Chapter 25
Justin headed into town and found a parking space near the hotel entrance. It was just before six
thirty when he spotted Allena standing in the hotel foyer, looking so beautiful in a mid-length black dress and heeled black boots that he almost buckled at the knees. Her hair was down and fell across her shoulders. She half smiled when she saw him and walked across the foyer, her hips swaying.
“You look lovely,” he said, and touched her elbow, frazzled by the shot of electricity that raced up
his arm when his skin connected with hers. “Nice dress.”
“Thank you. Where are we going?”
“The honky-tonk place just out of town. Unless you’d prefer to stay here?”
“No,” she replied. “I’ve never been there and I hear they do barbecue ribs to die for.”
Justin grinned. “I’ve heard the same thing.”
She looked at him curiously. “You’ve never been there, either?”
Justin’s gaze lingered on her. “Nope.”
She waited until their eyes met before replying. “I thought you might have taken hat’s-her-name.”
Justin was halfway to opening the passenger door and looked at her. “Rachel? We broke up,” he
reminded her.
She nodded. “Mmmm.”
“She was a vegan.”
“She had nice legs,” Allena said as she got into the BMW.
Justin held the door ajar and chuckled, “I don’t remember. Besides, legs aren’t really my thing.”
“No?” Her brows shot up. “What’s your thing?”
Heat tugged at his collar. Be damned if it didn’t feel as though she was flirting. “I’ll be sure to tell
you sometime,” Justin said as he closed the door and then moved around to the driver’s side. Once he was in the car and buckled up, he started the ignition and placed both hands on the steering wheel. “You know, you’re very sexy when you flirt.”
“I’m not flirting,” she denied, making a scoffing sound.
“Sure you are. And incidentally, I’m not complaining. Leah told me not to be a bore tonight, in not so many words.”
Her head jerked sideways. “You told your sister we were going out?”
He nodded. “Was I not supposed to?”
“No, I mean, yes,” she said quickly. “I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all. What did she say?”
“Not to be myself. Try to be charming.”
Allena laughed. “Why do you need to be charming?”
“To fight off the competition.”
“What?”
“My sister told me your fireman is getting serious,” he said, turning the vehicle onto the
highway. “Is that true?”
“He wants to meet.”
Justin sucked in a breath. “Actually, I’m surprised you haven’t already headed to London.”
She was silent for a moment. “I’m still deciding. And what do you mean by the competition?
Why would it matter to you? I thought you asked me out so we could talk about the kids.”
“Nope.”
He heard her swallow hard. “Then what?’
“Why does a man normally ask a woman out to dinner?” he challenged.
“So they can get to know one another,” she replied.
“Exactly,” Justin said.
“But we already know each other,” she reminded him.
Justin glanced at her and then returned his eyes to the darkened road ahead. “We have a working relationship. And we’re friends,” he added. “I’d like to change that.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to marry me, Allena,” he said flatly. “But I realise I need to change my approach... to court you, so to speak.”
“A means to an end, then?”
“You know me,” he said, hearing the frustration in her voice. “I’m not flowery or romantic, and
don’t believe in lying to get what I want.”
“And you want me?” she asked bluntly. “Is that it?”
Heat prickled his skin. “Well…yes.”
“That’s kind of drastic, don’t you think?” she shot back. “I mean, you have a new nanny now and I’m sure she’ll turn out to be adequate at looking after the kids.”
“They need more than adequate,” he reminded her. “They need you.”
“And you’d sacrifice yourself to make it happen?”
He glanced sideways, and saw the way her jaw was wired tightly. “I’d hardly call marrying you a
sacrifice, Allena.”
“You remember what marriage is?” she inquired; both her brows rose and her lovely mouth set
into a grim line. “You know, all the things you have to do.”
“Sure,” he said and shrugged a fraction, conscious of the heat crawling up his neck at the implied intimacy. “Hanging out together, arguing, making up, sleeping in the same bed.”
“And pretending,” she said quietly. “That you’re now attracted to me.”
“I wouldn’t need to pretend.”
She turned her head and laughed humorlessly. “Have you suddenly got sex blinkers on?”
“Sex blinkers?”
“The kind that makes someone attractive because it suits you,” she replied. “I hear they can
become quite the burden over time. I wouldn’t want you to get crushed beneath the weight of good intentions.”
“Are you implying I’ve given you the impression that I’m not attracted to you?”
“Not implying,” she said. “Stating a fact backed up by the way you’ve treated me over the last
few years. I mean, I understand you needed time to grieve your wife’s passing, but I also –”
“You’re right,’ he said, cutting her off. “I did. And I have. As for being attracted to you and how I have treated you these past few years – do you think it would have been appropriate to act on that attraction and chase you around the house?”
“Of course not,” she said quickly. “You were my boss.”
“Precisely. But I’m not now.”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Marriage because your kids miss me isn’t enough, Justin. I want to I have a child of my own. I want to be with someone who—”
“We could have a baby,” Justin said quickly. “If that’s what you want.”
Allena rolled her eyes at him.
“A sacrificial marriage and a pity baby. Wow…that’s quite the offer. I’m overwhelmed by the sentiment. This is the kind of thing people write sonnets about.”
Her sarcasm wasn’t disguised and he took a moment to reply. “Okay, so maybe this isn’t all about roses and romantic declarations from below a balcony. Frankly, I’m not a sonnet or balcony kind of guy. But it’s real, Allena. It’s about as real as it gets.”
“You are insane!”
“I am not”
“You are insane, Justin.”
Allena stared straight ahead, her heart hammering behind her ribs so hard that she was sure he could hear it. Although she wouldn’t cave. She wouldn’t allow herself to imagine there was anything more to Justin’s proposal than wanting to make his kids happy. He was that predictable. And in a way, she understood. She just didn’t agree. She remained silent, thinking she should probably tell him to turn the vehicle around and take her back to the hotel. She wasn’t a coward and could certainly endure an hour or so of his company. It would, at the very least, cement in her mind how crazy his proposal was and that she was right to refuse him.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the parking area was full, so they made do with a spot along the edge. The music was loud and very country, and she made a face once they were out of the vehicle.
“You don’t like country music,” she remarked, and she grabbed her bag as he came around the car.
“But you do,” he said with a grin, and she closed the door once she was on her feet. “Let’s go.”
The restaurant was huge and had been built to resemble a saloon, with a wraparound porch and shuttered windows. He didn’t touch her as they walked and didn’t speak as they were shown to their table by a waitress dressed in red gingham. There was a band playing, and at least a dozen people were boot-scooting on the dance floor. It made Allena smile, particularly since she knew how Justin preferred more mainstream dining and jazz music. Because of that, she was impressed by his effort and said so once they sat down.
“I can do the cowboy thing when I need to,” he said, looking over the menu.
Allena hitched a thumb in the direction of the dance floor. She knew Justin didn’t dance. “Does
that mean line dancing a little later?”
He quickly shook his head. “Ah—not in your life.”
“You mean this isn’t a full-service date?”
He fumbled with the cutlery and stared at her. “What?”
“Dinner and dancing.” She raised one brow suggestively. “Did you think I meant something else?”
He cleared his throat. “Of course not. We’ve already established that you don’t do anything casually—you told me so when you shot me down in flames.”
“Is that what I did?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “Callous of you, I thought.”
She laughed at his teasing, her mood lightening a little. “I’m sure your ego is healthy enough to take it.”
The waitress arrived, and she ordered a wine spritzer, and Justin opted for a craft beer. When the waitress returned with their drinks, Allena decided against the ribs and ordered the chicken special, and Justin settled on steak and salad.