Best Dating Rules: A Romantic Comedy (The Best Girls Book 2) (4 page)

“I don’t know… It rubs on my heel,” she lied.

“Hmmm.”

Spencer knelt down next to her, probing his fingers around the heel of her foot. Overcome by a sudden light-headedness, she closed her eyes and gripped the chair. He was touching her foot. His arm was pressing against her leg. Tingles were shooting up from where his skin contacted hers. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her pounding heart. Still he continued to examine the fit of the shoe, oblivious to her reaction. At least she hoped he was oblivious. Unable to bear the sensations any longer, she used the toes of her other foot to wrench the offending shoe off, flinging it up in the air in the process. The tumbling brown and orange streak narrowly missed the salesman’s head as he ducked.

Spencer jumped back along with the shoe salesman, both staring with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?”

Emily felt the blood pounding in her face. “I... I don’t like that shoe.”

They stood frozen for an eternity before Spencer spoke to the salesman from the corner of his mouth. “She uhmm… She doesn’t like that one. I think we should try another style.”

“Is there a pair here you
do
like?”

“The turquoise ones.”

His hands were shaking as he searched through the boxes, murmuring quietly to Spencer, “Which ones are turquoise?”

“She’s talking about these shoes with the blue on them.”

He handed the selected box to Spencer. “I’ll... I’ll let you guys try these on. I need to... uhmm... I need to check something in the stockroom.” He dumped the other boxes on the floor beside Spencer and fled.

Emily jerked the chosen box from his hands. “I can do it. I don’t need any help.”

“Okay.” He held his up his hands and backed away.

She slipped her foot into the cute shoe, but immediately noted a seam rubbing on the side. Pulling the shoe off in disgust, she stuffed it back in the box. “Let me see the others. Maybe there’s one that isn’t too ugly.”

Spencer handed her the boxes, one at a time. She peered inside two boxes and immediately rejected them. The third box held a black pair with small flashes of lime green.

“These are pretty cute.” She slipped her foot in and rejoiced inwardly. Nothing was rubbing—it felt comfortable. “Great. I’ll take these.”

“Wait. Let me see where your toe is and how they fit around your heel.” He knelt down and reached toward her foot.

“No need.” Emily stood, clomping awkwardly in one shoe, avoiding his scalding touch at all costs. “This one fits great. It doesn’t rub anywhere, and it’s not too loose.”

“You should at least put the other one on and walk around for a while.”

“Fine!” she growled, flopping back into the chair. She picked up the shoebox and fumbled with the other shoe, struggling to free it from its plastic shape-holder. After a few seconds and a few frustrated grunts, Spencer reached out to help her. When she saw his hand approaching, she dropped the shoe on the floor like a hot potato.

His eyebrows lifted as he retrieved the shoe. Removing the shoe’s plastic form, he held it toward her, keeping a careful distance. Her lack of self-control not only embarrassed, but also irritated her. She had to get over her fear of touching Spencer. She simply needed to ignore the sparky thing that always occurred.

She laced up the ties, obediently walking in both shoes for several minutes until Spencer seemed satisfied. He insisted she try the shoes on with hiking socks, and she complied despite her impatience.

“It’s just a sock. It won’t make a difference.”

“Don’t you try on your ski boots with your ski socks?”

“Maybe... But this is taking such a long time. And I’m hungry.”

He shook his head, but his face had a broad grin. “I’m gonna take a lot of snacks on the hike Saturday. You’re pretty grouchy when you’re hungry.”

Emily couldn’t suppress a begrudging chuckle. When she checked out, she winced a bit at the cost.

“These are good shoes,” he soothed. “You’ll be able to wear them for a long time. I’m sure you’ll get your money’s worth out of them.”

“You’re assuming I’ll go on more than one hike.”

“Okay, we’d better get some dinner into you right away.” He winked, as his dimples peeked out.

“It’s too late for dinner; I think I need some chocolate in an IV.”

“Finally, you’re smiling. I was about to give up.”

“Sorry to be so difficult.”

“It was worth the wait.”

She pondered his words as they walked. He’d certainly been patient with her. Her mom and sister always complained when they took her shopping, saying she spoiled the experience. And they hadn’t even had to put up with her spasmodic episodes in response to random skin contact. He was pretty nice—for a guy. And he was nice to look at, too. Of course, she only liked him as a friend.

She caught his eyes and flashed him a sincere smile. He snapped his face away, but she still noticed his ears reddened. Was he blushing?

Spencer felt his face heat up, and quickly turned his head to the side. She’d given him one of those full-on devastating smiles. He’d really had to work hard for this one. She must really, really hate shopping. She’d been acting awfully strange—jumping, dropping things, tossing shoes into the air. And she was really stubborn, even more stubborn than his four sisters. And that was saying a lot. He hated to be so demanding, but he knew he’d feel responsible if she got blisters on the hike. After all, he’d talked her into it when she obviously didn’t want to go.

He wasn’t quite sure how he’d accomplished it. He guessed he’d convinced her by emphasizing they’d be going as friends. That seemed to be her main concern. Just his luck... Girls had thrown themselves at him for years while he’d insisted on remaining friends. But since he’d met a girl special enough for his first kiss, she had instituted the
friends
policy
. God must have a sense of humor.

He felt really protective of her, the way he felt about his sisters. No. Nothing like the way he felt about his sisters. He never thought about kissing his sisters, and he thought about kissing Emily all the time.

He turned his face toward her again. “You want to try the best pizza in New York City?”

“Oh, yeah—that sounds great.”

Her smile was radiant. He needed to remember that. Pizza made her smile. Shopping did not.

“It’s in the next block.”

She nodded her head, picking up the pace almost imperceptibly. She must be really hungry. He observed her without turning his head. She was chewing on her bottom lip the way she always did when she was thinking about something. Her lips were so full and soft-looking. He could imagine how they would feel against his own. She continued to worry her lip, as she turned to look at him. He darted his eyes to the sidewalk.

“I’m buying my own pizza.”

“But it was my idea. It won’t make it a date just because I buy you a slice of pizza.”

“Yes it will. It’s our house rules.”

“Then don’t tell your mom and your sister. If they don’t know, it won’t be a date.”

“But I’ll know, and Charlie will know. She always knows. I can lie to Mom, but Charlie always knows.”

“Fine. You can buy your own pizza. But just so you know, that’s not how I was raised.”

“What do you mean?”

Spencer hesitated. “You’ll probably think this sounds chauvinistic, but my dad taught me to respect women. You know, to treat them with deference. To open doors and speak politely, to protect them, and... He taught me to pay for their dinner.”

“He didn’t really tell you to pay for every woman’s dinner, did he?”

“Well, not exactly. But he did teach me if I asked someone to go eat with me, I’m offering to pay for the meal. That would be true even if you were a guy. It’s especially true since you’re a woman.”

“Because I’m the weaker sex?”

“Because you’re the fairer sex. Nothing weak about you.”

She chuckled. “Okay, I don’t think you’re a chauvinist. But, I can afford to buy my own pizza, and there’s no reason for you to pay.” Her face took on a determined look to which he was growing accustomed.

“You know, that pride of yours is going to get you in trouble someday.”

Spencer paced and fume
d
, his face creased with worry. He really wanted this hike to go well, especially since Emily had been so hesitant. But the rest of the hiking club had decided to tackle a more strenuous hike that would take over seven hours. Emily might flat-out refuse to go, or she might insist on going because of her pride. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good first hike experience. Plus, the Gherrings were going. Steven Gherring was in amazing shape, since he was constantly training for Iron Man competitions. Emily’s mother seemed fairly fit as well, but she’d recently visited the emergency room for her ulcer. A seven-hour hike seemed like a bad idea for someone who’d been in the hospital earlier in the week.

He planned to suggest an alternate hike, but that meant it would only be the four of them. Emily seemed diametrically opposed to anything resembling a date. Would she think he was trying to trick her into going on a hike without a big group of friends? He’d considered asking one of his sisters to come along to make Emily feel more comfortable, but he didn’t want his sisters to meet Emily. They would pick up on his feelings for her and tease him mercilessly, and with good reason. He’d done the same to them numerous times.

He walked into the lobby of the apartment building to find Steven Gherring waiting alone. “The girls aren’t coming?”

“Oh, they’re coming. Anne’s in Emily’s apartment, trying to talk her into leaving some of her supplies at home.”

“Supplies?”

“Yes, her backpack weighed about fifty pounds. She researched all the things that can happen on a hike, and she stocked enough supplies to last all four of us if we were stranded for a week.”

“Why would she do that? I told her I’d have all the supplies we needed in my backpack. She only needed to bring water.”

“So you are now learning the Best women are stubborn and like to think of themselves as self-sufficient.” Gherring grinned. “Especially Emily. I don’t think I’ve seen her accept a single thing from me without a fight. Not since she moved to New York on a mission to prove herself.”

“I’m glad to hear it—I thought it was only me. Hey, I need you to help me figure out a little problem with the hike.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, the club decided to change to a seven-hour strenuous hike. So I think the four of us should go on a shorter hike. Do you think Emily would be okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t she?”

“She doesn’t want to do anything that looks like a date. I’m afraid she’ll think I’m trying to trick her or something since I told her there was a big group of friends going.”

“Well, I’m no expert on relationships—it took me fifty years to finally get married—but I think Emily likes to be in control. Why don’t we let her make the decision? Just leave it to me.” He spotted Anne and Emily emerging from the elevator.

Emily’s brows sunk low over her eyes. “I still think I should’ve brought the canned ham.”

The face Anne turned to her husband showed desperation. “Steven, would you please give your expert opinion on supplies here.”

“Well, first we’ve got to make an important decision about the hike. The hiking club has changed their destination. They’re headed for a strenuous seven-hour hike. So we could join them as planned, or pick another hike that’s shorter and more moderate.”

Emily brightened. “I’ve been researching all the hikes on the AT near here. I found one that sounded really good—Silvermine Lake Loop. It’s only rated moderate and it’s a four-mile circuit.” She pulled out her phone and quickly retrieved the route information.

“This looks good, Emily,” said Spencer. “I’ve always wanted to do this one.”

“This will be much better for Mom. She doesn’t need to go on a seven-hour hike.”

Anne rolled her eyes at Gherring, but he nodded. “I agree. I don’t want her to do anything so strenuous. So we’re all in agreement? And as for supplies, we won’t need so many since we’re doing this hike. We’ll never be more than an hour from the car, and there will be plenty of people on this trail if we have an unforeseen problem.”

“Let’s go.” Emily led the way out the door.

Spencer hung back. “Thanks, Mr. Gherring. You’re really good with women.”

“Sometimes I get lucky. I’ve screwed up plenty of times.”

“That’s the truth,” agreed Anne.

Emily paced outside the apartment building as she waited for the others to emerge. She realized she hadn’t thought this whole thing through. She’d suggested they go on this alternative hike, but that meant they wouldn’t be going over in a group. With only the four of them, would it be like a double date? And she was still worried about her mom’s health. Steven had readily agreed her mother shouldn’t strain herself. Yet she’d done extensive research on ulcers and found no evidence physical exertion was harmful. Maybe he was simply being overprotective, but she still thought they might be hiding something.

Spencer came out with his phone to his ear. “Hi, Becca. Yeah, I know I said I was coming on the hike. But I’m with some friends who weren’t prepared for a seven-hour hike. Yeah. Yeah, we decided to do Silverman Lake Loop instead. Uhmm, I don’t know. Who’s ‘we’? Just you and Candace? Remind me—who’s Candace? Oh yeah, I remember. Well, I guess you guys could come with us, but I don’t know if there’s room in the car for two more.”

“Hey Spencer, my car will hold six if we get cozy.” Steven pointed to a shiny black SUV, parked and waiting on the street.

“Uhmm, okay. There’s enough room. I guess you could come. But I heard you were one of the ones who pushed for the long hike. Oh... Oh... Well, sure. I guess we can pick you up on the way. We’re leaving right now. Fine. See you in a few.”

“So, it looks like we’re taking Becca and Candace along. I hope you really don’t mind,” he said to Steven and Anne, with a sidelong glance at Emily.

“Of course we don’t mind. Why should we mind? We were planning to go with a huge group before.” Her mom climbed into the car.

“Well… I think they heard I was bringing Mr. Gherring, and maybe that’s why they decided to leave the big group and go with us. They might be weird around you. You know what I mean?”

“I really don’t think it’ll be a problem. The star status wears off pretty quickly in these situations.” Steven leaned inside to fasten Anne’s seatbelt, kissing her cheek.

“I’m gonna make sure your shirt stays on around those girls. And you’ll have to keep your eyes on the trail.” Anne poked his arm with her finger to emphasize her words.

He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers. “I only have eyes for you.”

“Get a room,” Emily teased. “So who’s going with us now?”

“Becca and Candace are two of the girls from the hiking club.”

Two extra people would prevent their outing from becoming a date. So why did this information annoy her?

Emily tried to like the two girls who joined them in the car. She tried for about two minutes before she gave up. She sat in the middle of the back seat next to Spencer. Becca sat beside her, but barely paid her any attention. Instead she leaned forward and across Emily’s legs while talking to Spencer. She seemed to feel the need to reach over and touch his leg with every sentence. And she spoke a lot of sentences. Leaning over also provided a startling view of her generous cleavage. For his part, Spencer did a remarkable job of not staring at the displayed goods. Maybe they bored him, since he was such a player—he’d probably seen plenty in the past. Emily glanced down at her own meager endowment. She certainly didn’t have anything that could compete, not that she wanted to compete in that way. Since she and Spencer were only friends, there was no reason to worry about whether he was attracted to her assets. Right? And he’d insisted he wasn’t interested in dating anyone right now. But evidently Becca hadn’t heard that… she was certainly sending an open invitation.

She might have liked Candace better since her shirt wasn’t so revealing. But she was so ridiculously perfect she looked like a model headed to a fashion shoot. Her long blond highlighted hair was pulled back in a fancy French braid. Her face was flawless under meticulous make-up. Her skin was tanned and smooth. Emily felt her white skin glowed in comparison, and as usual, she wore no makeup at all. In contrast, Candace looked chic and sophisticated. She was even more annoyed Candace was friendly and outgoing. She chatted easily with her mom and Steven when she wasn’t giving her attention to Spencer in the back seat. Both girls managed to completely ignore her existence—at least, that was how it felt to Emily.

Arriving at the trailhead parking lot, Emily’s cell vibrated.

“Hey, Charlie.” Emily moved away from the group to speak more privately.

“Hey, Sister. Are you hiking yet?”

“We’re fixin’ to start.”

“I’m sooooo jealous you and Mom are having fun without me. I wish I could be hiking with y’all instead of leading this group of thirteen and fourteen-year-olds on this rafting trip.”

“Well, I wish I was there with you.”

“What’s wrong, Sister?”

“We’d decided to go on a shorter hike, just the four of us. And I guess that could’ve been weird. But now we’ve been joined by Betty Boobs and Polly Perfect, and they’re putting the moves on Spencer, big time.”

Charlie’s peals of laughter rang through the phone.

“Stop it—no laughing. What am I going to do?”

“Why do you care so much? I thought you and Spencer were just friends.”

“We
are
just friends. But now I have to spend two hours hiking with these two bimbos.”

“Really? Are they that bad?”

“One has like double-D’s absolutely spilling out of her top, and the other girl is charming, tanned and beautiful.”

Charlie giggled again. “Em! You’re the only person I know who can say ‘charming, tanned and beautiful’ like a horrible insult.”

“Arghhh! You’re not helping.”

“Come on. What’s wrong with you? Since when do you compare yourself to anyone else? Especially not a couple of bimbos. And you know you’re beautiful. You must be—people tell us we look alike all the time, and I know I’m beautiful.”

“Interesting argument, Sister. But you’re right. I don’t know why I’m comparing myself to these girls. That’s not like me.”

“Have you figured out anything else about Mom? How does she seem today?”

“She seems fine. Steven’s really attentive and protective, but maybe no more than normal. It could just be my imagination.”

“Well, let me know what you find out. Have fun on your first hike.”

Spencer called, “Hey, Emily. Ready to go?”

“Coming.” She smiled down at her new hiking shoes and her matching lime green top. She didn’t really care much about clothes, but she liked her colors to coordinate. It soothed her artistic sensibilities. She was determined to have a good time. She detested pouty people who spoiled the fun, so she wasn’t going to be that person.

Steven and Anne took the lead as Spencer motioned Emily to follow, falling into stride beside her on the broad path.

They hadn’t gone twenty-five yards when Becca said, “Hey Spencer. I think my Camelback has a pinched hose. Could you check it for me?”

Emily continued on behind her mom, while he dropped back with the other two.

“You need to keep drinking the whole time,” Steven told Anne. “You can’t risk getting dehydrated.”

“I will and I am. I’m practically floating. I’m sure I’ll have to pee numerous times on the hike.”

Emily’s stomach constricted. She hadn’t considered what type of restrooms would be on the hike. “Where do we use the bathroom, anyway?”

Her mom smiled. “There was a bathroom at the parking area. Out on the hike, you have to make a little side trip into the trees.”

Emily gasped in horror. “Outside? On the ground? With people walking by?”

Steven laughed. “Hopefully you’ll get far enough away from the path you’ll have some privacy.”

“No way—the hike’s only two hours long, so I’m holding it.”

Anne chuckled. “I expect you will.”

Candace appeared beside her. “Hey, Mrs. Gherring. Don’t you have some good stories to tell about Mr. Gherring? You know, things we’d never hear about in the magazine articles?”

“Oh I’ve got lots of stories, but if I start revealing things about Steven Gherring’s personal life I might lose my job.”

“You work?” Candace asked in surprise.

Steven answered for her. “We work together now. We make a great team, and I like spending time with my wife.”

“Wow, that’s really romantic. It’s just not what I’d expected to hear after all the stuff they say in the tabloids.”

“What stuff?” A concerned frown creased Anne’s forehead.

“Nothing, sweetheart.” He reached out to take her hand. “We don’t care what they say in the tabloids.”

“Oh, I know it’s not all true,” said Candace. “Especially the stuff about Mr. Gherring having a love child and all that.”

“A love child?” Anne voice became a bit shrill. “They said that in the papers? Can’t you sue them or something?”