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“I’ll get the power back on as soon as I can. Might take an hour or so. Is that going to be a problem?”
I shake my head. My first scheduled cut and shave isn’t until eleven, which is two hours from now. “That’s fine. I can go grab a coffee at Four Cups.”
“I’ll message you when the power’s back on.” Des gives me a quick jerk of the chin, then heads to the door. Pausing in the doorway, he turns to face me again. His eyes lift to meet my gaze. There’s a bit of scruff on his cheeks that my fingers itch to feel, especially when he clenches his jaw so tightly it looks diamond-hard, even from across the room. “Mia,” he grates, “I’m sorry for calling you prissy.”
His shoulders are so wide they almost brush either side of the doorway. He stands there, staring at me with those unreadable eyes, and I feel my stomach simultaneously knot and loosen while he watches me. Gripping the headrest on one of my chairs, I try to keep myself steady as I lift my chin.
The dragon falls down on her pile of treasure with a huff, exhausted. “I’m sorry for calling you a dickhead.”
Des exhales. “I was being one. I’ll text you in a while.” His eyes look sad as they linger on mine, then he turns and disappears through the door.
I lock up, hands trembling, needing to put some distance between me and my stupidly handsome, stubborn, annoying, rude, infuriating landlord.
Then my phone buzzes.
TallDarkandHandy: I have my dad’s name as my middle name. Allen. Ready for first names?
A cool wind blows down the street, ruffling my hair. I shiver, pulling my cardigan tighter. The air tastes fresh on my tongue, but soon it’ll turn colder. At least Bailey and I have somewhere to stay, and I’m guessing the condo has better insulation and heating than our old place behind the barbershop.
I glance through the darkened windows of my business, then look at my phone again. The last thing I want to do is go on a date. I’d rather crawl under my blankets and fall asleep until the next ice age, especially after that argument. I feeltired.
But maybe the girls are right. I should embrace the flirtation and move this along with Mr. Handy. Otherwise, I might get caught up in another man’s orbit—someone big and strong and dark-eyed, who somehow makes me want to simultaneously rip his head off and fall on my back with my legs spread.
Maybe in my past life I was a praying mantis. The urges feel familiar.
NaturalBlondie:How about a date instead? Let’s take the spirit of this app all the way…a true blind date.
I send the message, feeling oddly guilty and a little bit disappointed, like I’m doing something wrong. My heart isn’t really in it. But what else can I do? Indulge in this awful, contentious relationship with my landlord? Continue to live my life on my own, until I blink and my daughter’s all grown up and I’m completely alone?
I need a distraction. I need to feel attractive. I needsex, damn it.
And even though my body hasn’t got the memo, I willnotbe having sex with Desmond Thomas. Ever.
So, marching across to the café, I find Fiona behind the till and show her my latest message. “I did it,” I announce. “I asked him out.”
4
DES
A true blind date.
I read the message over a few times, bitterness coating my tongue. I like this woman—I do. She’s the only person that’s made me laugh in my many attempts at online dating. Going out with Blondie is a good idea. Intellectually, I know it is.
But…
God, the way Mia stared at me. The way she deflated when I apologized, like all the fight just went out of her. Every cell in my body is begging me to gather her up in my arms and hold her close. I want to protect her from all the demons she’s had to fight. I want to crack her open like a walnut and see what she’s hiding behind that tough exterior, tell her I’ll fix everything for her. I’ll make everything okay.
That’s never going to happen, though—and I need a date to my family’s Thanksgiving reunion. Last night, after I got home from showing Mia and Bailey the apartment, I got a text from Vince. It was a picture of the trophy, gleaming under the lights of his kitchen island.
I’m not going home without a date this year. No freaking way. I’ll hire one if I need to.
TallDarkandHandy:How about the new Italian place opening up in town, Dolce Vita? Say, Saturday night?
Shoving my phone back in my pocket, I turn to Bill, the plumber. He’s grumbling to himself incessantly and finally stands up beside me. “We’re going to have to pull all these cabinets away from the wall. There was no waterproofing done in the bathroom. The damage is extensive. You’ll probably have to replace all this drywall, rip out the shower, and maybe do the floor in the bathroom. I can fix the leak, but it won’t be enough.”
“All right.”
The electrician I called pokes his head out of the hallway. “Power’s good to come back on. Fuse blew. The whole board isn’t up to code, though. It’s too small for the number of circuits you’ve got, and you should really update it. Could use some whole-house surge protection while you’re at it. And the barbershop should be on a separate board entirely.”
