Page 9 of The Problem with Dating
The worst part? The man had a lot to be arrogant about. When he had stalked-and, yes, stalked-with the ease and grace of a predator, I had almost swallowed my tongue. At well over six-foot, the man had a commanding presence. With dark brown hair and astounding blue eyes, he was definitely something to look at. And though his face had that perfect Roman sculpture feel to it, it had reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t place who. He had just looked familiar, somehow, even though I knew I’d never met him before.
And while it’d probably cause a riot in the streets, it was a shame the man had to wear clothes. He’d been dressed in a dark green button-up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and dark blue jeans with some tan Timberlands. And though his clothes fit him perfectly, they couldn’t disguise the obvious muscle that formed his body.
Too bad he was an asshole.
And who would have guessed? Louise Hayes seemed so open and helpful and friendly, it never would have occurred to me that she’d birthed and raised a dick of epic proportions.
And while I didn’t have a mother who meddled in my love life, he didn’t have to take that shit out on me. It wasn’t my fault Louise thought her son needed help in the dating department. And really? Could he blame her? He’s a jerk. Louise was probably scared out of her mind that she was going to end up alone because he’ll never find someone dumb enough to put up with that horrible disposition. Her fear of never having grandchildren was probably warranted. Granted, I didn’t know if she had other children or not, but I understood how Gideon would be a concern for her.
Why did there always have to be something wrong with the gorgeous ones? I mean, I knew I had an issue or two, but I wasn’t gorgeous. I was a five all across the board, and on the days when I put effort into it, I could pass for a high six/low seven, but that’s about it.
It wasn’t that I was ugly, per se, but I was very average. I had brown hair with weird red accents and brown eyes. My face was unremarkable and didn’t warrant double-takes. Again, I wasn’t what idiots would deem ugly, but I was average.
As for my body, I was rocking an average B-cup, not even a full B-cup, just an average B-cup, and I was slim, but not too skinny. I had understated curves, but you had to get me naked to appreciate them. And I didn’t mind average, because if I ever did meet the right guy, I knew, in his arms, I’d feel anything but average.
Like Marco had.
Until I realized what he’d been doing hadn’t been treating me special. It’d been manipulation in its truest form, and I’ve learned my lesson.
Halfway back to Amsterdam, my phone rang, and looking at the name flashing across the screen, I cringed.
Louise Hayes.
I wanted to let the call go to voicemail, but I felt bad. She really was a nice woman, and I didn’t want to be rude. She’d only been trying to help, and it wasn’t her fault things hadn’t worked out.
I hit accept and speaker. “Hey, Louise.”
“Oh, hi, Echo,” she replied excitedly. “I just wanted to call and ask how things went with Gideon.”
Oh, hell.
“Uh…you haven’t…haven’t spoken with him?”Please, Lord, don’t do this to me.
“No,” she muttered. “He usually answers my calls, but he must be driving or in the shower or something.”
I almost groaned.
I did not need the mental imagine of Gideon Hayes in the shower playing in my head.
“So, how did it go? Was he able to help you?”
If I didn’t think I’d cause a wreck, killing people all over the freeway, I’d start banging my head against the steering wheel. Apparently, The Lordwasgoing to do this to me.
My only saving grace was that we were on the phone, and she couldn’t see the lies written all over my face. “Yes, he was, Louise,” I lied like a mofo. “He…he didn’t hold anything back and told me exactly what he thought.”
She laughed happily over the phone and I wanted to stab myself. “Oh, yes, well, Gideon has that way about him,” she replied. “He’s very direct and no nonsense when it comes to work.”Only work?Yeah, right.“But that’s what makes him good at what he does, I think,” she continued. “My son is very driven, but very impatient, I’m afraid.”
“He seemed lovely, Louise,” I lied some more.
“Well, I’m glad he was able to help you,” she said.
I turned on my blinker and took the exit leading towards Amsterdam. “Well, he won’t be helping me with the project, but he told me what I should expect from that type of…of damage.”God, I hated lying to her.She was such a nice person, but she really didn’t seem to realize what an asshole she raised. And the more I lied to her, the more reasons I had to dislike Gideon Hayes.
“Oh,” she muttered, sounding a bit disappointed. “I was hoping he’d have time to help you.”
“It’s okay, Louise,” I jumped in quickly. “He recommended a great contractor and vouched for him and everything.”
“Well, that’s something, I suppose,” she replied, and that’s when I grimaced. I didnotwant to give Gideon any credit, whatsoever, but it was obvious Louise had been hoping this project would throw me and her son together in more ways than one. There was way too much disappointment in her voice to think otherwise.
