Dating by Design Series - Box Set

by Jennifer Peel

  I was annoyed as I walked toward the front door. I opened it to find a grinning Jason holding a bouquet of daises.

  “Jason.”

  “Kenadie.”

  “Uh …what are you doing here?”

  He grinned and it turned his eyes on. “Your mom invited me for dinner.”

  Why didn’t that surprise me? “Oh. Well, you didn’t have to bring me flowers.”

  His smile turned almost illegal. “I didn’t. These are for your mom. I don’t bring flowers to women who ignore my messages.”

  I felt my face heat up to feverish levels. “Come in,” I said in a rush to hide my obvious embarrassment, about not only my assumption, but also my ignoring him. I had valid reasons.

  He stepped in, still smiling.

  “Everyone’s in the kitchen. Please excuse me.”

  His smile faltered. “Kenadie …”

  I walked away toward my old bedroom. I hadn’t felt that stupid in forever. I felt like I was back in high school and I had tripped in front of the cutest boy at school. I also felt guilty. I liked Jason and I had been rude to him. I should have been adult enough to tell him in the first place why I thought it wasn’t a good idea for us to hang out right now. I would have left out the steamy dream, of course, but he deserved better than me ignoring him. I wasn’t used to having to deal with people on a personal level.

  I sat on my old full-size bed and tried to at least get rid of the redness in my face. I was such an idiot, and I knew what I was doing was making the situation worse. I’m sure my momma was in a tizzy, and everyone else probably concurred with the fact I was a dolt. I mean, what grown woman behaved this way?

  I was surprised I got five minutes to myself. I thought for sure Momma would have hauled me out by then, but I hadn’t heard a peep or even a stir outside my door. I had waited so long to come out I was seriously considering climbing out my window and making a break for it. Someone had other plans. There was a knock on my bedroom door. I slowly stood and braced myself for Momma’s lecture, but I opened the door to find Jason standing there holding one yellow daisy.

  He held it out with a closed-lipped smile. “I brought a peace offering.”

  I didn’t take it right away. “You didn’t need to. We aren’t at war.”

  He grinned and brushed my nose with the flower. “I’m happy to hear that. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you at the front door.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.”

  “Kenadie, did I do something wrong?”

  “Not at all.”

  “So you were extremely busy today and you couldn’t respond. Or maybe you lost your phone?”

  I leaned against the heavy oak door and sighed. Those warm eyes of his were inviting me to spill my guts to him, right down to the dream. “Jason, I think it’s better if we keep things professional between us.”

  He raised his eyebrow in confusion, or perhaps scrutiny. “Professional?”

  “Yes, professional. You’re a client.”

  He gave a deep-chested laugh. “So, I guess hanging out in the doorway of your bedroom is probably unprofessional?”

  “Probably.” I smiled. I couldn’t help myself around him.

  “You know, a lot of businesses try to woo their clientele outside of business hours.”

  “Are you telling me I should be wooing you?”

  He winked at me. “I’m saying it couldn’t hurt.”

  Then why did I feel like it could hurt me?

  “And your brochure does say personalized attention. Never once did it say professional attention.”

  “Did you memorize that thing?”

  “Maybe.” He pushed forward the flower again, and this time I took it.

  “Thank you. I love daisies.”

  “Duly noted. Are you hungry?”

  “No, but I suppose I can’t hide any longer.”

  “Kenadie, everything is going to be okay.”

  When he said it, I almost believed him.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dinner wasn’t as awkward as I feared it would be. I’m not sure if Jason had talked to Momma before he came back to my room, but she didn’t mention my brief absence. She looked at me wryly throughout dinner, but that was the worst of it. I almost didn’t want Jason to leave when dinner was over, because I was afraid she would unleash her displeasure as soon as he left with my brother and Renee’s sons. Yes, not only was Jason invited to dinner, but Momma had the audacity to ask him to help make pinewood derby cars. Momma figured two boys needed two men. I swore she was doing it as a test to see what kind of husband and father Jason would make.

  I had no doubt he would be excellent in both roles, but it was none of our concern. Jason wasn’t looking for a wife at the moment, he’d said so himself more than once. Either way, it wouldn’t be me. I was his personal relationship manager, and perhaps a friend.

  It was nice to have younger kids at the table. Heath and Cole kept us entertained during the whole meal. The adults didn’t even need to talk. Heath and Cole had us laughing at their silly stories, lip-synching, and dance moves. I think Renee was a little embarrassed by her boys’ exuberance, but the rest of us enjoyed it.

  It was good to see my brother so engaged and happy. I had missed his laughter, but it was back in full-force tonight. I watched Lana as well, to gauge her reaction. She was normally the center of attention. She didn’t seem put off by the lack of attention, in fact she probably laughed harder than any of us. I wondered if this was the beginning of a new phase in the Marshall family. I didn’t want to jump the gun, but it was interesting to think about the possible expansion of our small family. Momma would be thrilled to no end. I’m sure she had already asked Renee if she would be interested in having more children. I think Rick would be. I knew he always wanted more than one, but Valerie wasn’t amenable. But it wasn’t like Rick was getting any younger.

  I watched my brother touch Renee on the shoulder before he picked up her empty plate to take it to the kitchen. He was gentleman. He had learned from the best, our daddy. I noticed how pleased Renee seemed at both gestures. Momma didn’t miss it, either. She looked like she was going to burst.

  Jason stood up. “I guess that’s my cue to get up.”

  “I’ll take your plate to the kitchen,” I offered him.

  He smiled down at me. “Now how would that make me look?” He reached for my plate, and then his.

  “You’re the guest,” I countered.

  “Don’t leave before you say goodbye, and we’ll call it even.”

  “I think I can manage that.”

  “See you in a bit.”

  He always made me feel warm in that nice, secure way.

  I turned back to those who were left at the table, Momma, Lana, and Renee. They were all grinning at me, but not a word was said. At least not until we were cleaning the kitchen.

  “Aunt Kenadie.” Lana sidled up next to me near the sink.

  “Yes, sugar?”

  “Jason is really cute.”

  “He’s too old for you.”

  She nudged me with her shoulder. “Ewww, I know. But he isn’t too old for you.”

  I looked at Momma and gave her the evilest of eyes. “Are you indoctrinating her when I’m not around?”

  Renee laughed.

  “I haven’t said a word,” Momma defended herself.

  “If you say so.”

  “He does seem to like you,” Renee threw in her two cents.

  “We’re friends.” At least I thought so.

  “It seems more than friendly,” Renee said, like she was testing the waters with me.

  For my brother’s sake, I played nice. “That’s just his way. He’s not interested in me. In fact, he’s dating a woman named Liz.” That was a small stretch, but it would be true soon enough.

  Renee’s face tightened a tad and she shrugged her shoulders. “Is it serious between them?”

  “No,” I answered uneasily. “It’s a fairly recent thing.”

  “D
id she tell you that she’s the one that set them up?” Momma was obviously still bothered by it.

  Renee’s eyes widened.

  I took a deep breath. “It’s my job.”

  “That’s right. Rick told me about your dating service. I’m surprised a guy like Jason needs one.”

  Again, for my brother’s sake, I held my tongue. Just because someone used my services didn’t mean they were desperate. It meant they were smart. I’d dare anyone to look at our clientele base and argue with me. We had some of the finest professionals in the Atlanta area in our databases, doctors, lawyers, scientists, CEOs, you name it. I tried my best to smile sweetly. “Many people like Jason use our services. We’re not at all like those dating apps and places you see advertised online.”

  I could see her redden in the cheeks. I felt terrible. I tried to keep my words on the light side.

  “Rick said it was high-tech and impressive. He’s really proud of you.”

  I smiled warmly, or at least I thought I did. I knew I scared people sometimes. I didn’t mean to. “We try our best to help people navigate the waters of relationships. We do our best to give them the best tools for success.”

  “That sounds nice.”

  I left it at that. I’m sure she was like many others, including my brother, who thought what I did was odd and that people should be left alone to sort out their own relationships. And for some it worked, but why not take the help when you can get it? Divorce rates weren’t dropping, and more and more couples were seeking counseling. Why not do that on the front end?

  “I don’t care if he’s dating Liz, or whatever her name is, the man clearly likes you,” Momma interjected.

  “Yes, we’re friends and friends like each other.”

  “I’ve said it before, I’m going to say it again—don’t let this one get away.”

  I don’t know why she thought he was mine for the taking. I mean, how many times did I have to say he was using a dating service? I let it drop since Momma was never going to listen anyway.

  We spent the next hour trying to get to know Renee better. Her husband had died in a tragic boating accident a couple of years ago. He had drowned, and it had taken them days to recover his body. I felt horrible for her and her sons. I could tell she missed him, but that she was ready to start to live life again, and perhaps love again. I wondered if Rick felt the same way. I hoped so. He deserved to find love again. He would have said the same thing about me.

  I played with Lana’s hair while we chatted in the family room. She was still undecided about what she should do with it for prom. No matter what she decided, she was going to be gorgeous, she couldn’t help herself.

  “I used to do hair before the boys were born,” Renee said. “I would be happy to help you,” she offered to Lana.

  Lana looked at me as if asking permission. I tried to convey with my smile that it was a good thing. Yes, I was a little jealous, but I could share.

  “That would be awesome. Thank you!” Lana replied to Renee.

  Renee looked relieved and pleased.

  Momma was also pleased, like a spider who cast her web out and grabbed a juicy prize. I did love that woman, but she was incorrigible.

  I was ready to call it a night and get home to my book. I hadn’t read a book that had captivated me like this one in a long time, and I had never read a science fiction novel that kept my attention like this. The relationship was so well-written, I sometimes forgot what genre it was.

  I made my excuses and said my goodbyes to the ladies, but not before Momma reminded me I promised to say goodbye to Jason. I hadn’t forgotten.

  I walked out back to Daddy’s old shop. I smiled as I remembered pestering him when he was working on projects. He never seemed to mind my relentless questions about his tools or what he was doing. I still ached for him.

  I peeked my head in to find four boys having the time of their lives. I wished I could have captured it in a picture. I wasn’t sure if the older boys or the younger ones were having more fun. They were all excitedly talking about paint colors and designs.

  “Hey,” I interrupted, although I hated to. Jason was quite animated about the lightning theme Cole was envisioning for his car.

  All the boys looked my way, but it was Jason who caught my eye. His eyes smiled back at me. “Are you taking off?”

  “Yep. I’m here to say goodbye.”

  Jason brushed the sawdust off himself. “Let me walk you to your car.”

  “I don’t want to interrupt, and I do know the way.”

  Jason pretended he didn’t hear me and walked my way anyway.

  “Goodnight, sis,” my brother called out in a sing-song sort of way.

  I waved at those remaining before I turned to walk with Jason the short distance to my car in the driveway.

  “It sounds like you guys are having fun in there.” We walked side by side.

  “I’m reliving my glory days.”

  “Nine was a good age for you, huh?”

  He laughed. “It was one of my better years.”

  “I liked nine.”

  He nudged me. “Are you making fun of me?”

  “Maybe a little.”

  We arrived at my car door. He was all smiles, as usual.

  “Are you leaving so early because of a hot date?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know me well, do you?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Actually, I was hoping to get some more reading in. I may or may not be a little obsessed at the moment with the book you let me borrow.”

  “It’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Best book I’ve read in a while. But I have to know why she can’t see him in her book. It’s driving me crazy. And who is after them and why?”

  I could tell I was amusing him. His eyes sparkled in the dim light of the evening.

  “Do you want me to tell you?”

  “No! I mean …give me a hint. No, no.” I wanted to know, but I didn’t want to ruin it either.

  “You’re a difficult woman, Kenadie.”

  “You keep saying that.”

  “And you keep proving me right.”

  “I do my best.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  I rocked forward on the balls of my feet like I was suddenly nervous. “Well, I should let you get back to your glory day revival.”

  “I suppose you should. Can I communicate with you tomorrow?” He inched toward me.

  “I suppose so.”

  “Remember, you’re supposed to be wooing me.”

  I laughed softly. “Goodnight, Jason.”

  He grinned before he leaned down and brushed my cheek with his warm lips. For a second, our eyes met, and for the second time that night, I felt feverish, but this time it wasn’t out of embarrassment. It was something entirely different, and much worse.

  “Goodnight, Kenadie,” he whispered. “Drive safely.”

  I stepped back and shook my head, trying to regain my equilibrium. “I will.”

  He smiled and walked away.

  I would have probably watched him, but I noticed Momma was watching me through the window above the kitchen sink. By the Cheshire Cat grin she wore, there was no doubt she had witnessed the scene between Jason and me. And there was also no doubt she had misinterpreted it. That was just his way, and my reaction was chemical, hormonal even. It’s natural for your body to respond when an attractive man comes so close. It didn’t mean anything other than I missed physical affection from the opposite sex. I wished I could turn that off, but it was there to stay.

  I raced home to my book. I was going to have to live vicariously through the characters on the page. And I had to say, they did a great job. I was giving major props to the author, who was male I might add, for the passionate kissing scenes. He really knew his stuff. I had a feeling Jason knew his stuff, too. I found myself thinking about the stupid dream I had about him. If he was even half as good in real life, that would be … Ugh! Why was I even thinking about i
t? It didn’t matter how good he was or wasn’t, I would never know, so dwelling on it was pointless.

  I guess my subconscious didn’t agree. I dreamt about him—again. We were running from someone, I’m sure that part came from the book I was reading. We ended up hiding in my daddy’s old shop, and while I was trying to catch my breath, he picked me up and I wrapped myself around him. He groaned softly before kissing me deeply. I felt like I couldn’t drink him in fast enough, and he seemed to feel the same way. It was as if he couldn’t pull me close enough to him. I woke up breathing hard. I sat up and threw a pillow across the room. This needed to stop.

  I needed a distraction in the worst way. On my drive into work, I tried to think of something to keep my mind off my steamy dreams. It reminded me I needed to write an email reminding everyone of our no-dating-clients policy. My mind needed a reminder that we didn’t dream about them, either.

  It didn’t help that my phone rang as soon as I pulled into the empty parking lot at our office. Jason’s name popped up on my screen. I figured I should add him in as a contact on my phone since he apparently thought he should call it every day.

  “Hello.”

  “Oh, so I made the cut today, huh?”

  “You can count yourself lucky.”

  “Believe me, I do.”

  “So how did your car turn out last night?”

  “You mean Cole’s?”

  “If you say so. I think you and Rick were having more fun than the boys.”

  He laughed in that you got me sort of way.

  “It was really nice of you to give up your evening. I’m sure it meant a lot to them. They’ve had a hard time since their dad passed away.”

  “They’re great kids. Your brother isn’t half bad, either.”

  “I kind of like him.”

  “He kind of likes you, too.”

  “Did you talk about me? I hope Rick didn’t tell you any embarrassing stories.”

  “Nothing embarrassing, other than he finds your line of work interesting.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t use the word interesting.”

  Jason laughed heartily. “You are correct. But since we’re talking about your business, I need your help.”

  “The walls need an extra coat of paint?”