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She laughed a little. “Seriously. My life’s a mess, as you saw firsthand last week in the alley. Why would you want to even dip your toe in the water? Unless…”
“Unless?” he prompted.
“You’re just looking for a hookup?”
He stared into her eyes. “I won’t pretend I’m not… enamored of your physical appearance.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Enamored?”
“Well, you’re stunning,” he said. “Obviously.”
Skepticism was written in her scowl. “So youarelooking for a hookup?”
He’d never worked so hard to earn a couple of hours with a woman. He had to admit he was enjoying it. “I’d just like to get to know you a little better.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” she said.
“The question…” She had him off-balance, like an addictive book where you can’t imagine the ending.
“Why can’t you stop thinking about me?” she asked.
He considered the question, tried to formulate an answer that didn’t involve conjuring her face at odd hours, imagining her working on her art while her daughter slept in the next room.
Imagining her in his bed.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. “And also, I like puzzles.”
“And what about when the puzzle is finished?” she asked. “Then there’s nothing to do but tear it apart and put it back in the box.”
“Then I imagine what’s outside the border,” he said. “All the things I can’t see.”
“I’m not a puzzle,” she said. “I’m a person. What you see at Roasted, that’s… well, that’s a costume I put on for my shifts there. I mean, it’s me, but it’s not all of me. All of me is messy and complicated, especially right now. All of me has a daughter who will always be my first priority.”
“I’d to get to know you. It really is that simple. I’ve been drawn to you since the first time I saw you. That’s why I kept coming to the coffee shop.”
The corners of her mouth lifted with a ghost of a smile. “So it wasn’t for the overpriced coffee and stale pastries?”
“Not entirely.”
She laughed. Her gaze lingered on his face, and he felt like a dormant plant touched by a long-awaited ray of sun.
“Well, we can’t get coffee,” she said.
“Obviously.” He was smiling again, the rest of the world, of his troubles, temporarily forgotten. “Let me buy you dinner. Anywhere you like.”
“Anywhere?” There was a mischievous light in her eyes.
“Anywhere.”
There was a beat where he thought she might still say no. Then she nodded.
“I know a place.”
12
RUBY
This was a mistake. She knew it, but knowing it didn’t stop the forward motion of her feet as she walked to Roman’s car.
