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The pizza that was delivered thirty minutes later included her favorite toppings—mushrooms, zucchini, artichoke hearts and onions. Jordan had obviously paid attention to her preferences, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He had a good memory and whether it was for the purposes of seduction or getting a good interview, he knew how to create the right atmosphere.
Part of her hoped he might be angling for a night together. With the hard work in the garden, it wasn’t unreasonable to consider a trip to the hot tub to ease aching muscles. And from there it was a short journey to her bed.
But he didn’t get seductive. While they ate, he chatted in a casual manner.
“You mentioned writing a blog about being interviewed,” he said. “Any progress on that?”
“I’ve made notes, but there hasn’t been much time.”
“It might have been interesting to do a daily blog. You know, what your thoughts were, how you saw the questions, the challenges, though I’m sure the magazine would have wanted you to wait to post anything until after the article was published.”
“You weren’t thrilled when I mentioned the blog.”
“I’m getting accustomed to the idea. I told Syd about it the other day and she thought it could be an intriguing counterpoint to the article.”
“I’ve been afraid it would come off too much as a ‘dear diary’ thing.”
She’d actually written every day in her journal, but a great deal of it—especially since they’d slept together—wasn’t for public consumption.
“Isn’t that what blogs are?”
“No need for another one, then,” she said lightly.
They were sitting on the deck, the early evening sunlight glinting across the yard. Despite the pull of desire, what tugged on her most was the thought of eating with a man who wanted nothing more out of life than to come home and have dinner with his wife and family. Once that was something she’d dreamed of having. Then she’d given up the idea, so why did she keep thinking about it? How could hope be that persistent, and foolish?
Because while Jordan might find pleasure in planting a garden, it was only the first step. Weeds would come up. Bugs would nibble on the leaves. Sometimes plants didn’t yield a crop. That was reality.
She had to stop being an idiot.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JORDAN COULDN’T READ Nicole’s mood. She’d worked hard throughout the afternoon, exuding the sexy energy for which she was known. At the same time she had chatted pleasantly, and now sat at the deck table with her customary grace. Toby lay with his head against her ankle, sound asleep.
After dinner she made coffee and Jordan lingered, wishing he could stay. But it wasn’t just about sex. Everything felt more vital around Nicole. She had a sharp mind with broad interests that made her a dynamic conversationalist. Yet from various things she’d said, he suspected many men had only been interested in her surface beauty.
His mind drifted back to their high school years…and Lissa Anderson’s birthday bash. It had been talked about as the party of the year, which was what Lissa had wanted. Well, party of the year until the police had arrived.
“No matter how hard I try,” he said idly, “I can’t remember kissing you at Lissa’s party. Of course, I really don’t remember much from that night, period.”
Nicole looked amused. “I’m not surprised. I went to Hawaii the next day for a modeling gig. When I got back, I realized you didn’t have a clue.”
“Sorry.”
“Hardly the crime of the century, though for your sake I’m glad you didn’t keep drinking that much.”
He shuddered. “Amen to that. Getting so drunk I can’t remember what happened? That was the first and last time.”
“As far as you know.”
Her sly smile made him chuckle. “Let’s just say it’s a memory I regret not having.”
Nicole shook her head, still smiling. “Don’t be ridiculous. Even if it hadn’t been after our folks ended their friendship, wouldn’t you have found it hard to handle the knowledge that you’d kissed someone you disliked so much?”
Okay, she had a point. At the time he would have been upset and angry and probably would have taken his feelings out on her even more. So it was a good thing he hadn’t remembered.
