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Chloe caught the sponge and put it back on the counter.
“God, Mom, when did you become a prude?”
“I just don’t want him to think I’m interested in being more than friends.”
That was the only reason she’d agreed to the date in the first place. She’d hesitated when her accountant’s business partner asked her out yesterday after she dropped off some receipts at his office, so he’d been quick to add, “Strictly platonic.”
She got the feeling that’d been a ploy to get her to agree and had been having second thoughts all day. The only reason she hadn’t canceled was Chloe had been pestering her to get out of the house and stop thinking about Aiden. That and it was an excuse not to go to Whitney and Steven’s engagement party.
After seeing Aiden at the Halloween store last week, she knew her heart couldn’t handle being in the same room with him for more than five minutes without wanting to touch him.
“Would being more than friends with him be so bad?” Chloe inquired.
“Maybe not someday. But I’m just not ready right now.”
The doorbell rang and Dakota took a deep breath.
Chloe grabbed her by her biceps. “Try to have a nice time.” A small smirk escaped her lips. “And remember, just because he’s taking you to a fancy French restaurant—even if he pays, you don’t owe him anything.”
That’d been Dakota’s standard speech to Chloe when she’d left on a date as a teen.
“You’re a brat,” she grumbled, but kissed her cheek anyway. “I shouldn’t be too late.”
“I promise I won’t show up unannounced if there’s a car in the driveway in the morning. And for the record, no one will judge you if there is. I actually would love that for you.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
The doorbell rang again.
“Go! You look hot. Flirt, have fun, and try not to think about Aiden.”
It turned out that was easier said than done.
****
Aiden
His date was beautiful, charming, and intelligent. He should be having a great time—maybe even thinking about getting naked later. But all he could think about as he listened to her talk was how he wished she were Dakota.
And it really annoyed him when she took a bite of her dinner without the slightest reaction.
“So, anyway. To finish my story, initially, the seller verbally accepted my offer, but then wouldn’t sign the contract. He didn’t even try to counter.”
Aiden nodded thoughtfully as he took a drink of his Scotch.
“Maybe that was a sign from the Universe that it’s not the right house for you.”
She started laughing then stopped when she noticed he wasn’t joining in.
“Oh. You’re serious.”
He shrugged. “Yeah.”
“A sign from the Universe? You don’t really believe in signs do you?”
He glanced toward the door and saw a woman waiting at the hostess stand in a little black dress that hugged her curves in a way he wished he could. At first, he was convinced his mind was playing tricks on him, then she smiled as she and her date were shown to their table, and he knew it was Dakota. Like he’d conjured her up.
Fuck yeah, he believed in signs.
