Page 54 of Someone to Tempt
“You want to tell me more?” I ask. “Maybe over a funnel cake?”
“Not sure about bearing my soul to you,” she answers, “but I do adore funnel cake.”
As the crowd cheers for the next rider, we walk down the bleacher steps. The sky is growing dark above us, but the midway lights glow brightly. Couples and families wander down the aisles of vendors selling various kinds of merchandise and all sorts of snack foods.
“Hey, Jodi,” a man says as we find our place in line at the funnel cake booth.
I see her startle before regaining her composure. Hey, Daniel,” she answers with a bland smile.
Daniel, several inches taller than my six feet, runs a hand through his floppy brown hair. In his crisp white button-down and dark jeans with Converse sneakers, he looks like he belongs at the rodeo even less than I do.
“Did you get the hummingbird feeder I brought back from Hawaii for you? I left it with your mom.”
Twin spots of color bloom on Jodi’s cheeks.
Interesting.
“Yes,” she tells him. “Thank you. It’s real pretty. Nice of you to think of me.”
The dude beams like she’s just promised him her firstborn child.
“Hey, I’m Jake Byrne,” I say, stretching out a hand.
“Daniel Pearson,” he replies. “I actually work?—”
“As the senior program officer at the foundation,” I interrupt, recognizing his name. “My grandfather says great things about you. How was your vacation?”
“A week in paradise,” he answers. “My sister got married on the Big Island, so we had a mini family reunion. I’m the only single pringle left out of five siblings.” He swallows like he’s just admitted something scandalous.
“No pressure,” I tell him with a laugh.
“No kidding,” he mutters, then glances at Jodi, who is suddenly very interested in the ground beneath her boots.
The plot thickens.
“I’d love to grab lunch next week if you have time?” I’m trying to make a point of spending time with all the key employees of the foundation. I bet money my dad doesn’t even know one of their names.
“I’d like that,” Daniel says. “Jodi, don’t forget we’re going to grab coffee sometime. Vanilla iced latte with oat milk and extra foam.”
A man with that kind of girlie order memorized is more than just a little interested in a woman. I wonder if Jodi realizes this.
Her voice is tight when she answers, “I’ll look at my schedule.”
“Sounds great.” A lock of hair falls across Daniel’s forehead as his head bobs. Jodi lifts a hand, almost like she wants to brush it back into place, but then she pulls it tight against her waist. “One part sugar to four parts water is the best ratio for hummers.”
“Got it.” She points to the booth. “We’re up to order. I’ll talk to you later, Daniel.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say when she turns away.
“Yeah. You too.” The guy looks like he’s just been kicked in the stomach as he walks back toward the arena.
We order the funnel cake and sit on a nearby bench to share it.
“What’s the deal with you and Daniel?”
She lets out a powdered sugar-dusted scoff. “No deal. We’re just friends.”
“He brought you a gift from his sister’s wedding and has your drink order memorized. The dude likes you.”
