Two Dates Max (5 page)

We both watched his denim-clad ass as he left.

“Damn, Elle. If you’ve had that hanging around, why in the hell have you been with
Declan
?”

She snorted out a laugh and shook her head.

“I had no idea Hank even wanted me until about twenty minutes ago. He came to talk to Declan and found me here trying to pack my clothes. One look at my face and he came unglued. Swore he was going to kill Declan slowly and painfully
after
nursing me back to health. Oh, Meg. I just don’t know what to do.”

She laughed on a sob and I pulled her into my arms. I let her cry for a minute, shooing Hank back down the hallway when he made an appearance. He looked reluctant to leave, but just nodded and went back to the bedroom. Did I mention how much I liked him?

Once Elle finished crying away her initial fears, I helped her pack the rest of her clothes. For having been in the apartment most of the past five years, she had relatively little to pack. I think in the back of her mind she was always ready for a quick getaway.

“Why in the hell did you decide to run over here this morning, Elle? What if Declan had been here?” I asked as I searched under the bed for a missing shoe.

She sighed loudly.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, and while I was thinking things over I remembered him saying he was heading to Austin today. I guess I could’ve waited ’til later but I just wanted to get this over and done with. You know?”

“Yeah I know.”

I spotted her shoe behind a pair of Declan’s jeans and grabbed it. She took a final look around her bedroom and we headed to the living room where Hank waited.

There was nothing else in the apartment she wanted to keep, so we all headed downstairs with just two small boxes and a suitcase.

Hank walked over to a brand-spanking-new pickup truck. He placed his box in the bed before turning to take the other from me. Elle watched him without a word as if she still couldn’t believe she was going home with him. I hadn’t actually tried to talk her out of it even though I was a bit wary. I didn’t know this guy, but the way he’d been treating her the past few minutes was polar opposite from Declan. That had to count for something.

He opened the passenger door and gently pried Elle’s suitcase from her hand. True fear showed on her face and he immediately set down the suitcase.

“What, baby? What is it?”

“I…I don’t know…”

“Elle.” I stepped up beside Hank to get in her line of vision. “Go with Hank, honey. He’ll take care of you and I’ll come over tonight to check on you, okay?”

A tear slipped down her face and she sniffled, but then nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Hank picked her suitcase back up and quickly stowed it behind the passenger seat. I noticed him moving faster, as if afraid she would change her mind. He helped her into the seat as if she were made of spun glass and even put the seatbelt around her. Once her door was closed he turned to face me.

“I swear I won’t hurt her.”

I considered any number of threats, but quickly realized I didn’t need them by the true concern on his face.

“I know. I would still like to come by your place tonight if that’s okay.”

He seemed to breathe easier and quickly nodded. We programmed each other’s cell phone numbers and I watched him get into the driver’s seat. They drove away with Elle watching me through the window. I gave her another thumbs-up until they turned away. Then I made the trek back to my car, praying everything would work out.

After leaving Declan’s I headed for Hardy’s All Goods. Though I never needed an excuse to see Sean, I honestly had to get a few kitchen staples. My stomach growled a reminder that I still hadn’t had so much as coffee. A quick trip through a drive-thru and I walked into Hardy’s with breakfast for two. A couple of the cashiers smiled at me and one even waved. I wasn’t exactly shy about my interest in Sean and luckily there didn’t seem to be any competition from them. There was a rumor about a cashier who had quit a few months before, but either no one really knew much or they just weren’t talking.

I’d quickly realized Sean commanded a wary respect from his employees. He’d been in the Marines for a few years and it showed in the way he carried himself. It was one of the many things I liked about him, even when he drove me kind of crazy.

His office door was wide open so I didn’t bother to knock before walking in. He was looking at something on the computer and barely glanced my way. I smiled and set our food on his neat and tidy desk, moving a magazine out of the way before putting down the coffee carrier.

“Ooh, is that Devon Campbell?”

I plucked the magazine off his desk as he reached for it, and turned away to stare at the cover. It was a bit wrinkled as if someone had gripped it carelessly but Devon still looked great next to the hometown beauty on his arm. I stared at her for a minute before recognition set in.

“Hey. That’s Mari.”

Sean sighed directly behind me and reached over my shoulder to grab the magazine. He tossed it into the trashcan beside his desk before sitting back down.

“Yes. That is Devon and Mari Campbell on the cover.”

“They got married?”

“This past weekend.”

He was growling, which made me frown. Short, clipped sentences weren’t odd for him, but I’d thought we had moved past that. I watched him rub his temples and scrub a hand down his face.

“I brought breakfast.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to look at me. “Thank you.”

There was no appreciation in his voice and I’d swear this was a different man from the one who had kissed me last night. I crossed my arms but stayed a few feet away.

“You’re welcome. Everything going all right this morning?”

He just shrugged and took a coffee from the cardboard carrier. I held on to my patience in the hopes caffeine would make him more human.

“Well, Elle’s taken care of for now.”

He raised a brow and took a sip, but said nothing.

“Yeah, I found her back at Declan’s apartment…on another man.”

That got a reaction. Sean started choking on his coffee. I rolled my eyes and moved closer to pat him on the back. He allowed two pats then rolled his chair away. I turned so he wouldn’t see how much that bothered me and began pacing across his small office.

“It’s okay. His name is Hank and she’s known him a while. She actually talks about him all the time but I’d never met him. He certainly seems nice.”

“
Hunky
Hank?” he asked.

I laughed and turned back to find him digging a croissant from the paper bag on his desk.

“That’s the one. She told you about him too, huh?”

He just nodded and bit into his croissant.

“Yeah well, he swears he’s willing to take care of her and keep Declan away. Kinda sounds too good to be true, but I’m going over to his place tonight to check on her.”

Sean chewed and showed no sign he cared or was even really listening to me. I huffed out a breath and set my hands on my hips.

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

He raised a brow and swallowed. “What do you mean?”

I frowned and tried to think of how to word my concern. We were at his job so I certainly didn’t expect him to jump up and start kissing me, but a little enthusiasm would’ve been nice.

“I don’t know. You don’t really seem very happy to see me.”

He didn’t look at me as he finished his croissant before pushing the bag away. After half a minute of silence my stomach felt like a ball of lead and tears burned the back of my throat.

“Yeah, okay. Well, I gotta go.”

I walked out of his office at an even pace, not too fast, not too slow. He could have stopped me. He could have called my name. He did neither and it made my chest hurt. The tears started once I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. Maybe things weren’t looking up after all.

My appetite was gone by the time I got home but I rummaged through the refrigerator anyway. I was hurt, pissed and still worried about Elle. I slammed the refrigerator shut and went back to bed. The plan was to sleep for at least a couple more hours, then get up around noon for lunch. Unfortunately, the reality was I hurt too much to relax. What the hell was wrong with Sean? Should I even bother anymore?

I had been seriously considering moving past him when he’d accepted my invitation for Saturday. Now that he’d dangled that carrot before me I just didn’t know what to do. On one hand I really thought he was worth the effort. On the other…well, I really didn’t need this type of emotional upheaval. I’d done well the past few years in living an almost drama-free life. Elle was really all the excitement I needed. However, she had a point. Thirty loomed way too close for comfort when I still crawled into bed alone every night. Did I think Sean was husband material? Maybe. We really got along great when he allowed it. The question was, how long could I wait for him to realize it?

An hour later I knew there would be no more sleep for me. I opted for a shower instead. It made me feel more alive but no better as Sean continued to invade my thoughts. Luckily, the phone rang and pulled my attention away.

“Hey, it’s Hank. Figured I should give you my address.”

I laughed and searched for a pen and paper.

“That’s probably a good idea since I’m not channeling my inner bloodhound today.”

He chuckled and it was a nice, deep, masculine sound. I sighed in regret that it made me think of Sean. Hank gave me the directions to his house, which was only about fifteen minutes away and in a very nice neighborhood. Luckily they were simple directions so I had high hopes of finding it within thirty.

“We’re having burgers for dinner. Is that cool with you?”

I found a pen that actually worked and grabbed an old envelope from my kitchen counter.

“Sure that’s fine. You don’t mind me eating with y’all? I’m sure you’d prefer to have Elle to yourself.”

“Of course, but there’s plenty of time for that. She’s still kind of skittish, you know? I’m hoping your presence will relax her a bit.”

I nodded and smiled even though he couldn’t see it.

“What’s she doing now?”

“Taking a nap, and no…I didn’t try to crawl into bed with her. God knows it damn near killed me, but I was a gentleman.”

I snorted out a laugh, liking how he talked to me as if we were old friends. His easygoing personality was just what Elle needed in her life right now.

“Well, I’d say that’s none of my business but she’s like a sister to me.”

“Yeah, I know. She talks about you all the time. Which is why I need to know your favorite dessert. I plan on kissing a lot of ass while you’re here.”

I laughed harder and shook my head. “Anything chocolate works for me.”

“Cool. That’s easy enough to remember. All right, be here around seven and the food should be ready.”

“Okay, see ya later.”

“Later.”

I hung up and smiled at the phone, but then it turned into a frown when thoughts of Sean intruded again. Why in the hell couldn’t he be that easygoing all the time?

* * * * *

By six o’clock I couldn’t find anything to keep me busy around the house anymore and gave up. It was spotless, all the laundry done and everything in its place. I felt a little better about life in a clean house but had to work to keep a frown off my face. I hoped Elle would be too busy ogling Hank to notice my melancholy. Imagine my surprise when it was Hank who called me out on it as soon as he opened his front door.

“Hey, you made it…what’s wrong?”

I paused before stepping into his house to frown at him.

“Nothing’s wrong. Where’s Elle?”

“I’m in here, hon,” she called from somewhere beyond the front foyer. “Is something wrong?”

I sighed and shook my head as I stepped into the house. Hank closed the door behind me and pointed over my shoulder to one of two open doorways.

“She’s in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.”

I mumbled my thanks and followed his pointed directions to find Elle sitting on a barstool against the most awesome built-in kitchen island I’d ever seen.

“Whoa.”

I looked around what was obviously a custom job with my jaw on the floor. Elle laughed and hopped off the stool to give me a hug.

“Isn’t it great? Hank is such a genius with custom redesigns. This was all his work.”

The obvious pride in her voice made me glance at her but she was looking around the room in admiration. I closed my mouth and joined her. It really was the nicest kitchen I’d ever stepped foot in.

“This is great. Does that mean he likes to cook?”

Elle laughed again and nodded as Hank entered the room.

“Oh yeah. I love to cook. Especially when I have two beautiful ladies to impress.”

If he wasn’t Elle’s and Sean didn’t exist, Hank’s grin would’ve melted me on the spot. I just smiled as Elle sighed and leaned on me a bit.