Wrong Place, Right Time(111)

“Where did you get that picture you put on the profile?” I ask.

“It’s a picture of my cousin. I got his permission, though, so I wasn’t being a total creep. I mean, I didn’t steal anyone’s identity.” He looks up at the stars in contemplation. “I may still actually be a creep, though, now that I think about it.” He turns his attention to me. “I’m really sorry I did that and that you got involved.” He tries to look cheery, but doesn’t quite pull it off. “You’re the first person who asked for a date, though, so there’s only one victim of my stupidity.”

“I don’t get it. Why the mystery? Why not just be yourself?”

He looks at the ground. “Call it a lack of self-confidence. That’s probably the most accurate way to describe my thought process.”

“How could a guy like you lack self-confidence? You’re tall, good-looking, charming, smart, a great dad . . . the whole package.”

His smile is so adorable it makes it hard for me to breathe.

“Did you forget to put in your contacts today?” he asks.

I shove him gently. “Stop. And you have a great sense of humor, too.”

He shrugs. “You see what you see, but believe me, most women don’t get the same impression when they look at me.”

I sigh. “Well, let me apologize on behalf of all women for those few dopes who are deaf, dumb, and blind. Believe me, they do not represent the majority.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

He kicks at the gravel, moving it around with his toe, and for the first time I can really see the vulnerability. It only makes him more attractive to me, knowing that he’s not full of himself, that he’s a humble, self-effacing person. I much prefer that type of man over a guy who thinks he’s God’s gift to women.

I stand there digesting everything that he’s told me. Here we are, two single people, both looking for love. We made a pact to find it with other people, but destiny brought us back together again. That can only mean one thing, and I’m not so dense that I’m going to ignore it this time.

“So where does this leave us?” I bite my lip after I ask the question to keep from blurting anything out that shouldn’t yet be said.

He reaches down and takes me by the hands. My purse drops to the ground at my feet, but I ignore it.

“I think this means that we should go out on a real date and see what happens.”

I try not to be too excited that he’s thinking the same thing I am. “It’s a risk, though. Hearts can be broken.”

He shrugs. “No guts, no glory. I’m up for it if you are.”

I bite my lip again. He’s so beautiful. So good inside. I don’t care that he put a false profile on a dating website. I get it. I mean, I really, really get it. I get feeling lonely, I get lacking confidence, I get being paranoid and worried that people won’t like you for who you are. After Miles left me, I had no hope that I would ever find somebody who would want to be with me again. How stupid would I be to walk away from this opportunity?

“Okay, I’m in.” I feel like I’m going to vomit, I’m so scared and happy at the same time.

Dev smiles and then that look comes over his face again. That beautiful, gorgeous dimple that I love so much caves in and turns him from a warrior into a teddy bear. A bald one. A big, bald, teddy bear of a man who makes me feel safe and happy and ready to take on the world.

“Well . . . we’ve already had dinner,” he says. “What would you do on a real date after dinner?”

I’m feeling sexy, so I risk the answer that’s in my heart. “I’d ask you if you want to go have a drink at my place.”

“Are your kids home?” he asks, getting a devilish look in his eye.

I pout. “I’m going to be a terrible mother and say, unfortunately, yes. They are. On a real date I probably would have made sure they’d be elsewhere. Sorry. I’m seriously out of practice.”

He scowls. “My son is home too.” He squeezes my hands and looks at me forlornly. “Too bad you’re such a classy lady.”

I raise my eyebrows at him. “Why is that bad?”

“Because . . . if you were a little more on the wild side, I would tell you about how big my backseat is.”

I can’t help giggling.

“Why are you laughing?” He moves in closer and pulls me up against him, his hard body sending a shock of pleasure through me. The giggling stops immediately.

I look up at him, my eyes full of the heat building inside me. “Because. I’m really not all that classy.”





CHAPTER FORTY

I can’t stop giggling. My dress is bunched up around my waist, and we’re crammed into his backseat, trying to use it as our launching pad into this new thing we have going on, whatever it is. I’m not going to label it or wonder how long it’s going to last. I want to enjoy it while I can.