Her shoulders slumped. “So much for true love.”
Before he could respond to that, Annie walked into her office. Their gazes met, causing her to jerk back in surprise. Despite the obvious, Bridget pointed to him. “Guess who I found?”
Annie cleared her throat. “This is unexpected.”
“And that would be my cue to leave you two lovebirds alone,” said Bridget. “Let me know if you need anything. Water, coffee, condoms …” She winked at him before closing the door behind her.
“And I thought Stella was a trip.”
Annie snorted. “Tell me about it.” She looked at him, clearly puzzled but trying her best to hide it. She perched her bottom on the edge of her desk to face him. They were just a couple of feet away from each other, close enough that he could catch a faint whiff of her perfume—something light and flowery. Her brown hair was loose around her shoulders, and with the morning light streaming in through the blinds, he could catch every one of her freckles. Her navy-blue pencil skirt, black heels, and white button-down shirt were standard female office attire. He’d just never found it sexy before.
“So, what can I do for you, Sam?”
“I thought I’d drop by and check out the place.” It sounded lame. He’d come to talk to her about the letter, only now he couldn’t address it. Not without giving Bridget away, and despite her attitude, which bordered on the ridiculously too familiar for a personal assistant, he suddenly found himself grateful to her. If Bridget hadn’t mailed that letter, he would have never found Annie.
PS Not to brag or anything, but every Sunday I do the New York Times crossword puzzle and last week I finished it in under an hour and twenty minutes (my personal best time!). Okay, yeah, I’m totally bragging.
He couldn’t help but grin. It was time to admit to himself that he liked her.
He liked her a lot.
All the way down to her last freckle. Wherever that might be. He wouldn’t mind finding out, that’s for sure. But he’d just met her. And despite what he’d said on that television interview, love at first sight didn’t happen in the real world.
“What’s the smile for?” she asked, looking confused.
He covered up his thoughts by pointing to one of the diplomas framed on the wall. “An MBA from the University of Chicago. Impressive.”
“Says Mr. Harvard.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, really, what are you doing here?”
“I was in the neighborhood and I thought I’d stop by to thank you for a nice ending to what could have been a dangerous evening for me.” He brought his hands up to his throat and did the universal choke sign, making them both laugh.
“Seriously? That’s why you came by?”
He should probably make nice and let her get back to work, but it was like he’d been hot-glued to his chair. It was too late in the day to rent a fishing boat, but he could hit the beach this afternoon. Catch up on his reading. The thing was, he was enjoying being around her too much to leave just yet. “There was this car I saw on the way in. Do you have time to show it to me?”
“You want me to show you a car?” she asked slowly. “Which one?”
“The red Mustang convertible.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “The Mustang doesn’t seem like your kind of car.”
“It’s not for me. It’s for my sister, Becks.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “That’s right. You mentioned something about that last night.”
Curious now, he couldn’t help but ask her, “What kind of car do I seem like?”
She playfully studied him. “Let’s see … I take you for a three-car kind of guy. BMW during the week. Pickup truck on Friday and Saturday nights. And a Volvo on Sundays to take your mama to church.”
He grinned. “You got one out of three.”
“Let me guess. The pickup truck?”
He nodded. “I have a car service that takes me to work. And my mama drives herself to church.”
“But you tag along every once in a while. Am I right?”
“Maybe.”
“A car service, huh? Pretty fancy.”
“Not really. Instead of fighting traffic, I can get in an hour of work each way.”
“In that case, the accountant in me approves of your efficiency.” Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Thank you.”
They stared at each other for a few long seconds. An image of her laid out on the desk with him on top of her flashed through his brain. Or she could be on top. Whichever she preferred.
As if she could read his mind, she broke the moment by hopping down from her perch on the edge of the desk. “Why the Mustang? And why Esposito’s Used Cars? There must be hundreds of car dealerships in the Dallas area. I would think if you wanted to buy your sister a car, you’d start there.”
“What kind of salesperson are you?”
“A horrible one. That’s why I let my brother do the sales and I take care of the finances.”
“Call it an impulse buy.”
She looked as if she didn’t believe him, but she still opened the door to her office and motioned for him to follow her. “In that case, c’mon. Let’s take a look at the car.”
11
Was Sam DeLuca flirting with her? Annie sifted through the last ten minutes, trying to pinpoint what had given her that idea. On the surface, their conversation had been friendly, almost playful. There had been nothing overtly sexual. Yet she’d felt herself getting all hot and bothered just the same.
What was he doing here? Like she’d told him, there were hundreds of car dealerships back in Dallas. Why waste a day looking at a car when he could go fishing or relax by the beach?
She put on her best professional smile and led him over to the vehicle. “This car rides like a dream. It has less than ten thousand miles on it, and we offer a certified warranty.” She hit the key button to unlock the door. “Want to take her for a spin?”
“Don’t you need to see my driver’s license first?”
“Probably. This isn’t my forte. Frank Jr. or one of the other salespeople are the ones who show the cars, but I think I can trust you.”
He took the key from her, then settled into the driver’s side, adjusting the seat and the mirrors to accommodate his height. He easily found the button that took down the car’s top.
Annie buckled herself in. “Where do you want to go?”
“How long do we have?”
“As long as it takes to make the sale.”
He slipped on a pair of sunglasses. “In that case, let’s hit the beach.”
He drove over the Intracoastal bridge, then took a left to go north on AIA, paralleling the eastern coastline. She pointed out areas of interest. Her cousin’s fishing boat business and Bootleg Pete’s, a local bar.
The wind caused her hair to whip up around her face. Her hair would probably end up looking like a rat’s nest, but Annie didn’t care. There was something incredibly exhilarating about being in a car with Sam DeLuca, breathing in the clean, salty air with the sun’s warmth caressing the top of her head. When was the last time she’d felt this carefree?