SecondSightDating (10 page)
Authors: Marianne Stephens
“Ready to try again?”
Dan heard her words as he surveyed her appearance.
Although
neatly dressed, she looked different.
Even without any makeup, she was a
beauty.
Her curly hair held a rumpled look and he imagined Serena chose to run
fingers through her auburn tresses rather than use a comb or brush.
Her brown eyes shone, glazed over just enough for the tiny
green flecks to glisten.
Her eyes looked puffy, in need of sleep.
Dan wondered
if she’d just rolled out of bed and dragged herself into the office.
Just to meet me.
After spending the night with “Gino”.
Damn.
He cleared his throat then answered her.
“Sure.
Awake and
anxious to get started.”
“I’m glad one of us is awake.
I had a hard time sleeping
last night.”
“Stay up too late?”
“Not really.
I just had a lot on my mind.
And the numbers
and letters kept merging in my brain.”
“You see them in your dreams?”
Serena shook her head.
“No.
Just when I’m still awake.”
Dan began to pace the office, pretending to be interested in
her choice of wall décor.
“Maybe having me and Gino show up at your apartment threw
your night off.”
He glanced at her, trying to gauge her reaction
to his comment.
Only a cold stare gazed back at him.
“You left early and Gino is none of your business.”
Michael could be right.
Maybe he is jealous.
Serena’s heart fluttered with hope, although bothersome
doubts hindered her euphoria.
His jealousy could evolve from his suspicion of
an involvement between her and “Gino”.
That could be looked at as a positive
reaction.
If he feared competition in his ploy to gain customers for his own
operation, that would place his jealous reaction in the negative, unwanted
response.
Dan rubbed a hand over his face and through his hair.
“Look,
besides wanting to continue with having you match me up with someone, I’m
interested in your business.”
Huh?
The bottom fell out of Serena’s world as her heart sank
into the pit of her stomach.
“My business?”
Dan strolled over to her desk and leaned over it toward her.
“Didn’t you say you were looking for a business partner?
Isn’t that what you
and Gino talked about last night?”
“Um, yes.
But why would you be interested?”
Straightening up, Dan hooked both hands into his pockets.
“I’ve got a trust fund I can dip into.
Maybe a business like yours is something
I want to invest in.”
“Why this?
Why don’t you look into something you’ve watched
operate more than a few days?
Surely you don’t just jump into things without
really checking them out.”
An unpleasant smirk on his face annoyed Serena.
She stared
back, praying the hurt and doubts merging inside her didn’t reflect in the cold
look she hoped she was giving him.
“You don’t know me at all.
Maybe it’s time for me to take a
chance on something.
I like your business.
Matching people gives joy and
comfort to others.” He shrugged.
“I want a piece of something profitable.”
Serena sunk back into her seat.
There were just too many
ways to interpret his comments.
“I…I need to know you better before I consider letting you
buy half of my business.”
“Reasonable request.
I have questions about the business
too.
How about dinner tonight?
Then we can concentrate on getting to know each
other while you tell me about Second Sight Dating.”
“Dinner?
Tonight?
Uh, I’m not sure I can.”
What about
Mike?
“I figure tomorrow won’t work if I’m supposed to be meeting
Miss ‘E’.”
Damn.
Mike would have to fend for himself and let her do
some detective work on her own.
Dining alone with Dan would give her the
opportunity to uncover any secret agenda he had hidden up his sleeve for her
business.
She smiled.
“Of course you’re right on target.
I did contact
your date already and tomorrow will be fine with her.
I set it up for seven at
The Cheesecake Factory on 119 Street.
Will that work for you?”
A momentary sense of confusion clouded his face, but then he
agreed enthusiastically.
“And do you have your date set up, too?”
With the brightest smile she could muster considering her
quaking insides, she replied, “Not yet.
But, I will.
I wouldn’t leave you alone
with anyone, knowing how much you need me.”
And how much I need to watch
you.
Dan’s smile faded.
“And, our dinner tonight?
Where and
when?”
“The Macaroni Grill on Metcalf.
Is six okay?”
He nodded in agreement.
“Shall I pick you up?”
Thinking quickly, she rushed out, “No.
I mean, meet me
here.”
Dan quirked an eyebrow and answered, “Sure.
I’ll be here at
five-thirty.”
Serena dropped her gaze from Dan and searched the files on
her desk.
“Here’s…no.
Wrong bio.
Here’s the file for Miss ‘E’.
In case you want
to review it before tomorrow.”
Dan sat opposite her and took the file.
“Will she be in to
review mine?”
“No.
I spoke to her and she seemed satisfied with what I
relayed over the phone.”
He took less than a minute to check his date’s information
before tossing the file onto Serena’s desk.
“Fine.
What should I say to her?”
“Maybe you could try to be more personable.
You know.
Tell
her some interesting things about yourself.
She works with dogs.
Talk about
that.
Find some common ground and go in that direction.”
“Dogs, huh?
I guess I can come up with something to say.”
“Good.
You think about it.
I hate to throw you out, but I
have some work to do before we go to dinner tonight.” To add credence to her
comment, she busied herself with shuffling files strewn across her desk.
“Oh.
Sure.
We can spend some of our time tonight going over
stuff I can say tomorrow night.”
“Great.”
Dan rose and headed to the door.
“And the rest of the night,
we’ll spend talking about us.
Who knows?
Maybe we’ll find out that we’re
compatible.”
Us?
Compatible?
For what
?
“Huh?”
He grinned and Serena noticed that dimple forming…the one
she’d first noticed on him days earlier.
“You know.
Us.
Able to get along other than in a
business-client relationship.
Like, maybe becoming partners?” Dan turned and
strolled out the door.
After a full minute of staring at the door, Serena swung
into action.
First, she had to secure herself a date for the next night.
Then,
she’d have to have a long conversation with Mike.
Serena got up and walked into her back room.
She opened her
filing cabinet that housed all her clients’ files.
She needed a date.
Sean had been number one.
Number one date and Mr.
“One”.
She
quickly read through files number two and three and dismissed them.
Both had
met women through her matchmaking technique and were blissfully happy.
Their
files had been labeled “Inactive”.
Mr.
“Four” was still up for grabs, so Serena decided to give
him a call.
A professor at nearby Johnson County Community College should be
able to handle some type of conversation with her for an evening.
Interested in
sports and the arts, Jason would do.
She could find something to talk to him about for one night.
And it would only be for one night.
They didn’t match, wouldn’t be compatible.
She dialed his number planning to make the necessary arrangements.
Chapter Nine
“Mike, you can’t go to the restaurant.”
With a surprised look, her brother opened his mouth to speak
and then snapped it shut again.
Deep down inside, she knew he wanted to protect
her, but he’d have to back off this time and give her some space.
Serena dropped her head back against the headrest of her
recliner.
This would be a battle.
“Please, stay home.”
“Why?
You can say you’re inviting me along so you can tell
both of us about your business at the same time.
Sorta saving time by not
having to do it twice or showing favoritism.”
She closed her eyes, panicking at the images of an unhappy
threesome glaring at each other over what should be a digestible meal.
“No.
I
need to do this myself.
Don’t you see?
He doesn’t like you.
He won’t be himself
if you’re there.”
“Oh, now I get it.” Mike walked over to her and ruffled her
hair.
“I don’t think I’m gonna like where you’re heading with
this, Michael Patrick Xavier.”
“Hey,” he shrugged, “I can take a hint.
You want to be alone
with him.”
Irritation rising inside her, she pointed a finger in her
brother’s direction.
“Stop that right now.
Yes, I want to be alone with him,
but only because I think I can find out more about him without you bothering us.”
Hand held over his heart, Mike offered, “C’mon, little
sister.
You know me.
I’ll be very friendly and ask the right questions.
He’ll
never realize how much information he’s giving us.”
“No.” Serena shook her head.
“You’ll turn into ‘Detective
Man, Protector of Little Sisters’ and turn our dinner into an interrogation
complete with thumbnail screws.
Badgering Dan isn’t the way to get him to
talk.”
“And your plan is?”
“I’ll just turn on the charm and flirt with him.
You tell me
the questions to ask and I’ll throw them into our conversation while I bat my
eyelashes a few times and wiggle my hips.”
With a frown on his face and his hands in his pockets, Mike
rocked back and forth on his heels.
“You really think he’ll respond to that?”
“You definitely have all the right stuff to catch the
interest of any man, not that you ever seem to use it.
I still feel like I
should lurk around the restaurant, maybe…”
“Don’t you dare.
If he sees you snooping around, he may act
completely different.
I want to root out the real Dan so you stay far away.
Write down the questions I should ask, then stay here and eat me out of house
and home or go out for the night.”
Mike smiled at her, offering a resignation shrug.
“Okay.
You
win.
We’ll do tonight your way.”
“Thank you.” The tension in Serena’s body ebbed away, then
escalated again.
She’d have to use all her vast knowledge on dating, seduce Dan
and get him to play twenty questions with her commanding the inquisition.
“I’ll write my list of questions.
Maybe I’ll go see if
Annemarie’s around.”
At the mention of his former girlfriend’s name, Serena
glanced at her brother, full of curiosity.
“You still hung up on her?”
He shook his head no and walked briskly toward the window.
Serena realized he was feigning interest in the great outdoors.
“I just thought
I’d check on an old friend.
Any problem with that?”
Smothering her laughter, Serena answered, “Certainly not.
Go
for it.
I happen to know she’s still single and carrying a torch for a lost
love.”
In one quick movement, he pivoted to face her.
“Who’s the
guy?”
Serena’s laughter couldn’t be contained any longer.
“You
idiot.
It’s you.
It’s always been you.”
Mike’s shoulders slumped.
“How do you know that?”
“She stops in my office almost weekly to ask how you’re
doing.
Need any more evidence, oh, great detective?”
“You know what happened.
I couldn’t ask her to move until I
got myself settled.
Then, time just kept marching by until I figured it was too
late to expect her to wait around for me.
And this cursed gift I have can make
life complicated.” He dragged himself over to the sofa and plopped down.
Serena moved over to her brother and sat next to him.
After
taking his hand in hers, she said, “Listen to me and consider I just may know
more about the two of you than you think.
Mike, she loves you.
She’s waited for
you and will be more than happy to move and accept your ‘sight’.
You don’t give
her enough credit for adapting.”
Mike squeezed her hand.
“You really think so?
God, I hope
she still loves me.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her.”
Serena reached over to grab her phone.
She handed it to him.
“Here.
Call her.
See her tonight and straighten out your life.
I’ll take care
of Dan.
All you need to do is check out where he works on Monday.”
Mike grabbed the phone and grinned at his sister before
punching in Annemarie’s number.
“Thanks for the pep talk.
After I speak to her,
I’ll write your list.
Go get yourself ready for tonight.
I have some private
talking to do and I don’t want you standing here listening to my conversation.”
“Tyrant.
Hey, this is my house.
I can stand where I want
to.”
“I’ll pick you up and lock you in your room if I have to.”
Mike made a fake menacing move toward Serena.
“Never mind.
I’ll go quietly.
Tell her I said hello.”
* * * * *
At the office parking lot, Serena sat in her car and
reviewed the questions Mike had listed and rattled them off.
“How often have you dated?”
“How long has your longest relationship been?”
“What do you find interesting about my business?”
“What part in the business do you intend to play?”
“How will you relate to clients?”
She shook her head sideways, trying to ease the tightness
forming in her neck.
So many questions.
Were they all necessary?
Some of them
seemed, well, more personal than important to her investigation.
But, maybe
Mike knew the way to get people to talk and throwing in all the personal stuff
was a way to get Dan to relax.
Relax.
Ha!
How was she to relax with all the cloak and
dagger stuff going on?
Maybe a few glasses of wine would allow both of them to
be more comfortable with each other.
She’d worn higher heels than usual, opting for the
three-inch, black-strapped beauties she’d bought on a spending spree without a
clue as to what they’d match with and when she’d have the courage to try them.
Tonight seemed like the right time to break them in.
She’d carefully made up her face and fixed her hair, both
done in close fashion to her usual style.
Her fire-engine red lipstick
emphasized the color of her dress.
Flame-colored earrings hung delicately by
the sides of her face.
Even her nail polish screamed “Red”.
Serena glanced at her watch.
Where was he?
Here she was,
ready for someone to start singing about “The Lady in Red”, memorizing her
list, hoping her brother was patching things up with Annemarie and Dan…
“Hello.
Sorry I’m late.”
Serena jumped in her seat as Dan appeared by her driver’s
side window.
“I didn’t see you coming.”
She followed the direction of Dan’s pointing finger and
realized he’d parked next to her, exited his car to walk up to her and she’d
neither seen nor heard him.
Opening her car door, she apologized for not getting out
sooner.
“Sorry.”
“You really were off somewhere.
Going over conversation
suggestions for me for tomorrow night?
Or, weren’t you thinking of me at all?”
“Uh, maybe, but mostly just daydreaming.
A woman needs to
keep some secrets to herself, right?”
Flirty enough?
Should I bat my
eyelashes?
His eyebrows quirked at her comment, then he smiled.
“I like
unraveling mysteries.
I wrote that in my resume for my bio.
Keep your
secrets…for now.”
He walked to his car and opened the door for her.
It took a
great deal of restraint on his part not to pull her into his arms and squeeze
her between him and the car frame.
Kissing her wildly, fiercely, came to mind.
Hell.
Not even out of the parking lot and his hormones itched to march out of
control.
He’d seen her sitting in her car, staring off into space,
her lips partly open, begging for attention.
The shimmering glow of her dress,
highlighted by the streetlight near their cars, wouldn’t allow his eyes to
stray.
The closer he got as he walked to her car window, the more he could
witness the rise and fall of her breasts, encased but not completely covered in
the same shiny material.
The urge to kiss the spot between them triggered his
heart to beat faster.
No doubt lingered in his head.
He wanted this woman.
Needed
her.
His body craved Serena.
Too bad she could be a criminal he’d have to arrest.
Damn.