Not Your Match (23 page)

“
You
broke that promise. Don’t put it on me.”

She clenched her jaw. “And now I want to make it right, but you won’t let me.”

“We’re not right together, Whitney.”

“I hate you, Benjamin Rhodes. I hate you for what you’ve done to me.” She ran across the hall and pushed open the doors leading outside.

“Whitney!” He took off after her, his heart pounding in his chest.

Andi blinked as the lights in the theater came up, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness.

“What did you think?” Luke asked.

“Sappy,” Andi said. “Tons of plot holes and ‘too stupid to live’ moments.”

Luke snorted. Around them theater patrons stood, leaving behind buckets of popcorn and empty soda drinks. “What’s a ‘too stupid to live’ moment?”

“You know, where the hero or heroine does something so ridiculous that you’re not sure how they’ve survived up to this point. Like when she didn’t tell him her boyfriend was back in town, and he caught them together. If she would’ve mentioned his return, the whole breakup-and-get-back-together fiasco could’ve been avoided.”

“But then there wouldn’t have been a movie.”

Andi poked his arm with her finger. “Exactly. Next time,
I’m
picking the film. Something that’s got some action in it.” Her mind flashed back to the movie she’d watched with Ben on Christmas Day, and the way they’d giggled through it.

What had his kiss with Whitney meant? Her heart had taken a knife when she watched them last night on the kiss cam. It hadn’t been a quick peck, designed to placate the crowd, but a long, slow kiss that had devastated her.

“Brooke recommended the movie. She said all the girls were swooning over it, and it would be a good date for the press since it’s nice and normal.”

The theater emptied of people, but Andi didn’t make a move to leave. “Nothing about you is normal, Luke Ryder. You’ve got enough money to buy this theater if you want.”

“It’s already mine,” he admitted. Andi’s eyes widened, and he laughed. “My dad bought it a few years back. Diversifying or something like that. I mentioned to Brooke we could watch a movie at my place and forget the theater altogether, but she didn’t seem to like that suggestion.”

Andi rolled her eyes. “Of course
she didn’t like that suggestion. You wanted to bring a girl that wasn’t her back to your penthouse.”

Luke’s cheeks flushed. “I didn’t . . . it’s not like that . . .”

Andi burst out laughing. “
I
know it’s not like that, and
you
know it’s not like that. But does Brooke?”

“Of course. I’ve told her I’m not going to fall in love with you.”

“Oh, Luke.” Andi sighed. “You might’ve told her that, but I doubt she believes you.”

“Women. I’ll never understand them.”

When the final credits rolled, Andi rose and Luke followed her from the theater. Once they were in the heart of the mall, he took her hand. Andi didn’t protest. His fingers were warm and his grip comfortable. But she didn’t feel any sparks of attraction. Luke was fun to hang out with, if a bit brooding.

But he was no Ben.

Stop it,
Andi commanded. After last night, it seemed like there was a good chance he and Whitney were getting back together.

“What are you thinking about?” Luke asked.

Andi blinked, then shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Hey now.” He nudged her shoulder. “I might be dense, but I’m not an idiot.” He pulled her into an ice cream parlor. Andi ordered the smallest bowl so she wouldn’t hurt Luke’s feelings. Ice cream wasn’t her thing.

She could really go for some cheese fries. She wondered what Luke would say if she told him that.

Once they sat down, Luke motioned to her bowl. “Okay, I’ve bought you ice cream—Brooke seems to think that’s a prerequisite to any serious discussion. Is it about last night?”

“Yes,” Andi admitted.

Luke smiled sympathetically, resting his hand on hers. “Have you talked to him?”

“What would I even say?”

“Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Maybe it was exactly what it looked like.”

“Ask him and find out.”

Andi sighed, dragging her spoon through her ice cream. “This is stupid. So I liked a guy and he kissed his ex-fiancée. Big deal. It’s no Brooke-and-Luke fiasco.”

“Hey now. I think I’m making progress. We’ve almost got the big proposal planned.”

Andi smiled. “I haven’t been attracted to a guy since Mark, and my hormones are going crazy. That’s all this Ben thing is.”

Luke put a hand to his chest in mock horror. “Are you saying you aren’t attracted
to
me
? I really wish you would’ve brought that up before agreeing to be my girlfriend.”

Andi laughed, throwing a balled-up napkin at his face. “I’m not about to stroke your enormous ego by laying on compliments. You know you’re hot.” She grew serious. “This thing with Ben? I don’t know. He’s easy to talk to. He’s . . . familiar. Comfortable. I feel safe and happy when I’m with him.”

“He’d be an idiot not to go for you.”

Andi raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you’re an idiot?”

Luke chuckled. “Touché.”

They finished up their ice cream, then decided to do some window shopping before calling it a night. Andi knew Luke wanted the press to snag another photo. He hoped that saving Toujour would save his relationship with Brooke.

She wondered if Ben saw the pictures of her in the magazines, and what he thought about them. He hadn’t mentioned her relationship with Luke since dance class on Tuesday. Not that she’d spoken to Ben since. He didn’t even know she’d been at the basketball yesterday.

They came to a specialty dance shop, and Andi eagerly tugged on Luke’s hand. “We have to go in here,” she said.

He looked up at the sign and raised an eyebrow. “This looks like ballet stuff. I thought you did ballroom dance.”

Andi rolled her eyes. “Just because they have pointe shoes on display in the front window doesn’t make it a ballet shop.” She tugged on his hand again, yanking him into the shop.

Andi browsed the leg warmers, dance pants, and costumes before making her way back to the shoes. She ran her hands along the selections—satin ballet slippers, pliable jazz shoes in a soft leather, and the heeled ballroom shoes she so loved. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, loving the smell of leather and new rubber soles. Suddenly she wanted a new pair of shoes more than anything. Yes, in a couple of months she’d be done teaching this class. And the strap on her shoe might hold out until then. But maybe Elle would let her teach another class, or maybe she could find an advanced class for adults at the community center or college.

She wondered if Ben would teach another course with her. She wondered, if he and Whitney got back together, if she could handle seeing him with someone else.

Andi browsed the selection. There were nude-colored shoes with a short heel and silver shoes with a mid-sized heel. But she went for the tall heel, like always. The shoes were a black satin with crisscross straps. She selected her size and sank onto the bench, slipping them on. She rose and instantly felt her shoulders pull back and her spine straighten into perfect dance posture. The shoes made her feel feminine and beautiful and alive.

“You look good.”

Andi glanced at Luke. She’d nearly forgotten she wasn’t alone. He leaned against one of the racks of shoes, his arms folded across his broad chest.

“Thanks.” Andi walked over to the mirror at the end of one aisle and pulled up the leg of her pant to admire the shoes. She did a tight pirouette to test out the feel. A smile slid across her lips as she flung her arms out and arched her head back.

Amazing.

Andi went back to the bench and sat down, pulling off the shoes. She carefully placed them back in the box and rose.

“You’re getting them?” Luke asked.

Andi nodded. “The strap’s about to break on one of mine. Ben’s shoes looked worn, too. I’ll have to tell him about this place if we keep teaching.”

Luke motioned to the men’s section. “You should get him a pair, too. Let him know you’re interested.”

Andi snorted. “A pair of dance shoes is supposed to convince him to choose me over the woman he has a four-year history with?”

“You said you danced together in high school, right? That’s history, too.”

Andi picked up a basic black shoe, squinting at it. She sighed and put it back. “I don’t know what size he wears.”

“Take a guess, then get a gift receipt and he can exchange them if you guess wrong.”

Andi pointed at Luke’s feet. “How big are your feet? They look about the same size as Ben’s.”

Luke frowned and folded his arms. “A ten. Don’t look at me like that. I have small feet, okay?”

Andi smirked. “So does Ben.” She grabbed a box of size tens and headed to the cash register to pay. The dance shoes would be a good peace offering, if nothing else.

“Is Ben any good at dancing?” Luke asked.

Andi flashed back to Tuesday and the way his hands had caressed her body as they waltzed. “He’s an amazing dancer.”

“Sounds fruity.”

“It’s not fruity, it’s sexy.” Andi pointed a finger at Luke. “I bet if you do
convince Brooke to marry you, she’ll make you take classes for your first dance. I bet she finds it as attractive as I do. There is nothing sexier than a guy who can dance. Especially if it’s a Latin dance.” And on Tuesday, they’d be going over the tango. Heaven help her.

“And you’re going to woo Ben with your dance moves?”

She doubted sashaying her hips would erase Whitney from his mind. She gave Luke a wink and made her voice teasing. “Oh, you haven’t seen what my hips can do, Luke Ryder. I could woo you if I wanted to.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “I believe you. Don’t try to woo me.”

Andi laughed and Luke wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a friendly gesture. “You’ll get your man, Andi Harmon. I have faith in you.”

If only Andi had faith in herself.

Ben sat the paint brush on the edge of the tray and looked around the kitchen, admiring his work. The half-wall and archway were gone. He’d found the perfect cabinet for the breakfast nook on clearance at a construction store, and a counter top that was a near perfect match for the existing one. He still wanted to paint the cabinets and eventually replace the cheap Formica counters with granite, but all in all, the condo was already a vast improvement over what it had been.

After the basketball game last night, remodeling was just what the doctor ordered.

He’d eventually caught up to Whitney and convinced her to let him drive her home. She’d yelled and screamed and cried the entire drive, and Ben had sat there silently and took it. He’d been wrong to kiss Whitney, and he deserved whatever she dished out. But while Whitney yelled at him, he thought of Andi, and how he ached to be with her. He wanted a relationship with her.

But first, he had to convince Whitney to go back to Arizona. He was still working on that part.