“Well… No, of course not. Just ask her about what Nathan said. See if she thinks he was kidding.”
Ralph crossed his arms over the t-shirt that barely covered his beer belly. “For God’s sake. There’s no such thing as vampires, woman. And how is he supposed to do that without letting her knowsomeonewas eavesdropping?”
She winced.Someone, meaning me, of course.No one appreciated her contribution. If they didn’t want her to keep an eye on the place and manage it, why did they let her call herself the manager?
“Fine!” Dottie stomped off to her bedroom and blasted her oldies radio station. At that moment “YouAin’t Seen Nothing Yet” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive served as a warning.
Just wait, you two. Something is going on here. I know it! And as soon as I can, I’ll show you evidence and prove my usefulness—one way or another.
Merry’s apartment smelled wonderful. The strong aromas of Italian food and cinnamon met Jason’s nose as soon as she opened the door.
“Wow, something smells delicious, Merry. I came to see ifI could give you a hand when you’re ready to bring things upstairs.”
“Thanks, that’s nice of you. I have the lasagna in a glass casserole dish that’s probably hot and heavy…” She blushed.
Oops. Freudian slip much?
“Uh, so if you want to take that, um… You’ll need potholders. Here.” She shoved the childish potholders at him.
“I never asked who made these. Do you have a niece or nephew?”
“Nope.Imade them—at summer camp about a zillion years ago. My father keeps everything.” She blushed harder. “The dessert is just apple crisp.”
“Mmm… Lasagna. How did you know my number one weakness? And ‘just’ apple crisp? The only thing that could top that would be apple pie à la mode.” She had changed the subject, so he’d tease her about the potholders some other time. “Man, I can hardly wait. I love those two things. You’ve got me salivating already.” His mouth watered over more than the food. They hadn’t discussed how to dress, and he’d assumed she’d wear something casual, like jeans and a sweater. But she wore a clingy red dress. He wondered if she knew how delicious she looked in it.
Merry opened the oven door. “I was going to put tin foil over the pan, but if you’re hungry and want to eat right away, there’s no need to.”
He drew the bubbling dish out of the oven and set it on top of the stove. “No, we can take our time. I didn’t mean to rush dinner, and I won’t starve to death if we spend an extra half hour getting to know each other over a glass of wine.”
She smiled. “Sounds good to me.”
Did it? He certainly hoped she was game for involvement with someone whose entire life could be taken over by his livelihood. At times he wished more than anything that he hadsomeone waiting for him at home.
Merry’s presence in his building could be the next best thing. She seemed emotionally stable—so far. Certainly more stable than some of his rabid fans.
Loaded down with the heavy dish, Jason let her hold the door and lock it behind them. He asked her to extract his key card from his front pocket rather than balance the heavy lasagna pan on one wide open palm and hope not to drop it.
“Okaaay.” She gingerly fished the proximity card out of his pocket and held it up to the elevator’s scanner. A slight blush colored her cheeks.
The magic card allowed access to the penthouse floor. As they rode the elevator together, he glanced down at her and smiled. She shifted her focus to the floor, but when she looked up again, she showed him her wide sparkling smile—the one that twisted his stomach into a knot and affected lower regions too.
At last, they reached the penthouse and the elevator doors opened onto his expansive entry. He watched for her reaction to the pristine condition of his combined living and dining areas. “Welcome to my abode.”
Her eyes popped and her smile turned into an open-mouthed, awed expression as she took in the expensively decorated but completely impractical penthouse. She bypassed the kitchen and her high heels clicked across the marble floors to the windows. She still clutched her apple crisp. “Wow!”
He had pulled the curtains closed in all but the one spot that led to his balcony. Even so, the city lights showed through the gossamer, airy curtains and lit up the night like stars. She must have liked what she saw. She seemed positively mesmerized.
Jason set the lasagna dish on his built-in kitchen grill and followed her to the windows. “Pretty, isn’t it?”Not nearly as pretty as the temptress right in front of me.
“I’ll say. I didn’t realize our building was higher than thoseon the other side of the street. I can see the river. You really scored a gorgeous view here.”
He chuckled at her use of the word,score.With any luck, he’d score with the cute Rhode Islander before too long.
“Let me take that dish so you can look around. See the rest of the place.” He headed toward the kitchen and set the dish on the granite peninsula.
She followed, hesitantly. “Thanks. You trust me to wander around by myself?”
“Sure, I don’t think you could hide much of anything under that slinky dress.”
