works here, seems like."
Tessa frowned. "They didn't do that to me."
Adam rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm sure they wanted to."
"Well, José did ask me out once," she said, remembering.
Adam dropped his hands, scowling. "He did? When was that?"
"When I started," she said. "I said no, and I guess I made it very clear that I was not interested."
"You do tend to be very emphatic, I notice," he said. "Seriously, though, I owe you."
"What, the Stacy thing? No problem. Really." She shifted her weight. "So what did you want to talk about, with the game?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just wanted to thank you." He put out his arms. "C'mon. Hug it out, bitch."
" I beg your pardon ?" She gasped, just before he crushed her in a hug.
"You know about every TV show under the sun, and you've never watched Entourage ?" he asked, his voice close to her ear.
She felt an involuntary shiver and gasp. It had been a while since she'd hugged a guy, admittedly. She took a deep breath, and was temporarily intrigued by his scent--something clean and wintery, like forest and spice.
It was sort of delicious, actually.
She nudged away. "No, I've never seen Entourage ," she said. "Call me bitch again, and I'll kick your ass between your ears."
"See? Emphatic. I'll bet you would, too," he said, and his voice had admiration as well as humor. "Want me to drop you off tonight? It's just around the corner, but it's still going to be cold out."
"Drop me off?" she asked. "To what?"
"Coffee and hanging out with Stacy and her friends," he reminded her. "You said you'd go, remember?"
Crap. She had, hadn't she?
"Consider it socializing," he added.
"Shut up," she said, and walked out, his laugh following in her wake.
CHAPTER 3
Tessa swallowed hard as she walked up the stairs to the converted three-story Victorian that was, allegedly, the bookstore Stacy had talked about. It had a sign in the window, neatly printed, but hard to see if you weren't walking by. The house's paint was a bit dingy, and while the lights in the lower level were on, it sounded very quiet.
She thought about knocking, but it was a place of business...or at least, it was supposed to be. Tentatively, she opened the door. Heat poured out, a welcome respite from the slashing wind. "Um, hello?" she called out.
"Oh, good! You made it!" Stacy was there, true to her word. She was still wearing her work clothes, the crisp slacks and fuzzy sweater still looking stylish. Her blonde hair was out of its high ponytail, though, so she looked a bit more relaxed. "I was wondering if you'd bail."
"Of course not." She'd considered it only twenty times, and that was just on the short walk from Adam's car to the doorway. "Um...how long is the club meeting, generally?"
What she really wanted to say was, "How long do I have to stay before I can go back home and get into pajamas?" But despite her recent dearth of socialization, even she wasn't that gauche.
"It's not really a club. It's just a few friends," Stacy said. "Here, I've got some cookies. Cressida baked some earlier." She settled into one of the welcoming, if slightly worn, couches, an overstuffed gray monstrosity that seemed like it'd be really comfy. "Have a seat. I'm sure they'll all show up soon."
Tessa did as instructed, taking in her surroundings. There were books everywhere, in cunning built-ins that framed doorways and archways and every wall, it seemed, except for the one with the wood-burning stove that was pumping out heat. "Isn't it dangerous to have a fire with all these books?" she asked, curious.
"They're careful," Stacy said, but her eyes did look nervously around her for a second.
The door opened again with a cheerful jangle of the jingle bells hung on the doorknob. "Whoo! It's freezing out there!"
The woman who stepped in was short and rounded, wearing a puffy jacket and a Seahawks knit cap, as well as
Tessa frowned. "They didn't do that to me."
Adam rubbed his hands over his face. "I'm sure they wanted to."
"Well, José did ask me out once," she said, remembering.
Adam dropped his hands, scowling. "He did? When was that?"
"When I started," she said. "I said no, and I guess I made it very clear that I was not interested."
"You do tend to be very emphatic, I notice," he said. "Seriously, though, I owe you."
"What, the Stacy thing? No problem. Really." She shifted her weight. "So what did you want to talk about, with the game?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just wanted to thank you." He put out his arms. "C'mon. Hug it out, bitch."
" I beg your pardon ?" She gasped, just before he crushed her in a hug.
"You know about every TV show under the sun, and you've never watched Entourage ?" he asked, his voice close to her ear.
She felt an involuntary shiver and gasp. It had been a while since she'd hugged a guy, admittedly. She took a deep breath, and was temporarily intrigued by his scent--something clean and wintery, like forest and spice.
It was sort of delicious, actually.
She nudged away. "No, I've never seen Entourage ," she said. "Call me bitch again, and I'll kick your ass between your ears."
"See? Emphatic. I'll bet you would, too," he said, and his voice had admiration as well as humor. "Want me to drop you off tonight? It's just around the corner, but it's still going to be cold out."
"Drop me off?" she asked. "To what?"
"Coffee and hanging out with Stacy and her friends," he reminded her. "You said you'd go, remember?"
Crap. She had, hadn't she?
"Consider it socializing," he added.
"Shut up," she said, and walked out, his laugh following in her wake.
CHAPTER 3
Tessa swallowed hard as she walked up the stairs to the converted three-story Victorian that was, allegedly, the bookstore Stacy had talked about. It had a sign in the window, neatly printed, but hard to see if you weren't walking by. The house's paint was a bit dingy, and while the lights in the lower level were on, it sounded very quiet.
She thought about knocking, but it was a place of business...or at least, it was supposed to be. Tentatively, she opened the door. Heat poured out, a welcome respite from the slashing wind. "Um, hello?" she called out.
"Oh, good! You made it!" Stacy was there, true to her word. She was still wearing her work clothes, the crisp slacks and fuzzy sweater still looking stylish. Her blonde hair was out of its high ponytail, though, so she looked a bit more relaxed. "I was wondering if you'd bail."
"Of course not." She'd considered it only twenty times, and that was just on the short walk from Adam's car to the doorway. "Um...how long is the club meeting, generally?"
What she really wanted to say was, "How long do I have to stay before I can go back home and get into pajamas?" But despite her recent dearth of socialization, even she wasn't that gauche.
"It's not really a club. It's just a few friends," Stacy said. "Here, I've got some cookies. Cressida baked some earlier." She settled into one of the welcoming, if slightly worn, couches, an overstuffed gray monstrosity that seemed like it'd be really comfy. "Have a seat. I'm sure they'll all show up soon."
Tessa did as instructed, taking in her surroundings. There were books everywhere, in cunning built-ins that framed doorways and archways and every wall, it seemed, except for the one with the wood-burning stove that was pumping out heat. "Isn't it dangerous to have a fire with all these books?" she asked, curious.
"They're careful," Stacy said, but her eyes did look nervously around her for a second.
The door opened again with a cheerful jangle of the jingle bells hung on the doorknob. "Whoo! It's freezing out there!"
The woman who stepped in was short and rounded, wearing a puffy jacket and a Seahawks knit cap, as well as
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