Sweet Nothings (13 page)

The workers were temporary until he knew for certain he could get more jobs. He also had a good selection of résumés from prospective office managers. Now all he needed were contracts.

And a cupcake.

He glanced across the street to the empty parking spot in front of Joanie’s shop, wishing she were back. The van had headed out fifteen minutes earlier as he’d been talking to Jane, the Realtor. Then his phone had rung, and she’d given him the key and asked him to lock up when he left, leaving him with privacy.

The call had been the private investigator. They’d been trying to find more than five minutes to talk since Nick had first called him Monday morning. Nick had wanted to fill him in on what he’d been able to learn
about his brother up to that point—which was sorely little. Adopted, one year older than Cody and him, likely moved out of the state with the adoption. That pretty much summed it up.

They’d hung up today with an agreement to do business, and the promise of a contract to be e-mailed later that night.

A thrill of adrenaline shot through him at the thought of finding the third Dalton brother. Could it be as easy as it had been with Cody? Finding him wouldn’t be, but maybe they could have the same seamless connection when they did meet up. He hoped so. It may be thirty years in the making, but hopefully it wasn’t too late.

He made a quick stop by the veterinarian’s office to catch Cody up with the situation, then popped into the diner for a cup of coffee.

“Hey sugar,” Holly Marshall greeted him as he stepped to the counter. She struck him as a young Dolly Parton with big hair, tight jeans, and purple cowboy boots. All she needed was a guitar.

She was part owner of the diner, and a fond memory of his first night in town. The day he’d met Cody.

After getting over the shock of discovering a twin, then coming face-to-face with the man himself, he and Cody had done the male bonding thing by drinking until the wee hours of the morning.

Holly had been at the Bungalow that night, her high-heeled silver-and-pink shoes—that had seemingly matched nothing about the dress she’d had on—catching his attention, and had been more than happy to dance the hours away with him as he’d silently railed over the shitstorm his life had been. A worthless mother, a twin she’d given away, and another brother he had yet to find.

All he’d wanted as a kid had been a brother. Someone who’d understood what it was like living with his mother. Then he’d found out he had two and they’d been given away before he could remember them.

He’d been angry. So he’d tossed back the alcohol and he and Holly had danced… and then some. But they’d done nothing that needed to be taken behind closed doors. Everything had been purely innocent fun, him blowing off steam, her simply having a good time.

They’d made out, they’d danced, and then she’d taken him and Cody home and dumped their drunk asses in Cody’s apartment.

“Hey cutie,” he replied. He tapped one of the long blue earrings she wore and gave her a wink. “Give me a large coffee to go, will you?”

Joanie was out in the cold, and he happened to know she liked coffee.

Holly set down an insulated cup in front of him. “Going for a cupcake?” she asked.

As if there were any other option.

He merely shrugged, then took a sip of the hot liquid. He intended to give it to Joanie, but liked knowing that they were sharing it. Just as they’d shared a smoking-hot kiss a couple days before.

“Van’s back,” Holly said.

Nick spun on the stool and looked out the window to where he could see the van, lights flashing, parked right out front of Joanie’s store. There was a line of men already, twenty deep.

He sighed.

Slapping down enough bills to cover the coffee and a healthy tip, he smirked at Joanie’s grin, then headed out into the cold to be as pitiful as every other male standing out there.

As he went, he wondered if Joanie had been thinking about that kiss at all. He had been. Pretty much nonstop for the last forty hours.

Now all he had to do was figure out if he wanted to push for another one, or if he was going to back off. An intelligent person would choose door number two. She didn’t want to go out with him.

He should drop it.

But he at least wanted to know what had been behind that no. Didn’t he deserve that much? She’d kissed him as if she’d found water in the desert, then run when he asked her out. The least she could do was explain herself.

Spotting her orange-tipped hair as she leaned out the window of the van, his feet picked up speed. He was anxious to see this week’s outfit up close. He could already make out an orange sweater, and there was no doubt a matching skirt was beneath. Probably a very short skirt. He didn’t know how the woman didn’t freeze her sweet cheeks off.

He stopped by his truck to grab the contract for financing the renovation, and headed across the street. He wanted a cupcake.

He also wanted a sweet thing in an orange miniskirt for dessert.

Before he made it to the van, a call came in about a potential job and he stepped to the side to take it. He’d been working the streets all morning, letting it be known he was setting up shop. Everything was rolling along, just as he wanted.

He got in line with the other men and began waiting his turn, turning the collar of his coat up to keep the wind from going down his neck. The third time he saw Joanie rub her hands up and down her arms, he left the line and headed to the back door of the van.

“Nick?” Joanie looked up in surprise as he opened the door and reached inside for her.

“Come with me,” he said. He had hold of her forearm and was dragging her out.

“I can’t just come with you. I have customers.”

He shot Destinee a look asking if she could handle it and she nodded. “I got it, boss. You go talk to Hottie there. He looks like he needs you more than I do.”

Destinee smirked and Nick narrowed his eyes. The teenager was too knowledgeable for her own good. No, he didn’t
need
Joanie. He merely wanted her to take a minute and warm up. If he was using that as an excuse so he could have her all to himself, well, he saw nothing wrong with that either.

“What are you doing?” Joanie’s voice rose as he tugged her away from the van. He met her gaze, then pointedly turned back to the crowd. Every pair of eyes was focused in their direction. Speculation was already running rampant, what with him living out at the Barn. Did they need to know more?

“You’re freezing,” he said patiently. “I’m merely helping you to step inside for a few minutes so you can warm up.”

“There’s a heater in the van. I’m perfectly fine.”

He grabbed her hand, finding it ice-cold, and held it up between them. “Then maybe you should have been using it.”

He glanced at the van, having the momentary concern that the teen might be just as cold, but she was bundled up properly and even wore gloves. When Destinee saw him watching her, she pointed at the store.

“I’m not going to let you drag me out of my own business,” Joanie protested, but he noticed she left her hand in his warmer one.

“Sweetness, two minutes, that’s all I ask. Come inside, warm up, and don’t make me have the conversation we’re about to have out here in front of everyone.”

That got her attention, which made him feel a little guilty. He had a contract for her to sign, and they didn’t need privacy for a contract.

The kiss on his porch, though—and him asking her out…

He hadn’t yet decided if he’d bring that up or not.

She looked at the crowd, smiled one of those electrifying smiles, then turned to him and frowned.

“Fine.” She blew out a breath, the bangs of her blond hair puffing up in the air as she did, and snatched his coffee out of his hands. She then turned for the store, tilting the cup up as she went. He followed, keeping enough distance to enjoy the view. The go-go boots were the previously mentioned orange today, paired with white tights. He liked the look.

As he made his way into the building, he caught sight of Lee Ann’s mother, Reba London, watching from the back of the cupcake line. He would bet a hundred dollars that woman wasn’t standing out in the cold just because she was looking for a treat.

The door closed behind them, and he grabbed Joanie’s free hand to keep her from running away. He then took the coffee and set it on the nearest table, and clasped that hand in his, too. Using the excuse that he wanted to warm them, he held her hands together inside his.

“You’re freezing out there,” he said.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re a freaking Popsicle. Did no one ever teach you to wear clothes in the winter?”

He was rubbing his palms against the backs of her hands, feeling some life come back into them, and couldn’t help but want to pull her
closer. With her pink cheeks and ever pinker nose, he wanted to do more than warm up her hands.

“I have a contract for you to sign.” Best to take his mind off what he wanted when they were standing in front of glass windows with half the town watching. He turned her loose and reached into the inside pocket of his coat.

“Is that why you pulled me in here?”

“I pulled you in here because you needed to warm up. Why don’t you put a coat on before you go back out? Or better yet, pants.” Then all the other men out there couldn’t drool over her as if she were a piece of meat.

He removed the paper from his pocket and they moved to the counter so she could read and sign it. She brought the coffee with her and sipped it as she read.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” he said. “Leaves it with the max we talked about that I can put into the house, all of it to be payable upon close of the sale.”

She nodded and grabbed a pen, then signed with a few quick strokes.

“Thanks for doing this, Nick.” Her gray eyes peered up at him as she folded the paper into thirds, eyeing him as if he held a secret. “I appreciate it.”

“Like I said, it’ll help me out as much as you.” And if he was doing it just a little because he liked her so much, that was his own business.

He tucked the paper inside his jacket and knew he should let her go back out to the street, but found he wanted a few more minutes alone with her. “You coming to the house tonight?” he asked. She hadn’t been there since Tuesday night. “We need some of the bedrooms emptied before we can go much further.”

“Is it okay if I wait until tomorrow night? I sort of want to go home and take a long,
hot
bath tonight.” She smiled, her nose crinkling with the action. “I’ll admit that I’m freezing my rear off out there if you’ll let me have tonight to do that.”

“Sure.” He would’ve admitted he wanted to help her out with that bath if he thought it would get him anywhere. He kept his mouth shut.

“Thanks.” She picked up the coffee, holding it up between them. “Can I keep this?”

He gave her a small smile. “I bought it for you.”

Her lips tilted up. “You’re a sweetheart.” She reached out to pat him on the arm, but before she could head back outside, he caught her hand in his.

“About that kiss,” he said.

She froze. She looked out the window as if seeking someone who could help her escape before carefully facing him once again. There was apology in her eyes. “It was a mistake, Nick.”

“Was it the kiss itself that was the problem?” He was a glutton for punishment. “Or did it just not do it for you?”

Joanie eyed him from between narrowed lids. “Do you really need someone to tell you that you’re a great kisser? Is that what you’re looking for?”

It didn’t hurt. “What I’m looking for is an answer. Why not go out with me? We could have a good time.”

“I told you, I don’t date.”

“Never?”

“Not…” She motioned her hand back and forth between them. “… real dating. Not with someone like you.”

“So there are men you
have
said yes to?” Why was he pushing this line of questioning?

She gave him a yes-dumbass-I-have-said-yes-before look. “A few times,” she admitted slowly. “Yeah.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, though there was no joy in the sound. Not sure his battered ego could take any more, he kept plugging ahead anyway. “Then what’s wrong with me?”

He counted the number of times she blinked. The number was not a good sign.

“Dammit, Joanie.” He didn’t let her answer, his temper suddenly firing. He dropped her hand and paced across the room. “It was just an invitation to dinner. What was the big deal?”

She followed behind him. “That’s the thing. It wasn’t just an offer for dinner.”

“Sure it was.”

She stopped in front of him, standing too close, and he could smell a mix of fresh air and—he leaned a fraction closer and sniffed—oranges. She smelled like oranges.

“No it wasn’t,” she answered. “You come with a cat, Nick.”

He rolled his eyes heavenward. “What in the world does my cat have to do with me asking you out, Jo?”

She lifted one shoulder. “It wouldn’t stop with dinner.”

“You mean sex?”

Her cheeks were still pink from the cold, but he would swear they turned a shade deeper. She turned so that she once again faced the windows. “No,” she answered. “I’m not talking about sex.”

“Because I’ll have to admit, I wouldn’t have complained if it had turned into dinner
and
sex. But that wasn’t what I was asking for.”

“And it’s not what you’re asking for now either. I know that.”

“I’m not asking for anything now. Other than an explanation. Forget going out. That’s off the table. But will you tell me, at least, why you
don’t
want to go out with me?”

She whirled around to face him, her eyes glinting with irritation. “Because you would want more
after
the sex.”

“What are you talking about? I want a nice evening with a beautiful woman, and if it ends with us in bed, then I’d be happy. And whether it did or not, I’m not looking for more.” Liar. He wanted everything. He just didn’t think he was ever going to find it. “I’ve got too much going on to think of anything past one night.”

That wasn’t entirely true, because he’d already thought about having many nights with her. And not all the fantasies involved the two of them ending up in bed together. Which just proved her point.
Dammit
.