Summer Kisses (142 page)

He reached down into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet. Then he pushed two twenties across the bar. “Keep the change.”

“Big order...big tipper,” Nanci remarked with a playful smile as she reached for her glass. “I’ll bet you-”

“Don’t even go there,” Kelsie warned, cutting her friend off. He watched as a deep blush stained her cheeks.

“What?” Nanci asked in feigned innocence. “I was simply going to say that a big boy like him would probably have a really big appetite.”

He had a pretty good idea where she was heading with that one. And judging by the color in Kelsie’s cheeks he’d lay money on it that it had something to do with sex.

Grabbing the carryout bag from the counter, he said, “I’d better get this food back to the firehouse before they send a search party out to find me.”

He wasn’t certain, but he could have sworn he detected a hint of a smile playing at the corners of the China doll’s glossy lips. Ah, progress.

“Maybe we’ll see you around sometime,” the blonde said in a voice that was almost as bouncy as other parts of her.

He wasn’t sure if the ‘we’ she was referring to was her and her friend, or her and her breasts. “Maybe so.”

“Just in case,” she said with a smile, “I’m Nanci with an ‘I’ and this is my friend Kelsie with a slight case of post-divorce man avoidance tendencies.”

He barely managed to get out of the way as the drink her
guy-shy
friend had just taken exploded from her lips in a shower of red. She tried to talk, no doubt to apologize, but ended up in a coughing fit that had him tossing his carryout bag back onto the counter and moving in to help her.

Taking the drink from her hand, he set it on the bar beside the bag and then patted her lightly on the back until the coughing fit passed. “You okay?”

“Y...yes,” she managed to get out. She looked up at him, her green eyes watering. “Wrong pipe.”

Her friend passed her a napkin, then in melodramatic fashion said, “I was just trying to point out that you are usually a very warm, welcoming person. Wouldn’t want you two to start off on the wrong foot.” Her gaze slid down the length of him and her smile widened. “You’re lucky he was here to come to your rescue. If you had passed out, he’s certified to give mouth to mouth.”

“Then he’d better stick around, because you’re going to need reviving after I finish strangling you,” the petite red-head muttered as she attempted to wipe the specks of wine cooler spray from her shirt and jeans.

He gave a husky laugh at her unexpected response. It appeared the little China doll wasn’t nearly as fragile as her petite-stature led one to believe. That would teach him not to judge a book by its cover.

“I hate to break it to you,” he said with a grin, “but murdering your friend isn’t the best way to keep you on the good side of the law.”

She sighed softly. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I’ll let her live for now. I’ll just cut out her tongue instead.”

He arched a questioning brow.

“She’s kidding,” Nanci said, not the least bit intimidated by her friend’s threats.

“Umm, I think I’m fine now,” Kelsie said stiffly.

He looked down at her. “What?”

“Rescue complete,” she said, glancing at the arm still wrapped around her back.

He smiled. “Well, if you’re sure you won’t be needing mouth to mouth...”

“I’m sure.”

Grinning, he let his arm fall away. “Then I’ll be getting these sandwiches back to the station.” Retrieving his order once more from the counter, he nodded. “Ladies.”

Kelsie tried not to watch him go, but his backside proved to be a serious eye magnet. Damn it anyhow. In fact, she hadn’t found one thing wrong with him. Definitely the kind of man she wanted to avoid.

Nanci jumped off the bar stool and grabbed for Kelsie’s hand, putting it to her throat.

“What are you doing?”

“Strangle me,” her friend ordered. “Quick!”

“What?”

“I want mouth to mouth.” She pointed to the door as it closed behind the departing fireman. “From him.”

“You want mouth to everything,” Kelsie declared as she shrugged free of her friend’s desperate grasp. People were staring.

“I certainly wouldn’t complain.” Sighing, Nanci returned to her seat at the bar. “But he wasn’t interested in what I had to offer anyway. He wanted you.”

Kelsie’s head snapped around. “Me?”

Her friend laughed. “The man couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

She didn’t want to hear this. “You’re crazy.”

“I don’t think so,” Nanci replied, all sunshine and smiles. “I saw how he was looking at you.”

She tried hard not to think about the dark eyes that had stared so intently into hers a few moments before. “I doubt he could see much of anything past the breasts you were shoving in his face.”

“My breasts might as well have been invisible for all the good they did me tonight.” She paused to flash a flirtatious smile at the bartender who stood watching her from the far end of the bar.

Grinning, Kelsie nudged her friend. “Looks to me like someone noticed them.”

“He is kind of cute, isn’t he? And he’s single.”

“He is?”

“I didn’t see a ring on his finger when he...” Nanci stopped her dreamy muttering and turned back to Kelsie, tsk tsk-ing as she did so. “Nice try.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked innocently.

“You know damn well what I’m talking about. I’m referring to your trying to divert our conversation away from your non-existent love life.”

“Boy, it’s hard to get anything past you,” Kelsie replied in a playfully sarcastic tone.

“And don’t you forget it.”

She reached for her wine cooler. “Well, I’m not here to find a man, so let it go.”

“Fine. But I have half a mind to tell your mother about the hunk you let get away.” Nanci pressed a hot pink nail to her chin. “Let’s see... Which station was it ‘Cole’ worked at again? Hmm...Worthington Fire Department, wasn’t it?”

If her mother had even the tiniest inkling a man like that was interested in her daughter, she would be introducing herself at the firehouse tomorrow with a tray full of cookies and a Xerox copy of her daughter’s finer qualities. The same list her mother gave every man she wanted to persuade into going on a blind date with her ‘beautiful, young, sure-to-be-fertile daughter’.

Kelsie shot a warning glance her way. “If you even think about bringing him up to my mother, I really will strangle you. And I promise you the guy I get to revive you wouldn’t even qualify for a dog calendar.”

“Fireman?” Nanci asked with feigned ignorance and a smile. “What fireman? See, he’s forgotten already.”

Kelsie glanced toward the door, her heart still racing.
If only it were that easy.

~~~

Kelsie yawned for about the hundredth time that morning as she ran her brush through her hair. The reflection looking back at her in the bathroom mirror showed tale tell signs of the sleep she hadn’t gotten the night before thanks to Cole the fire hunk. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d lost that much sleep over a man.

The way he’d looked at her had made her feel...almost sexy. Something she hadn’t felt for a very long time. Why he would even notice her when Nanci was sending out very clear ‘I’m yours for the taking’ signals was beyond her. But the thought of it made her smile.

The kitchen phone rang, echoing through the tiny apartment. A quick glance at her watch reminded her she was already running late for work. She debated letting the answering machine pick up the call instead. What if it was important?

Muttering a curse, she tossed her brush onto the bathroom counter and hurried out to answer it. So much for having time to stop and pick up her morning cappuccino on the way to work.

She glanced down at the caller I.D. before hitting talk.
Her mother.
Her groan echoed off the kitchen walls. A call before eight a.m. from her mother had the same connotation a red sky in the morning did for sailors. It meant trouble.

She answered it as she made her way to the fridge. “Hello?”

“You’re still there,” her mother said excitedly. “I’m so glad I caught you before you left for work.”

Oh, God, she should have run out the door. She of all people knew what it meant when her mother used that sugary-sweet tone with her. “Look, Mom—” she began as she grabbed a bottle of apple juice from the fridge.

“Just give me a sec,” her mother said, cutting her off. “I know you have to get to work. I just wanted to call and see what you’re doing this evening. Any plans?”

Kelsie hesitated, knowing what she wanted to say. She pushed the fridge door shut and twisted the plastic cap on the juice bottle. “No,” she answered with a sigh.

“I was hoping you’d say that. Well, you do now.”

“I do?” Damn.
Yes
was all she’d had to say and this discussion wouldn’t be continuing. What was with her not being able to lie to her mother? It would have only been a small one.

“Yes. I met the nicest man at Lowe’s last night.”

“Lowe’s? As in the hardware store?”

“Where else?” her mother replied as if she visited that kind of a store all the time. “I was thinking-”

“Mom, I really need to get going.”

“Okay, I’ll be quick. As I was saying, I was thinking the other day about places to go to find good men. That’s when I realized I’d missed a prime spot for single men who are good with their hands.”

“So you went to a hardware store?”

“Home improvement center, honey. There’s a difference.”

“Mom...” she pleaded.

“I know what you’re thinking, but you really need to give this young man a chance. You never know when you’re going to meet Mr. Right.”

Try never.

“Forget it, Mom. I’m still getting over the last blind date you fixed me up with. Mr. Muscle Car. You remember him, don’t you?”

“Sorry about that. He seemed so nice when I was talking to him.”

“You met the guy when he changed your oil, which means he was under your hood for most of the ten minutes you were with him.”

“Okay, so we didn’t talk much. He had a nice smile,” her mother said in her own defense. “I know how important that is to you, being a hygienist and all.”

“Kyle had a nice smile,” she told her mother. “And he turned out to be a slithering snake.”

“This one’s better. I swear. His name is Cornelius.”

Cornelius?
It wasn’t exactly the kind of name she could envision herself crying out in the throes of passion. Not that her life had any of that going on lately.

No doubt afraid she was losing her daughter’s interest, Melinda Collins quickly added, “Cornelius is an accountant for The Limited’s corporate office here in Columbus. That means he’s financially stable.”

Kelsie slung her purse over her shoulder and dug for her keys. “Money isn’t everything.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already done a background check on him on the internet. Oh, and did I mention that he still has all his hair.”

“Mom...”

Then it came. That long moment of silence meant to guilt children into doing their parent’s bidding. And sure enough, she was caving. Her mother had given up so much in her life to raise her alone. What was one more blind date? Besides, there was still research to be had for her dating survival guide.

“Fine. I’ll do it. What time?”

“Seven o’clock. And dress casual. He mentioned something about taking you rollerblading.”

“Rollerblading?” she shrieked. “I’ve never been on in-line skates in my life.”

“Guess you’ll have to hold on to your date’s arm really tight then. Have fun!”

“Mom—”

There was a resounding click on the other end of the line, followed by the hum of a dial tone as her mother made her escape the cowardly way.

Kelsie returned the phone to its cradle and muttered a colorful array of curses as she hurried out the door to work. She’d done it again; let her mother talk her into suffering through what was pretty much guaranteed to be another bad date. This time with a man named Cornelius.

~~~

“Cornelius?” Nanci snorted as she followed Kelsie in through the back entrance of the Victorian two-story that had been converted into a state-of-the-art cosmetic dental office. The door hadn’t even closed behind them before Nanci dissolved into an uncontrollable fit of giggles.

“Don’t start,” Kelsie warned as they made their way to the front desk where their patient files for the day awaited them. “I’m having caffeine withdrawal right now.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“I know. I never should have answered the phone.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You and I both know that your mom would have just come by here to tell you if she hadn’t reached you this morning.”

She shook her head with a frown. “I love my mother, but sometimes she can really drive me crazy.”

“Morning, girls,” Dr. Andy greeted with a bright, dentistry-perfected smile as he stepped from his office, finishing off what was left of a multi-grain bagel smothered in strawberry jam. His usual morning indulgence.

“Good morning,” Nanci chirped.

“Morning,” Kelsie said, leaving off the ‘good’ because hers had been anything but.

He pointed down the hall. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the break room.”

“You made it?” Nanci said in surprise.

He laughed. “Don’t sound so shocked.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Kelsie replied with a grateful smile. “I could really use the caffeine today.”

He walked over to the sink to wash his hands. “I take it your mom’s been playing matchmaker again?”

“You guessed right,” her friend answered for her.

Kelsie pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Don’t remind me,” she told them as she twisted the ponytail holder around the gathered strands.

“I feel for you,” Dr. Andy admitted as he dried his hands.

“Thanks.” Everyone in the office knew about her mother’s determination to help her find Mr. Perfect, a man who didn’t exist.

“Don’t feel too bad for her,” Nanci announced with a grin. “She has a hot date tonight with a man named after a famous movie star.”