Maddie and Sam shopped, ate ice cream cones and shopped some more. The only thing Maddie bought was a wooden tray with cows painted on it. She needed a tray—the cows she could do without, but the only other choice was chickens. Sam bought five second-hand books, a broken clock, a cup without its matching saucer for his mother and a chew toy for his dog.
Maddie rolled her eyes at every purchase—he assured her he'd get around to reading War and Peace one day—but held back any comments until he bought the cup.
"What will your mother do with a cup and no saucer?"
He held the cup at eye level, turned it, flipped it over and studied it. "It looks like one she already owns. If she breaks the original she can replace it with this." He grinned at her. "See, I'm thinking ahead, like you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. You know how you like to plan ahead."
She frowned. "You noticed?"
"Well, yeah. How could I not? You directed me here so we'd miss the traffic and you planned our route around the market so we'd hit the ice cream stand at five minutes past one when you figured you'd be hungry."
"I said around one, not five past. Besides, that's all logical and efficient."
"I know. Good thinking." He stood so close she could smell the citrus scent of his soap.
"Being efficient and logical is just sensible. You got a problem with that?" She couldn’t keep the challenge out of her voice even though she regretted her words as soon as she said them. Of course he’d have a problem with it. Most people would. Most people thought she was odd to plan and plot her way through life. Maybe it was odd, but it was her way. If Sam liked her less because of it then he could go to hell where all her previous boyfriends resided.
There. That sounded ballsy. Score one to Maddie.
Pity she felt like she’d lost the game.
"I wouldn't have noticed your planning fetish unless Pete and Linda mentioned it," he said.
"Oh really," she said tightly. "Remind me to thank them."
He smiled down at her and tugged on a curl. "Don't be mad at them. It's a good trait. I like a woman who knows what she wants."
So why did Maddie get the feeling he was patronizing her? Was it the teasing tone of his voice? Or the way he tugged on her curls? He and Pete used to do that all the time when she was a kid. It annoyed the hell out of her at thirteen. At thirty it drove her nuts. If Pete did it, she'd punch him hard on the arm, but it was an entirely different ball game with Sam. A game where she didn't have a clue about the rules, the opposition team or even what stadium she was playing in.
Being around Sam was screwing with her head.
She tried to think up a witty retort to his comment about her planning fetish when someone called her name. She turned towards the familiar voice and nearly smacked into a person she'd managed to avoid for an entire year.
"Justin! How nice to see you again." She pecked her ex-boyfriend on the cheek, clenching her jaw to stop her teeth from grinding. The sight of Justin usually made her want to do that these days. Or knee him in the family jewels. Funny how she'd never had violent tendencies until she'd learned he'd cheated on her after only a month of dating.
"You look great," said the tall, blond jerk...er, jock. "Done something with your hair?" He put a hand up to touch a curl but withdrew it suddenly after glancing over her shoulder. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down like a buoy in a storm.
Maddie spun round and Sam grinned at her, both dimples on full display. The effect was one of cherubic innocence.
Yeah, right. Sam, cherubic? Or innocent? Not likely.
"Oh well, gotta go," said Justin with a wave. He took off. Fast.
"Who was that?" Sam asked. "Looks like he should be performing in a boy band."
"Very funny," Maddie said, rolling her eyes. "Actually Justin and I used to date."
"You dated that jerk?"
She raised both brows. "Wow, you're good. It took me over a month to realize that. Maybe I should take you on my next dates—"
His glare stopped her from putting her foot further into her mouth. Probably not a good idea to talk about dating other men in front of the guy she's dating, or sort of dating, or doing whatever it was they were doing. Maddie shrugged off her comment and flashed a smile but his blue eyes had dulled.
Me and my big mouth.
Oh well. He'd get over it once she stopped using Pheramour.
"We need to talk," he said, taking her by the arm. "I’ve got something to say to you. But not here."
Uh-oh.
CHAPTER 8
"Wait! I want to see the rest of the market." She jerked her arm free and walked off. She didn't really care about the rest of the market, she just wanted to avoid getting personal with him. Maybe he wouldn't notice her tactic, but she was a terrible liar. Pinocchio had a better chance of getting away with lying than she did.