Just One Night Part 18

They both sighed.

"Well, our second time was in the four-poster."

The teacup hit its saucer with a snap. "Second time? I thought you said-"

"I did. But we'd buried his grandmother's ashes, and he was so sad and so sweet, and he looked at me and I was lost."

"I know. Burying people always makes me hot."

She laughed. They both did. This was why it was so great to have a friend. For all her sarcasm Julia got it.

Their laughter died and she said, "In that big bed. I can't explain it. The s.e.x was so different. It was slower, the connection was so deep, it was like, like..."

"Like you were in love with him?"

Her friend's warm brown eyes were full of sympathy.

Hailey smacked her forehead into her palm. "I've gone and fallen in love with Rob. When I promised myself I wouldn't. It was only going to be one night. Just one night..."

"And now you're in love with him."

"Yeah."

"What about him? Is he in love with you?"

She thought about how he'd looked at her after they'd planted the tulips, how tenderly he'd made love to her. "Yes. I think he is. That doesn't change anything though. He's still the man with the camera on the other side of the world. And I'm still the girl who wants a stay-at-home guy."

"What are you going to do?"

As much as she didn't want to, Hailey knew she had to move on. "I'm going to date Dennis. And maybe a few other men I find interesting. And Rob will heal and he'll return to his globe-trotting existence. And I will try to forget him."

Her friend's response was succinct. "That plan sucks."

"Can you think of a better one?"

"Nope."

17.

JULIA WAS IN A HURRY to see John's house completed, though not as much of a hurry as he was in, which made the project fun to work on.

She called in the painters she always used. They were fast and reliable, and more important, could come immediately. She'd chosen a chocolate color for his bedroom. During the week she'd spent extra time picking linens and a few accessories that she knew he wouldn't have been interested in.

The furniture was being delivered on Sat.u.r.day and she was as excited as if it were her own home she was decorating.

When he called her Friday she a.s.sumed it was to let her know what time all the furniture was going to be delivered the next day.

It wasn't. "How do you feel about dinner?" he asked.

"Enthusiastic. I'm a big believer in three squares a day."

"Very funny. How do you feel about dinner tonight? With me?"

"Even more enthusiastic. I absolutely do not feel like cooking tonight."

"Seven?"

"Perfect."

"Pick you up?"

She hesitated. "Hmm. Tempting. I'm staging a place downtown. I don't think I'm going to have time to go home first. Why don't I meet you someplace?"

"Indian sound good to you?"

"Yes."

"You're a very easy woman to please."

She chuckled. "You're hitting all the right notes."

He named a place she'd heard of but never tried, and they agreed to meet at seven.

The staging job took longer than she'd antic.i.p.ated. After she'd plumped the last cus.h.i.+on and fussed with the final flower arrangement she saw she was running a few minutes late. However, she absolutely could not be seen in public without retouching her makeup, which she did in the car once she'd parked near the restaurant.

When she walked in, she couldn't see John at first. There were two men sitting alone at tables, but a quick scan showed neither was him. Both were well-turned out, obviously waiting for their wives or dates. She glanced at her watch. Okay, she was a quarter of an hour late, but surely he wouldn't...

She started to nibble on her freshly lipsticked lip when one of the two men waved at her.

"John?" She couldn't have been more shocked. He stood and came toward her. "You look so different." She'd seen potential there, but even she hadn't seen how hot he could be. "What have you done?"

He was wearing the jeans she'd talked him into and the black sweater, which reminded her how good his body was.

But there was so much more he'd done to himself.

They returned to his table and he said, "I took your advice. I went to Savoir Faire and had my hair styled." He put air quotes around styled but he'd gone, hadn't he?

"I can't believe the difference a good cut makes."

"The guy who did the cutting is the one who recommended the eyegla.s.s place."

"That's what else is different. Your gla.s.ses are from this millennium. They look good. You have beautiful eyes."

He seemed slightly embarra.s.sed by her enthusiasm for his new look and quickly changed the subject.

"How did your staging go today?"

"Fine. The Realtor was really pleased. He's going to put photos on his website and mention First Impressions by name. It's always good to get a little free publicity."

While they talked, a woman walked by and Julia could see her checking John out. She wasn't used to seeing him ogled and she was surprised at how much she didn't like the experience.

"Have you had any dates since your makeover?" she asked him.

"A couple." Again that unusual stab of irritation. Why shouldn't he date?

"And?"

What was she doing, she wondered, offering her time and talents to turn John into a great-looking guy with a stylish home just so she could gift him to another woman?

He sat back, sipped the ginger drink they'd both ordered, and said, "The first one was nice enough. She was early for our date."

Julia thought of her own perpetual tardiness and hated this woman on principle. "She probably has no life," she commented.

"Could be. But then, if being early means you have no life, I guess I don't have one either."

"Oops."

"You know what's weird?"

"What?"

"I've got used to having that time to myself while I wait for you. I find it kind of relaxing. Have a drink, check email on my cell, settle in and study the menu. I didn't like this woman arriving at the same time as me. It threw me."

This was good. She was starting to feel better. "What about the other date?"

He shook his head. "I suggested coffee, but she wanted to go for a drink instead. Talked nonstop about herself while getting plastered. I put her in a cab two hours after we met. Longest two hours of my life."

"I'm only a social drinker," Julia said. Which was a stupid thing to say and completely irrelevant to the conversation. Especially as they'd already decided they were only going to be friends.

"I've noticed."

She looked up. Their gazes caught and held for a moment. She felt as though she were seeing him for the first time. He was already familiar to her, and yet, tonight he seemed different. s.e.xier. Surer of himself, maybe.

She glanced down again and the strange moment pa.s.sed.

As dinner progressed the evening seemed more like a date. She found herself feeling flirty and felt a similar vibe coming from her companion.

A pleasant sense of uncertainty teased at her. They'd agreed they didn't have chemistry. Was it possible they'd been wrong?

Was it simply that they hadn't given each other a chance? She studied him across the table and saw not a fas.h.i.+on model nor a Greek G.o.d, but a real flesh-and-blood man. A heck of a lot better put together than the one she'd first met, but he wasn't a fantasy. She already knew that he was a stickler about time-though he seemed able to cope with her habit of being slightly late. She knew from his house that he was absurdly tidy-again, not something they had in common. She kept her place clean, but was always fighting clutter.

He enjoyed trying new restaurants. As did she. They could talk about anything and everything from places they'd traveled to bands they both liked or didn't to local politics.

He'd become a good friend. Could he be more?

Once outside the restaurant, they lingered a moment too long. She didn't want to leave him. He didn't seem in a hurry to leave her.

"It's a funny thing about dating sites," he said. "You end up judging people so fast. It's like you have these ideas about what you want and like and if the other person doesn't hit a bunch of the things in the first few minutes of meeting, you move on."

"Sometimes too fast, maybe."

"Yes. Exactly." He stepped closer to her. "I have to make a confession."

Her pulse sped up. "What is it?" She hoped it wasn't something bad. She really hoped it wasn't something bad.

He said, "I was attracted to you the first time we met."

"You were?"

"Yep. You obviously weren't into me so I figured friends was still good."

"I was caught up in my ridiculous fantasy." She closed her eyes. "I was so naive."

"Do you still just want to be friends? Or are you open to something more?"

In response, she stepped even closer to him until she could see the black flecks in his blue eyes that were staring into hers with an intensity that she felt throughout her being. She raised herself on tiptoe. She'd intended to kiss him. Somewhere along the line, though, he took over, drawing her in tight and kissing her long and hard. It was a kiss that could make a woman forget to breathe.

When he pulled away, she touched his face. "Oh, I am definitely willing to consider more."

"Good."

She fiddled with her car keys. "I've got some linens I picked up for you in the car."

"The bedroom furniture arrived today. Do you want to come and see it?"

His gaze was tender, and she didn't feel like speaking, maybe wasn't able to. She just nodded.

He nodded back. Sometimes you didn't need words.

She climbed into her car and followed him back to his place. She felt jumpy and strange, but also keenly excited. She was pretty sure they were going to do more with that bed than put linens on it. Luckily, her gym bag was in the car so she had toiletries, a few cosmetics, a toothbrush and a change of underwear-an unexpected benefit of belonging to the gym.

When she walked into his house she cried out in delight. Against the freshly painted walls rested the new furniture. Clearly the bedroom suite wasn't the only furniture that had been delivered a day early.

"The sectional is great there. And wasn't I right about the paint color and those black-and-white photographs? Masculine but stylish. Even the TV fits in now."

Even though this was her business there was huge pride when her design worked out. As this one had.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

"Beautiful," he said, not looking at the freshly painted walls or the brand-new furniture. He was looking at her.

She held the bag of linens in one hand, her gym bag and purse over the other shoulder. He walked over, took the bag from her hands. "Would you like to see the bedroom?"