Page 4 of Unexpectedly Yours


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“Glad you noticed,” he said before sticking up his free hand, and whistling through his teeth. He had to admit, he was content to hang onto her. She felt nice. When a cab pulled to the curb, he guided her inside.

Once he closed the door, and settled himself on the seat next to her, he told the cab driver where to take them.

“Downtown?” Caroline asked.

“Yeah, my favorite restaurant is near my apartment.”

“Convenient.” She folded her arms and looked out the window. “You can drop me home. I mean there’s no one around, so you don’t have to keep up the charade.”

Josh heard the change in her voice. It was small and soft now, unsure. Nothing like the badass who’d told him where to go when they were standing on the street a few minutes ago. It would be easy to take her home. Then he’d be free to carry on with his regularly scheduled Friday plans, but he didn’t feel like leaving Caroline’s company just yet. And he had a feeling their dinner could go a long way toward building some bridges with his new in-laws.

The Rossi girls thought he was Satan’s first cousin because he had maintained a relationship with his folks, and on an intellectual level he understood their reservations. Will and Alicia Campbell couldn’t be trusted, and he was guilty by association. But they were family and that meant something to him. So, while Josh was working on winning over Meg, he could tell Caroline was already going to be more of a challenge.

“I know I don’t have to have dinner with you, but I want to.”

Caroline turned her gaze in his direction and once again, Josh liked what he saw. Her bones were fine and she was genuinely pretty, but seemed a lot more low-maintenance than the women he was used to. Why hadn’t he noticed this before?

He couldn’t read her, though, and he guessed this was the engineer coming out. The smart, cool, methodical engineer. Everything about Caroline was neat and practical. Except for those damned doe eyes. Those eyes that made her look sexy and innocent at the same time.

Josh had to shake that off fast. This was a friendly dinner. He was doing something nice with an old friend.

“You know, in spite of what you think, I’m not a bad guy.”

“Aren’t you?” Her tongue darted out of her mouth for a split second, moistening her lips before she pressed them tight. And man, did she have beautiful lips.

He leaned close and enjoyed the slight whiff of scent that tickled his nose. Vanilla. Cinnamon. Sweet and spicy.

“Not completely, but I guess you’ll have to find that out for yourself.”

2

Caroline was shocked to find out that obscenely wealthy Josh’s favorite restaurant wasn’t some snobby, upscale Tribeca eatery, but a pizza place called Nonna’s that had been in the in the same storefront on Chambers Street for generations. A man named Vinnie owned the shop now, apparently having learned the business from his father, who learned the business from his father. While they waited for the pizza and salad Josh had ordered, he and Vinnie joked with each other about which of their favorite baseball teams had the most potential this year.

Sitting on a scrolled iron bench at the front of the shop, Caroline took in the scene around her. The interior of the building was paneled with thick oak boards, giving it a warm and comfortable feel, while the walls were covered with photos of people who must have been patrons here throughout the years. There were a few tables to the side, with the classic red and white tablecloths, for those who decided to eat in. Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Caroline turned her attention to Josh, who was loosening his tie and laughing and looking more handsome than should be legal. He also seemed nice. Genuinely nice.

Where was Mr. Arrogant and Aloof?

When he looked in her direction and flashed a smile, she felt like her insides were turning into jelly. Great—now she was a cliché. A pathetic cliché who was still infatuated with a childhood crush. Josh waved her over and reluctantly she stood, straightened her sweater, and tugged her skirt into place.

He watched her as she closed the distance. Caroline had never been more nervous or conscious of her every move. What did he want?

“Josh, you finally found yourself a real girl.” Vinnie stuck his hand over the top of the glass display case that was filled with delicious looking stuffed breads and pizza slices. “Vinnie Brancato. What’s a nice girl like you doing with a loser like him?”

Caroline didn’t know what to think when Josh rolled his eyes. “Don’t hit on her, Vinnie,” Josh said. “Her brain is bigger than both of ours put together.”

Well, that sucked. She should have been flattered that Josh didn’t want anyone hitting on her, but she was mortified that her brains supposedly put her off-limits. She knew people used to describe her as a nerd, or a geek. Normally, it didn’t bother her. Even though she was proud of her intelligence, she hated it when people used it as a way to wall her off.

So, she turned the tables.

Channeling the type of girls she imagined Josh usually took to dinner, she took off her glasses, tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes at Josh. “Is this better? If I look vacant, will you be more comfortable?”

His eyes narrowed, but Caroline was happy to see it was in amusement and not in anger. Vinnie, on the other hand, let out a deep, booming belly laugh that warmed Caroline from the inside out. He was good people.

“Buddy,” he said. “This one has your number.”

Did she have his number? No. Game aside, Josh was way out of her league. But when she looked at him again, he smiled a genuine smile and Caroline had to grin back. Thank goodness he wasn’t attracted to her; she wouldn’t stand a chance.

Vinnie passed a pizza box with a bag balanced on top to Josh, who drew in the aroma of the pizza. It smelled good and Caroline was looking forward to eating. More than anything, she was looking forward to eating with Josh.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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