Page 24 of Courageous Demands

Alec was coming over for dinner tomorrow night – and she was going to apply most of the same tactics. The house needed to be comfortable and welcoming, and put him at ease. She needed to be dressed nicely, enough to stop him in his tracks and pump him full of carbs or sugar – or both.

And she was going to be ready.

* * *

Willow looked at the clock nervously and frowned.

They really hadn’t agreed on a time other than ‘dinner,’ but it was going on eight o’clock at night and she was starting to get concerned. The lasagna was sitting on top of the oven with foil to try to keep it warm. She really didn’t want to put it back in because it would dry out. The tiramisu she made was in the fridge – and if Alec stood her up?

“I’m gonna eat the entire thing and go puke on Ruth Kendall,” she muttered hotly, rising from the couch where she’d plopped down casually not ten minutes ago after pacing and smoothing her dress for the fifteenth time since she’d put it on. Normally, when she was at home, she lounged around in shorts or blue jeans, but since Alec was coming over, she dressed up.

She was wearing a royal blue spandex wiggle dress that she’d splurged on last year on Black Friday shopping online, hoping someday that she’d have a reason to wear it. The gown was clingy, gathered in the right areas, and sure held in every single thing, making her look like a supermodel instead of a boring, plain woman with a job that was causing her to get cellulite on her butt and hips.

And paused as she turned off the news… hearing a sound.

A voice.

Outside.

Curious, she went toward the sound and heard someone speaking. Peering out the peephole, she saw Alec appear – and disappear – from her sight before he reappeared. He was pacing the length of her front porch, talking to himself, and rubbing the back of his neck, looking completely freaked out in the porch light, casting a glow on his features.

Oh yes, she recognized that look.

Stunned, she saw him stop before the door, hold up his hand like he was about to knock, and then he turned away, walking down the steps – only to turn back toward her door. He marched forward, looked like he was going to knock again and resumed his pacing.

Comfort him, knock his socks off, offer him carbs, she thought simply – opening the front door and she saw him freeze like a deer in headlights.

“Do you want to come inside where it’s air-conditioned?” she said softly, trying to be as gentle as possible. “Maybe have a beer?” – and stepped forward so he could see her dress.

Alec’s eyes got huge as they looked her up and down before she saw his Adam’s Apple bob in a telling manner. His lips parted as he stood there, letting his hand drop from where he’d been rubbing his neck, and paused, obviously distracted.

“Whoa…” he breathed, and Willow fought the urge to shout happily.

“Come in,” she invited gently. “I’ll get you a beer…”

And Willow walked away from the door frame, leaving the front door open. It was almost like leading a frightened animal into a cage with morsels of food – and cringed at the similarities. She didn’t want to lure him, prey on him, or manipulate the situation – but she also wasn’t getting anywhere fast on her own. It was time to use different tactics, and this seemed to be working.

She almost turned to see if he was going to come inside – only to hear the door open slowly. Continuing what she was doing, she pulled two beers from the fridge and removed the bottle caps before turning to look at his wary face. He was standing there, looking around nervously, completely different from when he was here before.

Last time he was ‘working’… and this was a ‘jobsite.’

This time, he was looking at her home like a prey sizing up a predator.

Willow did not want to think of herself as a predator in the slightest – and quickly took a sip of her beer, handing him the other one casually. She didn’t say a word, wanting him to be able to relax. Both of them were eyeing the other nervously and this was not going how she thought it would.

Comfort, knock his socks off, then feed him.

“I’m glad you are here,” she said hesitantly and winced. That was not going to knock his socks off. He was in the middle of raising the beer to his lips and froze. She could practically see his mind working, clicking frantically, and knew what was coming.

Turning slightly, she looked down and brushed an imaginary bit of flour from her dress. Please look, oh please just look and like what you see, she thought frantically. Gimmie a chance, Alec – I’m not going to mess things up this time.

“Sorry,” she began nervously, dusting herself off and casting a look at him. Sure enough, his eyes were focused on her, and he was looking at her sideways, around the beer bottle, nearly guzzling the thing, gulping audibly.

Fighting back a sigh of relief, she nodded.

“I know you must be hungry because it’s so late. The food is ready. Do you want to have a seat, and I’ll make our plates?”

He stopped drinking his beer and looked at his bottle in surprise before nodding simply.

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