Annie quickly glanced at Dylan. He still couldn’t believe she was the same woman he’d seen two days ago. If you discounted the frown on her face, she looked cute and pretty with her new hairstyle. And even younger than she actually was.
She spun her legs around the end of the booth and pulled herself to her feet. He felt a little guilty watching her skirt ride up around her thighs, but he couldn’t help himself.
Annie did a little wiggle and yanked the hem of her skirt down. She looked about as fierce as he’d ever seen her, as if deciding whether to get in his truck was a big deal. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”
Her eyes were sizzling with indignation. He would have found her ruffled feathers entertaining if she hadn’t slipped on the edge of her heel and grabbed onto his arm.
“Whoops.” She let go of his jacket and frowned. “You’re probably stretching the truth about that as well.”
Dylan didn’t know what she was talking about.
Tess shooed them away from the table. “Go home, Annie. Get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Annie muttered something he couldn’t hear, then walked away from the booth. He wasn’t sure whether the sway of her hips was because of the high heels she was wearing or the alcohol she’d consumed. Either way, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Logan leaned toward him. “If you’re taking her home it might be a good idea to follow her.”
Dylan blinked, then let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Annie had almost made it to the front door. Logan was right. If he didn’t make a move soon, she’d find a cab and leave him staring into space. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good luck.”
Dylan glanced at his friend. Something was going on, and it probably had a lot to do with the frown on Annie’s face.
***
Annie waited for Dylan by the entrance door. Tess must have called Logan when she’d gone to the bathroom. There was no other explanation for his sudden appearance with Dylan.
The worst thing was that there was no reason for either Logan or Dylan to be at the bar. No one had drunk more than a couple of cocktails. Tess was their nominated driver and she’d been extra careful.
Four guys walked toward her and she stepped out of their way. If Dylan didn’t get here soon, she was going to walk home. She’d been getting strange looks all night from the people in Charlie’s Bar and Grill and she’d just about had enough. Even the people who were regulars at the café had looked twice at her new hairstyle.
“Sorry I took so long.”
Annie looked up into Dylan’s blue eyes. He was smiling at her, staring at her new haircut. She lifted her hand to her short hair and grimaced. “Everyone keeps staring at me. It wasn’t supposed to be this short, but I like it.”
Dylan’s hand reached out to touch the side of her face. He pulled his fingers back before he’d touched her skin. “You look pretty with short hair.”
Even though she was annoyed with him, she couldn’t help the blush that heated her face. “Thank you.”
Dylan stepped forward and opened the door. “Turn right. My truck’s parked under a street light about thirty feet away.”
Annie walked into the cool night air. “You didn’t need to take me home.”
“I guessed that much. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Annie muttered. “Tess must have called Logan when we weren’t looking. We’ve hardly had anything to drink.”
Dylan unlocked his truck and held her door open. “Why are you angry with me?”
Annie stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “How do you know I’m angry?”
“You didn’t say anything when I first arrived and you’ve hardly smiled at me. You smile at everyone at least a dozen times in the first five minutes of meeting them.”
“I do not.” He made it sound as though she had a smiling disorder.
“Yes, you do. It’s one of the reasons I like you.”
Annie’s eyes popped open. “You do?”
“Yep. You make great scones and muffins, too.”
Annie wasn’t going to be distracted by compliments that made her toes curl. Especially when she had other things on her mind, things that were really bugging her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at Dylan.
He waited patiently. Too patiently. It was hard to be angry at someone who looked as though they wouldn’t harm a butterfly.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’ve got lots of money?”
“Define lots.” Dylan’s eyes narrowed, focused on where Annie might be taking their conversation.
“Enough to buy a super expensive house and a warehouse on the outskirts of town.”
Dylan looked a little uncomfortable. “How did you find out?”
“Tess. Logan wrote a story for the Chronicle about the building you bought. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to purchase the warehouse? I wouldn’t have thought any less of you.”
Dylan frowned. “Most people think more of me when they find out how much money I’ve got.”
“I’m not most people.”
Dylan smiled and Annie’s heart thumped in her chest.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m beginning to realize that. Do you want a ride home, or do you want to stand out here all night?”
Standing on the sidewalk would be a whole lot safer than going home with Dylan. But she was cold, her feet were sore and she had the makings of a headache building behind her eyes. “I’ll take the ride home.”
Dylan pulled the passenger door wider and waved her into the front seat. Annie sat down and glared at him, just in case he thought she was over her bad case of grumpyitis.
“You look too cute to be angry,” he murmured as she tried to pull the skirt of her dress down.
“You’re looking at my legs.”
“Maybe because they’re mighty fine legs.” Dylan closed her door with a firm thud and walked around the truck.
Annie tried to pull her skirt a little further down her thighs. When that didn’t work, she put her clutch purse over her legs and hoped for the best.
“Are you ready?” Dylan put his key in the ignition and waited.
She’d forgotten about her seatbelt. Reaching to the side would create havoc with her hemline. She’d already created enough havoc by accepting Dylan’s offer of a ride home. A hemline emergency would only add to her problems.
She glanced at Dylan. “Close your eyes.”
“Pardon?”
“Can you close your eyes? Please?”
The frown on his face deepened. “What for?”
“I’m not going to kiss you or anything.” Annie tried not to sound annoyed, but tonight hadn’t been the best night of her life. “I want to put my seatbelt on.”
“And you need me to close my eyes?”
“My dress was short before I got in your truck. It’s almost indecent now. When I turn around to put my seatbelt on it’s going to ride even further up my legs. You need to close your eyes.”
Dylan stared at her legs. “Oh.”
“Dylan,” she hissed. “If you don’t close your eyes I’m going to walk home.”
He smiled and closed his eyes. Annie almost wished she was brave enough to kiss him. Except she was still annoyed with him. You didn’t kiss someone when you were annoyed with them. Not usually.
“I haven’t heard the seatbelt click.”
Annie made sure his eyes were still closed. She reached behind her, grabbed the seatbelt and slid it into its lock. “Done.”
Dylan opened his eyes and looked at her legs. “Your dress is still short.”
Annie slapped her purse on top of her legs and glared at him. “Happy?”
“I was.”
“Just drive me home.”
Dylan grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Annie closed her eyes and realized something that surprised her. She wasn’t angry anymore.
***
Annie unlocked the front door of her apartment. “Thanks f
or the ride home.”
Dylan nodded. “You still haven’t told me why you’re angry with me.”
“I’m not angry now.”
“I’ll rephrase my question, then. Why were you angry with me?”
Annie wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him. It had been easier to be annoyed with him when he wasn’t standing two feet away. So instead of admitting she’d assassinated his character based on his bank account balance, she tried to deflect her insecurities. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re rich?”
Dylan looked disappointed. “It shouldn’t matter how much money I’ve got.”
Annie wanted him to know that she wasn’t a gold digger. She was the complete opposite. “I’m allergic to men with lots of money. I get hives, hyperventilate and generally explode with anxiety.”
“Huh?”
She stepped inside her front door. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
“I won’t have coffee, but water would be great.”
He still didn’t look as though he understood the dilemma she was in. He followed her into the kitchen and sat on a stool while she poured him a glass of water.
Annie took another glass out of the pantry and tossed up between juice and water. The water won. The last thing she needed was more sugar in her body. It would only add to the high probability of having another sleepless night.
After she’d taken a sip of water, she glanced at Dylan. “I’m not normal.”
His eyes sparkled, but the rest of his face didn’t move from confused.
“I’ve got issues. Paranoid delusions of how bad money is. I try to keep it under control, but sometimes it rears its nasty little head. It happened today.”
“When you read the newspaper article Logan wrote?”
“No. I haven’t read it. Tess told me about it and I jumped from surprised to hopping mad in two seconds flat.”
Dylan scratched the side of his head. “So what were you upset about?”
“You didn’t tell me you’re rich. I thought you were getting yourself into too much debt. I feel like an idiot for worrying about you.”
“If it makes you feel better, I’m not so rich now. I might have to forsake my favorite breakfast of caviar and quail eggs in favor of toast.”
Annie sighed. “Not funny.”
“You want to be in my shoes. My uncle died ten years ago. He wasn’t married and he didn’t have any children. But he did have a portfolio of shares in high-risk IT companies. One of them paid off big time. Dad sold the shares when the market was high and divided the money between my sisters and me. I’ve been looking for a commercial property to invest in for the last few months.”
“How much money have you got left?”
Dylan’s eyebrows rose. “Do you want my bank balance down to the last dollar?”
Annie’s hands started fluttering so she held onto the edge of the counter. “An approximate amount would be fine.”
“Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“Is that after you’ve bought your house and the warehouse?” Annie’s voice sounded high-pitched and squeaky, like a pair of fingernails running down a chalkboard.
Dylan watched her carefully. “Yep.”
“Oh.” She took a deep breath. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Not as much as some people have.”
“That’s true.”
Dylan took a sip of water and put his glass down. “What happened?”
She knew what he was asking and knew it was time to tell him. But that didn’t make it any easier to say the words. “You don’t want to know.”
“Try me.”
Annie left her hands on the counter. She had a feeling she’d need to hold onto something while she told Dylan about her life. “I was pregnant when I got married. Paul was from a wealthy family and his parents weren’t impressed. They cut off his trust fund, hoping he’d see sense and go back home. I worked in a deli. It was hard.”
She looked out of her kitchen window at the inky blackness of the night. “Paul lost his job about six months after we got married. He didn’t want another job, so he stayed home and told me how much better off he would have been without me. After our daughter was born, things got worse. I divorced him when Ruby was a few months old.”
“You have a daughter?” Dylan looked around, as if mentioning her daughter was enough to make her real again. “Where is she?”
Annie’s hand shook so much that she had to put her glass down. “Ruby died in a car accident.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded and focused on the kitchen counter. “Paul went back to live with his parents after we divorced. He had access to his trust fund again and bought a new sports car. He picked Ruby up one weekend to take her to his parent’s home for the day. He had an accident on the way there and Ruby died.”
Annie closed her eyes and tried not to see the pictures the police had shown her. Paul had been driving too fast and had lost control. The car had flipped four times before hitting a tree. Ruby had been crushed. Paul had walked away with moderate head injuries and a few broken bones.
She opened her eyes and wiped her cheeks. “I was heartbroken. I guess I equate money with stupidity. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Dylan walked around the counter and stood beside her. “I don’t know…” He raised his arms, as if he was going to hug her. His hands trembled and sweat broke out on his forehead. “I can’t…”
Annie pulled a smile from somewhere. “It’s okay.”
Dylan rested his hand on her arm. “One day I’ll be able to hug you.”
“I know.” She took a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose. “Thank you.”
“Oh, fuck it.” Dylan’s arms reached out and pulled her into his chest. Almost before the hug had begun he let go and stepped back.
Annie stared at him. “Are you all right? You’ve gone pale.”
Dylan nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m okay.”
“You did it.” A wide smile broke across her face.
Dylan looked shocked and amazed at the same time. “I did. I hugged you. I damn well hugged you.”
His grin lightened Annie’s heart, made her remember there was so much good in the world.
Tears filled Dylan’s eyes. “I haven’t hugged anyone in over three years.”
Annie opened a drawer and put a box of tissues in front of them. “You can officially say your hug drought is over.”
He gazed at her with a deep sadness clouding his eyes. “I’m sorry about Ruby.”
“So am I,” she said softly. She pulled a tissue out of the box and blew her nose. “Does this mean I don’t have to ride my bike behind you on Sunday?”
Dylan’s lips twitched. “You’re not getting out of our bet that easily.”
“Are you sure? What if I told you I’ve got four bags of sweet sugary fudge in the pantry behind you?”
“I’d say it was time for me to go home.”
The smile on Annie’s face disappeared. “Why does that make me feel sad?”
“We’re getting used to each other.” Dylan sounded as wounded as she felt. He left his glass in the sink and walked to the front door. “I’ll see you on Sunday morning. Enjoy the bowling tournament.”
“I will.” Annie opened the door and watched him leave. Dylan Bayliss had done the one thing he’d never thought he’d do, and she’d found something so special that it worried her. She twisted the ring on her finger. Love, loyalty, and friendship. Three simple things that had been hard to find.
Until today.
Chapter Six
Dylan glanced at his cell phone and smiled.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on or do I have to guess?” Logan bit into his toasted panini and sighed. “If Tess keeps making these with Camembert cheese I’m going to put on more weight.”
“Those love handles bothering you again?”
Logan laughed. “I have it on good authority that I’m perfect. So who’s been sending you tex
ts all morning?”
“Annie. She’s letting me know how her bowling tournament is going.” Dylan picked up his coffee cup and glanced at Logan. “What?”
“You’ve smiled each time you’ve read her texts. What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
Logan put down his panini and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. “I know what you’re doing and it won’t work. What’s going on?”
Dylan picked up his fork and speared a piece of chicken out of his pie. “Nothing’s going on. I texted Annie this morning to make sure she got to Great Falls. She’s been keeping me updated with the results.”
“And bowling scores make you smile?”
Dylan shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t the bowling results that made him smile, it was Annie. Her sense of humor was almost as bad as his, and he liked it. He liked her. A lot. And that worried him.
“How’s your touching thing going?”
Dylan stopped chewing and looked around Angel Wings Café. Tess was the only person paying them any attention, but that only happened when she bustled out of the kitchen. The rest of the lunch crowd were too busy eating and talking to worry about the conversation at their table.
Dylan swallowed what was in his mouth and took a sip of coffee.
Logan waited.
“It’s going okay.” He kept his answer as vague as he could without making Logan suspicious.
“Define okay.”
Dylan frowned. Something stopped him from telling Logan he’d hugged Annie. Even though it had probably been the shortest hug in the history of mankind, it meant a lot. Too much to be shared over lunch in a busy café.
Logan picked up his coffee cup. “Tess said you’d offered to lease the kitchen in the warehouse to Annie?”
“How did Tess know?”
“Annie told them last night. She doesn’t think it will work.”
“Who doesn’t think it will work?” Dylan stuck his fork in his chicken pot pie and contemplated the likelihood of ever being able to cook as well as Annie and Tess. The chances were as slim as hugging someone.
“Annie.”
Dylan couldn’t think of any reasons why the lease on the kitchen wouldn’t work, but he wasn’t Annie. “Why not?”
Loving You (The Bridesmaids Club Book 2) Page 10
