Elizabeth Bevarly – Write It Up!: Rapid Transit / The Ex Factor / Brewing Up Trouble (страница 10)

“I just meant,” he said, “if you’re not busy tomorrow, do you want to meet for breakfast somewhere?”

Did he only imagine the look of disappointment that clouded her features for a moment? he wondered. Must have, he quickly decided. Because she was the one who’d said she wasn’t ready to go any further. Even if Daniel was beginning to suspect the same was true of himself.

“I’d love to meet for breakfast,” she said. “Just tell me where and when to be there. But Daniel,” she added with a smile that was almost shy. “You don’t have to leave just yet, do you?”

He grinned, withdrew his hand from beneath her shirt and awkwardly tucked it back into her jeans. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed her once, twice, three times, four, and told her, “No. Of course not. We can still sit here and…chat…for a while.” Then he covered her mouth with his again.

And again. And again. And again…

CHAPTER FIVE

“SO. HOW’S THE SPEED-DATING story coming?”

Tess Truesdale asked the question just as Julia was enjoying a forkful of her carryout Waldorf salad, so she had to spend a few minutes chewing before she could reply. After all, dribbled lettuce and grapes would in no way complement her pale blue, pleated, beribboned miniskirt and cropped, ribbon-tied blazer of the same color. Tess had also lightened up today and was dressed in a clingy ivory sheath of pure silk, accessorized by a clunky bronze necklace that could have come from the Egyptian room at the British Museum—and, knowing Tess, it probably had.

Julia had been surprised by her editor’s invitation to share lunch in Tess’s office, but now realized her employer intended for this to be a working lunch. Which, of course, came as no surprise at all.

“It’s going very well,” she said evasively, not sure how much she wanted her editor to know about her budding relationship with Daniel. If indeed what she and Daniel had was a relationship, and if indeed it was budding.

It was still too new, too fragile, too personal to talk about—with anyone—having been only a few days since they’d made dinner together. But. Julia had awoken two mornings ago in a much better mood than she normally did on a Monday. That could only be because she’d spent her weekend with Daniel. Breakfast Sunday had led to a movie in the afternoon, then dinner that evening. And then drinks al fresco by the park before Daniel escorted her home, lingering inside her apartment just long enough to kiss her good-night. Twenty-seven times.

They’d spent Monday and Tuesday evening together, too, not to mention lunch yesterday. In fact, since meeting Daniel Friday night, Julia had spent virtually every moment of her nonworking life in his presence. Normally, being with one person that much would drive her nuts. With Daniel, though, the days had seemed to pass too quickly. Already, she was anticipating meeting him again, that night after work.

“And by ‘very well,’ you would mean…?” Tess asked.

Julia shrugged, hoping the gesture didn’t look as awkward as it felt. “I mean it’s going very well,” she said.

Tess narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Have you met any men who might be worth mentioning for the article?”

“One or two,” Julia told her. The correct answer, naturally, being one. The other men she’d met weren’t exactly “worth” mentioning. Except maybe to provide some comic relief.

Tess uttered a sound of exasperation that put Julia on red alert, tossing her fork into her Cobb salad with much flourish. “Tell me you’re not wasting the magazine’s time,” she demanded.

“I’m not wasting the magazine’s time,” Julia vowed.

“Tell me this article is going to be excellent,” Tess insisted.

“The article is going to be excellent,” Julia promised.

“Tell me you’ve met someone special to write about.”

“I’ve met someone special,” Julia assured her. And then she smiled. Because she just couldn’t help herself. “Oh, Tess, I’ve met someone wonderful,” she added as she leaned back in her chair.

This time when her editor smiled at her, Julia didn’t feel at all like the main course. Because this time, Tess seemed genuinely delighted by what she was hearing. “Tell me more,” the other woman said.

Julia shook her head slowly, honestly not knowing where to begin. “I didn’t think I’d meet anyone even halfway decent doing this speed-dating thing,” she confessed, “but this guy…” She sighed eloquently. “He’s too good to be true, Tess. Gorgeous, funny, smart, kind, totally decent…”

“Nice ass?” Tess asked.

“Great ass,” Julia replied with a chuckle. “And he cooks.”

“He does not,” Tess gasped incredulously.

Julia nodded enthusiastically. “He can poach chicken in a kicky chardonnay.”

“Get out.”

“And make radish roses.”

Tess made a disappointed sound as she moved her fork around in her own salad. “He’s gay, darling. He just hasn’t accepted it. Find someone else to write about.”

“He’s not gay,” Julia said with certainty. “Trust me.”

Tess’s smile turned satisfied. “Then the two of you have—”

“No,” Julia interrupted her. “We haven’t. Not all the way. Which is another thing that makes him different from other guys. He’s not in a big rush to have sex.”

“I hear a ‘but’ in that sentence,” Tess said.

Julia had, too, quite frankly, something that rather surprised her. “But…” she said. “But I think maybe I’m starting to be in a rush for it myself. I really like him. A lot. I mean, maybe I even…”

No. She stopped herself before completing the statement—verbally or mentally. She would not permit herself to say it. She would not permit herself to feel it. Not yet. It hadn’t been long enough to know if she even…

No. She halted herself again. Not yet.

Tess nodded with much approval. “Good. I was beginning to worry about you, darling. You and Abby and Samantha, all of you. None of you girls has enough epic romance in your life.”

And Tess would know, Julia thought, since she was currently working on the third epic romance of her own life.

“It’s going to be a great article, Tess,” Julia promised again. “Because Daniel is such a great guy. There have even been times this week when I honestly found myself thinking he might just be…”

No. Not yet.

“The one?” Tess finished for her.

For a moment, Julia didn’t dare acknowledge anything of the kind, certain she’d jinx it if she did. And also because she wasn’t ready to admit it yet, on account of—had she mentioned?—it was too soon for her to know such a thing. Then she realized how silly she was being. Nothing could jinx the way she and Daniel were together. And she was completely crazy about him.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “Sometimes, I think he might just be…the one.”

Tess sat back in her chair, propping her elbows on the arms and tenting her fingers together. It was her life-is-good pose. “I like seeing you so enthusiastic, darling,” she said. “It will serve you well when you write this article.”

Naturally, Tess would see it that way, Julia thought, forking up another bite of salad. She herself saw it another way entirely. Forget the article. Having Daniel in her life was serving to make Julia happy. Deliciously so. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve such incredibly good fortune, but she wasn’t about to question it.

Daniel Taggart was a dream come true. Perfect beyond words. The answer to every silent plea for Mr. Right she’d ever sent out. Regardless of the manner in which she’d found him, and no matter what Abby and Samantha experienced on their assignments, Daniel was Mr. Right.

Tess was right. Life was good. And Julia couldn’t imagine a single thing that would change that.

DANIEL HESITATED BEFORE entering the bar his editor had directed him to for yet another round of speed-dating, wondering at the likelihood of running into Julia here. She had said she would be attending three more of these parties herself. Just how many speed-dating events were going on in New York on any given night?

He did some quick mental math. Eight million people, probably half of them adults, then another half of those single, then half of the singles looking, then another half desperate enough to try a half-dozen different types of dating…Half by half by half by half, then a half dozen of that…Drop the zero, carry the two, then divide by pi…Do the hokeypokey and turn yourself around…

Oh, hell. The chances were probably pretty good.

But the bar was packed, he reassured himself as he peeked inside, so he could probably pop in for a quick look around without being noticed. Grab one of the lists of participants for the event to see if Julia’s name was on it. Not that anyone was ever fully identified by name at these things, since security was a major consideration, especially for the women. But there were usually first names followed by a number or letter, or people were identified by drink preferences, or celebrity names they chose for themselves, or some character trait like “Loves music” or “Sleeps in the buff” or something. If Julia was on the list, Daniel was confident he knew enough about her by now to recognize her, even under an alias.

And the reason he knew enough about her was because the two of them had seen each other nearly every day in the week that had passed since the night they’d cooked together in her kitchen. And then cooked together on her couch. No, what had happened couldn’t be called a one-night stand by any stretch of the imagination. But they had enjoyed quite a nice little make-out party. Then they’d enjoyed some Marx Brothers on DVD. Then they’d enjoyed those two pints of Godiva.