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Chapter 1
Sonya Elliott thanked heaven for the umpteenth time for placing Daniel Keller across the hall.
After taking a quick look down either side of the apartment corridor, she slipped across the carpeted hallway and tapped sharply on his door.
The I-really-really-need-this-job interview was in less than forty-five minutes and, wouldn’t you know it, the zipper on her dress got snared in the lace of her panties. Her many attempts to release it were fruitless and, as she didn’t have eyes on the back of her head, she couldn’t see just how bad the damage was.
Becoming impatient when she received no immediate response, she banged harder for a second time. She refused to be late for this appointment, and though she hated asking for help, she needed another set of hands.
Daniel’s door finally opened and he peered around the corner from over the rim of his thick glasses. With one finger he pushed them back up the bridge of his nose and gave her a quick once-over.
"Ah, I see you have manifested your ability to connect with the universal system of propulsion."
Rolling her eyes, she said, “English, Daniel.”
He gestured toward her outfit. “The ability to change direction. Or in this case, your mind. As I see you have chosen to go against my advice to wear the blue dress.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She brushed his comment aside with a twitch of her wrist. “As if you have any taste.”
Which was no joke. Daniel Keller possessed as much color in his wardrobe as he did in his life. As long as she had known him, he was a rather reserved man for someone so young. And dull. Dreadfully dull.
When initially they met nearly a year ago, she thought him older than his actual thirty-one years of age. But soon discovered his aloofness was more a result of him being, what she perceived, a bit on the bashful side. Something which, thankfully, had changed upon getting to know him better. She was sure she wouldn’t have bothered with him if he had remained in his little cocoon, for they had absolutely nothing in common.
“By not being able to choose between the red or blue dress, you created an internal conflict.”
“Well, of course. Do you have any idea how much a Versace dress costs? Even second-hand?”
“No, I can’t say that I do.”
Which didn’t surprise Sonya. The only thing that interested Daniel was the technical world. All his time was spent on any one of his computers, or down at the Institute where he worked. She sincerely couldn't figure him out. Not that she tried.
Daniel was a great neighbor and a real sweet guy, but he hardly fit into the circle she associated with. She was certain the group she hobnobbed with would find him a dreadful bore. As she, herself, admittedly found him to be at times. Whenever the discussion strayed in the direction of science or technology, she would have to change the topic in a fast hurry. Really, it didn’t surprise her in the least the guy was still single.
Not that he was unattractive, she had to concede as she watched him rake his fingers through his short but stiff brown locks. He had one of those dark polished looks about him. A look more popular on the legislative assembly channel rather than the ESPN channel.
Her eyes followed the movement of his hand and admitted he did possess a rather gorgeous head of hair. But, unfortunately, lacked any sense of style. What Sonya wouldn’t give to see him bear a Johnny Depp just-out-of-bed-after-hours-of-wild-sex look.
She smirked at the thought and automatically shot him a grin, which, typically, received no response.
“Got a girl in there, have ya?” She smirked and enjoyed the look of discomfort that came over him.
“No, of course not, why would you ask?”
“Relax Daniel. I was only teasing.”
“Oh.”
She shook her head and thought he really ought to laugh more, then peered through his thick eyeglass lenses for any sign of mirth. As predicted, nothing. Zilch. Not even a spark.
Sonya sighed inwardly. Perhaps if there were, his eyes would stand out a bit more. As it was, there wasn’t much to be said about them. On a good day they were close enough to be considered blue, but were mostly on the greyish side. Which, with the help of the thick lenses, only magnified the dullness in their depths.
“You really are a lost cause,” she told him, shaking her head. “Having a girl in your apartment shouldn’t make you think about running for the safety of your closet.”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” he said, though she detected a trace of insult as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
She sighed. Though he was a real nice guy, she didn’t doubt he was very lonely. What he needed was to find himself an equally nice girl and settle down. Not that Sonya advocated marriage. It was her opinion that the majority of people just shouldn’t
get married. She most definitely being one of them. But for some, there was this curious need for it. And Sonya was certain that Daniel fell into this group.
However, with his nose grounded to the inside of a computer lab twenty-four-seven, she didn’t see any chance of that happening. If Sonya’s life weren’t so full as it were, she would take on the task of transforming the computer nerd into a heartthrob and snatching him a wife.
Or, for that matter, any girl.
