Worse, she hadn’t slept well the night before. Visions of Nick and his muscles from the Facebook pictures had bounced around her brain all night. Nick and Greg were the only men her body had reacted to in such a visceral way. Now she was even dreaming about the Neanderthal’s smile.
She’d call Nick later, tell him she wasn’t the right matchmaker for him, then give him a full refund. She wouldn’t want an unhappy customer as successful as Nick out there talking poorly about her, so maybe she’d offer to set him up on one meet for free before they went their separate ways.
The only good thing about her inability to sleep because of Nick, was that it helped her figure out how to fix her story.
A loud knock sounded on her front door.
She laid her computer on the coffee table and crossed to the entry. Standing on her tiptoes, she peered through the peephole.
No freaking way. It was him. And he looked like crap.
She didn’t think that was possible.
He wore the same suit as the day before, now rumpled, his jaw covered with day-old stubble. His hair was a mess, as if he’d been running his hands through it.
She picked up the bat she kept in the entry and yanked the door open. Thankfully a locked glass storm door still separated them. “Go away, or I’m calling the police.”
“Good. You’re home. I have an emergency.” He blinked at her as his smile grew. “You wear glasses? Cute.”
She forgot she had them on. And she was wearing dumpy sweats.
Nice.
Clutching her bat tighter, she said, “How did you get my address?”
“I know your cousin, Jake. We belong to the same climbing club. Small world, huh? Anyway, he gave it to me. And since you told me not to call . . .”
She breathed out a sigh and lowered the bat. If Jake trusted Nick enough to give him her address, then Nick wasn’t a horrible person. Just an annoying one. She unlocked the door so they wouldn’t have to yell through the glass and pushed it open. “So, you’re having a dating emergency?”
“No, it’s my niece, Emily. She’s in the hospital.”
Shelby’s anger instantly dissipated. “What’s wrong?”
“Appendix. They got her into surgery just in time last night. Em’s uncomfortable this morning, but mostly she’s scared of dying, leaving her mom all alone. Her father was killed while in the military, fighting overseas. Emily’s got issues.”
Issues? Only someone who hadn’t lost a parent, especially at such a young age, could call what Emily was feeling issues. It’s heartbreak. “I’d be happy to help Emily. You’re lucky I asked questions first before I beat you with my bat. I thought you were a stalker.”
“I’m not a stalker, Shelby.” He sent her one of his sexy grins. “But if you’ll help Emily, I’ll let you take a free swing. She’s inconsolable because she can’t find the book you signed for her. She had it with her when they admitted her, but it’s disappeared in the shuffle last night. Will you sign another for her? Please?”
The man said please? Would wonders never cease?
She held the door open wider. “Fine. Come in. And if you’ll wait while I change, I’ll deliver it in person. I have a little experience at being a kid in the hospital.”
Relief softened his face. “Thank you, Shelby. I owe you one.”
“And I won’t let you forget it.” She let go and the spring loaded door slapped closed behind him.
Nick looked ready to drop at any moment. She shouldn’t offer him anything because she really didn’t want to encourage him, but she had manners. Maybe he’d learn by example. “Have a seat. Want some coffee?”
He sighed and dropped onto the couch. “More than I want to draw my next breath.”
She beamed her sweetest, fake smile. “Too bad I’m out of arsenic, or I might have been tempted to arrange that.”
She left him on the couch and went to the kitchen to get his coffee. As she poured him a cup, she remembered he’d liked her chocolate chip cookies from their first meeting, so she grabbed two from the cookie jar and put them on a plate. When she returned to the living room, Nick was smiling and tapping the down arrow key on her laptop.
Rude!
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Your Chester books rock. This is the best one yet.” He gulped his coffee, then ate a cookie as he read. The sincere smile on his face made him even sexier, dammit . . . and that he liked her books didn’t hurt.
But then, of course he liked them. Chester was acting as badly as Nick.
She shook her head and then went to get ready.
After a few minutes, he called out, “Can I have some more coffee?”