sighed, frustrated. “I needed the money for my gran’s nursing home and Ted the First was an archeological legend.”
“Ted the First is your boss’s grandfather?”
“Yeah. His collection comprises ninety percent of our exhibits.” She shrugged. “I thought working with the Albright Foundation would be good for my career. Now I’m just biding my time until something else is available.” She smiled ruefully. “There aren’t many medieval castles in Philly. And my pride won’t let me flip burgers at McDonald’s.”
“So when was the last time you felt your keys in your hand?” he asked quietly.
She closed her eyes and saw her hand closing over her keys. She looked up to find him watching her with that steady gaze once again. “That’s very good. Redirect my panic and clear my mind. The last time I had my keys was when I first got in your truck. It’s what was jangling against the garden stakes. Maybe I dropped them in your truck.”
He dug his own keys from his pocket, then smiled down at her, sending her heart into a Riverdance. “Let’s go look.”
Sophie’s mouth went dry and every nerve went zinging and she knew if she wasn’t careful she’d give him exactly what he wanted. Because at the moment she more than needed it. For the first time in a long time, she actually wanted it too. She took his keys and stepped back, needing the space. “No, I’ll go. You stay and check out my bike.”
She jogged around the building and past the funky ape to his truck. She patted the passenger seat, the floorboards, but found no keys. She remembered the bumpy access road to the gravesite and stuck her hand under the seat, hoping they’d bounced under. Then she sighed with relief when she felt them. But they were stuck on something.
She reached around behind the seat and winced as thorns pricked her palm. She pulled out a bouquet of wilted roses and frowned. They were obviously for someone, because stuck among the flowers was a white card. Before she could look away, the handwritten words registered.
A—I’ll always love you. V
The roses might have been for his mom, she thought, but men didn’t say
I’ll always love you
to their mothers, not like
that.
No men she wanted to know anyway.
So he was taken. Fair enough. But betrayal pricked at her heart. He’d watched her all day and he . . .
He what, Sophie?
He’d said he didn’t have anyone at home. But that was not necessarily an invitation.
Get a grip. You heard what you wanted to hear, because you were sad and needy. Desperate.
She wanted to cover her ears, but the word echoed inside her head. She forced herself to be reasonable.
He was nice to me.
And in the end, that was all he’d done. He’d made no improper advances. He’d been nothing but a gentleman. So of course he was taken. All the good ones were.
He was straddling her bike when she got back, looking lost in thought again. He blinked when she came close. “Did you find them?”
She held up her key ring and tossed him his. “Under the seat.”
“Okay.” He climbed off her bike. “Sophie, I . . . Thank you. You were a huge help today. I wish we could pay you for your time. But I did promise a pizza.” He lifted his brows. “I know a place that’s open late if you want to get one now.”
Sophie swallowed.
He’s taken.
She still wanted him . . .
So what kind of woman am I?
She made herself smile. “If your department really wants to pay me back, give me a get-outta-jail-free card for the next time I get pulled over for going too fast on my bike.”
Vito frowned. “I wasn’t talking about the department taking you out to dinner. I was talking about me.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m asking you to go to dinner with me.”
She fastened the strap of her helmet under her chin with a hard yank, her heart sinking.
Please don’t be asking me on a date. Please be the nice guy I want to believe you are.
“Like . . . a-a-a date?” God, he had her stammering now.
He nodded,
“Ted the First is your boss’s grandfather?”
“Yeah. His collection comprises ninety percent of our exhibits.” She shrugged. “I thought working with the Albright Foundation would be good for my career. Now I’m just biding my time until something else is available.” She smiled ruefully. “There aren’t many medieval castles in Philly. And my pride won’t let me flip burgers at McDonald’s.”
“So when was the last time you felt your keys in your hand?” he asked quietly.
She closed her eyes and saw her hand closing over her keys. She looked up to find him watching her with that steady gaze once again. “That’s very good. Redirect my panic and clear my mind. The last time I had my keys was when I first got in your truck. It’s what was jangling against the garden stakes. Maybe I dropped them in your truck.”
He dug his own keys from his pocket, then smiled down at her, sending her heart into a Riverdance. “Let’s go look.”
Sophie’s mouth went dry and every nerve went zinging and she knew if she wasn’t careful she’d give him exactly what he wanted. Because at the moment she more than needed it. For the first time in a long time, she actually wanted it too. She took his keys and stepped back, needing the space. “No, I’ll go. You stay and check out my bike.”
She jogged around the building and past the funky ape to his truck. She patted the passenger seat, the floorboards, but found no keys. She remembered the bumpy access road to the gravesite and stuck her hand under the seat, hoping they’d bounced under. Then she sighed with relief when she felt them. But they were stuck on something.
She reached around behind the seat and winced as thorns pricked her palm. She pulled out a bouquet of wilted roses and frowned. They were obviously for someone, because stuck among the flowers was a white card. Before she could look away, the handwritten words registered.
A—I’ll always love you. V
The roses might have been for his mom, she thought, but men didn’t say
I’ll always love you
to their mothers, not like
that.
No men she wanted to know anyway.
So he was taken. Fair enough. But betrayal pricked at her heart. He’d watched her all day and he . . .
He what, Sophie?
He’d said he didn’t have anyone at home. But that was not necessarily an invitation.
Get a grip. You heard what you wanted to hear, because you were sad and needy. Desperate.
She wanted to cover her ears, but the word echoed inside her head. She forced herself to be reasonable.
He was nice to me.
And in the end, that was all he’d done. He’d made no improper advances. He’d been nothing but a gentleman. So of course he was taken. All the good ones were.
He was straddling her bike when she got back, looking lost in thought again. He blinked when she came close. “Did you find them?”
She held up her key ring and tossed him his. “Under the seat.”
“Okay.” He climbed off her bike. “Sophie, I . . . Thank you. You were a huge help today. I wish we could pay you for your time. But I did promise a pizza.” He lifted his brows. “I know a place that’s open late if you want to get one now.”
Sophie swallowed.
He’s taken.
She still wanted him . . .
So what kind of woman am I?
She made herself smile. “If your department really wants to pay me back, give me a get-outta-jail-free card for the next time I get pulled over for going too fast on my bike.”
Vito frowned. “I wasn’t talking about the department taking you out to dinner. I was talking about me.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m asking you to go to dinner with me.”
She fastened the strap of her helmet under her chin with a hard yank, her heart sinking.
Please don’t be asking me on a date. Please be the nice guy I want to believe you are.
“Like . . . a-a-a date?” God, he had her stammering now.
He nodded,
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