Even the sharp disappointment of no kiss could fully erase the feeling, the giddiness of being in his arms while we danced.
And then I waited for him to call.
I stared at the phone. I checked it to make sure it was working when it never rang. I watched the door of the salon and my heart sped up when someone of his size and build walked in. But he never came. He never called.
It hurt way more than I thought it would.
It seemed stupid to get so twisted up after only a single date. Even knowing how stupid I was didn’t stop me. As the weeks wore on, the weather heated up. I knew he would never call. It almost seemed impossible he hadn’t felt what I had that night.
How one man could completely disregard me and still make it impossible for me to want to date anyone else I would never understand.
And now he was back.
Was he going to do this to me all over again?
What was that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“Earth to Julie,” Dee yelled, cutting into my deep thoughts.
I lifted my head and looked at her. “Yeah?”
“Geez. You are completely tipsy.”
“No, I’m not.” I protested, pushing up into a sitting position.
She snorted. “Uh, yeah. You are. The only time you ever seem to stop listening is when you’ve had one too many to drink.”
“I’m drinking tea.”
“Apparently alcohol isn’t the only thing that makes you tipsy. Blue does too.”
I rolled my eyes. You couldn’t get tipsy on a person. “What did you pick out?” I asked, changing the subject.
She held up a pair of dark skinny jeans and a low-cut purple top.
“With the tall black boots and black leather jacket?” I asked, tilting my head.
She smiled. “Now you’re talking.”
We chatted a little longer and then Dee left after making me promise to call her when I got home, no matter the time.
I took my time in the shower, shaving my legs (hey, a girl never wants to get caught looking like sasquatch) and doing my hair. I gave it a little extra mess because I was feeling edgy and nervous.
I was downstairs waiting at seven.
At seven fifteen, I checked my phone.
At seven forty-five, I wondered if I had imagined him asking me out.
At eight, I knew he wasn’t coming.
There was surprise in Dee’s voice when she answered the phone. “If you’re calling me from a date, then I know it’s not going well.”
“He didn’t show.”
There was a very long pause on the other end of the line.
“Dee?”
“He’s a dog. I’m plotting his murder. I need silence.”
I laughed. Some of the sickness in my stomach loosened. I couldn’t believe I fell for his charm again.
Shame on me.
I heard Dee’s muffled voice. She was talking to someone in the background. Most likely it was Craig. Then she came back on the line, loud and clear. “We’re going out.”
“I don’t think so,” I protested. All I wanted to do was put on my ugly sweatpants and eat ice cream.
“Arguing is futile.” She insisted. “We’re going. We’ll pick you up so you can drink.”
“Fine,” I muttered and hung up the phone.
A drink sounded like a pretty good idea right now.
6
Blue
This time I wasn’t going to screw this up. With a woman like Julie, a guy didn’t get many chances. Hell, I was surprised she gave me a second chance. But she had. And I wasn’t going to waste it.
She didn’t seem like the kind of girl who needed a lot to be impressed. Julie struck me as the kind of girl who wanted to feel like she was all her man could see. All he wanted. She was the kind of girl who would rather be lavished with attention than money.
I could do that.
It might not always be easy, but I had a feeling she was worth it.
I figured we’d drive out to Topsail Island, have dinner at a place on the water, and then end up on the beach. I was going to kiss her. Not kissing her the first time we went out had been hard and it was a decision I regretted to this day. Not knowing what she tasted like haunted me.
I locked my apartment and jogged down the concrete steps when my phone went off in my pocket. I glanced at the screen: Work.
I answered it with, “I’m busy.”
“Markson, this is Cramer. We have a situation. We need you to come in,” said a gruff, no-nonsense voice into my ear.
I winced. Cramer was like the boss of my boss. When he called, I came. Damn. “I’m actually on my way out,” I tried.
“Good. I’ll see you in a few.”
Clearly the guy didn’t know how to take a hint. I pointed the Challenger in the direction of the JPD and prayed this was some kind of situation that required five minutes. I was early to pick up Julie so I had a little bit of time to get this taken care of.