After the second breakup, Ellie had decided that men were just fickle. After the third, she’d determined that she’d have to be more careful with her choices. By the fourth, she’d started to wonder if there was something wrong with her. And after her breakup with Ronald Pettibone, she’d come to the conclusion that she just wasn’t any good at romance.
Ronald had been a quiet, unassuming man with nothing in his life except his job at the bank. He didn’t watch ESPN, didn’t drink or smoke, and didn’t even have any male friends. And from the moment they’d met, he’d only had eyes for her. Ellie had been sure she’d finally found a man worth loving. And then, again, it was suddenly over with no explanation. Working with him had been unbearable, so she’d decided to leave New York to make a fresh start in Boston.
But she hadn’t expected to be quite so lonely. She didn’t know a soul in the city, and without a new job, she had no way to make friends. The only person who ever recognized her was the curly-haired girl who took her coffee order every morning. “Large latte with four shots of caf, Erica,” Ellie said with a bright smile.
Erica gave her an odd look, as if trying to place her face. “That’ll be four fifty-six, ma’am.”
Ellie glanced up at the clock. It was only seven, two hours earlier than she usually began her day. Maybe Erica wasn’t used to seeing her so early. Ellie made a note to reread
I’m the Best Me I Can Be,
her favorite book of positive affirmations. She had four interviews set up with Boston banks this week alone and it wouldn’t do to let the coffee girl shake her confidence.
She pulled her wallet out of her purse. She’d already interviewed for six other jobs and found it strange that she hadn’t been called back by anyone. Though she’d left her job in New York rather suddenly, she’d left on good terms. Her old boss had no reason to give her anything but a glowing recommendation. Ellie sighed. Maybe the job market was just a little tight.
Ellie paid for her latte, then grabbed the paper cup and carried it over to the table that held the cream and sugar. She plucked a plastic top from a stack and before putting it onto the cup, sprinkled two packets of sugar into the coffee. When she was satisfied that her coffee was perfect, she turned for the door, then stopped short. The subject of her sleepless dreams stood at the end of the coffee line, his hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans, his broad shoulders accented by his battered leather jacket.
She looked over at the door and wondered if she ought to just walk out. He hadn’t noticed her yet and she could easily make an escape. But Ellie felt compelled to say something to him. She owed him at least a thank-you, some acknowledgment that he’d likely saved her life.
She stepped up behind him and gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder. He slowly turned and Ellie found her heart fluttering as he looked into her eyes. She was struck again by the incredible color of his eyes, an odd mix of green and gold. She swallowed hard. “Hello,” Ellie murmured.
Liam blinked, obviously surprised by her sudden appearance. “Hello,” he said.
He gave her an odd look, the same look Erica had given her, and for a moment Ellie wondered if he remembered who she was. Her stomach lurched and she forced a smile. “It’s Ellie,” she explained. “Eleanor Thorpe. From—”
“I know,” Liam said. “I know who you are. It’s a little hard to forget the woman who tied me up and had me arrested.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellie said. “I called the police station Saturday morning and they explained everything. That you weren’t a burglar or even a criminal. And that you were really coming to my rescue. I guess I ought to thank you.”
He glanced around nervously, then fixed his gaze on the menu above the counter. Ellie wondered why he was being so aloof. Was he embarrassed by what she’d done? Or was he simply not interested in chit-chat? He’d been so charming that night and now he seemed as if he wanted to be anywhere but here talking with her. “Well, I should really go.”
“Right,” he murmured. “You know, I really didn’t save you. The guy probably was just after some jewelry or maybe some easy cash.”
“No, no, you did,” Ellie insisted. “The desk sergeant told me I was very lucky you came along. Burglars often come armed and if I had caught him in my apartment, he probably would have shot me. So you were like a…a white knight.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Liam said. “Not even close.”
An uneasy silence grew between them and Ellie shrugged casually. “Well, I guess I should get going. Thanks again.”
“No problem,” Liam said.
Ellie hesitantly started toward the door, then stopped short. This was crazy. She didn’t have a single friend in Boston and Liam Quinn had been the very first interesting person she’d met. Even though he was a man and she’d sworn off men for at least the next year, she could at least try to get to know him a little better as a friend.
Ellie turned and walked back to him, taking a deep breath and gathering her courage. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” The words came out before she realized she was talking to his back. She quickly circled him to stand within his line of sight. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”
“Me?”
“I feel as if I should do something for you. As a gesture of gratitude.”
“It wasn’t really any big deal.”
Ellie frowned. “Is there some reason why you don’t like me?”
“I don’t know you,” Liam said.
“You seem to be a little nervous around me. Is it because I tied you up? If I’d known you were trying to help, I wouldn’t have done that.” She cleared her throat. “I’m not one of those women who feels compelled to dominate men. I hit you on the head because I was scared and I tied you up because I didn’t want you to get away.”
“I understand.”
“Good. I’m glad we got that straight.” She swallowed hard then pasted a bright smile on her face. “Well, I should really be going. It was nice seeing you again. Good luck with your photography.”
Ellie quickly turned on her heel and headed for the door, certain she’d made a complete ass of herself. She knew enough about men to know when one wasn’t interested. Liam Quinn couldn’t have been more indifferent. Maybe she gave off some kind of strange aura that men found repulsive. The author of
What Men Really Think,
the book she’d read after her breakup with Ronald, claimed that a woman uninterested in a relationship gave off subtle clues to her indifference that only a man could read.
“Ellie?”
She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Liam. “Yes?”
“I’d love to have dinner. When?”
“How…how about tonight?”
“Tonight would be great. What time?”
“Seven?”
Liam nodded. “I’ll see you then. I know where you live.”
Ellie smiled, then hurried out the door before he could reconsider. For the first time since she’d come to Boston, she felt as if she might like it here. She’d made one friend and even though he was just about the sexiest guy she’d ever laid eyes on, she was simply going to enjoy the acquaintance and not worry about romance.
When she reached the street, she glanced back, hoping to catch one last look at him. But when she turned around to continue her walk home, she bumped into a man on the sidewalk. They both stopped and Ellie looked at him and gasped.
“Ronald?”
“Eleanor? What are you doing here?”
She stared up into the face of the man who’d once been her lover. “Me? I live here now.” He looked completely different. His usually tidy hair, mussed by the wind, was much longer than she remembered and it looked as if he’d had it highlighted. And he wasn’t wearing glasses. And his pasty complexion was perfectly bronzed. “I barely recognize you. What are you doing in Boston?”
“This is incredible. You’re the last person I expected to see today.”
“Then you’re not here to see me?”
“No,” Ronald said. “I didn’t even know you were here. I’m visiting an old college buddy from Columbia. He lives a few blocks from here. I was just looking for a good cup of coffee.” He paused. “But maybe it’s fate we ran into each other. I’ve been thinking about you lately,” he said, running his hand along her arm, “wondering how you’ve been doing.”
“I’ve been doing fine, Ronald,” Ellie replied, not willing to give him any encouragement. To her surprise, she felt no attraction to him at all. His touch left her cold. At the time of their breakup, she’d wondered if she’d ever get over him. At least she had her answer.
“We should get together,” Ronald suggested. “What are you doing tonight?”
Ellie sighed softly. “Ronald, I’ve started a new life here. What we had didn’t work out and I’ve moved on. I think you should, too. It was good to see you again, but I have to go now.”
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to a stop. “Come on, Eleanor. Don’t be that way. We can still be friends.”
“You dumped me, Ronald. You asked me to give back the pearl necklace you bought me for my birthday and the music box you gave me to put it in. And then you paraded your new girlfriend around the bank just a week after we broke up. I don’t think we can be friends.”
“Don’t say that!” he said, anger lacing his tone. “There’s no reason we can’t—”
“No!” Ellie cried, twisting out of his grip.
“Is everything all right here?”
Ronald looked up, his hand falling to his side. Ellie had never realized how short Ronald was, or how skinny. Compared to Liam Quinn, he looked almost wimpy. “I’m fine,” she said.
“I—I gotta go,” Ronald said. “I’ll see you around.”
He hurried off and Ellie watched him as he disappeared around the corner. Then she turned back to Liam Quinn. “Thanks.”
“Who was that guy?”
“No one.”
He searched her face, as if he didn’t believe her. “It looked like he was angry with you.”
“No, we barely know each other.”
“What did he want?”
Ellie smiled. “Nothing. Just wanted to say hello. Really, I’m fine.”
“Good,” Liam said. “Then I guess I’ll see you tonight.”
As he walked off in the opposite direction, Ellie headed toward her apartment. She fought the impulse to look back, knowing that she didn’t want to appear completely enthralled with him. But when she rounded the corner, she stopped and looked back down the street. Liam was gone. Ellie smiled. At least, this time, she knew her white knight would return.
E
LLIE LIFTED THE LID
from the pasta pot, then glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall. They’d agreed on a time for dinner, but she didn’t know whether Liam Quinn would expect to eat the moment he walked in or if he’d want to socialize for a while.
When she’d invited him to dinner, it had been an impulsive move. Once she’d had a chance to think about it, she realized that the “date” raised all sorts of problems. Should they go out to dinner or stay in? If they went out, would he insist on paying? Since she’d invited him, the choice of restaurant would be up to her. And she wasn’t yet familiar with many places in Boston. No, she’d made the best decision. She’d prepare a lovely meal at her apartment—and then she’d have him all to herself, with no distractions.
“Don’t do this!” Ellie muttered, letting the lid drop back onto the pot with a clatter. She brushed her hair back from her eyes, then strode into the living room. She found the book open on her coffee table and picked it up. She’d purchased
Making Friends with Men
just that afternoon, determined not to fall into the same old traps again.
The author wrote quite eloquently about the rewards of male-female friendships, but warned that the moment romance crept into the relationship, it was usually ruined for good. If Ellie hadn’t had such a lousy track record with men, then maybe she would have considered a romance with Liam Quinn. But she was at a point in her life when she needed a friend more than she needed a lover.
“Oh, who are you kidding!” She slapped the book shut and picked up another.
Be Honest with Yourself: A Guide to Awareness.
Dr. Dina Sanders claimed the most dangerous flaw a person could possess was self-delusion. And if Ellie didn’t acknowledge that Liam was the sexiest hunk of man she’d ever met, then she was the queen of self-denial.
“All right, he’s sexy. That face is just too pretty for words and he’s got gorgeous eyes and a smile that could make a girl melt. And his body is to die for. I’ll admit that. When he moves, I just want to watch him and think about him naked. He’s a fine specimen of a man.” Ellie stopped, then reconsidered what she’d said. A giggle slipped from her lips and she tossed the book back onto the coffee table.
“Don’t look for the answers in a book,” she murmured. “Look in your heart.” That’s what psychologist Jane Fleming had said in her book,
Listen to Your Heart.
Though at the time Ellie had thought it was a bit of a paradox, considering that advice came from a book. Still, it was good advice.
“I’ll just follow my heart,” she said. “But I’ll make sure I listen to my brain, as well.”
A raucous buzz broke the silence in the apartment and Ellie jumped, pressing her hand to her chest. Beneath her fingers she could feel her heart racing. Inhaling a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. “No pressure, this is just a friendly dinner.” So why had she spent nearly two hours on her hair and makeup? “A very friendly dinner.”
She pressed the security buzzer, then opened her door and waited for him to climb the two flights up to her apartment. When he rounded the landing, she noticed that he was carrying a lamp. At that moment he saw her and their eyes met, and for a second Ellie couldn’t breathe. Why did he seem to get more handsome each time she saw him?
“Hi,” she murmured. “You brought a lamp.”
“This is for you,” Liam said.
She stepped aside to let him walk into the apartment, then softly closed the door behind him, taking just a moment to stare at his backside. “Thank you. But you didn’t have to.”
“I know guys usually bring flowers or candy. But I figured after you broke your lamp on my head, I owed you one.”
Ellie grinned and reached for it. “Thanks. I’ll just go put it in water.”