She studied me for a moment then smiled. “No one has ever been jealous regarding me before. You were kinda cute.” She sat back. “Even if it was, as you say, over the top.”
“I apologize.”
“I would never date someone else while I was with you, Reid. If you don’t understand that, let me reassure you right now.”
“Me, either. You’re it for me, Becca. Done and dusted.”
Her eyes grew round.
“I mean . . .” I scrubbed my face in frustration, realizing how that sounded. “I mean I don’t want to date anyone else.”
“Okay.”
I sighed. “So much for saying the right thing.”
She chuckled. “You did fine.”
“So what did you want to know about Colin?”
“Oh. How on earth is he Sandy’s grandson? He must be thirty. She told me she turns fifty-five next month. Is he adopted?”
I leaned back. “Ah, no. Sandy was a bit of a wild child. When she was eighteen, she married a man who was forty and had a son her age already. His son—Aaron—got married and had Colin when he was twenty-four, and a daughter, Jennifer, a couple of years later. She was a very young grandmother.”
“Wow!”
“I know.”
“Is she still married?”
“Yes. Her husband, Max, was a doctor. He retired years ago, and his health isn’t great. But they are still together. She looks after him with some home care help. He still adores her and she him.”
“And she got on well with his son?”
“Yep. They are great friends, and Sandy loves Colin to bits. He gets a kick out of telling people she’s his grandmother—they never believe him. He teases her about it a lot.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with them?”
I drained my water. “Yes. When I joined the company, Sandy took pity on me and fed me a few times. Max is great, and I enjoy talking to him. I’ve only met Aaron a couple of times, but he seems like a nice guy. He lives in Ottawa but comes for visits to see Colin, Max, and Sandy often. Aaron’s daughter, Jennifer, lives in Europe, so Sandy doesn’t see her granddaughter very often. I haven’t even met her.”
“Sandy never had kids?”
“No.”
“Sandy would have been a great mom.”
“I think that’s why she is so close to Colin.”
“Makes sense.”
“Anyway, I rigged a bunch of things at their house to make it easier for them. Colin sees them a lot, so we became friendly. I heard him telling Sandy one day about a patient he was worried about, and I told him what I did. Since then, on occasion, he asks for help.”
“Wow. That must be quite a story—Sandy, I mean.”
“I don’t know everything, but she told me some history. It caused a huge scandal, I guess—the age difference and him having a son her age. She knew Aaron first, and they were friends. She met Max at some social function, and she said it was love at first sight for them both. They went through a lot, but they made it.”
We walked back to the office, our fingers entwined. In the elevator, Becca turned to me. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Anytime.”
“Can I repay you with dinner tomorrow?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yep.”
She pressed a kiss to my mouth before the doors opened and our hands separated. I followed her down the hall, pausing in my doorway when she spoke my name softly.
“Reid?”
I turned. “Yeah, BB?”
She glanced around quickly, then kissed me again.
“You do have a claim. I wanted you to know that,” she declared, then hurried away.
The grin never left my face the rest of the afternoon.
Reid
I stared at the computer screen—for the first time in my life, I didn’t understand the images in front of me. I restarted the video, slowing it down, trying to memorize the instructions. I was failing big-time. I glanced at my phone, checking the time. It was after seven, and the office was empty. I studied the screen again, thinking of Becca’s offhand remarks over lunch at my desk earlier that day.
“Bentley’s wedding is in two weeks—how exciting!”
I nodded, noncommittal.
“What’s the matter? Are you an I-hate-weddings kind of guy?”
I chuckled, looking at her sandwich, wondering if she was going to eat the other half. She’d been working on the first half for a solid ten minutes. My entire sandwich was gone in five. “I have no idea. I’ve never been to one.”
She gasped. “Really? I love weddings!”
“Nope.” I tugged on her plate. “You gonna eat that, BB?”
With a laugh, she pushed the plate my way. “You’re hanging around Aiden far too much. You’re beginning to eat like him.”
I picked up the sandwich with a grin. “I’m still a growing boy. So why do you love weddings so much?”
She leaned her elbow on my desk, propping her chin in her hand as she gazed past me out the window. “I don’t know. The beautiful dresses, the words of love, the flowers, and everyone smiling.” She shrugged. “It’s really nice. The speeches are usually long, but I imagine since it’s Aiden and Maddox speaking, they’ll be pretty entertaining. Later, we can dance!”
I almost choked. “Dance?” I managed to get out.
She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “I know we’re not announcing we’re a couple, but you’ll dance with me, right?” She moved her index finger around the desk in small circles. “If you’d rather not, I can ask Craig or someone else.” A little grin tugged on her lips. “I think I heard Sandy say Colin was bringing her. I’m sure he’d dance with me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t think so. You want to dance? Then we’ll dance, Ms. Holden. I’m claiming all of them. Now.”
She stood, brushing off her skirt, fighting a smile. “If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Yep. That’s part of the wedding! Look at you getting into the spirit!”
She picked up her phone and left.
It was only after she’d walked out that I realized she’d played me.
Damn, she was good.
Really, though, I was fine with it since I didn’t want anyone else dancing with her.
Except, I had no idea how to dance. I had never attended a dance growing up, two-stepped with a woman in a country bar, or even swayed with someone in a drunken haze.
More virgin territory.
That was why, on a Friday night, I was studying dance videos and websites. Surely, it couldn’t be that difficult? Lots of people did it. I had seen Becca dance. She was graceful and fluid. I just needed to make sure I didn’t stomp on her toes. I looked back at the screen and realized watching wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to practice.
I checked the hallway, glancing up and down. It was deserted. Satisfied, I returned to my desk and turned on my wall of monitors. I studied the movements for several minutes, then pushed off my desk. I recalled the instructional tutorial from earlier.
Relax.
Keep your head up and back straight.
Listen to the music.
Let your body feel the rhythm.