Page 26 of Love on the Line

Chapter 10

Wyatt frowned at the sad,wilted flowers. Sitting in the sun too long on the passenger seat had taken a toll. He rummaged through the glove box for a pen to black out the neon-pink price sticker on the cellophane wrapper.

No luck. Maybe he could scrape the ticket off with a key. He shouldn’t have listened to his coworkers, but they’d scared the shit out of him with “the Valentine’s Day rules.” If he’d gone to a florist, he wouldn’t have stickers on the wrap.

After some effort, he managed to get the dollar figure off. It would have to do. He shook the flowers to try to fluff them and petals dropped. Better leave them alone before all he had left were stems.

He probably should have picked the pink roses. It’s not like he was trying to be cheap, but the roses were all budded up and small. The bright, pretty carnations and daisies reminded him of Anne. Besides, giving roses would’ve broken one of the rules for dating someone only a few weeks before the holiday.

Who knew there were rules? His head hurt when he’d made the mistake of casually asking the women at work what to do for Valentine’s Day. Young, female teachers, mostly single, they all had strong opinions. No gifts. Too soon. Don’t go anywhere fancy or expensive. Keep it low key and fun. Flowers are okay, but don’t go overboard, like a dozen red roses.

Hell, he’d been fine with asking Anne out until he’d talked to the women. By the time they were done, he’d needed to change his drenched shirt into the spare he kept for coffee accidents.

When he’d called Anne, he’d kept it casual, as instructed, by mentioning Valentine’s Day was coming up, and why not do something fun together? You know, grab a bite and catch a band or something.

She’d hesitated. He could picture her, biting her lip while she analyzed her options. But in the end, she’d said yes, and he considered that a huge victory after all the coaching from the bleachers.

Turning into her apartment parking lot, he took a deep breath. So far, they’d met for coffee and a casual dinner, but this was an entire night out. Their first real date. Valentine’s Day, no less.

Anne greeted him with a smile and an outfit that kicked his already pounding heart up a notch. A white sweater, short black skirt, and heels that showed off her toned, sexy legs. He thrust out the flowers. “They got a little mashed.”

Her eyebrows shot to the top of her bangs, but her smile never faltered as she took the bouquet of floppy flowers. “Thanks, I’ll get some water and a vase.”

He couldn’t take his gaze off her as she crossed the carpet to the kitchen, hips swaying. Sexy as hell. He all but lost it when she bent down to check under the cabinets.

“I could have sworn I had a vase under here.” Empty-handed, she stood and glanced at the shelf above the refrigerator.

“Want me to check up there?”

“No. I can’t reach it, so I wouldn’t have put anything there.” She pulled a tall glass out of a cabinet, filled it with water, and picked up the flowers. “I’ll need some scissors to cut this open.”

While Anne rummaged around in the drawer, Wyatt bit the end of the cellophane, tearing it with his teeth. He plopped the flowers into the glass, and they flopped over the rim.

Shit. Where were all his smooth moves? Obviously benched, as always, when it came to Anne. “I think I must have broken the stems when I tried to scrape off the price tag with my key.”

“I’m sorry. It’s really fine—”

“This sucks.” He frowned. “Wait until I get to work on Monday.”

“What?” She glanced up from the flowers.

“The advice I…never mind.” He stabbed a hand through his hair. That had slipped out. He didn’t want her to think he had to phone a friend to plan a date. Amateur hour.

Her eyes softened, and a hint of smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

He reached out and tried to straighten a daisy. Both it and the carnation next to it broke off and fell on the counter.

Anne bent over, covered her face with her hands, and burst out laughing. “I’m sorry.”

Wyatt couldn’t blame her. “I should’ve gotten the roses. But then I’d have trailed blood all the way here from the damn thorns.”

“Stop.” She held up a hand. “I can’t take anymore.” Her breath came in short spurts as she held her sides. Black mascara smeared under her eyes when she wiped them.

Didn’t take away from her beauty. Those adorable dimples and pink cheeks that matched her lips made heat coil in his belly. She stood so close that her sweet scent filled his nostrils. He threaded his fingers into her hair. Soft and silkier than he’d imagined.

She glanced up, but her gaze stalled on his mouth. Her breath turned shallow. Despite their agreement to keep things casual, he knew desire when he saw it. She raised her eyes, and the uncertainty swimming in them gave him pause.

Even though her body sent all the right signals, she wasn’t ready for a kiss. He cleared his throat and lowered his hand.

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