As she passed the phone on the small table at the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that the answering-machine light was flashing. Distractedly, she hit Rewind. She still felt a little scared and wished shed taken her date up on his offer to escort her. But wasnt that possibly the mistake her mother had made? Trusting a man? The wrong man.
She hugged herself as the answering-machine tape stopped. What was wrong with her? Her date had been perfectly nice. Hed made her laugh. Hed made her forget how uncomfortable shed felt about online blind dating. Hed seemed interested in her, in her work. And she couldnt discount the obvious attraction shed felt for him.
But once they were outside the restaurant, hed started to kiss her and hadntas much as shed wanted him to. Why was that? Not out of shyness, that was for sure.
And yet hed seemed almost scared of her at first. The way hed come into her office, appearing confused. Late. Showing up looking as if hed just gotten off work at the docks. Shed been nervous about meeting him. But hed seemed nervous, too.
And he hadnt been the nervous type. Nor had he been anything like shed expected. The strong jawline, dark from a days stubble, the deep brown eyes, a shade lighter than his short brown hair. Hed looked more muscular, rugged..dangerous than shed expected.
The thought startled her. Shed already been the dangerous-man route. Just the once. But a smart woman learned the first time. Or she ended up dead on the town green. She didnt want to be the kind of woman who picked the wrong man. Like her mother.
Kat shoved that thought away and hit the play button on the answering machine.
Hi, its Ross.
Her head jerked up, her attention dragged from her dateto the voice on the answering machine.
Sorry about tonight. I really wanted to meet you in person, but something came up at the last minute. Maybe we could do it another time? See you online.
Disbelieving, she pushed rewind and listened to the message again. Her online date had stood her up?
She felt a chill. Then who had she just spent dinner with?
Desperately, she tried to remember what the man had told her about himself during their meal. Only vague generalities that could have fit any man! No wonder hed seemed surprised when hed come into her office. No wonder hed seemed so interested in her, in her work. Because he knew nothing about her! And he didnt want her asking too many questions about him. Shed been so nervous, she hadnt even noticed. Until now.
A thought struck her. Maybe his interest in her hadnt been just to cover his deception. Scared, she tried to remember what shed told him about herself. Why had he pretended to be her date?
She felt sick inside. Normally, she was damn good at reading people. But datingGod, it made her so anxious. Probably because it had been so long and shed been so scared that he would turn out to be another Mr. Wrong. Mr. Dead Wrong. And maybe he had been. Thank God she hadnt let him walk her home. She hugged herself, suddenly cold. Had his been one of the set of footsteps shed heard following her home? The thought froze her to her core.
Sorry about your date.
Kat looked up the stairs as Emily leaned over the railing in her favorite, worn-thin teddy-bear pajamas. Emily was small and slim with their fathers gray eyes. Shed pulled her dark, shoulder length hair into a ponytail, making her look even younger than her seventeen years. I saved the message for you. What a jerk. He didnt even come up with a decent excuse for standing you up. She frowned. Have you been working all this time?
She considered
lying. No, Iwent out to dinner.
By yourself? Emily made it sound as if she couldnt imagine anything worse. She probably couldnt.
No, actually, I met someone. She tried to assure herself that it had been innocent, needing desperately to believe that. Hed just taken advantage of the situation. What man wouldnt who saw the chance to have dinner with a young woman in a sexy black dress? An honest man. A man with nothing to hide.
Who was this guy? Emily asked, coming down the stairs to eye her more closely.
Kat wished shed lied and said shed worked late. No one you know, she said defensively, unable to forget that shed been attracted to him, a man who lied to her. I dont need to have my dates checked out by you. She flipped off the downstairs light, picked up her black platform heels where shed dropped them by the door and started up the steps past her sister, hoping that was the end of it.
As if you dont give me the third degree about every guy I date, Emily said, trailing after her.
Thats different, Kat said, stopping on the landing. Im twenty-three. Youre seventeen and you still have a lot to learn about men.
Emily rolled her eyes. As if youre the authority on men. Ive dated more this year than you have in your life! She swept into her room, slamming the door behind her. Emily always had to get in the last word.
Kat stared after her, just wishing the last word hadnt been the truth. Tonight proved how little Kat knew about men. In spades.