Thwarting Cupid. Lori Crawford

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СКАЧАТЬ yeah, it's been quite a ride,” he said, having told her all about the foundation. She was still listening with rapt attention which was an excellent sign that he hadn't bored her to death in the process of catching her up on his life. He knew he'd scared off many women with his ramblings over the past few years which meant he remained single after his last girlfriend decided to pack her bags and go backpacking around Europe indefinitely. She'd sent him a nice postcard telling him of her travels and impending wedding date to some Scottish fellow she'd met in Berlin. Funny thing was, he hadn't even been upset. Just wished the woman well.

      “It sounds like it. Who'da thunk it? Little Hutch, rising from the volunteer pool of the HHtH and growing into such a big shot.” She playfully jabbed at his shoulder while treating him to one of those Carissa grins he'd missed so much over the years. She was still one of those rare folks who, when they smiled, really smiled. It was never a front. He loved how it seemed to light her eyes from the inside out. It always made him want to smile back no matter how bad of a day he was having.

      So, he smiled. “Big shot, huh? I don't know about all that. It's more of a team effort. But we do put on a lot of programs which, if I do say so myself, end up being pretty amazing.”

      Carissa laughed. “Of course they are. And how's Tabitha? Is she dealing well with your over-inflated ego?”

      Hutch came down off his high. Carissa never failed to ask him about his girlfriends. It had always annoyed him. Not because she'd asked, but because it had always been a reminder that he wasn't single and free to pursue her. That was no longer the case.

      “Tabitha is great. Far as I know, anyway. Last I heard from her, she was living in Poland with her husband, who's from Scotland.” Hutch shrugged and something dawned on him. He was single now. Should he go for it?

      “With her husband? Wait a minute. How long has it been since we've talked?” She tucked an errant curl behind her ear.

      “Far too long Cara, far too long.” The pet name just slipped out. He didn't think she'd remember, but she raised her eyebrows telling him she did. During an event they'd worked for HHtH, stress levels had gotten far too high. They had combated it by being super silly, and had been so in tune to one another that by the end of the evening their silliness had turned into some serious sexual tension. Even the bartender at the event had remarked that they should just “get a room.” They hadn't, but Hutch had started calling her Cara.

      She'd dominated his thoughts for days afterward. He’d been unable to wait for the next time he'd see her at the foundation's office and that scared him. To try to get her off his mind, he'd gone out one night with some guy friends. He'd met Tabitha. After that, he'd gone back to calling her Carissa. She'd never mentioned the event ever again. Instead, she always just asked about Tabitha.

      Sometimes, he felt like he'd taken the easy way out. Others, he thought that maybe his imagination had just run away with him for a day. It was silly of him to be scared of Carissa. She was his friend. Or maybe that was the problem. He wanted more, but wasn't sure if she did. Just the thought of her rejecting him hurt more than it should. If she had the chance to spurn him for real, he wasn't sure he'd recover. Maybe it was best that they just be friends. Or maybe...

      His watch beeped. He was surprised to see how late it had gotten. The staff must be starving. “I should run.” For the first time, her smile didn't quite reach her eyes when she nodded. Just maybe... “But what are you doing for dinner? We can sit back and get all caught up.”

      She wasn't expecting that one. He could tell because she'd never be a good poker player. Not with the way she wore that heart of hers on her sleeve. Every emotion she had played itself out in those big brown eyes of hers for all the world to see.

      “Oh, um...dinner sounds good. But I don't know that I'm interesting enough to fill all that time.”

      He stood and pulled her to her feet, too. “Then we'll talk about the weather.”

      “That's gotta be more interesting than I am.”

      “Whatever. Do you live over this way? I'll swing by to pick you up. There's this lovely little restaurant on Main Street I think you'll love.”

      “That's perfect. I walk down there all the time.”

      Hutch's jaw dropped open when she told him her address. “You've got to be kidding me.”

      Carissa frowned. “What?”

      “You live across the street from me. What are the chances? And how have we managed not to run into each other until now?”

      “I haven't the slightest idea. That's pretty wild. I've been there for almost three years now.”

      “I moved in two years ago.”

      Carissa laughed. “The neighborhood went to seed and I didn't even notice.”

      He made a face at her. “Seems to me it was already there.” His phone buzzed in his pocket. The staff must be ready to send out a search party by now. Not necessarily for him, but for their food. He silenced the phone, and gave Carissa another hug. On a whim, he planted a kiss on her cheek.

      “I'll come over at seven. We'll walk to the restaurant together. Sound like a plan?”

      “It's perfect. See you tonight.”

      * * * *

      Carissa turned on the shower and stepped beneath the spray. She still couldn't believe how giddy she felt right this moment. It was silly, really. It was just dinner with a friend. Granted, the friend was a hottie whom she'd wished was more on multiple occasions, but that didn't change the facts. Hutch was just a friend. When he'd called her Cara, though, she’d thought she'd heard a ‘more than a friend’ note in his voice. It wasn't surprising, considering the circumstances surrounding his giving her the nickname.

      It had been a long time since she'd thought about that day. They'd bantered and flirted their way through a pretty unorganized fundraising dinner. It had been meaningless. She’d thought she'd been the only one affected by the constant looks and brushes and smiles. When the bartender suggested they get a room, she’d started to think maybe they could take it to another level. She'd gone home that night and wondered if they would still be in the same place the next time they saw each other. She had been disappointed when he introduced her to Tabitha instead. Deciding that she'd misread the signals–after all, she didn't have that much experience–Carissa had simply put everything behind her.

      But now, Tabitha was out of the picture and Hutch had asked her out! Carissa tried to curb her enthusiasm at the thought. He hadn't said it was a date or anything of that nature. Sure, he'd kissed her cheek, which he'd never done before, but that was more of a friendly gesture, right? Her body didn't want to agree, since her nipples insisted on tightening at the memory.

      Carissa took a breath and forced herself to think of anything else. She adjusted the frosted glass slat on the bathroom window to stare into the tree where she'd watched squirrels or an occasional hummingbird chowing down on the thick vegetation. There. That was better. Concentrating on the little bulbs that all appeared to be half eaten at this time of year meant that her hands didn’t have much chance to wander off course while she bathed. Instead, she mused about how neat it was that such different animals could feed from the same place.

      A door closed somewhere beyond the tree, shaking her out of her thoughts. The building across the way was pretty much hidden by the leaves, but she could still just make out an outline of a porch. She had no idea who lived СКАЧАТЬ