I glance at him. I like his honesty. He’s the complete opposite of Ryan, who overpromised on his feelings, did a U-turn, lied about it, and then was back on the dating app within twenty-four hours of saying he needed to focus on school.
“Um, there aren’t many cars to choose from here,” Brady says.
I blink. I had been so busy thinking, I forgot to tell him where I was parked.
“Sorry, it’s the red Audi.”
Brady nods, and we correct our course to go in the direction of my car. As soon as we are there, I unlock it.
“Where do you put the boys?” Brady asks.
“Backseat.”
He opens the door for me. “Here, I’ll help.”
“Thank you,” I say, smiling at him as he takes the carrier from my hands.
“My pleasure.”
He slips the carrier in the backseat and shuts the door. He turns around and stares down at me.
My breath catches. It’s the “will he or won’t he” moment. Another spring breeze blows across us, ruffling Brady’s hair. Anxiousness bubbles up within me.
“You know, you never asked me what I wanted to see in DC,” Brady says, gazing down at me.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. What would you want to see in DC?”
“I’ve never been to Alexandria.”
I hold my breath. He knows that’s where I live.
“I’ve never been there, because my trade to the Soaring Eagles happened so quickly,” Brady continues.
“Well, if you ever need a tour guide, I’d be happy to help,” I say.
“Do you know any good restaurants there?” he asks, his eyes never leaving mine.
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until it leaves my body. “I might.”
Brady smiles. I find myself smiling back.
“Then would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tonight in Alexandria, Addison?”
Chapter Four
I swear I feel my body sway as his invitation rolls around in my head.
Brady has asked me to have dinner with him.
“I’d love that,” I manage to say.
Brady’s eyes light up. “So you’re available?”
My heart leaps. “I am.”
He exhales, a look of relief passing over his handsome face. “Good. I’m glad you said yes.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“I honestly didn’t know. You might have had plans, but my brain would have leaped to you making a polite excuse because you weren’t interested. I always get nervous before I ask out a woman.”
“You?” I ask in surprise. While I find it hard to believe that gorgeous Brady Jensen would be anxious about asking out a woman, I’m delighted that he was when he asked me. “Why?”
Brady rubs his hand over the back of his neck, his fingers combing through the waves that are there. “Why wouldn’t I be? I want to get to know you, but I’m not assured the feeling is mutual just because I’m a baseball player.”
My heart pounds rapidly in response to his words. There’s a raw honesty to him that I’ve never experienced with a man in my life. In these first few glimpses of the man who is Brady Jensen, I see a humble person. Who is not afraid to share his fears.
He just increased his sexual attractiveness by a thousand.
And his attractiveness was already at drop-dead gorgeous.
The best part? His openness with his feelings makes me want to do the same. Usually, I let the guy take the lead, but this time, I’m going to rise to the challenge and say what I think without worrying if I’m not playing hard to get or coy or whatever the hell magazines say I should be doing.
“The feeling is mutual,” I say, my pulse rapid. “And you being a baseball player has nothing to do with it.”
His lips part. My gaze drops to them, and I notice how they are not symmetrical. Brady’s top lip is thinner, but the bottom lip—oh, God, it’s full and lush and incredibly sexy.
“Then we should have a good date tonight, being that we’re both interested,” Brady says.
I manage to tear my gaze away from his lower lip to his eyes again. He gets more sexual attraction points for calling our evening a date instead of “hanging out.” He might not want to have comparisons to his twin, but I remember Hayley saying what made Brody different from other men was that he was a grown-ass man.
That’s what Brady is, I realize. A grown-ass man who says what he thinks and feels. Who doesn’t play games. Who wants to have an adult date with the woman he is attracted to.
And I have high hopes that this date will be good, too.
“I agree,” I say, smiling.
Brady reaches inside his pants pocket and retrieves his phone. “Would you enter your phone number in here? When I get back to my apartment, I’ll text you. We can meet at a restaurant around seven if that works for you.”
“It does,” I say as I enter my number. Then I hand his phone back to him.
Brady stares down at me for a moment. My eyes lock with his.
“Then I’ll see you tonight,” he says at last.
“You will,” I reply, reluctantly opening my car door and slipping inside.
“Until then,” Brady says, shutting my door for me.
I wave, and he rewards me with a smile. I watch as he walks away, typing on his phone as he moves across the parking lot. I do a little excited shimmy in my seat and turn on the car. I have a date tonight.
A freaking date!
As I turn on the car, Mariah Carey is belting out “Emotions,” and I break out into a huge smile. Excellent. I start singing, as this song truly is perfect for me today.
I’m a mixture of elation and disbelief. I started the morning being hit on by an arrogant jerk and ended up getting a date with a grown-ass man by the end of it. I wasn’t looking to meet anyone, let alone Brady Jensen.
And I can’t wait to see what happens during dinner tonight.
* * *
I draw an eager breath as I walk down a street in Old Town Alexandria. I tuck my hands into the pockets of my wool coat, as the temperature has dipped into the mid-fifties, and take in the beauty of the city I now call home. It’s like stepping back in time in a way, with these Colonial-type buildings and cobblestone streets, and the charm of this old city resonates with my soul. I never thought of Philadelphia as my true home, even though I spent most of my life there. I simply knew in my heart there was another place I was meant to be. Now, I wasn’t guided to Virginia by some instinctive calling—I ended up here thanks to being eighteen, in love, and completely stupid in my decision-making—but as soon as I landed in Virginia, it felt right. My first visit to DC to search for a job confirmed it. I might not have planned to come here, but this town is where I’m supposed to be.
I glance at my reflection in a bay window of a boutique filled with organic beauty supplies and smile. I didn’t plan to start dating tonight, either, but perhaps fate is also guiding me in a different direction than I initially thought.
Electricity shoots through me as Brady comes to mind. We are meeting at a modern Vietnamese restaurant, and his choice of restaurant excites me beyond measure. One, it’s a place where a grown-ass man who is serious about having a date would take a woman. Second, it shows he likes different cuisines. That’s huge for me, because not only do I live to eat, but being a vegetarian, I find different cultural cuisines give me a lot of fun options when eating out, so I love them.