which way is she?
1278 Words
“I was afraid of that. Well, I can only hope we’ll be here so long that you’ll take pity on me.”
She slipped her shoes halfway off, just enough to relieve the pressuNo offense, Drew, but my goal is not to be stuck in this elevator with you all night.” Although those abs . . . No, remember Olivia? Her sister? Right, Olivia, okay, yes, Olivia. Time to ask him another question so she’d stop staring. “Don’t you have plans tonight? What are you doing here in San Francisco for the weekend anyway?”
He made a face.
“Wedding.”
She made a face back at him.
“Don’t say it like it’s a prison sentence.”
He slumped against the wall.
“If prison sentences lasted for a weekend, this one would qualify. Okay, fine, a prison in a cushy hotel, but still.”
She looked around at the dim, still elevator.
“Not so cushy right now. What’s so terrible about this wedding?”dad. I don’t blame her for that at all. I do, however, think this is just more evidence that I’ve been cursed when it comes to this wedding.”
Alexa laughed and relaxed against the wall. If she happened to move closer to Drew while doing so, that was just an extra benefit. Hey, it’s not like she was in danger of becoming this guy’s not-girlfriend. She could at least get a few accidental touches of his arm in before this elevator started back up again.
“You probably did something to deserve it.”
Drew reached around her and grabbed her purse.
“Oh, really? I pour out my heart to you about this nightmare of a wedding and how now I won’t have a date and all of the terrible things that will happen to me because of that, and when you hear my tale of woe, you tell me that I did something to deserve it? Just for that, I’m taking some cheese.”
He reached into her purse but hesitated for a second and raised his eyebrows at her. She sighed and nodded.
“Okay, fine, you can have a little cheese, but you’d better save some for Olivia. And no tearing it off with your fingers. What kind of a Neanderthal do you think I am? There’s a knife in there.”He beamed at her. Good Lord, that was a dangerous smile. She looked away and found the butter knife so she wouldn’t throw herself at him.
He’d just bitten into his third cheese-laden cracker when the overhead lights came on and the elevator started with a jerk.
“Wow, are we actually moving?” She sat upright.
“Looks like I won’t have to tackle you for the champagne next.” Drew got to his feet and reached out a hand to help her up. Was it just her imagination that his hand lingered in hers?
Probably. She had a very active imagination. It helped to make up for her current lack of a romantic life.
In no time at all, they reached the sixteenth floor. Alexa was treated to one more glimpse of those abs as he pulled his jacket on.
“Looks like your sister and I are on the same floor,” he said as they got off together.
“Looks like it.” She smiled up at him for a second before she had to look away from those eyes again.He beamed at her. Good Lord, that was a dangerous smile. She looked away and found the butter knife so she wouldn’t throw herself at him.
He’d just bitten into his third cheese-laden cracker when the overhead lights came on and the elevator started with a jerk.
“Wow, are we actually moving?” She sat upright.
“Looks like I won’t have to tackle you for the champagne next.” Drew got to his feet and reached out a hand to help her up. Was it just her imagination that his hand lingered in hers?
Probably. She had a very active imagination. It helped to make up for her current lack of a romantic life.
In no time at all, they reached the sixteenth floor. Alexa was treated to one more glimpse of those abs as he pulled his jacket on.
“Looks like your sister and I are on the same floor,” he said as they got off together.
“Looks like it.” She smiled up at him for a second before she had to look away from those eyes again.Which way is she?” They both looked up at the arrow signs by the elevator bank.
“This way,” she said, pointing to the left.Yeah?” She turned. “You can’t have the rest of the cheese, not even as a parting gift.”
Okay, here was his opportunity to play it off, pretend that that’s what he was asking for, banter with this cute and funny woman with the great cleavage one last time, then turn around and go to his hotel room and get ready for this brutal weekend . . . Well, when you put it like that, maybe this wasn’t so crazy.You . . . you wouldn’t be free this weekend, would you? How long is your sister in town?” No turning back now.
“She leaves tomorrow after her deposition. I’m working on Saturday. I have an event at—”
“Working on Saturday—what about Saturday night? Even . . . Friday night?” Oh please, let her be free, now that he’d gone that far.
“Well, I have to—”
“Be my date this weekend? Please? The wedding isn’t until Saturday night, so that would work, right? If you can’t do Friday night I understand, but if there’s any way you could come to the rehearsal dinner with me, I would . . . I don’t know what I would do. Really appreciate it? Buy you all the cheese you wanted?” How did he go from zero to babbling and pleading with this woman in thirty seconds flat?
“Drew, I . . . Are you sure?”
He smiled. With that question, he knew he’d almost got her.
“Positive. Come to the wedding, be my sandwich, protect me from poisoning and disaster. It’ll be your good deed for the year. And it’s only May—look at you, getting your good deed for the year done before the year is even half over!” He was so close to victory; he could tell by the smile in her eyes as she looked up at him. “Come on, Alexa.” He touched her shoulder. “Save me.”
She took a deep breath, and he held his as she considered.
“When you put it like that, what else can I say? I’ll do it.”
He pulled her into a hug. Her champagne bottle–laden purse clanked against his butt, and they both laughed.
“You won’t regret this.” He pulled back and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. “Wait, give me your number.”
He typed in her number as she recited it.
“There, I texted you, so you have mine. I’ll send you all of the details later.” He turned to leave before she could say anything else.
“Okay, but Drew, are you . . .”
“See you tomorrow, Alexa. Congratulations again to your sister!”
He sped down the hall with his suitcase, not giving her a chance to back out.
- Writer
