Page 31 of The Ruse of Romancing
“Noted. Do you mind if I join you? I don’t want to interrupt whatever you were listening to.”
Now I really was blushing. Even though my books had a lower heat level, I did occasionally listen to books with more spice than I was comfortable writing, and I’d definitely reached a steamy moment in my book.
“You’re—” My voice cracked, and I quickly cleared my throat, hoping my expression didn’t reveal the full scope of my embarrassment. “You’re welcome to join me. I was just listening to an audiobook.”
“Really? What book? I’ve always wondered what authors read.” He fell into step beside me as we started walking, his face full of interest.
“Oh, you know, nothing too special. I like fantasy, young adult, romance.” I gestured vaguely, trying for nonchalance while also trying to decide how quickly I could change the topic without coming across as a complete weirdo.
“You okay? You seem tense.” Allen’s forehead creased in concern, and I felt the unexplainable urge to reach over and smooth away the wrinkles, much like I’d written Hypatia doing in the bookstore scene with Petros from the day before.
“I’m just having a hard time relaxing and letting go of my embarrassment. You know, the usual.” I tried to brush away my tension, but I think he could tell it was lingering because he grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop next to him before releasing me. I registered the gentle warmth of his hand, wishinghe would have held onto my arm just a little longer. It had felt nice.
“Let’s try this again. I’m going to walk ten steps that way,” he waved back the way we’d come, “and come running past you again. Except this time, you’ll know I’m coming.”
“But I’ll still have embarrassed myself epically in front of you. Maybe we just need to walk in different directions and try having this second meeting another time.” It wasn’t what I wanted, but it seemed like the safest option and the only way to maybe rescue a few fragments of my pride and self-confidence.
“Not in this version of the story. No, in this version you’ll spot me running toward you all confident and athletic and you won’t be startled, instead you’ll acknowledge me with the perfect level of enthusiasm for a recent acquaintance and we’ll have a lovely conversation. Deal?” Allen held out a hand to shake.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure this is going to work. I’ll still know what happened.”
Allen held his hand out toward me even more persistently. “You’re a writer. You believe in editing. So let’s edit this meeting into what we want it to be.”
Deciding I had nothing to lose, I gave his hand a quick shake before essentially sprinting off further down the beach. I knew he said he’d be the one running, but I could use a moment to gather my thoughts and try to make the pink fade from my cheeks. I could write romance with the best of them, but living it was not my forte. Not that this encounter was necessarily romance. I mean, it could be. It could also be a really nice guy persistently trying to become my friend. I’d have to ask the cousins for their opinions later.
After a few more steps down the beach, I felt the tight ball of anxiety in my stomach ease. I had just begun wondering if Allen was really going to run past again or if he’d decided to give up on me when I heard footsteps approaching at a steady pace.Looking over, I spotted Allen running my way, a smile on his face.
I knew this exchange was planned, but no one should be smiling that broadly while running. However, I wouldn’t protest the view of him running up to me in his shorts and worn t-shirt. His bright orange running shoes and confident gait made me think he wasn’t a stranger to exercising on the beach, even if he only visited his grandparents a couple of times a year. The man was fine, and I was not above enjoying the view: muscles, short brown hair, and laughing golden-brown eyes that seemed to drink me in.
Allen slowed as he approached me and, while I did feel some heat in my cheeks, it was not nearly to the extreme level of embarrassment from earlier. This was a different sensation, more the heat of interest than mortification.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, repeating his greeting from earlier, except this time I didn’t hurl anything his direction. Progress to be sure. His breathing was slightly labored as he fell into step next to me.
“Well, hello,” I said, doing my best to hide the excitement in my voice. I had been kicking myself for not giving him my number after our bookstore run-in and was grateful for the second, well third, chance.
As if reading my mind, Allen gave me a knowing look. “So, do random beach run-ins count as second meetings?”
He really was making this a complete redo, something I was surprisingly grateful for.
“Maybe. That depends,” I said, hedging a bit. I reached up to tuck an escaped strand of hair behind my ear, only for the wind to chase it loose again.
“On?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he waited for my response.
“On if you prove yourself to be a worthy conversationalist on our walk,” I said, feeling bold. I didn’t need to ask the cousins. Allen was clearly interested, so why not take advantage? If we really were editing our second exchange, I was going to edit it into what I wanted. I knew the power of a good edit to strengthening a story and I was going to make the most of it.
“Is that your way of inviting me to join your walk?” Humor laced his tone.
I had nothing to lose, so I put all my cards on the table. “Absolutely. We’ve crossed paths twice now. I’d like to see if there’s a third interaction in our future.”
“In that case, I’d love to join your walk. I was getting tired of running anyway.” He gave a casual shrug, hardly the gesture I would have made after running for any period of time, but he seemed unfazed by the effort.
“How far did you go? I mean, before...” I trailed off at his raised eyebrow. He’d promised me an edit.
Squaring my shoulders, I tried again, this time with confidence and curiosity.
“How far did you run?”
The man beside me clearly worked out regularly and I couldn’t help but wonder what a normal morning run looked like for him. Not that I minded. I was more than happy to appreciate the effects of his efforts.
