“Thanks for doing this for me. I appreciate it.”
Theo pushed away from the desk and stood in front of her. “I hope it works out for you.”
The way he looked at her with creases between his eyebrows and an intense stare, she wasn’t sure if she believed him. He took another step forward, and her breath caught. If only Theo could forget about the bro code he had with Ethan and make a move. Images of the night in his penthouse flashed in her mind. She’d do anything to have a night with him. Multiple nights.
She took a step back. No point in wishing for things that would never happen. If she wanted a husband and family, she needed to clear Theo from her mind, or no one would ever measure up. “Tell me a little about Owen.”
He rubbed his hand on his chin; it made a scratching sound over the light stubble. “He’s about thirty-six and manages the accounting team we work with. We’ve been friends for about five years.”
Chloe waited a moment for him to continue, and when he didn’t, she asked, “That’s it? What about hobbies? Things he likes. Something more personal.”
Theo shrugged. “You can learn all that during your date. It’ll give you something to talk about.”
Yes, he was right. If she knew everything now, they might be sitting at dinner listening to the sound of crickets, but it didn’t help settle the herd of horses stomping on her chest. Her nose tickled.
Someone knocked, and a tall man with wavy dark-brown hair with threads of gray on the sides walked into the office. He wore a charcoal-gray suit, filling it out nicely. With kind green eyes and a warm smile, she could totally see husband potential. Hopefully he had the personality to match. Could this be him? Could he be the man she’d marry and spend the rest of her life with? The man she’d start a family with?
Please don’t sneeze. Please don’t sneeze,she repeated in her mind, nose twitching.
“Aachoo!”
“Bless you,” Theo and Owen said at the same time.
Oh, no. Don’t start now!Owen ambled closer. When he smiled, a few lines fanned from the corners of his eyes. He had a handsome face.
“Aachoo!”Crap!This couldn’t happen now. Dammit, nerves, go away! God, it was mortifying, she’d blamed her sneezing on sinuses so her dates wouldn’t think she was a freak. It hadn’t happened in years, and she’d thought she’d gotten it under control. Obviously not.
Why didn’t it happen when she was with Theo? They’d gottenveryintimate, and she hadn’t had so much as a nose tickle. Was it because they’d been friends first and she was comfortable around him? The night at his penthouse, she’d felt a lot of things—excitement, desire, the joy of losing her virginity with a man she trusted. Nerves? No.
“Are you getting a cold?” Theo asked, looking at her with concern.
“No, just allergies,” she lied.
“Owen, this is Chloe Doyle. Chloe, my friend Owen Farina.”
Owen approached her. Thinking he was offering his hand in greeting, she held out hers to shake, but he’d gone in for a hug. Realizing they were doing different things, he pulled back as Chloe moved forward to hug him. The whole thing turned out to be a jumbled mess of awkward gestures and embarrassed laughter.
“I’m sorry,” Owen said, taking a step back. “Let’s try this again. It’s lovely to meet you, Chloe.” He smiled. His eyes sparkled with laughter as he held out his hand.
Holding back a sneeze, she tried to return the smile. It made her grimace instead. Great. Definitely not the first impression she wanted to make. “Lovely to meet you, too.” Not able to hold the sneeze in any longer, she turned her head over her shoulder and let it out as quietly as she could.
It wasn’t quiet.
“Theo, you gotta get this office cleaned more often. The dust is going to kill her,” Owen chuckled.
Theo scowled; clearly he didn’t appreciate Owen’s joke. If his face was any harder, it would crack.What’s wrong with him?
“Theo tells me you’re an agent. That sounds interesting,” Owen said. “Entertainment, right?”
“That’s right. It’s entertaining dealing with divas and huge egos sometimes.”
Owen laughed. “I bet. I’d love to hear more about it over dinner. I can book us a table at Ronaldo’s—they make the best Italian food—for Monday if that suits you? If not, we can arrange another day.”
Chloe loved Italian food. Ronaldo’s got booked out weeks in advance. She’d heard the food was amazing, and it was one of the places on her list to try. Were the stars aligning? Here was a man who looked to be of right mind, handsome, had a good job, didn’t seem to take things too seriously, and had the same taste in food. He really could be the one.
“Aachoo! I’m so sorry about this.” She waved her hand around her face. “I promise to have it settled before our date.” How, she didn’t know, she’d have to deal with that problem later. Maybe hypnosis? CBD oil? Puppies? “Monday sounds great,” she said, flashing Owen a bright smile. “Ever since arriving in New York I’ve wanted to try that restaurant.”
“Then we’re off to a good start.” He grinned. He really was handsome.
