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When I pulled back, Billie’s jaw was hanging open. I freaking loved that she looked so affected. She swallowed. “Is that the way all your dates end?”
I shook my head back and forth slowly. “No, but it’s damn straight the way ours would.”
***
“Do you want me to drop you off at home?” I asked as we stopped at the first light.
Billie shook her head. “I have an appointment at the shop tonight. I don’t usually work Saturday evenings—that’s why I was off today—but one of my regulars moved to Florida and is only in town for the weekend. He asked if I could add something to the sleeve I did for him a while back. So if you’re going to your apartment, that works out great. If not, no biggie. You can leave me wherever. I’m sure you have to pick up Saylor.”
“I’m actually going to unload everything we bought at the apartment it’s going into before I pick her up. She’ll probably fall asleep on the drive back from my parents’, and I don’t want to have to wake her to do it later.”
She smiled. “So thoughtful. I don’t know too many men who put that much effort into planning ahead, and not just with Saylor—even today, for example. Our undate was really cute.”
I leaned toward her a little. “Any chance it earned me a real date?”
I’d been teasing, at least half teasing, but Billie’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Colby. Maybe doing this undate thing wasn’t a good idea. I’m laughing and having a good time with you while drinking wine and sharing a meal. It’s not fair of me to lead you on.”
I panicked. “I was joking, Billie.”
She didn’t look like she believed me. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. If my choices are being friends with you or nothing, I’ll take friends. You don’t have to worry about leading me on. I’m a big boy.” Though inside I felt pretty crushed. I guess all the fun today had gotten my hopes up a little. But I wasn’t about to let her know that because I didn’t want her to cut me off altogether. “You know what?” I said. “I don’t think I even want to go out with you anymore.”
“Oh really?”
I shrugged. “I mean, you can’t throw for shit, and I noticed those little drops of brown sauce from the meatballs you dribbled onto your shirt. You’re kinda not my type anyway.”
Billie smiled. “Yeah? So what exactly is your type?”
I looked over at her before returning my eyes to the road. “I like blondes. Really tall ones, at least six feet. And flat-chested, too. I can’t forget that.”
Billie chuckled. “Flat-chested, huh?”
I nodded. “Yup. The flatter the better. Give me a girl who looks like an ironing board any day of the week.”
“Well, I guess I’m really not your type then…”
“Nope.” I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “So you don’t have to worry about leading me on one bit. Actually, when you come too close, I kind of feel like I might catch the cooties.”
The ear-to-ear smile on Billie’s face made it worth lying through my teeth.
Too soon, we pulled up at the apartment. I double parked, and my platonic, not flat-chested friend helped me take all of the bags to the empty unit. After the last trip, Billie looked at the time on her phone. “I need to go get ready for my appointment, but I had a lot of fun today.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “Me, too. Let’s do it again soon.”
Billie nodded and pushed up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Goodnight, Colby.”
I stayed firmly rooted in place as she walked to her store. When she got to the door, she stopped, but didn’t look back.
“Hey, Lennon?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you watching my ass if I’m not your type?”
I chuckled as she swung the door open and disappeared inside.
Billie Holland was definitely not my type anymore. Because type referred to a group or variety of something you like. And these days, I didn’t want a variety. I only wanted one woman.
CHAPTER 8
Billie
The following day, I paced through the living room of Deek’s apartment. “You’re supposed to be knocking some sense into me, not encouraging this!”
I’d gone back to his place after we got ramen for dinner and decided to fill him in on my time at IKEA with Colby. I worried I was starting to weaken to the guy’s charms. Based on my last conversation with Deek about this subject, I should’ve known he would only encourage my inevitable dissent into falling for Colby.
“Why are you still so damn hesitant?” he asked. “That guy is a catch, from everything I can see. Heck, if he swung both ways, I’d tell you to go for it or else I would.”
“It’s more than one thing.”
“Like…”
“He used to be a playboy, for one. Holden said Colby was the worst out of all those guys—had something to do with a high-school girlfriend who wronged him. He was never the same after that and went wild. Total manwhore, apparently. Until Saylor. She tamed him. But probably only because he no longer had time to play the field.”
