Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
She shook her head. This was crazy. She barely knew the guy, and here she was dreaming about their great romance.
With the email sent, she reflexively checked her watch: nearly eight p.m. On a Saturday. She looked up at Herschel. “All done,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll make a deal tomorrow.”
He smiled. “You’ve certainty delivered everything I hoped for.”
She held her breath. Was he also hoping to share his Saturday night?
He said, “Well…”
She waited, but nothing followed. She was sure he’d been on the verge of asking her out. But he didn’t, damn it. She contemplated inviting him back to her cottage. This wasn’t the Middle Ages. She could ask a man out without waiting for him to do it. But she sternly reminded herself of her rule about mixing business and pleasure. It was rarely a good idea, and they still needed to sign off on the deal. So she said, “Well… I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything. Shall I drop you back at your hotel?”
He nodded briefly, and she couldn’t help but feel rejected. It was stupid, but she’d been so sure the chemistry wasn’t one-sided. Why was he holding back? As they got into her SUV, she clung to the idea that he might invite her in for a nightcap at the hotel bar. The place he’d chosen was known for its dirty martinis. Maybe she could mention that…
She drove through the warm evening, enjoying the atmosphere of downtown Carmel as it floated through their open windows. It was peaceful. Carmel was a small town after all, but it still held the promise of a fun Saturday night, with the wine bars humming and the restaurants full of customers. As she thought of dinner, her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t eaten a thing since before surfing. She would love a good steak with a glass of full-bodied red wine. Surely Herschel was also hungry? He must need a lot of protein to maintain those impressive muscles.
She tried to steer her thoughts away from a candlelit date, and pulled into his hotel parking area. She switched off the engine and turned to face him only to find he had been staring at her profile. She felt electric with his gaze trained on her face. She opened her mouth to mention the martinis, but then closed it again. Instead, she asked, “How is this place? It has a good reputation.”
“It’s excellent. Quiet, private, very comfortable.”
She nodded. Would he invite her in? The notion seemed to hover there for a second, but then he said, “Thank you for everything. I’ll be giving you a great review.”
Then he leaned forward and gave her a kind of awkward hug. Forcing her voice to stay neutral, she said, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
* * *
Hersch walked into his hotel room, kicking himself. There had been a moment when it had been obvious he could have kissed her. Why hadn’t he taken the opportunity? He’d been unsure about whether the feeling was mutual, but then, she kept mentioning the bed. She was feeling that attraction, too, whether it was conscious or not, but instead of seizing the opportunity to kiss the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, he’d frozen.
Of course, he had his reasons. The house deal had yet to become official, and he’d made a vow to stay unattached so as not to harm someone he loved. And yet, hadn’t he also figured Mila might be okay with things being casual? That she wouldn’t think that his asking her out meant he was proposing? Instead, he’d made a fast exit, and now, instead of being accompanied by the most exciting woman he’d met in a long time, he’d be eating alone in the hotel restaurant.
Again.
To distract himself, he allowed thoughts of his new home to take over. He didn’t want to jinx himself by being too confident that it was his, but he had a very good feeling this was going to work out. He couldn’t wait to check out of his room and move his one suitcase over to that incredible house. Somehow he just knew that place was meant to be his. If another buyer turned up, he’d just outbid them. That’s what people did in real estate. He didn’t want to pay more money than he had to, but he knew deep inside that he belonged there. The knowledge surprised him with its suddenness and its intensity.
A lot like the way he felt about Mila.
And there he went again—what had it been, thirty seconds before she popped back into his brain?
Why hadn’t he kissed her?
But no, he wasn’t that guy, the single man who took advantage of a female Realtor when she was taking him on a business call. A gentleman did not act like that, and his mom had definitely raised him to be a gentleman.