Best Dating Rules: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 2) (22 page)

Josh was quiet for a while, listening to the various chats, obviously waiting for his next opportunity. But Charlie was waiting, too.

“So, Emily,” he said. “That’s an amazing apartment your parents have. I bet you could get used to that type of luxury pretty quickly. Tooling around in a limo all the time. I know I can’t wait to get a cool place like that when my residency is over.”

Charlie almost laughed out loud. He’d really missed the mark on this one. She sat back and smirked at Josh, allowing Emily to cut him to pieces on her own.

“It’s all a bit ostentatious to me,” said Emily. “I was raised to believe money wasn’t all that important. As long as I have what I need, I’ll be content. In fact, the best thing about Steven Gherring’s money is how generous he is with it.”

Charlie flashed an amused grin at Josh. He winked and went back to his waiting game. When the conversation turned to work and school, he tried again. “Emily, it’s amazing you’re a CPA at what, twenty-four? You must be really smart.”

“She is,” declared Charlie. “And she loves numbers. You can make them all neat and organized. I guess that’s why she and Spencer are so compatible. They both work in accounting at Gherring Inc.”

“What about you?” said Josh. “What do you do?”

Charlie was caught off guard by his question. “I... I’m a college dropout,” she declared, lifting her chin, daring him to criticize her. She locked gazes with him, but he didn’t flinch.

“She had a four point grade average when she dropped out. And now she teaches snow skiing and leads rafting trips. But, eventually she’ll give in and go back to finish college.” Emily turned to Charlie. “Right, Sister?”

“Maybe. If anything holds my interest long enough,” she replied without looking away.

“Maybe you might go into medicine?” Josh folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, still holding his own in their stare down.

“Nah,” said Charlie. “Blood is gross. I’m thinking law school. But I might be interested in personal injury law. Then I could sue all those incompetent doctors.”

He laughed, but his eyes never left hers.

Brad brought up the high cost of education, and Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, shifting her eyes his direction. Emily and Spencer appeared to be holding hands under the table, and so far there hadn’t been any out-and-out fights between Josh and Spencer.

She watched Josh from the corner of her eye, realizing his gaze was still focused on her. She looked back at him, pursing her lips and furrowing her brows, a silent message to knock it off. He couldn’t seem to take a hint. He raised an eyebrow, and without breaking eye contact with Charlie, he said, “So Spencer? Have you heard from Becca?”

An awkward silence descended on the table, and Spencer spoke through clenched teeth. “Josh. What’s your problem?”

He laughed. “I’m kidding you. Don’t be so uptight.”

“Josh—” Emily’s tone was plaintive, but Charlie held up her hand.

“Josh!” Charlie’s chair screeched against the floor as she pushed it back to stand, speaking in the stern mother’s voice she usually reserved for her young ski students. “I’d like to speak to you in the other room for a moment, please.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, rising and dabbing his mouth with his napkin. “I’m coming.”

Charlie marched into the living room and spun around to face Josh. He entered, closing the door behind him.

“Why are you trying to ruin things between Spencer and my sister?” She reveled in righteous indignation.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He smiled benignly.

“Yes, you do. Don’t play dumb with me.”

“I’d rather play something else with you,” he said, taking a step closer to her.

“You don’t intimidate me,” she snapped, backing away. “I’ve dealt with arrogant guys like you before. You think you’re God’s gift to women, and you’re not.”

“I’m not?” He grinned. “So I should start charging them?” He moved closer again, and she went back another step, feeling her face flush.

“Leave my sister alone. Spencer loves her, and he’s not a player like you!”

“I’m not a player. I used to be, but I’m not any more.” He continued to move toward her, forcing her to lift her chin to talk to him. She backed up until she was against the front door. Her heart raced. When had she lost control of this situation?

“Oh really?” She laid on the sarcasm. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

“No it’s true. Although it hasn’t been true for very long.” He was so close she could feel the heat from his body.

“When did you repent and turn from your evil ways?”

“About ten minutes ago,” he murmured as he bent his head down and captured her mouth in a kiss. Charlie’s mind felt muddled and confused. His hands were behind her neck, allowing her no escape. She squirmed and protested futilely, but he continued his assault unfazed. Then his tongue swept across her lips, and she felt her knees go weak and her arms go around his neck. Her body moved against him of its own accord, while one of his hands slid down her back and pressed them tightly together. When his tongue slipped between her lips, she whimpered. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest. Or was that her heart pounding? He groaned when her tongue touched his. Suddenly, her mind was clear. What was she doing?

She pulled away abruptly and slapped him across the cheek.

He rubbed his face gingerly. “Ow—that hurt.” And to her great consternation, he grinned. “But it was worth it.” She stared at him in shocked silence as he vanished silently through the kitchen door.

Emily’s eyes shifted back toward the door. When Charlie and Josh left the room, the table had fallen silent, with all ears straining to hear the supposed tongue-lashing Charlie was dishing out. Connie had prevented her girls from following to the door and eavesdropping on the battle. As a consequence, they could only hear the sharp tone of Charlie’s voice, followed by Josh’s mellow one.

“What are they saying?” whispered Grace. “Can you hear anything?”

Brad chuckled. “I don’t know. But I think Josh may’ve finally met his match. Did you see her face? She was steaming.”

The living room had fallen quiet, and the entire group held their breaths. Then they heard a popping sound and Josh’s voice. As they trained their eyes and ears intently toward the living room, the door suddenly burst open. Josh entered, his face reddened from his neck to the tips of his ears. He looked around the table from one frozen spectator to another and his lips curved into an impish grin. He walked briskly to Spencer and clapped him on the back. “Sorry, buddy. I wish you two the best.” Then he caught Emily’s eye and winked, before continuing on around to take his seat next to Grace, attacking his food with renewed relish.

Eating continued accompanied by soft murmurs and frequent glances toward the door. The red faded from Josh’s face, except for the clear imprint of a hand on his cheek. He glanced repeatedly toward the door, and actually began to appear anxious before Charlie finally emerged, carrying her cell phone and her purse.

“I had to make a quick call.” Charlie opened her purse and making a show of stowing the phone away. “Sorry to keep y’all waiting. Is it time for dessert?”

Emily studied her sister, who sat down, appearing unperturbed to the casual observer. Only one who’d known her for twenty-three years would notice the slight tremor in her fingers as she carefully folded her napkin in her lap. She watched her pick at the food on her plate and pretend to laugh at the anecdotes and comments that crossed the table. But Emily could tell her mind was otherwise occupied.

And her sister no longer made eye contact with Josh, while he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes away. She saw it happening. He was getting more and more annoyed he couldn’t catch her glance. The more determined she was in avoiding his gaze, the more intent he was to gain it.

“Charlie,” he said. “Where do you teach skiing? Maybe I’ve been there before.”

“I teach at Breckenridge.” Charlie directed her answer to Brad. She continued to expound for several minutes about the quality of the snow and the length of the season and the number and type of lifts and the best places to ski the moguls. But none of her extensive discourse required her to look at Josh, and she steadfastly refused to do so.

“What do you like to do when you visit New York, Charlie?” He tried again.

“Emily and I like to go see musicals. Don’t we Emily? And last fall we took a great tour from a harbor boat with Spencer and his friend, Mark.” This time Charlie spoke her answer to Spencer. “Speaking of Mark. I’d like to see him. We should get together, the four of us, and go climbing again at the gym. Maybe tomorrow night, since I have to go home on Tuesday.”

“Sure,” Spencer replied, although his tone of voice was uncertain. “If Emily wants to go, I’m up for it.”

Now Josh was frowning, tapping the end of his fork on the table. Still Charlie refused to look his direction.

Emily bit her lips and lifted her napkin to her mouth to hide a chuckle. “That sounds great. I know we all had a lot of fun together last time. I may not be able to climb with my sore ankle, but I love watching you climb.”

Josh cleared his throat noisily. “Eh-hem! Girls aren’t any good at climbing.” He sat back expectantly, waiting for the fireworks. This time he wasn’t disappointed.

“You’re an idiot, if you believe that,” Charlie snarled, her eyes flashing. “I could beat you with my hands tied behind my back. Especially on a real climb, and not in some silly gym.”

He grinned triumphantly. “Prove it. Put your money where your mouth is. Or actually, I could think of something else I’d like to—”

“Shut up, you arrogant son of a... a biscuit!”

“Now, now. No need for a foul mouth. You can prove your superiority to me tomorrow night. It just so happens I’m off.”

“You’re not invited,” snapped Charlie.

“What gym do you climb at?” he asked Spencer.

“Uhmm...” He looked uncertainly at Charlie.

“Or if you want, you could concede now,” said Josh. “You could admit I won—that I got the better of you. It’s okay. There’s really no shame in being a member of the weaker sex.”

Charlie’s lips pressed into an angry line. “Tell him where we’re climbing, Spencer.”

“Are you and Grace coming?” Josh asked, interrupting Brad’s laughter.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“What the heck was that? What happened with Josh and Charlie?” asked Spencer. He’d finally managed to get a moment alone with Emily. Brad and Josh had departed together, and Charlie was helping his sisters wash dishes. Spencer and Emily were going for a walk down the street to fetch milk for his mother.

Emily chuckled. “I think Josh decided it’s more fun to chase Charlie than to chase me.”

“Does that mean the doctor won’t be making any more early morning house calls?”

“I’m fairly certain. I think he just likes a challenge, and Charlie puts up a great fight. I feel sorry for Charlie, though. She was only protecting me when everything got turned around on her.”

“I should have just punched him out this morning when I saw him in the lobby.”

“There’s no need to be jealous of Josh. I don’t even like him.”

“Is there someone I should be jealous of? If not Asher Denning, someone else? What I really want to know is… Are we dating exclusively?”

“That’s the only way I’d ever date you. I don’t date around.”

“Good.” Relief flooded him. “I realized we hadn’t actually specified. I... You need to know... I really like you. A lot. More than I’ve ever liked another girl.” He hoped that was saying enough, but not too much. If he professed love, she’d probably literally run away, despite her sprained ankle.

“I like you, too.”

Warmth flooded him from his head to his toes. He stopped and turned to face her, pulling her into a hug.

“Spencer, we’re in public.”

“There’s no one anywhere near us, and no one is watching.” He squeezed her tightly, his hands on the small of her back, while he nuzzled her hair. He loved the way she smelled—her hair, her skin, everything. His hands slid up to cup her face, and he lifted her chin, lowering his mouth to hers. But as his lips feathered lightly against hers, she drew back.

“I... I can’t.”

“Seriously, Emily. No one is watching.” He tried to renew their kiss.

“It’s not that. I just don’t think we need to be kissing right now.”

“Why not?”

“Well, kissing leads to other things—more physical things. And I think we need to be ready for more commitment before we do that.”

“No more kissing?”

“At least for a while, until we’re, you know... more committed.”

“Okay.” He agreed with his mouth, but not his head. His mind was replaying their first kiss. How soft her lips felt. The caress of her tongue against his. How responsive she was. His heart sped up at the mere thought of kissing Emily. He’d have to find a way around this new rule. He took her hand in his. “Let’s go get the milk.”

He didn’t broach the subject during the entire expedition. Upon their return to the concrete steps outside their apartment he sat down, patting the space beside him.