Page 39 of Best Kept Secret

He could practically hear Jared saying, Convenient, as he walked up to Kelsey’s door.

He’d just raised his hand to knock when the door swung open and there she stood, beaming at him. “Finally!” she said.

“I’m not late, am I?”

“No. I was just anxious for you to get here.”

He chuckled at her exuberance. “Me too.” Then his gaze roamed over her, starting with her newly highlighted hair.

She flipped a section of it off her shoulder. “Well, what do you think?”

“It looks great.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you? Because the highlights will fade.”

“No. I mean it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it suits you.”

“Thanks. Do you want to come in for a minute, or should we get going?”

He would have loved to come inside, but he was afraid he’d never want to go back out. She looked and smelled too good, and he didn’t trust himself to be alone with her.

“We should probably get going since I made a reservation.”

“Okay.” She plucked her purse off a table near the door and stepped outside.

He stood behind her and admired the back view as she locked the deadbolt. She had good taste and dressed to flatter her curves without flaunting them. Did she have any idea how enticing she was? How sexy?

They went to his car, and he opened the passenger door and gallantly motioned her inside.

Once he’d slid into the driver’s seat, she said, “You didn’t have to open my door, but for the record, I loved it.”

He chuckled. “You’re very honest about your feelings, aren’t you?”

She shrugged. “Bad habit, I guess.”

“Not at all. It’s very…refreshing.”

She tilted her head and eyed him quizzically. “Other women haven’t been honest with you?”

“Not always,” he replied. He’d specifically thought about when Sonia had kept her baby news from him. Of course, now he was doing the same with Kelsey.

“I couldn’t have a relationship with someone I didn’t trust,” she said breezily.

The traffic light turned yellow, and he slowed to a stop, reluctant to meet her eyes. Luckily, she moved on to another topic.

“So, what did you do all day?”

“Jared and I worked out this morning, and then we went for a swim.”

“At the apartment complex?”

“Um-hmm.”

“I bet all the women were swooning.”

“Yeah, especially the eighty-year-old lady who lives downstairs from us.”

She laughed.