Page 24 of Always Be True: Tino
Chapter 6
“You can relax now. Your man with the special skill set came back.”
Natalie glanced out the window to see Tino walking in the front door of the building. She would never admit that she’d been watching for him, but obviously, Rosalie had noticed. “He told me on Thursday that he’d be here today.”
As soon as the words slipped out, she winced. It was too late to take it back, and her friend pounced on the admission. “On Thursday? He called to tell you that?”
Rosalie wouldn’t let up until she got all the details, but Natalie would make her work for it. “Not exactly.”
“And what is that supposed to mean? Did he text you, email you, or what?”
“Or what.” Natalie hid a smile as she bent down to cut open another one of the computer boxes they were unpacking. As she lifted the all-in-one computer up onto the counter, she counted the seconds to see how long it would take Rosalie to figure things out for herself. It didn’t take long.
Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at her from her superior height. “Natalie Kennigan, you went out with him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am, I did indeed.”
She went back to opening boxes. Rosalie huffed in disgust. “You’ve been holding out on me. Considering this is the first good news I’ve heard from you on the dating front, you will tell me more than that.”
Natalie pulled out the next computer and put it with the others. “He asked me out to dinner while we were here last Saturday. The funny thing was that he took me to the same restaurant my folks always go to for special occasions. I figured him to be more of a steakhouse kind of guy.”
Rosalie looked pleased by that information. “Obviously, he was trying to impress you.”
That was Natalie’s biggest fear. Too many men had tried that in the past and the relationships had gone nowhere. “I don’t need to be impressed. Regardless, we had a great time.”
Rosalie shoved the next box over to Natalie. “Going to see him again?”
“If he asks.” She cut through the packing tape before continuing. “Or if I do. I don’t see why I should have to wait to see if he makes another move.”
“Good for you, girl.”
She gave her friend a sly look. “If you think it’s such a great idea, why haven’t you ever asked Clarence out? We both know you want to.”
The older woman jerked upright and looked around to make sure that the man in question was not within hearing range. “Natalie, I’ve told you before I have no interest in him.”
Natalie started to tease Rosalie a bit more, but then she got a look at her friend’s face. Obviously, this wasn’t a joking matter. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. I’ll shut up now.”
Rosalie patted her on the shoulder. “No apologies necessary. Even if I were interested in Clarence, he’s never gotten over the death of his wife. Can’t get close to a man who loved so hard that he can’t let it go.”
“I bet he’ll come around eventually. He’s a smart man.”
“Enough about that. Your fella is headed this way. It’s time I start getting the food organized for lunch, and you’re going to need someone else to help unpack the rest of these computers before your tech crew arrives. I’ll grab Tino and send him your way.”
Rosalie disappeared out the door before Natalie could stop her. Not that she made much of an effort. After all, she did need help. Really, she did.
Tino appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. “Hi, there.”
Natalie brushed her hair back from her face as she stood up. “Hi, there yourself. Thanks for coming again today.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?” Tino glanced around at the chaos in the room. “Rosalie said you needed help unpacking computers.”
“I do.” She gestured toward the few she’d already set on the counter. “Some local IT people are coming this afternoon to get them all up and running. I want to have everything unpacked and set in place before they get here.”
He glanced at the boxes she’d been tossing in the corner. “How about I flatten the empties to give you more room?”
Without waiting for her to respond, Tino pulled a box cutter out of his toolbox and set to work. She needed to get busy herself, but she couldn’t resist stealing a few seconds to admire the play of well-defined muscles under the thin cotton of his T-shirt. Then there was the way that denim drew the eye and showed off his other, um, really fine assets. Tino had looked handsome the other night in his sports coat and dress slacks, but she actually preferred him like this.
And once again she’d gotten caught staring. He’d had his back toward her, but now he faced her with a big grin on his face.
