“Wow,” I say, impressed at how down-to-earth and open she is. She scrunches her nose and bites her lip, which of course has my eyes dropping to her mouth and my body getting ideas it definitely shouldn’t for a . . . Is it even a blind date if we know each other already?
“Is that a good wow or a ‘shit, she’s a space cadet—abort mission immediately’ kind of wow?”
I nod. “Definitely a good wow. It’s an impressed wow.”
She preens a little at that, and that small show of vulnerability warms my chest and eases my nerves. Dee doesn’t seem to be a woman who fades into the background, and it’s that self-confidence and backbone that draws me to her. But any guy will see a glimpse of a soft spot and want to protect it. It calls to the alpha male in me. “The whole way here I’ve been worried about what kind of woman Marco—and probably the crew, too—would set me up with.”
“Then you saw me.”
I make a point of looking down her body from her face to her toes and back again, memorizing every single curve as I go. My grin deepens when her breath hitches. “Yep. They get an A-plus for setups. I can relax now.”
“Good,” she replies. “Because in the interest of full disclosure, Ezra did ask if he could set me up, and it just happened to be the same day that I’d met you.”
My brows jump. “Did he now?” I ponder that for a second before moving across the room to Cohen’s big icebox, popping the lid open, and looking inside. “And did you know I was the friend?” I ask, my voice echoing a little. When Dee doesn’t answer, I straighten and look over my shoulder. I’m more than pleased to find Dee’s eyes aimed at my ass, and I laugh to myself when her body jolts as she realizes she’s been sprung. “Should I stand up so you can get a good look?” I say with a chuckle.
Thankfully, Dee doesn’t miss a beat, not even acknowledging the red blush tinging her cheeks. She holds her hands in the air, palms out. “Hey, any red-blooded woman would be a fool not to check out a handsome man’s butt.” She shoots me a cheeky smirk. “And to answer your question, Ez said your name, and I agreed straight away.”
My head jerks. Fuck, I like hearing that. “So, you’re a woman who knows what she wants?” I walk over to the island where she stands and pour her a white wine before handing it to her.
As luck would have it, Scotty bellows, “Dinner’s ready,” from the backyard, calling a much earlier end to our stolen time together than I’d have liked.
“Catch up later?” I ask, knowing I’ll track her down regardless. All of my worries about who I was being set up with vanished the moment I realized it was Dee. I just want to take the opportunity to spend more time with her.
She lifts her drink in the air and holds it there until I touch the neck of my beer bottle to her wineglass. “To not-so-blind dates,” she toasts. “And Good Samaritans who look really good in jeans.”
That last comment has me laughing when Jake and Harvey walk into the kitchen looking for us.
“It’s a small world, isn’t it?” Dee takes Jake’s empty seat. It’s the first chance since dinner and speeches that we’ve had to chat.
“It is. I had no idea that you were a Baker.”
I catch a hint of amusement in her eyes. “To be fair, my professional name is different. And it’s not like you know me as Dee Baker, is it?”
I scrub my face with a groan. “Need I ask what you’ve been told about me?”
“Nothing bad. I do know you’ve watched my videos though. It’s good to know you’re a fan.”
“Blame Jake for that. He showed me a few months ago, and I became a fan.”
She tilts her head. “Fan of my content or . . .”
I laugh. “Does it make me a creep to say it’s the videos and the host?”
A knowing smile appears. “It tells me you have good taste. But it does raise another question . . .”
I arch a brow. “And that is?”
“How did you come to be near my restaurant when that kid swiped my bag?”
I lift my beer to my lips before taking a long drink to cover my embarrassment. There’s no way I can tell her I just happened to be there. She’ll run for the hills, and this has been a whole lot less awkward than it could’ve been.
“I mean, as far as stalkers go, you’re more nice than creepy. At least you’re not digging through my garbage for mementos or sending me underwear and asking me to wear them and return them in the mail.”
My mouthful gets stuck in my throat, and I start choking, my eyes bugging out of my head as I gape at her. “You’re kidding, right? That didn’t happen.”
“Only once, thank god.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “So, to answer your question, I was in town to catch up with my parents and without thinking, ended up taking a wrong turn.”
“Couldn’t get me out of your head?”
“No. I mean . . . Shit.”
“It’s okay. I mean, if you were to stalk me, I don’t think I’d complain.” She lifts her wine to her mouth, smirking against the glass.
“And I definitely don’t want your panties.” My words don’t register until her eyes widen and her lips twitch. “Oh, shit. I mean—”
She pushes up to get out of the chair, and for a second, I panic.
“Stop. I—”
Leaning forward, she rests her hand on my arm, sending a jolt of heat through me. “I’m fucking with you, Rhodes. But since we said we’re being honest . . .” She moves in closer and drops her voice to a whisper. “I’d at least consider the request if it came from you.” Then she snickers and leans back in her seat, leaving me sitting there stunned speechless.
Marco, Renee, and Jake return, my son taking the seat on the other side of me, looking between Dee and myself.
“Sooooo . . . how’s it going . . .?” His singsong voice has me torn between shoving him off his chair and cracking up laughing. Jake trying to be a love guru when it was Marco and Renee was funny. When it involves me—not so much. To make it worse, he’s going to want a debrief on the way home, and knowing Marco, he’ll love being a bystander this time.
Dee’s shoulders shake with silent laughter, whereas I just roll my eyes at my son. “How are you doing, Jake?” I ask.
“Good, Daddio. Really good. Although”—he lifts his chin in Dee’s direction—“not as good as you, I bet.”
“God, you two. You’re doing that weird conversation thing without having an actual conversation,” Renee says.
“Is this what I have to look forward to when Harvey gets older?” Dee asks.
“Probably,” I say with a nod. “Kids. Fun to live with, can’t live without them.”
She giggles. “And they steal a little bit of your sanity as each day passes?”
I point my finger at her. “Yes! Which means you’ve got time to protect your mind while you still can.”
“Hey. I’m sitting right here, you know?” Jake says, pretending to sound offended.
I roll my eyes at him. “Yeah, Jacob Dylan Anderson. I hear you.”