AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He tore his lips from mine, breathing hard. His hands cupped my face. “Darlin’, I need to go.”
“If you’re sure.” Seduction wrapped around every syllable in hopes he would change his mind.
“You don’t play fair.” He kissed my forehead and forced himself away from me. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” I sighed, not used to him turning down my advances.
He made sure I was in the house before he walked away. I shut the door, exhaling louder than I meant to.
Mr. Carrington, who I didn’t realize was sitting on the recliner in the living room reading a book, startled me when he said, “I recognize that sound.” He set his book down in his lap. “Do you want to talk?”
I smiled and joined him in the living room. I sat on the loveseat and sank into it. “We had a nice time.”
Mr. Carrington took off his reading glasses. “Nice? That’s the kiss of death for men.”
I laughed. “I think Ryder would agree with you.”
He leaned forward, ready to listen. It hit me that my own father had never waited up for me. Daddy was never present or involved enough to know whether my dates were all I had hoped they would be.
I rested my head against the loveseat. “I guess I was hoping for old times, something simple like a picnic by the lake or maybe a dinner that didn’t have a thousand-dollar tab.”
Mr. Carrington scrubbed a hand over his scruffy face. “This reminds me of the first time I took Shannon out.” The smile I associated with his wife spread across his face. It was a smile that spoke of the greatest love and loss of his life. “I was so nervous to make a good impression after being friends for so long. And I felt I had to live up to Anders, which was no small task. He was the best man I ever knew.”
That had to be weird for him to date his best friend’s wife.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I thought it would be smart if I showed her exactly what I could offer her. I started with picking her up in a limo.”
I giggled.
“I know, honey, it gets worse. After that I whisked her away to the most expensive restaurant in Edenvale. We couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu and what we did order was terrible. We both left hungry and I think she left a little unsure of me, or maybe a lot after I hired a helicopter pilot to take us on a tour. I didn’t know Shannon wasn’t fond of flying and she vomited.”
“Oh, goodness no.”
Mr. Carrington shook his head at himself. “Thankfully we ended up laughing about it and I came to my senses and took her to a drive-in movie where I paid the limo driver to leave us for the duration. She loved to tease me about my misguided ways.”
“Sounds like a sweet memory.”
“It is,” he sighed. “I’m just glad she saw past my nervousness and ego and didn’t hold it against me.” He gave me a little wink.
“Are you trying to give me advice?”
“I’m just telling you that I think your young man’s heart was in the right place and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s kicking himself right now.”
“I don’t know. His job is keeping him real busy. He left to get some work done.” My phone started vibrating in my purse.
Mr. Carrington gave me a sly grin. “I think you might want to get that.”
I slid my hand into my small purse and retrieved my phone. My heart skipped a few beats when I realized who it was. I smiled at Mr. Carrington before I answered. “Hey there. Is everything all right?”
“No.”
My heart dropped.
“I want a redo.”
“A redo?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Wear something comfortable. No heels,” he specified. We’d had many conversations on how I found heels to be comfortable.
“I thought you had to work.”
“It can wait, but you and I can’t. I’ll see you in ten.”
I hung up feeling all sorts of wonderful.
Mr. Carrington stood, grinning. “What did I tell you? Good night, honey.”
I jumped up and kissed Mr. Carrington on the cheek before I rushed to my room to change. I felt like a teenage girl who just had the cutest boy in school ask her out on a date. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t overthink my clothes or try on several outfits to see which one made me look best because I knew Ryder would think I looked good in all of them. So maybe I went with the skimpy shorts and a tight T-shirt. He was definitely going to like those.
I slipped into some sandals and ran back downstairs to wait for him on the porch since it was late and Mr. Carrington had gone to bed. I sat on the swing, waiting for Ryder to appear in his car, but I heard the crunch of gravel on one of the paths that led to the cabins. Sure enough, it was Ryder.
