Page 3 of Chance

“Nope, lose the card and go see her. Ask her to go Tuesday night. I’ll go stay with Selene to work on our speech, and you won’t have to worry about me.” She patted my leg and pushed up off the hammock, not giving me a chance to argue. I was taking the next day off to deal with my floors anyway, so it really wouldn’t hurt to walk down there. I had obviously gone completely mad, but part of me didn’t care.

I left Amelia to the laundry that evening when I walked Clark down the same route from the night before. I wanted to see her again, just for a moment. The idea that Jovie could be everything I was looking for crossed my mind. It was crazy, but I let the thought settle in my brain while I walked. There was no way it was a coincidence, running into her more than once had to mean something. While I didn’t believe in Divine intervention, I wasn’t about to let the irony be lost on me.

I spent the better part of the next morning on the phone trying to get the carpet fixed. Rhett finally agreed to have a few men from his construction crew come over to do the job. In reality, six men showed up, helped me move everything from the room, and replaced the carpet. It only took a few hours, much better than if I hadn’t had Rhett on my short list of mates. I checked the calendar on the fridge before leaving. Amelia had a dental appointment the following Monday, so I would be off. The walk down to Jovie’s shop was completely nerve wracking. I was tense and fidgety, forcing me to hide my hands in my pockets. Asking women out had never bothered me before Darcy, but after her, I had quit looking all together. By the time I got to the door of the brick building, I had to remind myself that Amelia was right, the worst she could say was no, and at least I asked.

FIVE

Jovie

Merlin and I went through our work routine the next morning. I cleaned crates, let dogs out, and chatted with Erica about the clients for the day while Merlin and Erica’s poodle, Lily, lounged around. Erica groomed dogs; I answered phones and cleaned up dog poo. The majority of my job was cleaning up someone’s or something’s mess. I didn’t know how to breech the Ewan subject without sounding too excited or making him sound like a stalker. If I got overly excited, the teasing would start, and then I would get pissy. So, instead, we talked about her idiotic cousin getting arrested again and Mr. Creepy from the party. Then she brought up hiring another groomer since I was doing training full-time. I spent the better part of the morning coming up with an ad for the local grooming Facebook page and edited it at least a million times before posting. It was all another boring Monday until I was sweeping and the bell on the front door chimed. I shouted a, “Be right with you” as I grabbed the dust pan.

“Take your time.” The accent hit me from around the corner and I froze, nearly dropping the dustpan. Erica raised an eyebrow at from the grooming table at my abrupt reaction. I propped the broom on the wall and peeked to the front to see Ewan standing with his hands in his pockets, rocking from the balls of his feet to his heels. His black polo was tucked into his khakis at his narrow waist, and I drooled a little as he studied both Erica’s and my certificates on the wall.

“Hey.” I tried to sound casual when I said it, but I nearly had to force the word out. What is it about this guy? I brushed my bangs back in an attempt to make myself look less of a mess, but I doubted it worked. When you work with dogs, you never look presentable.

He smiled sheepishly. “I washed your card. So, thought I would drop by.” Ewan shrugged and took a step toward the counter.

“It’s fine.” I didn’t have to force my smile. I was genuinely glad to see him, and the heat between us was undeniable. Well, on my end, at least.

“I’m off Monday of next week, could Clark get a groom then? Once he looks more presentable, we can set up training.” I nodded and we went through getting his information and setting up a time. Ewan Alexander: he sounded like fricking royalty. I hated it, but I kept staring at him. Those full lips and dark eyes were mesmerizing. “Fantastic.” He smiled again and started toward the door. I watched him somewhat shamefully, undressing him with my eyes. My born-again-virgin status didn’t mean I couldn’t fantasize. Erica rolled her eyes at me. Before Ewan pushed the door open, though, he turned back. I quickly dropped my gaze to the computer and pretended to type something.

“Uh, Jovie?” Hearing my name in his accent would never get old. I met his eyes. “Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” My jaw clenched to keep from falling open. Ewan looked almost embarrassed to have even asked. He should have been. I thought we had a connection, and the guy just wanted free shit. Just my luck.

“Oh, I …” I paused. “I don’t trade work for dinner.” Then his mouth fell open, and he shook his head. Ewan Alexander wasn’t the first one to try that with me.

“Jesus, Jovie!” Erica’s voice snapped my attention back to reality. She poked her head around to look at Ewan. “Jovie didn’t mean it, she is asexual.” I scoffed, but he laughed. “He’s asking you out, Jove. Say, ‘yes, hot British guy’ and then smile pretty.” Erica waved her long scissors in my face, glaring at me. I hated those damn scissors. I looked to him for confirmation, and he nodded. Way to go, Jovie, hot British guy asks you out and you accuse him of trying to get a free groom. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die a slow death. Ewan eyed me expectantly. Of course, I wanted to go out with him, I wanted to do all kinds of things with him, but …

“Sure, why not.” I winced when I realized how uninterested I sounded. “I mean, yes, I would love to go to dinner with you.” I forced myself to look at Ewan and noted his sly grin. At least he was amused by my embarrassment, again. Socially awkward was such an understatement.

“Great.” Ewan took a card from the stand on the counter and flipped it over to the blank side then scrawled a number on the back and slid the card across the counter, still smiling. “Text me your address? I can pick you up around six.” I tucked the card in my back pocket.

“Alright.” I watched him walk through the glass door, glancing back to flash me a smile before walking down the ramp. The stomach flutter thing happened again, and I had to sit back in my chair. Erica was ginning like a damn fool while she scissored the cocker spaniel on her table. I moved his number from the card to my phone but tucked the card back in my pocket.

“When were you going to tell me about him?” Erica cocked a brow at me. “I mean, he is pretty to look at, and I know his accent does awful things to you.” She giggled and I followed her example. I felt my face turn red when I told her about his stupid dog and then his little sister being a borderline stalker. She looked at me accusingly the entire time, but I stuck to the facts. “You want to screw him,” my partner stated it like a well-researched fact. It was true. I did. “What are you going to wear?” My stomach did a weird thing when she asked the question, but it wasn’t the flutter. What the hell had I been thinking? I didn’t know how to date or how to dress. Jeans and a work shirt or witty book shirt was my entire wardrobe. I hadn’t been on a date in years—literally, it had been two years or better since I sat across from a male of the same species in the courting ritual.

I went out with Chase twice before he got drunk at dinner and tried to grope me in the parking lot outside my condo. Why was no such a difficult word? I didn’t particularly like Chase. He was cute but had the glory-days-dumb-jock thing going on. Like those guys who had peaked senior year of high school and loved to brag about every second of it. After him, I was pretty done with the opposite sex.

I sent a text to Reese demanding she shop with me that evening so I could at least look like I belonged out with a guy as hot as Ewan. My little sister agreed readily, insisting on bring Lydia as well, and I went about my day in a bit of a haze. Since when did I let guys get to me? Why had he even asked me? I had practically insulted him at every turn but he wanted to take me to dinner. Maybe I had more karma from the free lesson than I realized.

I moved to sit on my grooming table and watched Erica groom. “What was I thinking? I have no business going on a date, Erica,” I dropped my head into my hands. “I am a bitch. Did you see how I just treated him for asking me out? I am jaded and hateful. Like I have a special seat reserved for me in hell for the things I say to people.” Erica was laughing uncontrollably by the time I was done whining about how I was making a mistake.

“Just go have fun. He’s hot and you get to listen to that accent. Maybe you’ll finally get some, too.” She had a point. Even if I made a complete ass of myself, I got to stare at him and hear him say my name. That alone made it worth going. I would have to beg Reese not to tell our mother I was going out with someone. Mom would get all weirdly excited, and then I would blow it and disappoint everyone. Mom had been so pissed when I filed for divorce after Davis and Kym were caught. I remembered her long list of suggestions about trying therapy and just talking it out. Maybe had Davis not been such an ass about it, those would have been great suggestions, but he had blamed me for his indiscretions. It was my fault that he was putting his dick where it didn’t belong. Everything was my fault. Losing him, or the idea of him, had been hard, but the betrayal on the part of my best friend was the worst. Kym was the pretty friend I always wanted. She showed me how to do makeup and we shopped together. I watched her daughter while she worked and she cried with me when I found out I was losing the child I was carrying. When I walked in that day, the look on her face was nothing short of smug conquest. My best friend was actually proud of herself for seducing my husband.

SIX

Ewan

I had to look back as I left, and Jovie was watching me leave. Her smile was something I could get used to looking at. My high lasted until I was a block from home, then I panicked. I hadn’t been on a date in nearly a year and a half, and it had been a disaster. The heartbreak then had done me in, but yet, I asked Jovie out. I nearly changed my mind when I got her first answer. She was either used to being treated like a lesser being, or was more out of practice than I was. Either way, I felt my battle was uphill. Why did I think I could date again? I called Scott at work.

“I have a date tomorrow night.” The words fell from my mouth before he finished saying hello.

“That’s great, man.”

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me. “What do I even do? I barely know her so I have no idea where to take her.” Scott chuckled. My best mate was laughing at me, and I was acting like a damn teenager.

“Calm down, Ewan. What does she do?” I went through a rundown of her job and her book that I was up all night reading. He asked me if Jovie was hot. Yes, she’s stunning. Scott laughed at my deflection of his term hot—it sounded so degrading. I kept him on the phone far too long, sitting on the swing and letting him talk me down. “Peter Kern Library is where you go for drinks. It’s a book themed speak easy. Then do dinner at Cru. Classy but not too formal, so you can walk to everything and chat. Unless you just plan on getting her in bed. Then you can skip dinner and go straight home for dessert.”

Sad thing? My friend was serious. “I don’t plan on bringing her home, Scott.” The thought had crossed my mind, attraction is attraction, but I was not about to push my luck. Truth was, I could see myself kissing every inch of her and tangling my fingers in her long hair. Scott reiterated my need to get laid, and I thanked him for the date suggestion. I undoubtedly could use some good physical contact, but I was not an animal. Scott was allowed to be considering his wife was insatiable.

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