Page 15 of Beauty Of Her

“Relax. I’m just playing.” Brett laughed. “You’re really fucking cute. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

I pictured Brett’s strong form leaning against a wall, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Always so casual and calm. And to answer his question about me being cute? No. No one had ever called me cute. I was probably the last cute thing on earth, according to Peter. “I’m not sure. Probably not.”

“We’ll fix that. Anyway, what would you like to do? Go out? What kind of food do you like?” A smile laced through Brett’s deep voice.

“You’re a planner, I see. You do know that nothing ever goes according to plan.” It was my turn to tease.

“Not if I’m in control.”

Feisty. I was starting to like this. “I’ll eat whatever. Go wherever. I’m really not picky.”

“There must be someplace you’d like to go.”

I couldn’t believe I was about to suggest this, but something about Brett tugged at my gut, telling it to let go and do the opposite of what I had been doing all along. “In all honesty? I want you to show me how to use my grill. Come over Saturday night.” I swallowed, waiting for him to say okay, but when I was met with silence, I immediately assumed I had gone too far. “If you want to go out, that’s fine too.”

“No. Sorry, I’m just surprised.”

I wanted to see Brett’s face so badly. There was only so much I could decipher from a tone. “Seriously, we can go out.”

“Julia. This is going to be the best date of your life.”

I smiled. “And what about you?”

“Oh, I already know this will be the best official first date.”

And then it hit me. Were we going to have sex? If Brett was going to accept me, he needed to get to know and appreciate my extremely forward nature. “Look, I know you’re coming to my house, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea from me,” Brett said. “I just want us to get to know each other. And for you to not kill burgers going forward. That’s all I expect from Saturday night.”

This. Man. How could one person carry so much energy my soul had been craving? “Okay, sounds good.”

“Sounds great, you mean.”

My face had a full-blown blush simmering across my flesh, and I leaned against my car for support. “Sounds great. I’ll see you Saturday night.”

“Send me your address before we hang up. Got it, beautiful?”

I collared my neck with my hand, wondering what I had just agreed to. Whatever it was, I couldn’t wait. “You’ve got this whole thing figured out, don’t you?”

“Think whatever you might, but I can’t fucking wait to see you again. Address, please.”

Five long days later, it was finally Saturday, and my body had been buzzing since Julia and I last spoke. Throughout the week, I had sent her little texts occasionally. Still, I didn’t want to get into too heavy of a conversation. I was saving that for later. I planned to act like the perfect gentleman and not put any pressure on her. That was my main goal: Julia’s comfort.

I thought I’d have enough time to change from work into jeans and a T-shirt, but that didn’t go to plan. Julia’s warning of how nothing goes to plan hit me as I watched the clock race to five o’clock. Several new wholesale accounts met us at our market, and I was the person who usually reeled new business in. That had become the pattern ever since my father’s health problems started to take a toll on his stamina. And even though Pop was going to be okay, just seeing how he wasn’t the ox he used to be sent an ache to my chest. Now, Pop came into the store most days but only made it a few hours until he headed home to push back-office paperwork just to keep him busy. I had to play the part of Manhattan’s elite restaurant owners, so I dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, resembling a secret service agent, rather than a guy needing to leave so I could impress the sexiest woman I had ever laid eyes on.

There was no way I would have time to change without being late, so I accepted that I would show up at Julia’s house looking like a waiter once I tossed the suit jacket. I grabbed a pack of freshly ground burger patties and bolted from the market. As I got into my car, my mind raced with thoughts of Julia and the evening ahead. While my nerves rattled driving to her house, my body thrummed excitedly. The sun was just setting, casting a golden glow over the city, a reminder of the days growing shorter.

When I arrived at Julia's house, I took a deep breath and grabbed the bag of burgers before getting out of the car. The house was a huge craftsman, and I wasn’t expecting this large structure. I wondered what her husband did and how she could keep her home in the divorce. I didn’t know much about divorce except for Bridgette’s; her story was wild. She had to build herself back from nothing, and if the timing wasn’t on Bridge’s side, I wondered where she would be.

The lawn was perfectly manicured, with a red brick path leading up to the blue-gray frame. Daisies lined the quaint front porch with a lone rocking chair in the corner. A bird feeder hosted a Hummingbird, and the tiny animal flapped its wings furiously to stay afloat.

I walked to the front door, my nerves thrashing. I loosened my tie and took a deep breath before ringing the bell. The door swung open, and Julia stood before me, looking stunning in a white T-shirt and blue skinny jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was styled in loose waves cascading down her shoulders, and her makeup was minimal, highlighting her natural beauty.

"Hi," she said with a smile, stepping aside to let me in.

"Hi, you look beautiful." My eyes feasted on the sight of her once more.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Come on in."

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