Midnight Valentine(52)

“Oh, good. That makes me feel so much better.”

Smiling, I walk from the kitchen to the front parlor, where I look out into the yard. The sound of hammering, footsteps, and the murmur of male voices drifts down from upstairs, where Coop and the guys are working on installing a new circuit box in a utility closet. I have no idea where Theo is, but I’m not paying attention to him anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“I visited your building the other day.” The instant it leaves my mouth, I know how it sounds. Judging by the pleasure in Craig’s response, he’s thinking the same thing.

“You drove all the way to Portland to see my burned-out building?”

I close my eyes and shake my head, mentally kicking myself. “I, um, had some shopping to do, and…I found myself in that neighborhood.”

Now Craig’s laugh is delighted. He says teasingly, “You ‘found’ yourself in an industrial park? Hmm. You must need a new battery in your GPS.”

I groan. “God, I sound like some kind of stalker. I promise it wasn’t as creepy as it sounds.”

“It doesn’t sound creepy at all to me. I think it’s sweet. In fact, I think you should just admit that you think I’m devastatingly handsome and charming so we can go on our first date.”

I was wrong. There’s no way his ego is going to be affected no matter how lame my repartee might be. You could drive a tank over this guy’s ego and it would pop right back up without a scratch.

“Our first date?” I shoot back. “You’re assuming we’ll have more than one?”

“Oh yeah,” he says, all confidence. “You’re gonna fall in love with me over dinner and insist I take you out again. By this time next year, we’ll be picking out our wedding invitations.”

My mouth falls open. Then, struck by the sheer size of his nerve, I break into laughter.

Craig pounces on my amusement like a lion on his dinner. “Or maybe you’re in love with me already!”

“You’re nuts,” I say between gasps. “Seriously nuts!”

“And you’re completely infatuated with me. It’s the hair, isn’t it? It’s my thick, glorious head of hair. Go on, admit it. I’ll wait.”

I’m laughing so hard, my sides hurt. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard, but Craig and his supersized ego are reminding me how.

“Yes, Craig. Obviously I’m infatuated with you because of your magnificent hair. No woman alive could resist.”

“Aha!” he crows, victorious. “You said magnificent!”

“I was just repeating what you said.”

“No, I said glorious. You came up with a completely different adjective that had an entire additional syllable. Case closed. You’re madly in love with me. What time should I pick you up Friday?”

“Wow. Are you always like this?”

“Funny, charming, and dazzlingly sexy? Yes. Yes, I am.”

My eye roll is so extravagant, I might’ve popped something in my brain. Still chuckling, I relent. “Okay, Craig, you’re on. Dinner on Friday. Pick me up at six. And don’t make me regret this, I haven’t been on a date in a hundred years.”

His voice drops a notch. “I promise I won’t ever make you regret anything where I’m concerned, Megan. See you at six.”

He disconnects before I can say anything else.

I shake my head in disbelief, muttering, “Well, this should be interesting.”

When I turn around, Theo is standing still in the hallway, staring at the floor.

“Oh,” I say, startled to see him standing there. “Um…did you need me for something?”

Without looking at me, he pulls his cell phone from his pocket and types something into the keyboard. It comes through on my phone with a chime.

We’re done for the day.





“Oh, great. Okay. Anything I need to know?”

Theo lifts his head and looks at me. Really looks at me, his eyes searching my face. Slowly, he shakes his head no.

Something in his gaze elicits a powerful urge in me to run to him and throw my arms around his shoulders. The feeling is so strong, I have to physically restrain myself from moving my feet.

I know he overheard my call with Craig. How much he heard, I’m not sure, but judging by the expression on his face, he’s feeling some kind of way about it. Some major kind of way.

I whisper, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

He doesn’t acknowledge I’ve spoken. He simply stares at me for a beat, then turns abruptly and disappears down the hallway, his boots thumping loudly against the wood floor.

I blow out a breath and press my hand over my heart. That does nothing to stop its frantic fluttering.