When the doorbell rang, he trotted dutifully behind her to scope out the new guest. Lauren opened the door, prepared to apologize for Rocky’s likely bark, only to have the words stolen from her lips. Carly stood there in a yellow top that had her glowing and a sexy pair of heels. Her hair was half up and half down, and came with lazy waves, the kind they had on TV but Lauren could never seem to master when she tried. “Sorry.”
Carly grinned. “Why are you sorry? And hi.”
“Hi.” She swallowed and found herself again. “You look so beautiful. Sorry, again.” She shook her head to emphasize how silly she felt. “I wasn’t expecting to lose my ability to communicate.”
“That’s okay,” Carly said and chewed on the inside of her lip. “Thank you. I was about to say the same to you. Oh, and I got you these.” From behind her back, Carly produced a bouquet of flowers in a variety of oranges, yellows, and purples. They were gorgeous, and the perfect fall arrangement.
“Wow.” She accepted the flowers and marveled at their beauty. She didn’t receive flowers too often. They made Lauren feel special, knowing that Carly had gone out of her way for her. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” Lauren took Carly’s hand and tugged her inside. “And I’m on time,” Carly said triumphantly as she passed.
Lauren smiled to herself. “I noticed that.” She followed behind Carly, taking in how she wore those jeans as if they were tailored to her perfect body. “Among other things,” she murmured quietly.
“What other things?” Carly asked, turning around.
Caught! Lauren hadn’t meant to be overheard. “Oh. I just meant that I’d noticed how thoughtful you were to bring flowers.”
Carly stood a little taller, as if she’d won the spelling bee. It was adorable. She was. “It’s what you do on a first date.”
Rocky, seeing their new guest, lifted his feet and wagged his whole stubby body in Carly’s direction. Lauren gaped because he usually took a moment to warm up to people, but then it was Carly, after all, and she’d never had trouble making friends. “This is my dog, Rocky IV. He wants to sniff you all over and then make snuffling demands of your time.”
Carly plopped right on the floor and held out a gentle hand to him. “Hey there, buddy. You are a little man with a plan, aren’t you? I like your little scrunched face.” Rocky sniffed the outstretched hand several times for good measure and then crawled into Carly’s lap. Lauren shook her head. This dog was no fool.
“Are we friends now?” Carly asked Rocky. His back leg started to kick like a drumstick when Carly found his favorite spot, the one right underneath his collar.
“Should I give you guys some privacy?” Lauren asked.
“No way.” Carly kissed the side of Rocky’s face, which warmed Lauren’s heart, and stood right up. “While Rocky IV is cute, my date is cuter.” She paused. “Was that a dumb thing to say? You make me nervous. Well, dating you does.”
Lauren played that sentence back because she had a hard time believing it. Carly came off as the most self-assured human, comfortable in her own skin and proud of it. “No, you’re not.”
Carly nodded, and her smile dimmed, showcasing a glimpse of vulnerability. “It’s true. You’re…different than the women I generally go out with.” Carly held out a hand. “In a good way. That’s why I have the nervous thing. Am I talking too much?” Carly took a deep breath.
Wow. She was serious about the nerves and seemed actually off-kilter. “Not at all,” Lauren said, finding her own confidence now that she understood she wasn’t alone. “It’s just dinner. We can get away from the theater and just hang out. Shoot the breeze. Count white guys with blue ties.”
“Are there a lot of those?”
“Too many.”
Carly nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Me, too.” A pause. “Shall we?”
“After you.”
Lauren gave Rocky a good-bye series of scratches and led the way out. Carly, to her surprise, hurried past and opened the door in grandiose fashion. Okay, Carly was bringing the full charm, which resonated with Lauren. She felt significant and cared for and was so into Carly in this outfit that every inch of her screamed for contact. Relax, she commanded every last nerve ending. She had a date to enjoy.
* * *
“Where does your mom live?” Lauren asked. “You mentioned the only child thing, and that the two of you are close.”
Carly sipped her after dinner coffee and Baileys, the house specialty at the little bistro Lauren had picked out for them not far from downtown. “She’s in Portland and works at a boutique winery owned by a really great family. They take care of her. She handles tastings and merchandise, things like that. Tangle Valley Vineyards.”
“I love that. I had no idea you knew about wine.”
“Well, she knows a lot more about it than I do. I can tell you the best places to hide in a vineyard. It was a great place to grow up. Hidden away and beautiful.”
Lauren leaned her hand on her chin. “But somewhere along the way you got the acting bug.”
She nodded. “From the beginning. I used to act out my own stories with my friends at that very vineyard. My good friend Joey and I would divide up parts. Whichever role I was given, I would always make sure to infuse it with some kind of dramatic twist not indicated in the script. My costars wanted to throttle me.”
“But knowing you, I’m going to predict they didn’t.”
Carly set down her glass mug. “No. People let me get away with too much.”
Lauren appreciated the self-awareness that came with that statement. The Carly of just a month ago would not have been so quick to admit that. “You’re lucky, if you think about it.”
“Yes, but maybe I’ve ridden that train as far as I should. It seems to have done damage.” She sat back in her chair. They’d each had a glass of wine earlier in the evening, which had helped relax them into easy conversation. There was a flirtatiousness flitting between them every so often, too, that seemed to elevate everything. Lauren’s senses were on high alert. She could feel the air against her skin, smell the amazing aromas wafting in from the kitchen, and appreciate small things like the purple ribbon tied around the candle on their table.
“I think you’re doing an admirable job of turning it all around, though. Maybe that will extend to your career back home as well.”
“That’s my hope.”
Lauren met Carly’s gaze. “I really like tonight,” Lauren confessed.
Carly leaned in and squeezed Lauren’s hand across the table. “Me, too.”
Lauren stole a bite of the cheesecake they shared and sank into glory. Clearly, it was sent from an army of angels on a mission from heaven. “Oh, Carly. Here. You gotta try this.”
“Yeah?” Carly asked. She had this way of smiling sometimes that was actually more half a smile. One side of her mouth would pull, revealing the dimple on her right cheek, and it was the sexiest thing. Lauren had seen it at rehearsal, midscene, but seeing it now for her benefit came with a whole new level of appreciation. Lauren couldn’t resist. She prepped her fork with another bite and held it out to Carly, who smiled and moved in. Watching her eat that decadent dessert was downright erotic. Her lips pulled away from the fork slowly, and she sank into wonder and enjoyment once the cheesecake hit her taste buds. Lauren blinked, imagining her in the throes of another brand of pleasure, which made her uncomfortable in her own chair.