“If you want, I can swing by and pick you up on my way to the bar. That way, you’ll show up with someone you know before gettin’ bombarded by everyone.”
“Bombarded?” I ask. The idea of being thrust into the spotlight doesn’t sit well with me.
“You’re a city girl new to town. Plus, you’re the prettiest thing we’ve had around here in decades. Unfortunately, that’s goin’ to draw everyone’s interest. Until they get used to you.”
That doesn’t provide much comfort at all, but at least Rhett’s offering to take me. It’s almost like a date. Or is it one? “That sounds good, I guess. What should I wear to something like this?”
“You can wear whatever you want. Most people just wear jeans and a T-shirt. The girls tend to wear skirts or dresses, but that’sprobably more to do with the heat than dressin’ up. Nothin’ formal.”
I immediately look down at my dress. “Do I dress too formally?”
“No, Brynlee,” Rhett says. He smiles at me as I look up. “You look good. Most of the women give up tryin’ to impress anyone unless they’re newly single. Not that it takes much to impress us, if I’m bein’ honest. You’re a breath of fresh air.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re flirting with me.”
He just continues smiling and opens his pickup door. “I’ll swing by around seven-thirty tomorrow. Does that work for you?”
Frustrated, I nod. “That sounds fine. Hey, Rhett?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
His eyebrows lift as his smile drops. “What?”
“I just… I don’t want to upset your girlfriend, if you have one, by occupying all your time. Or going to Carter’s birthday thing tomorrow.”
“No girlfriend. Trust me, when I’m with someone, there’s never a question about it.”
Okay, so he’s single. And that sounded flirtatious, but I still can’t tell if he’s just being nice. Does he like me, or is he just being neighborly? Is he taking pity on the poor city girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing out here in the country? In the city, men would have made their intentions clear by now.
“See you tomorrow, Brynlee. Have a good night, and let me know if you have any water problems.”
I wave as he climbs into his pickup and drives away. Yes, Rhett Dillon has me more confused than ever. He’s playing a game I don’t understand the rules to yet, and it’s unfair. It’s not fair at all.
Chapter Six
Rhett
“Did I put on too much cologne?” I ask the windshield as I turn onto the road to Brynlee’s.
It’s not a date, but that doesn’t change the fact I feel like a teenager who just asked the girl he has a crush on to the school dance. I don’t want to suffocate her, so maybe I can air out the cab by leaving the door open when I get out.
The comment she made about me flirting with her was difficult to read. Was she excited about it? Or was she trying to let me down easily by ignoring it? I don’t know how much more obvious I can get about how much I like her, short of telling her about how I dream about what her lips taste like. In my experience, that is a sure-fire way to make sure she never speaks to me again.
Courting city girls is clearly different from courting the girls around here. It would have been more than clear by now to any other woman in town that I’m shooting my shot. She’s probably used to a more direct man.
Well, shit. That’s probably how those guys avoid the friend zone.
“Maybe we should just stay friends,” I say and shift into park in front of her garage. “That way, my heart won’t get broken when she says we’re just better off that way.”
Tonight, she’ll meet just about every man, both available and taken, and she’ll have her pick of anyone she wants. I’ll just be the guy who helped when she was stuck on the side of the road. Wow, I just took myself from potential boyfriend to her handyman in seconds. Being the nice guy never fails to bite me in the ass.
Looking at the clock, it reads seven-twenty-five. Always early. Should I sit out here for the remaining five minutes or go and knock? Just as I climb out to walk up to her porch, Brynlee steps out of her house, ready and anticipating my arrival.
Of course, she was. She’s about to meet everyone and build her social circle beyond just me.
The cologne airs out a bit, and I can’t stop from gaping as I fully take in her appearance. The light blue sundress not only makes her eyes shine but her golden skin glow. Her blonde hair hangs in loose curls down to her shoulder blades, and she has just the softest touch of makeup on. Instead of her normal heels,she has on a pair of wedges more suited for the dirt roads we have, and I smile. She looks adorable.
