“Girls?”
But Harper was already out the door.
Riley stood there, stunned by what had just happened. She figured Harper meant herself, Anita, and Olivia. But a full report of what, Riley wasn’t sure. She wasn’t used to having girlfriends to report to. She was also finding she didn’t mind it so much.
She thought about the pink outfit again and Harper’s thoughtfulness. This was the nicest thing any woman had ever done for her, with the exception of Mimi or one of the BBs.
Riley smiled, blinking back something she wasn’t used to—happy tears.
Chapter11
Hayden slicked back his hair, the ends still damp from the quick shower he took before he went to pick up Riley from Knots and Tangles. He could have just changed his work shirt in the back room of the hardware store, then got in his car and picked her up behind the store instead of rushing home first, but that didn’t feel right for some reason. Even though he spent the day reminding himself that dinner tonight wasn’t a date, his nerves sure made it feel like one.
At 5:30 p.m. sharp he opened the door to the yarn shop. The bell above him dinged as he walked inside. When he didn’t see her right away, he paused in the middle of the shop, noticing how much room there was now since Riley had arrived and put her organizing skills to work. He wasn’t sure what to do. Should he wait for her at the counter? Holler that he was here? Text her? He was pulling out his phone from the pocket of his jeans when she walked through the doorway that led to the back of the store.
He froze, phone in hand, unable to take his eyes off her. She was wearing a light-pink top that dipped a little low, but not too low to be indecent, and a flowing skirt that skimmed the tops of her knees. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail with a few strands framing her face. At the base of her neck was a simple gold necklace. Her cheeks were rosy, as if she were blushing. She was so beautiful he could hardly breathe.
“Hi,” she said, looking at him but keeping her distance.
He swallowed. “Hey.” Great, he sounded like a bullfrog. He cleared his throat. “Uh, ready to go?”
Riley nodded. “Let me get my purse.” She went behind the counter and picked up her crossbody bag, hanging it over her shoulder.
“I parked in the back,” he said, walking over to her.
She nodded and walked around the counter. Then she suddenly tripped and started to fall forward.
Hayden curved his arm around her waist, steadying her, seeing that she’d tripped over the corner of an old area rug that was curling at the edges. He noticed she had on a pair of white strappy shoes with cork-colored heels. When he faced her, he realized they were nearly nose to nose.
“New shoes.” She sounded like she’d swallowed a squeaky dog toy. “I’m not used to them.”
The words hardly registered. Besides their kiss the other day, he’d never been this close to Riley before, not that he hadn’t wanted to be. He should let go of her, but his arm remained firmly in place. He could feel the softness of her shirt and the curves underneath, see the light sprinkling of freckles across her nose that were only visible this close up. Kissing her again would be so easy, so pleasurable—so wrong.
He dropped his arm and stepped away. “Can’t help you with that,” he said, letting out a chuckle about her new shoes and hoping he didn’t sound stupid. “I prefer cleats myself.”
“They wouldn’t exactly go with the outfit.”
That made him laugh—and broke the awkwardness of him holding on to her longer than was polite. Before he could say anything, she started walking away.
“I don’t want to be late for our reservation,” she said.
The steakhouse didn’t take reservations, but he didn’t correct her. He followed her out the door, trying to keep his gaze straight ahead and not on her. He wanted to blame the clothing for his intense attraction, but who was he kidding? She could wear a muumuu and he’d find her just as desirable.
When he saw that she was almost to the passenger door, he hurried and opened it for her. He couldn’t decipher the look she gave him before getting in the car, and he figured he was really pushing things now. But he’d open the door for any woman. Those manners were ingrained in him since his youth.
As he drove to the restaurant, he searched for something to say. This was supposed to be supper with a friend, and conversation should have been easy. Instead, he turned on the radio and they listened to country music on the way to the steakhouse. When he pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine, she started to open the door.
“Wait,” he said, instinctively touching her arm to stop her. When she glanced down at his hand on her arm, he pulled it back. “My mother would never forgive me if I didn’t open the door for you.”
Her lips curved into a half smile. “Southern manners?”
“You know it.” Relieved, he smiled back, then dashed out of the car and opened her door, holding out his hand. When she slipped her hand into his palm, he tried to imagine he was helping one of the BBs out of a car, something he had done a time or two. It didn’t work, of course, and he realized how nice Riley’s hand fit in his the same moment she let go.
After they walked into the restaurant and were taken to a table, Hayden insisting on pulling out her chair for her, they sat down and read over the menus. More silence, and that had diminished his good feelings from moments ago when she had smiled at him.
Maybe he’d made a mistake by asking her to dinner. They probably should have met at Erma’s, which would have been neutral territory, sort of. The waitress showed up and they ordered their food, then handed the menus to her before she took off. When he saw Riley fidgeting with the corner of her red cloth napkin, he was sure tonight was going to be uneasy at best, and possibly a disaster. Since his track record with her wasn’t great, he steeled himself for a long, uncomfortable evening.
***
