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"Ridiculous," Laura interjected.
She was walking fast, but thankfully, Knox had long legs. "I was going to say interesting."
"No. It’s not." She sped down the staircase off of the back deck, and Knox was only a step behind her. As she walked into the parking lot, she pressed the fob, and her car beeped.
"One date," Knox said as she opened the door. "Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves to go on one date?"
"No. I don’t. Goodbye, Knox." With that, she got in her car, put it in reverse, and drove out of the lot.
He watched her go and wondered if she’d been in such a hurry because the results had freaked her out or if she just really wanted to get away from him that badly. One thing he knew for sure after tonight was that everything he’d been feeling for Laura hadn’t been in his head. They were compatible, so compatible that the organizer thought they were gaming the system. And he knew that Felicity was right; they owed it to each other to go on one date.
Now, all he had to do was convince Laura. Convincing a woman to go on a date with him was a position Knox never thought he’d be in, but he was confident he was up to the challenge.
14
Laura tooka deep breath as she stared in the mirror in her office before heading out to the front of the shop. She couldn’t believe that she was actually doing this.
Knox had been stopping by every day for the past week to ask when she was free for their date, and she’d finally given in and said she would go. He’d tried to plan what they were doing, but she’d assured him that she would take care of it.
"I’ll be back in a few hours," Laura told Marissa as she bent down to grab her purse.
"Bye Tia. Have fun on your date!" Marissa called out as Laura headed for the front of the shop.
"It’s not a real date." The last thing Laura wanted was for her family to get the wrong idea. She’d agreed to go out with Knox to make a point and get him to back off. It’s not like they were going anywhere romantic.
In fact, it was the opposite of romantic. And she knew that after today, he wouldnotbe interested in her at all. Which was why she’d finally agreed to go on the date as long as he allowed her to plan it. Sure, there was attraction there; she couldn’t deny that. But attraction wasn’t going to lead her to the things she wanted in her life.
After today’s outing, Knox would understand just how serious she was about her family planning.
"It’s not a real date." Marissa parroted it back to her in confusion.
"No," Laura confirmed.
Her niece lifted her chin in the direction of the door. "Does he know that?"
Laura looked over her shoulder and saw Knox standing outside with a large bouquet of flowers. Not just any flowers; her favorite flower—a purple daisy arrangement. How did he know that was her favorite flower?
"Did you tell him I like purple daisies?" Laura spun back to her niece, her tone accusatory.
Marissa held up her hands. "How would I know that?"
"Whatever. It’s not a date," Laura reiterated. This time, she wasn’t sure if she was telling Marissa or herself.
Marissa nodded, her eyes widening as if Laura had more than a few screws loose. She held up her hands, giving her two thumbs up. "Got it, Tia."
Laura took a steadying breath and tried to calm the avalanche of anxiety that was crashing down on her. Why was she nervous? This wasn’t a real date.
This was her way to prove a point and get Knox to leave her alone.
The reminder of the agenda did nothing to squelch the nerves popping like kernels of corn in hot grease in her belly.
She stepped outside and was immediately drawn into his presence, like she was the Millennium Falcon and he was the Death Star. Why? Why did he have to suck her into his vortex of hotness?
"You look…"
Plain. Ordinary. Casual. All adjectives she would have accepted since she had intentionally dressed down for this "date." She’d worn khaki shorts, a white T-shirt, and white tennis shoes. You couldn’t get blander than that.
"Beautiful," he breathed the word out, and a warmth rushed through her.
