Page 27 of Head Over Heels

“I’m not totally helpless in the kitchen.”

“Deal,” she says. “Also—I promised you help with marketing brainstorming for the store.”

“I’m around tonight. Nothing going on.”

Suddenly, the idea of spending an evening kicking back on the couch next to Liv, talking about the store, sounds pretty fucking awesome.

“Oh. Um. I can’t tonight. I have a date.”

“Oh.” I shouldn’t be surprised, right? I had one last night, and we talked about this. “First date?” I ask, trying to recover my equilibrium. Because of course she’s not going to spend her night off helping me beat Big Win.Duh.

“I’ve been out with him twice. His name is Kieran.”

Oh, so not just adate.Athirddate.

Not that it should matter, from my perspective, whether it’s a first, second, third, or twentieth date. Or whether we’re talking awkward small talk or the horizontal mambo. Yet I find myself asking, “Have you told me about this guy?”

“He’s…”

She hesitates, and something in my chest contracts. She has a distant look on her face. As if thinking about how to describe him has made her a little dreamy.

I don’t like it.

I don’t want Liv getting dreamy about this guy, whoever he is.

And yeah? What are you going to do about it?

“He took me to Canlis on our first date.”

“Now that’s just showing off. He went for the low-hanging fruit, seduction-wise—candlelight, fancy food. It doesn’t mean he’s gotculture.” I keep my voice light, but let’s face it, I mean what I’m saying. She can’t fall for a snow job like that, can she?

“He does, though,” she says, quietly. “He loves gourmet food, likes live music and art museums, and I saw his apartment—it’s very classily decorated.”

Shesawhis apartment?

She must hear what she’s said at the same minute I do, because she blushes. “Nothing happened. We hung out and then he kissed me good night.” She blushes even more fiercely, the color spreading to the tips of her ears.

“You don’t need my permission,” I say testily. Because, damn, I like the look of that blush on her, but Ihatethe idea that this other guy has put it there.

“I wasn’t asking for it,” she says simply. Not defensively at all.

Of course she’s not defensive. She’s not the one who wants what she can’t have. She’s got her mind on this guy who pushes all her buttons.

“Does he know you’re moving to Denver?”

“Yeah.”

“And?”

“Well, I mean, he’s not psyched about it. But his company has an office in Denver, and he’s—buying plane tickets to Denver won’t break his budget.”

Well, la-di-dah for him and his big pockets.

I think I hate him.

Chapter 12

Liv

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