Page 13 of Five Minute Man
Solitude was something he understood. It was the reason behind it that interested him. Dare he hope that she, like him, was past all the superficial bullshit with the dating scene? Nothing else made sense to him. She was adorable, witty, smart, and didn’t take herself too seriously. In other words, she was too good to be true. What was he missing?
“Why not?”
* * *
HOLLY SAT BACK, ANenigmatic smile on her face. Adam was so easy to talk to and to be around. She had already broken her first cardinal rule: talking about herself and her family issues. Generally speaking, there was no faster way to end an evening. Yet, he was still there, looking unfazed and even slightly amused. Most guys would have left skid marks within seconds of hearing words like “marriage” and “kids,” especially from a woman well on her way to spinsterhood who he had just met over coffee. Granted, it was some really great coffee, but still.
What the hell, she decided. She already liked this guy more than she should have at this point in the game. Best to break out the big guns now and save herself a lot of pain and heartache later. As soon as he found out how she paid her bills, there would be skid marks for sure.
“You seem like a pretty astute kind of guy, Adam.”
He inclined his head in acceptance of the compliment.
“What do you think I do for a living?”
One brow raised. God, that was sexy. She had never been able to pull that off, though she had once practiced for several hours with a hand-held mirror and a flashlight in her closet when she was younger.
“Is this a test?” he quipped. “Am I being graded?”
Her lips quirked. “More like a game show, really. Think of it as a chance to win fabulous prizes or go home empty-handed.”
“Empty-handed? Really? Most shows have at least a consolation prize.”
“I guess I could spring for one of those day-old scones over there for being a good sport.”
“And the fabulous prizes?”
“I’m still working on that part.”
He grinned, the look in his eyes suggesting what he would pick for a prize if she asked his opinion. She didn’t. Just the fact that he seemed interested was enough for her, no fishing expedition needed.
“Do I get a phone-a-friend? Ask the audience?”
Holly felt her lips quirking again. He was teasing her, and not in a mean or mocking way. She liked it. A lot. “No.”
“Oh, well, in that case, let’s see.” He sat back, crossed his arms, then brought one hand up toward his mouth in a classic thinking pose.
* * *
ADAM WAS FAIRLY CERTAINhe knew what she did for a living, but this was an opportunity to impress her. Normally, he didn’t go for that kind of thing, but he was enjoying himself too much not to play along.
“You seem organized and intelligent. Well-spoken. I’m guessing you went to college?”
She nodded, amused.
“Fairly confident despite your self-mockery. You live alone, which suggests competence and independence. You’ve already admitted you don’t date much, and I don’t get the impression you’re much of a party girl, so I’m guessing you went for something safe, respectable, and relatively quantifiable, like mathematics or science.”
He paused. “No, wait. Something with computers ... A programmer or an analyst, perhaps. How am I doing so far?”
Her eyes twinkled, but she said nothing.
He put both arms on the table and leaned forward, looking right into her eyes. “But that’s not the real you,” he said, his voice softer than before. “Youcoulddo that, and be very good at it, but you’d hate it. It’s not who you are.”
Her eyes widened, her lips parting in surprise. Her attention was absolute, focused only on him, and he liked the feeling.
“No, there’s too much passion in your eyes. Too much mischief to do anything so tedious. Given the clues you’ve already provided, it would have to be something more creative than that. Something”—he paused for effect, leaning farther forward and dropping his voice even lower—“not so respectable.”
He saw her swallow. The smile still played about her lips, but she was less sure than she had been. A bit of anxiety revealed itself in the tenseness of her shoulders. He had her now.
