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Just like that, she was going to walk away. Had a female ever just walked away from me when I was talking to her?
My gaze followed her as she left, and when she glanced back at me before opening the gate, I winked. Brielle had just shown a small crack in her annoyed attitude by looking back. She wasn’t completely immune to me. Even if she wished like hell she were.
four
brielle
Slamming my door with more force than necessary, I tossed my bag down on the floor and growled in frustration. He was an asshole, a jerk, and he just kept showing up in my life and reminding me of all those things. What had I done wrong for the cosmos to drop him not only into my building, but also as the new owner of my freaking building?
This did not matter. I would rarely see him. I doubted he was going to just walk through the place. He had obviously been trying to hide his identity down at the pool. As if people wouldn’t notice a man wearing ripped jeans and black snakeskin boots by a pool in Florida during the summer. Not to mention, his unbuttoned black shirt that was showing off his tattoos. He was going to stand out.
“God help me if Clara finds out,” I mumbled aloud.
She would never leave.
A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts, and I turned back around to walk over and answer it. I expected it to be Mrs. Jo since I knew Clara wasn’t coming over and Mrs. Jo was the only other person who visited me. Mostly to drop off something she had baked that I didn’t need to eat.
The brown-eyed construction worker I had passed a few times while he was working outside the past week was standing there. He smiled at me, and his eyes dropped to my chest. I pulled my cover-up, which had fallen open, closed. His eyes snapped back up to my face when he realized he’d been caught.
“Uh, I was just letting you know we are working on your floor this week. Painting, some hammering, but not too much. Shouldn’t be that noisy.”
Another annoyance, compliments of the new landlord. Although a fresh coat of paint wouldn’t hurt. New light fixtures would also be nice. Maybe new paint on the doors too.
I gave him a nod. “Thanks for letting me know,” I replied.
He cleared his throat, then shuffled his feet nervously. “Yeah, uh, and I was wondering … I mean, I’ve noticed you because you’re hard not to notice. I mean, that is, I … would you like to have dinner with me sometime? Or maybe drinks? Coffee? I’m Gavin, by the way.”
Oh. Wow. He was asking me out. Okay, um … did I want to go out with him? He was attractive. He had a good job, it seemed.
My last date had been at least two years ago. It was incredibly boring. He’d talked about his football years in college, and he’d been thirty-two.
“Drinks sound nice, and I’m Brielle,” I replied before I could talk myself out of it. I wasn’t going to agree to dinner in case this date was a bomb too. Shorter the commitment, the quicker I could escape.
He grinned at me then, and I realized he had a great smile. I hadn’t paid much attention to it before.
“Yeah, I know. I heard your neighbor call you by name the first night I saw you,” he replied. “I’m off tomorrow. That too soon?”
He had remembered my name. That was nice.
“Tomorrow sounds good,” I replied.
“Seven? Or earlier? Later?” he asked.
“Seven is fine,” I told him since I would probably eat at five thirty.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
I paused at that. I wasn’t sure I was ready to get in the car with a man I didn’t know.
“Can I meet you there?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “I should have asked if you wanted to do that. Sorry. Carmines is right around the corner. You wouldn’t have to go far. Is that good, or do you have another suggestion?” he asked.
I knew Carmines well. They had excellent red velvet cupcakes.
“Carmines works for me.”
“Great. Well, okay. I’ll, uh, see you then. If not before. Since”—he nodded his head toward the hallway—“I’ll be working out here the rest of the day.”
