“That might take a while.”
“Good thing I enjoy a challenge.” Pinto grinned in the hopes a little added charm would help to seal the deal. “So what do you say? I help you; you help me. It’s a win-win all around.”
Glassinhand,Fionasipped her beer while she mentally debated the merits of Joe’s offer.
She had to admit, the idea intrigued her. Joe had been instrumental in convincing Dennis to leave last night. It would be nice to have someone close by who could help when her ex returned. And he would. It was only a matter of time. When Dennis set his mind on something, he was more tenacious than a bulldog with a bone. It would take someone just as determined to keep him at arm’s length until he finally gave up and left her in peace.
But she wasn’t completely comfortable with the notion of deceiving a woman she’d never met, which seemed a touch hypocritical, considering how much she liked the idea when it came to getting Dennis off her back. By and large, she played by the rules. She never cheated on her taxes, only drove a mile or two over the posted speed limit, and always made sure Wanda was up to date on all her shots. Lying to his mother didn’t feel right.
Then again, it was merely a minor deception to make his mother happy while she visited her son over the holidays. Not to mention, it made Joe’s life easier, and it wasn’t like anyone was getting hurt.
Still, they needed to discuss a few details before she agreed to anything.
“If we do this, how much physical contact would be required?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “If I mauled you in front of my mother, she’d beat me with her shoe. That said, she’d probably think something was up if we didn’t have any public displays of affection, like holding hands, or my arm around your waist. And yeah, the situation might call for a kiss or two.”
She ignored the way her body lit up just thinking about it. “No tongues.”
The twitch turned into a smile. “I’m good with that. Bottom line, we won’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. And if you change your mind, just say the word. No hard feelings.” He held out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
She’d have to be out of her mind to agree to this. Aside from the fact she barely knew the man, it probably wouldn’t work. And yet here she was, nodding like an idiot.
Fiona shook his hand to seal the deal, and she sucked in a breath at the zing of awareness that shot up her arm and spread through her body like wildfire.
“Are you okay?” Joe asked, concern on his face.
She slipped her hand from his grip. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired. It’s been a long day.”
His expression said he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t call her out on it and for that she was grateful. “We should probably iron out the details of our relationship so we don’t get caught in a lie.”
“Fair enough.” She straightened in her chair. “I suppose we should start at the beginning. How did we meet?”
“Oh, that’s easy. You’re my neighbor. I couldn’t help noticing you’re gorgeous. But I wasn’t sure if you were interested in me, so I never made any moves.” He took a long pull from his beer. His gaze flicked up, catching hers, and she couldn’t look away if she tried. “But then one day I caught you and your friend watching me from your balcony while I was out jogging, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
It took everything she had to keep her jaw from hitting the table. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of a time in her life when she’d been this mortified. She’d be perfectly happy if the floor opened up and swallowed her, chair and all.
For a moment or two, she considered denying it, or maybe blaming it on Liz, but what was the point? She wasn’t that good of a liar.
Fighting the urge to make a run for the ladies’ room, she coughed to clear the lump in her throat. “You, uh…so you noticed that, huh?”
His mouth warmed with the kind of smile that could get a woman into trouble. “In my line of work, you always have to be aware of your surroundings. After a while, it becomes second nature.”
Heat flooded her face. Oh, God, she was blushing. “I, uh…I don’t know what to say. I mean, I know we shouldn’t have objectified—”
“That better not be an apology, because there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. If you jogged by my window, you know damn well I’d pull up a chair and watch.”
Heat spread to other parts of her body at an alarming rate. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
Joe leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over his knee. “Then how about we say we met in the laundry room?”
“That might work,” she said, thankful he’d taken mercy on her and offered a change of subject.
“Sure, it’ll work,” he said. “We were both waiting for our clothes to dry and one of us started a conversation—Ma will assume it was me, so let’s run with that. One thing led to another, I asked you out, and we haven’t been able to get enough of each other ever since. Plausible yet vague, without a ton of details to trip either of us up.”
“Sounds good. Where did we go on our first date?”
He took a swig from his beer. “We didn’t go anywhere. I made you dinner.”