
Chapter Five
Hunter’s stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. Not that he needed reminding. Hunger pangs had struck around ten that morning and continued to plague him throughout his busy workday.
He’d skipped dinner last night to finish scraping off old wallpaper at the house he’d inherited from his grandmother, and then missed both breakfast and lunch today chasing leads on a growing stack of unsolved burglaries.
Now he was starved out of his mind.
Hunter followed the hostess as she weaved through the dining room of the upscale restaurant Ali had selected for the follow-up to his formal dining lesson. He stuck a finger down the collar of the dress shirt he’d hurriedly changed into to loosen the chokehold of his silk tie.
Muted colors, soft music, and candlelight marked the tasteful décor, but Hunter barely noticed the atmosphere. All he cared about washow fast they could get hot food in front of him and then keep it coming.
He spotted Ali as they approached the table. Instead of her usual ponytail, her hair fell around her shoulders in soft, tousled waves. She should wear it down more often, he thought. It looked good.
“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.” He seated himself across from her.
Her brown eyes widened and she smiled approvingly. “You look handsome.”
Hunter smoothed his tie. He’d brought the navy suit to work with him this morning and changed into it after his shift had ended. He’d ignored Pete, who along with Bishop and Morrison couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Well, if it’s not Cinderfella,” Morrison had said, causing Bishop to bend over with laughter. “Will you turn into a pumpkin at midnight?”
Hunter had looked over at the two of them and shaken his head. “Maybe if you two put on some decent clothes once in a while, you’d be having dinner with a woman tonight, instead of each other.”
“Don’t look at me, I have a wife,” Pete had said before launching into a description of the dinner his wife, Sandy, had waiting on him.
Their joking, although good-natured, had annoyed Hunter.
However, Ali’s comment had the opposite effect and he was glad he’d made the effort.
“I believe we can skip the
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