“I’ll give you the grand tour.” He waves at the living room. “That’s the living room. Obviously. The kitchen is over there. That room on the right is my bedroom. The bathroom is right next to it.” He snorts. “And now you’re kind of wishing we had gone back to your place.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Right. Because then I would know where you live.”
I wince because he hit the nail on the head. This is a one-time thing. I don’t want him to have my number and I don’t want him showing up at my front door.
“It’s fine,” he says. “Really.”
I nod at the hallway, at another door that seems to be closed. “What’s that room?”
He hesitates for a beat. “That’s my office. I used to use it when I was working for the start-up.” He clears his throat. “Could I get you something to drink? Some water?”
“No, thanks.”
“A beer? Or…” He opens his fridge and peers into it. “I may have some vodka or something.”
I walk over to the kitchen and put my hand on his shoulder. He stops in the middle of searching for the alcohol, shuts the fridge, and turns to look at me. I see his chest rise and fall for a moment, as he stares into my eyes.
Then he leans in to kiss me.
Chapter 14
That was just what I needed.
As I lie next to Brady on his lumpy queen-size bed with his itchy comforter partially strewn over us, I feel like I can barely catch my breath. I look over at him, and he gives me this dopey grin, and I’m pretty sure my smile looks just as dopey. I’m a little loopy from the whole thing.
“Good?” he asks.
“Sogood,” I say. “You’ve improved.”
He bursts out laughing. “Since college? I sure hope so.”
I don’t want to admit to him how long it’s been for me. I’ve been out with other guys since college, but not many. I move closer to him, allowing him to put his arm around me and pull me close. I wonder if maybe I’ve been over-cautious. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea to let him have my phone number. For a repeat performance or two. Or ten.
“I was so glad to see you tonight,” he murmurs into my hair. “I was sure you were never coming back after last night.”
“I’m glad I did.” I lift my head to look up at him. His five o’clock shadow has gotten very dark. “How long did it take you to recognize me when I came into Christopher’s the other night?”
“About two seconds.”
“Really?” I raise my eyebrows. “I think I look pretty different.”
“Not that different. Anyway, you’re hard to forget.”
I don’t know entirely what he means by that. Is it a compliment? I suppose it must be, considering we ended up here. I don’t like the idea of being memorable. I’m glad when my patients remember me, but the idea that a guy I knew only briefly in college would know me so quickly makes me a little uncomfortable.
Brady must sense my discomfort, because he adds, “I just feel like you’re the coolest girl I ever dated.”
“The ‘coolest’ girl you ever dated? Now I know you’re making stuff up…”
“You are!” he insists. “I never met anyone like you before. There’s just something different about you.”
There’s nothing different about me. At least, not something I advertised to anyone I knew. To Brady, I was always just plain old Nora Davis. He never knew about my past. And he never will.
“Also,” he adds, “you’re the most beautiful woman I ever went out with.”
I laugh. “Yeah, right.”
