She might need to recheck her calendar over breakfast to guarantee she wasn’t forgetting anything important. Shauntie wanted to keep her head and heart on the same level, but somehow her mind seemed to be on a different level anytime Nash was anywhere near her.
Finally making the decision that she wouldn’t be able to deal with Nash or anything else with bed head, Shauntie got up from the side of the bed and made her way towards the bathroom. A hot shower and then breakfast usually helped her mind work better and one thing was for sure. Today out of all days; she needed her thoughts as clear as she could get them.
Chapter Twelve
As the warm morning sun shone down on them, Shauntie tried to keep her wandering thoughts on all the information Nash was giving her about his work crew and her roof, but she couldn’t get past how good he looked and the masculine scent of his cologne. She secretly wondered if Nash was wearing it for her or someone else he was meeting later on after he left her house.
His black hair was still slightly damp like he’d showered before coming over here to check and see how well his crew was doing. Every handsome inch of Nash’s presence made it difficult for Shauntie to keep her promise to herself. Nash was beginning to win her over and he didn’t even know it. She wondered how much longer she would be able to keep it a secret from him.
“Shauntie, are you listening to me?” Nash asked snapping her attention back to him.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking about what I need to take care of at work,” she lied. Shauntie couldn’t let Nash know that she was daydreaming about him.
“Since I’m boring you, let me see if I can find something more interesting for us to talk about instead?” he suggested.
“Now...what could be more interesting than learning about all the ways my roof was a piece of junk?” Shauntie questioned, taking a peek over at Nash from the corner of her eye.
“Our first date,” Nash answered shocking her as he faced her completely. “I already have it planned out. I thought about it twice while I was in bed last night.”
Surprise raced through Shauntie at Nash’s confession, but she tried to be indifferent to his words. “You were thinking about me last night?” She wondered if Nash noticed how she was getting lost in the way he was looking at her.
“Yes, I was,” he admitted, staring down at her. “How can I not think about you when you’re constantly on my mind whether it’s day or night? Have you thought about what I asked you? Will you consider going out on a date with me?”
“If I agreed to go on this date with you, what might it entail? I mean I know you would come up with something better than the usual dinner and a movie.”
His light green eyes brightened with pleasure as Nash inched closer to her. Shauntie knew her feelings for Nash had nothing to do with reason, but raw attraction.
“Sweetheart, I figured you were more than a dinner and movie woman the first time I laid eyes on you,” Nash confessed as he ran his fingers down her bare arm. “Are you seriously agreeing to this date with me? I do have this amazing surprise and the thought of wasting it upsets me. I thought women loved surprises. Do you like surprises?” Nash went on as his fingers continued to stroke her skin. “The kind that keeps you guessing until you feel like you’re going to lose your mind if you don’t find out what it is.”
A delicious shudder heated her body as Shauntie thought about what Nash could do for her if she allowed it to happen. She wanted to open her heart again, but her mind was warning her against what might happen if she let her guard down for another man she barely knew.
Why should she try to develop an intimate relationship with someone who was so much different from her? Now Nash was in her face pushing her to forget about everything else but him and how she should live in the moment with him and not allow the future to hold her back. Was she ready to take that leap with him?
Shauntie already had the answer in her mind before it left her mouth.
“Yes, I like surprises,” she answered. “Like you said, what woman doesn’t?”
“Good, so let me make sure I’m hearing you right,” Nash said as his eyes searched her face. “You’re agreeing to a date with me a couple of hours from now. You aren’t going to call and tell me something came up and you have to cancel on me. If my memory serves me correctly you chickened out on me last time a day before our lunch date.”
“I didn’t chicken out on you,” Shauntie said moving her arm away from Nash. She couldn’t think straight when he was touching her. “Something did come up at the last minute.” Shauntie wasn’t about to admit it was her own fears that kept her from going through with their date.
“Anyway, why are you so concerned with making me feel so special?” Shauntie asked. “We barely know each other.” Nash had known her less than a week, but was showing her more attention than guys who she’d dated for months. “I agreed to this date with you. Shouldn’t this be enough?”
Nash cupped her chin holding her still as he stared into her eyes. His eyes brimmed with tenderness and passion. Shauntie tried to look away but she couldn’t. He held her captive thinking about what was going on inside of his head.
“I love hearing those words and I hope you’re ready for a great time; but you need to know why I want this date with you. Shauntie, you have this certain pull about you that makes it so hard not to think about you every second of the day.” Nash’s thumbs brushed against her jaw as he talked to her. “I’m not concerned about making you feel special. Truthfully, I’m trying everything I can to get you to notice me as someone who can be in your life.”
Shauntie wrapped her fingers around Nash’s wrist. She moved his hand away from her face. Was he crazy? How could she not notice him? Nash was the kind of guy everyone noticed when he walked into the room.
She wasn’t ready to think about him as a permanent part of her life or even as boyfriend material yet. All she wanted to do was get through this first date and then see how things moved along from there.
“Nash, I can’t think past today with us. I hope you can live up to everything that you’re promising me. I’m excited about our date tonight but that’s all I can give you. Besides you have gotten me to notice you pretty fast since the first day you showed up to my house. Can we do this one day at a time?”
“Look, I already know how well you know your patients.. You know them like the back of your hand. So, I’m not going to tell you how to deal with them. However, I feel you should loosen your grip a little and let me do this. Can you do that?” Nash asked her.
A challenge was tossed out and Shauntie wasn’t about to give Nash the satisfaction of thinking she was a coward. She was more than tough enough to handle this date along with any other surprises he might have hidden up his sleeves for her.
“I can handle that and so much more you don’t know about Mr. Wentworth. Bring it on!”
“How can I back down after you tossed those three words at me? Be ready at six o’clock and wear jeans. You’ll want to be comfortable.” Nash ran his finger over her bottom lip before walking away.
Shocked by the touch, Shauntie placed her fingers on her mouth surprised to still feel the lingering warmth of Nash’s touch still there. Resting her back against the driver’s side door of her car, she stared after Nash as he went over to one of his employees.
Shauntie wondered how he was able to leave his mark on her just from one little innocent touch. Despite her uncertainties about her date with Nash, she felt a hot and compelling joy that she was going out with him tonight.
If nothing else, this date with Nash was getting her back out there in the dating pool, something she should have done a long time ago. Dropping her hand away from her lips, Shauntie took one last long look at Nash before getting inside of her car and pulling out of her driveway.
Chapter Thirteen
“Dr. Kane, what are you doing at work on a Saturday? I thought you weren’t coming back to the office until Monday? Is there something wrong?”
Turning away fr
om the filing cabinet with two files in her hand, Shauntie found Ann Cater, one of the Saturday cleaning ladies standing behind her a worried expression on her face. Two weekends a month, the cleaning crew came in and gave all of the offices a thorough cleaning.
“Ann, how are you doing?” Shauntie asked as she closed the filing cabinet drawer. “Is your son enjoying college?”
“He sure is.”
“Excellent. I decided to come in and get a few things to work on this weekend. You know how I am when it comes to work and my patients. I only want the best for them.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.” Ann smiled coming further into the room. “Malcolm called me last night. He told me he’s having a great time and is even thinking about joining a fraternity. I’m nervous about that one, but I know he won’t do anything too crazy to become a member.”
“I bet you’re right. The few times I’ve met Malcolm he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.” Shauntie felt a hint of jealousy that she couldn’t talk about her family or kids.
“What about you? Is there anyone special in your life? I noticed you don’t talk about a man anymore. I have a nephew who’s single. I think the two of you might hit if off quite well. I think he’s only a couple of years older than you are. He’s a podiatrist.”
Ann wanted to fix her up on a blind date!
Shauntie’s stomach knotted at the thought of going out with a stranger. Thank God she already had plans with Nash for tonight. At least, she had known him long enough that their date wouldn’t be considered a blind date. Now, she had to think of way to turn down Ann’s offer without insulting her.
“Ann, thank you. I’m sure your nephew is a really good guy, but I already have plans tonight with someone. It’s going to be our first date.”
Ann grinned at her. “Finally. I thought I’d never hear about you getting back out there into the dating world. You’re way too pretty to be at the office all the time. Hopefully, this date of yours will lead to something more. But if it doesn’t let me know and I’ll tell Dillon about you.”
Shauntie couldn’t promise Ann anything because she didn’t know what was going to happen with Nash tonight. She wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him, but she did hope to have a good time at least.
“How about we just wait and see how things turn out with my date tonight before we discuss anything about me going out with Dillon?” she suggested.
“I’m sorry,” Ann apologized, quickly. “I think I might have overstepped my place by bringing up you going out on a date with my nephew. I didn’t mean any harm by it. I only wanted to help you.”
She suddenly felt bad for making Ann feel uncomfortable. Over the last year, they had become friends and friends did try to help each other. Ann hadn’t done anything wrong by wondering if she might be interested in going out on a date with Dillon.
“I think it’s very nice of you to be concerned about me, but there’s no need to be. When I see you next week, I’ll be able to tell you about how my date went with Nash. You never know I might have a great time with him.”
“I’m going to be on vacation all next week. My niece is going to be filling in for me to get some extra money for college. I guess you’ll have to wait and tell me about it later. I hope you have a good time,” Ann told her before spinning around and leaving the office.
Shauntie couldn’t recall the last time she truly had fun with anyone. Nash promised her a night that she wouldn’t ever forget and she hoped it was true. Making her way back over to her desk, she slid the files into the open brief case sitting on the top.
She tried to keep her conversation with Ann in the back of her mind, but parts of it kept coming back to the surface. Was she truly working such long hours that the cleaning lady even noticed how she wasn’t having a social life outside of these four walls?
Sapphire and Emerald were constantly on her back about getting out and having fun, but they made it their business to be involved in her life when nothing else was going on in either one of theirs.
Now, since both of them were busy looking for their men they would leave her alone for a little while or at least give her enough free time to figure out what was going on with her and Nash.
He was so complex, but slightly open at the same time. He didn’t have a problem telling her what he was thinking or needed. But there was still a part of him that Shauntie sensed he wasn’t telling her about.
Not knowing was what piqued her curiosity. Even more to the point, she wanted this date tonight so she could learn more about Nash. Her handsome roofer wasn’t the only one who had unanswered questions floating around in his head. She had the same unanswered questions when it came to him.
Sitting down at her desk, Shauntie snapped her brief case shut before placing it on the floor next to her chair. Being at work even like this was fantastic because it was such a part of her soul. A majority of her employees and especially her two best friends thought she tried to juggle too many details at once, but she didn’t agree with them.
Emerald constantly told her to discover herself by bringing all of who she was to anything she was doing, instead of trying to find who she was through every single experience she encountered in life. At first, Shauntie hated Emerald’s suggestion to her because she didn’t feel like it had anything to do with her but could fit any random person she walked past on the street. Yet, after she gave herself time to cool off and think about it so more, she admitted to herself that Emerald was right.
Work and her other interests, like gardening, were being used to fill a deep void in her life that a good, healthy relationship could take care of if she allowed more people to see the true her. Somehow, Nash seemed to be able to see the part of her everyone else thought she was purposely hiding from the world.
. More than once Shauntie wondered if she would ever find a man who saw past her title of doctor and the tough act she put on, to the person buried deep inside.
Most of the dates she’d gone on usually got pretty boring and stifling by the end of the night and she had no interest in seeing any of those guys again for any reason. Certain times, she still considered herself a big kid who only wanted something fun and interesting to keep her going through the day.
Could Nash be the man that would do that for her? Shauntie knew tonight was going to be her first look at finding out what Nash Wentworth was going to mean to her life.
Chapter Fourteen
Sitting outside in his truck, Nash stared at Shauntie’s front door wondering if what he had planned for her was good enough for her. What if she hated it and wouldn’t give him another chance to prove himself? Shauntie wasn’t the usual woman he dated. She was rich, successful and used to having dinners at five star restaurants. What if his date was too low key for her?
Nash shook the doubts from his head. Wait a damn minute! He wouldn’t allow his sudden doubts to cloud his judgment. He knew he had planned a good first date and Shauntie was going to love it. She would experience something tonight none of those rich men had been able to show her.
Shauntie wasn’t going to get the same tired old date when it came to him. Taking a deep breath, Nash got his nerves back under control before getting out of his vehicle. He slammed the door behind him and made his way towards his destiny.
****
Shauntie jumped back from the window hoping Nash didn’t see her peeking out at him. She was nervous which surprised her since she never got nervous about anything. In addition, she had actually changed clothes at least eight times before deciding to wear what she had on. How could a simple date turn into something so stressful for her?
After leaving work earlier she spent the better part of the day driving around thinking about tonight. Nash took her completely by surprise this morning challenging her to go out with him tonight on this date.
Nash thought she wouldn’t go through with it, but he was so wrong. Shauntie Kane wasn’t about to back down from anything. He’d made her very curious about where he was taking her tonight
if it wasn’t the regular dinner and a movie. Nash acted like he was going to do something for her other men hadn’t.
The sound of the doorbell ringing drew Shauntie’s attention to the front door. She couldn’t back out now. Nash was here and ready for their date. She thought she might have butterflies or have a hint of uneasiness, but truthfully she was ready for this. Tonight was going to be the first step of her getting back out there in the dating world. Blowing out a deep breath, Shauntie got her game face on and then headed for the door.
“Hi,” Shauntie said softly after she opened the door.
“Hi, yourself, gorgeous,” Nash answered, smiling down at her. “You look good in your hot pink t-shirt and jeans. I like this look on you. You seem more approachable and relaxed. I think you’re going to fit in quite well with my plans for tonight.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what this date is?” Shauntie asked excited now that Nash was standing in front of her.
“I’ll rather show you than tell you. Are you ready to hit the road?” he asked her.
“Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this date all day,” Shauntie admitted. “Let me grab my stuff and then we can leave.” She gave Nash another smile before heading back into the house. Minutes later, she came back to the door and walked out closing it behind her. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go.” Nash grabbed her by the hand and walked her to his truck parked next to her BMW in the driveway. Once they were both inside and their seatbelts was locked in place Nash pulled out of her driveway.
Shauntie took a peek from the corner of her eye; she noticed how Nash’s t-shirt strained against the muscles in his arms while he was driving. She had so many questions in her head that she wanted to ask, but she didn’t know which one to start with first.
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