‘What can I get you?’ He nodded towards the seating area. ‘I’ll bring it over if you want to find a seat.’
‘Is this force of habit, feeling the need to serve me even when you’re not at work? Because I can order and buy my own drink.’
His smile slipped, just a little. ‘I invited you, remember?’ And then it was back again, in full force. ‘Next time you can pay.’
She wasn’t going to argue about next time, not in front of Naomi. ‘I’ll take a latte, thanks. And as you’re buying, a pastry too.’
He laughed. ‘Fine, any preference?’
‘You choose.’
‘Are you sure? You didn’t trust my judgement when it came to cocktails.’
‘Ah, but I trust Naomi. She won’t sell anything as awful as your radioactive green sludge.’
Naomi chuckled, but the look she levelled at her was full of questions. Mia had a feeling she was in for a grilling the next time she came to the café.
‘Sludge?’ Luke put a hand to his chest. ‘You wound me. For that, I’m going to pick something boringly healthy.’ He scanned the selection and grinned. ‘I’ve got it. A granola bar. The one without chocolate.’
‘I asked for a pastry. Getting me anything different would be rude.’
He returned her verbal lob with a sly grin. ‘I don’t mind being rude.’
More customers entered the shop and Mia left him to it, finding a spare table in the corner. As she sat down, she realised she was smiling. Luke was everything she needed to steer clear of, but he was also fun. And it turns out when you’re feeling lonely, fun is in really short supply.
Maybe that explained why she was here. Her brain knew she needed to keep Luke at arm’s length, but her soul desperately needed to laugh.
Luke walked over a minute later carrying two mugs in one hand, and a plate laden with pastries in the other.
When she goggled at them, he smiled. ‘I didn’t want to risk you not meeting me again, so I asked Naomi for a few of each.’ He reached behind him into his back pocket and produced a handful of serviettes and a paper bag. ‘You can take those you can’t eat now back with you.’ A flash of those dimples. ‘Think of me as you drop pastry flakes all over your keyboard.’
Her gaze bounced to his. ‘How do you know I eat over my keyboard?’
‘Ah.’ He grabbed at one of the pastries. ‘I could say you mentioned you worked with computers, and I assume like most people, you snack when you get bored. But actually, when I lift weights I can see you at your desk.’ He gave her a wide grin. ‘It pushes me to work out harder.’
Crap. Could he tell she ogled him? ‘You can really see me?’
‘Well, the shadow of you.’ He considered her while he munched on a mouthful of pastry. ‘First thing I noticed was the flash of green hair, that’s when I realised it was you living opposite. But you must have shifted your desk back because after that I couldn’t see you as clearly, only your outline.’
Relief surged through her. ‘It was getting too hot right next to the radiator.’
‘Too hot, that explains it.’
His lips twitched and as amusement flickered in his eyes she squirmed on her seat. He doesn’t know you’ve been watching, not for sure. He’s only guessing. ‘So, anyway, as enjoyable as this is, sitting in front of a plate of pastries, why did you want to meet?’
He took a swig of his coffee before placing it back on the table and meeting her eyes. ‘You know why. I asked you out the first night you came to the bar, but you turned me down.’
Her heart began to race. This is what happens when you play with fire. ‘I said I knew where to find you, if I needed a guide.’
‘True.’ He leant forward, searching her face. ‘But we both know that meant thanks, but no thanks.’
There wasn’t much point lying about it, not when he was being so upfront. ‘It did.’
‘Am I allowed to know why?’ He glanced down at himself, then back at her. ‘Are you into skinnier guys? Men who know their way around a computer rather than a bar? Or maybe it was the ropey sense of humour that put you off?’
‘I like you and your ropey humour just fine.’ She made sure to look him straight in the eye. ‘But I don’t want to have sex with you.’
It wasn’t the first time he’d been turned down, but it was the first time it had been done quite so … Luke wanted to say brutally, because that’s how it felt, yet she’d also said she liked him. And she was smiling, which definitely took the edge off her words.
‘Okay.’ He jammed a hand through his hair and tried to find his balance. ‘I wasn’t just talking about sex. I thought I could show you around, take in a meal, maybe the cinema.’ He felt his pulse quicken as he gazed into her big blue eyes. ‘But yes, I’d hoped sex was part of that package.’
She paused, brushing at flakes of pastry that had fallen onto her T-shirt. This one he noticed said I write code so I know stuff. ‘The first part, I’d like,’ she said finally. ‘It’s the last part I’m not up for. And I know that’s not something you usually hear, what with you looking like you do.’
He seized on the comment like a starving man being offered a plate of chips. ‘You think I’m attractive?’
Her mouth curved. ‘I’m not blind.’
‘But you still don’t want to have sex with me.’
‘I don’t want to join that list, no.’
‘List?’
‘Come on, at the bar I’m surrounded by women you’ve slept with.’
He was starting to regret this whole conversation. ‘Not true.’
She quirked a brow. ‘Helen, I bet she’s an ex.’
‘Exactly, an ex. It was a long time ago.’ How had he gone from flirting with her about watching him lift weights – and yeah, she’d definitely watched – to dissecting his love life?
‘But you admit you’ve slept with her. And, who was the other woman she mentioned, Linda?’
‘Lizzie, and that was brief. She’s happily married with two kids now.’
‘Chloe?’
‘No.’
‘She seems keen.’
He wasn’t enjoying this, not one little bit. ‘She is. Doesn’t mean I’ve slept with her.’
‘Sandy?’
‘Christ, no, absolutely not.’ He was getting both flustered and frustrated now. Part of him wanted to say forget it, he’d received the message and wouldn’t trouble her again. But damn it, when was the last time a woman had challenged him? Even if right now he wasn’t enjoying it. ‘I’ve known Sandy since school. We used to go round in a four, her and Jim and me and … hell, it doesn’t matter.’ He exhaled an exasperated breath. ‘Sandy’s been married to Jim almost forever. I’ve never dated her. God, just the thought of it.’ A shudder ran through him. ‘It would be like dating my sister.’
Mia’s eyes flickered with amusement. ‘Fine, it seems I can cross her off the list.’
‘This frigging list is beginning to piss me off.’
Her teeth settled over her bottom lip as she clearly tried not to laugh. ‘I can see that.’
‘But you’re enjoying this too much to stop, huh?’
A smile crept across her face, and if she wasn’t needling him so much, he’d have enjoyed watching it light up her features. ‘Afraid so. What about Tanya?’
Crap, he’d known they were heading in that direction. ‘Yes, okay. We’ve…’ he trailed off, unsure how to describe it without it sounding coarse.
‘Hooked up? Tangled in the bedsheets? Fucked?’
He flinched at the last one. ‘We’ve enjoyed each other from time to time.’
To his surprise she reached across the table and patted his hand. ‘That was rude. Sorry.’ As she drew her hand away, she sighed. ‘This sounds like I’m judging you, and I’m not, honestly.’ She gave him a wry smile. ‘I mean, you’re single, good-looking, quite funny and you own a bar. It’s not hard to see why you’re so popular.’
‘Quite funny?’
She giggled, and it was the first ti
me he’d heard the sound. He wished it didn’t affect him, didn’t make the breath catch in his throat. ‘I don’t want you getting big headed.’
‘All these obvious charms, and yet you’re immune to them?’
‘I didn’t say that. It’s just that moving here, being away from my family and friends … it’s been tougher than I thought. Having sex with a hot guy isn’t high on my priority list.’ Her gaze drifted away from his and out of the window. ‘I’ve spent the last few years bouncing from bad relationship to bad relationship. I want time on my own, time to be content being single.’ When her eyes found his again, they were wide and vulnerable. ‘What I really need right now, is a friend.’
A friend. His mind circled the idea. ‘Is that a friend with benefits or—’
‘God, you’re terrible. A friend.’
She was smiling again, and there was no way his face could resist smiling back. Aside from Sandy, he’d not been friends with a woman since … the memory brought a wave of sadness. Yeah, it had been a long time.
Maybe this was for the best. The bar was going to drain his energy and his focus for the foreseeable future. Sure, sex would be great – hell, it was a fanfuckingtastic stress buster – but it was clearly not on the table with Mia. The chance to see her now and again though, have a laugh with her, be challenged by her, sounded like something he wanted more of.
He held out his hand for her to shake. ‘Friends.’ When her fingers clasped around his, he ignored the tingle of awareness that shot up his arm. No sex. ‘This friendship thing, it includes looking out for each other, yes?’
‘Yes.’ She withdrew her hand and eyed him warily. ‘God, you’re not going to ask me to fix your IT issues now are you? Because I get that all the time.’
‘Not as such.’ He tried his most charming smile. ‘I was thinking more along the lines of I’ll show you round your new environs, the best places to eat, the ones to avoid, the parks, the shops that are off the beaten track, the museums, sports venues—’
‘Yes, yes, I get the idea. And in this marvellous new partnership you’re describing, what have you got me signed up to do in return?’
He almost couldn’t look at her, his smile decidedly sheepish. ‘Help me with a website for the bar?’
Her brows flew to her green-tinted hairline. ‘Seriously? You’re a half-assed travel guide, showing me stuff I could basically find on my own anyway. And in return, I spend my free time making you a website, which means I won’t actually be able to do any of the stuff you’ve just mentioned?’
Ouch, when she said it like that, he felt like a git. Before he could tell her to forget it though, her eyes had narrowed on his.
‘Is this why you asked to meet me? Why you put all those messages in the window? To get a free website?’
‘Whoa. No, of course not.’ The sting of her words ricocheted through him but it was hard to be offended when her eyes were telling him she was hurt. ‘I asked for your number the first time we met, remember? I wanted to get to know you well before I was told you made websites. And I never said I expected it done for free.’ He rubbed a hand down his face, aware if he didn’t pass this test, the tentative friendship was over before it had started. ‘Truth is, you fascinated me from day one. I thought we had a connection, but you didn’t seem keen to explore it, so I told myself that was that. But then I saw you in the window opposite and I figured maybe I could persuade you to change your mind, so I started the messages.’ He tried to gauge what she was thinking, and failed. ‘The website is a separate thing, and you don’t have to help. Mateo mentioned you developed them for a living, so we thought we could tap into your brain for some ideas of where to start.’
‘We?’
‘I’ve put Sandy in charge of sorting things out. Social media, websites.’ He shot her a wry smile. ‘Thanks to Bill, who used to own the place, I know the best local brewery, how to mix a cocktail, and where to get cheap but decent-looking cutlery. Anything outside that, I’m lost.’
‘You said you’d only just taken over the bar from him?’
‘Yeah, a few months.’ He shrugged, like it was no big deal. ‘Still learning the ropes.’
She sighed heavily. ‘Damn, I’m sorry.’ His stomach plummeted and she must have read his expression because she held up a hand and started to laugh. ‘No, no, I’m sorry I was a bitch before, about the website. I jumped to an assumption, which wasn’t cool.’ She bit into her lip. ‘I guess I’m trying to work out why you, with all those charms we mentioned, want to get to know me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m bloody awesome, but not to someone like you.’
‘What do you mean, like me?’
‘Come on, I’ve seen some of the women you’ve … for the sake of politeness, let’s call it dated. None of them look anything like me.’
He couldn’t disagree. What Mia didn’t know was that he’d deliberately gone for the obvious, the carefully made-up women in tight dresses who flirted, because what they wanted had matched what he’d been looking for. Easy, uncomplicated, undemanding.
Then he’d met Mia. And now he was questioning what he really wanted. ‘Tastes change. They mature.’ Smiling into her eyes, he added, ‘Now I’m into bloody awesome. So Mia … what’s your surname?’
‘Abbott.’
He rolled it round his head. ‘Nice. Okay then, bloody awesome Mia Abbott.’ He flashed a grin. ‘What about this website?’
Laughing, she scrunched up her serviette and threw it at him. ‘I’ll talk to you about a website once you’ve taken me somewhere in Manchester I wouldn’t have gone to by myself.’
‘Deal.’ He winced. ‘Though my hours do suck, so it can’t always be at the weekend.’
‘That’s okay, my hours are my own.’
Relieved, he grinned. ‘Do I get your phone number now?’
Her gaze darted behind him and when it returned her eyes had lost some of their amusement. ‘For reasons I don’t want to go into, the only people who have my number are my two best friends and my family. I’d rather keep it that way.’
He didn’t like the flicker of unease he saw but he wasn’t about to upset things, so he nodded. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any point in me giving you mine?’
She shook her head, smiling sadly. ‘Thanks, but I won’t phone it, because if I did—’
‘I’d have your number,’ he finished for her. ‘Okay, no problem. Keep an eye on my window then.’
‘Oh, I will.’
‘And I guess if we’re doing this, we need to invest in some flip-chart paper. A4 doesn’t give much scope.’
‘That sounds like cheating, but okay, I’ll consider whether the investment is worth the reward.’
He detected the beginnings of a smirk, and though she quickly schooled her face into a bland smile, it didn’t hide the mischief in her eyes.
Chapter Twelve
Mia wasn’t sure when to expect Luke’s first message, or even if there would be one. He’d seemed keen yesterday, but there was every chance he’d mulled it over and decided he didn’t need to be friends with someone who wouldn’t even give him her mobile number. Oh, she’d been tempted, so, so tempted. But Pete had seemed like a good guy, then turned out not to be. In a different way, so had Danny et al. before him, so she couldn’t rely on her judgement when it came to sussing out the opposite sex.
All of which she was trying to explain to her mum the next morning, while also trying not to fixate on the window opposite.
‘That Pete was a vile, nasty man.’ Her mum was on a roll again. ‘I told you he wasn’t good enough for you right from the start, didn’t I?’
She hadn’t, though she had said he was a bit quiet and she didn’t know what to say to him, which was quite something coming from the world’s most chatty woman.
‘Well just in case Luke turns out to be another Pete, I don’t want to give away my number yet. We’re leaving messages on our windows instead.’
‘Like semaphore?’
Mia had an image of her and Luke flaili
ng flags around wildly in the window and started to laugh. ‘We’re not waving our arms about, Mum. We’re putting notes in the window.’
‘But how can that work? Putting what you want to say on a scrap of paper?’
Yep, it would never work for her mum, that’s for sure. ‘We’ll have to be creative. At least this way, if he turns out to be a nutter, I only have to close my blinds to shut him up. Not buy another new phone.’
‘I suppose.’ She didn’t sound sure. ‘But if this man with his muscles and his messages is a nutter, he can work out where you live.’
Note to self, never mention the words ‘nutter’ and ‘man’ in the same sentence when talking to Mum. ‘The way the flats were built, he’d have to get the floor plans to know exactly which was mine. Besides, he’s lived here for years Mum, he owns the bar. He’s not going to turn into a psychopath overnight.’ It’s just that he might, just might, turn into another Pete. ‘And anyway, how do you know he has muscles?’
‘Not from my gumdrop, that’s for sure. I had to hear from your sister that you had a man putting a show on for you at ten every morning from his window.’
Oh God, she was going to murder Elle. ‘He works out at ten every morning,’ Mia corrected. ‘It’s not for me. I just happen to see him sometimes.’ Most times.
There was a long pause, before her mum whispered, ‘How big are these muscles, exactly?’
Mia burst into laughter. ‘You’re as bad as Elle. I’m not getting into another conversation about this. He’s agreed to show me Manchester. As my friend. The size of his muscles, his smile or any other part of his anatomy is irrelevant.’
Her mum cackled with laughter. ‘Your sister didn’t say it was that kind of show.’
‘God, it’s not. He lifts weights.’ She started to feel all hot, just thinking about … no, stop it. They’d agreed to be friends, and female friends did not think about the size of their male friend’s penis.
That’s when she saw him. Well, to be exact, she saw his arm in the window, though for a heartbeat, with the conversation she’d just been having going through her head, she’d done a double-take.
Mr Right Across the Street Page 9
