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She gave him a tight smile that let him know she saw through him. “You are not a player at all, Major. But you are the kind of man who might let something good pass him by because it doesn’t seem perfect at the moment.”
He wasn’t sure he liked that characterization. “I don’t need someone to be perfect.”
“No, but you do want to make things perfect for the people around you. Especially your dad,” Lisa pointed out. “You need to think about yourself and what you need. I think you’ll find the rest of it will fall into place. I’ll go get you that tea.”
He watched Lisa walk away and wondered if she was right. Was he pushing too hard? Was he rushing to find a woman to settle down with before his father couldn’t remember who he was?
He sat back in his chair, hearing the hum of conversations around him but not truly listening to it. He was surrounded by people he knew, but he felt alone. Twenty-two dates so far and not a real connection with any of them. Was he not giving it enough time? Or was he going through the motions so he could come out of this and say at least he’d tried?
Or maybe he was completely lying to himself and he had made a connection with someone. Just not the kind of woman he needed a connection with. Naturally the one he couldn’t stop thinking about was the one who was absolutely guaranteed to leave. Brynn Pearson probably wasn’t looking to settle down. She was busy with her career, a career that took her all over the world. What would she even want with a small-town deputy?
“Hi. Are you Major Blanchard?” A woman in jeans and a button-down blouse stood in front of him. She looked to be in her early thirties with dark hair.
She would likely be very attractive if she hadn’t been looking at him like he was the devil himself. He had the sudden feeling that date number twenty-three wasn’t going to change his luck.
He could be someone else. He could be John Smith. Or some random tourist. He didn’t have to be who this woman was looking for.
He stood and held out a hand. “Yes. I guess that makes you Samantha Henshaw.”
She shook it like they were about to have a job interview and then stepped back. “Yes, I am. Sorry for the drama this whole thing has caused. My grandmother’s best friend apparently got into it with a neighbor earlier today over this date that I did not set up for myself. Thank you for not arresting my grandma’s best friend.” She stopped, her eyes narrowing. “Or maybe I should curse you for not arresting her. She might not be able to deny reality if her bestie was in jail.”
“She would get a phone call and Sally would be the first person she dialed. You would likely have spent the day driving your granny around to post her bestie’s bail.” He pulled out her seat and offered it to her.
She sighed and stayed right where she was. “Look, I should have called you and canceled, but I didn’t actually know about this date of ours until a couple of hours ago and my grandmother wouldn’t give me your phone number, so here I am. Also, congratulations on whatever debauchery happened in your life that made her warn me I shouldn’t get too close too soon.”
“So you’re turning me down because of my lost virtue.” He didn’t point out that it had only been his sweatpants that had been lost. Everyone seemed to think he’d done something nasty with the gorgeous actress. Yes, she’d gone from pretty to gorgeous over the course of the day. Getting to know her a little had made her more stunning to him. If he was going to do the time, he should have at least had the pleasure of doing the crime.
She shook her head. “No, I’m turning you down because I have a girlfriend.” She pointed behind her. “She’s sitting in the dining room.”
He turned and, sure enough, there was another woman sitting and staring at him. She actually reminded him of that corgi. Not because she looked like a corgi, but he knew that stare. That stare told him to stay away.
He was getting that stare a lot today. “Your grandmother doesn’t know?”
“Oh, she knows. She’s met Mandy many times, and we don’t hide our relationship,” Sam replied with a shake of her head. Her lips finally curved up, but the smile seemed more sad than amused. “She seems to think if she pretends it isn’t true, it won’t be. Or maybe she thinks you’ll be so manly I’ll find my way back around on the Kinsey Scale.”
His heart ached for a woman he didn’t know. He’d met Sally Henshaw many times, but never her granddaughter. “I’m sorry for that. It’s got to be hard to deal with. I know your grandmother and I know she loves you, but she can be stubborn.”
