airheads you bring around.”
Speaking the truth had never been one of Tilly’s failings. She could be brutally honest. Today was no exception.
Drew pushed off the refrigerator and moved to one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar and sat. “For one, she lives in New York City. Or she did,” he corrected. “There’s a chance she could end up moving to California.”
Tilly shrugged. “That’s not much of a problem as far as I can see, either way. They do have fires in need of investigating in New York, you know.”
His family was here. He wasn’t about to move three thousand miles away just to be with a woman. Not a chance. Of course, if she stayed, geography would hardly be an issue. “She’s rebounding,” he said, scrambling for more excuses.
Tilly folded her arms and gave him a look filled with a wealth of knowledge, the look that said she saw right through his flimsy arguments, as if they were nothing more substantial than the scrap piece of black lace Cale had held in his hands earlier.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this,” she said, “but not all rebound relationships are destined for failure.”
Was she referring to her and Scorch? Tilly had been on the rebound, so he’d understood why she’d put the paramedic through the wringer when he’d first shown interest in her. It’d taken her weeks to finally agree to go out with Scorch, not that Drew could blame her for being gun-shy in the relationship department. Not after discovering her previous boyfriend in bed with another woman.
“Yeah?” he questioned, not willing to give up the fight. For what? he wondered. His freedom? No way was he in danger of risking his bachelorhood. He was attracted to Emily. Big deal. He’d been attracted to a lot of women. “How about rebounding and pregnant?”
Tilly shrugged, then folded her arms. “And this is a problem because…”
“Because there’s a father to her baby out there somewhere,and once she tells him about it, he might want her back. Okay, so the guy left her for another woman, but once Emily tells him he’s going to be a father, that could all change. The responsibility of a child is involved here. Marriages have been based on a lot less, you know.”
Tilly dropped her hands to her sides in exasperation. “For crying out loud, Drew. Has she said she wants to marry this guy?”
“Well…no,” he admitted slowly. But she hadn’t said she wouldn’t, either.
“Just because she’s going to have this guy’s kid,” Tilly argued, “doesn’t mean she’ll want to go back to him.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it shouldn’t matter to him in the least. He didn’t get involved, dammit.
Tilly moved away from the counter and approached the breakfast bar. “You want to know what your problem is?” She leaned forward to rest her arms on the Formica top.
“No,” he told her, primarily because he didn’t like the direction their conversation had turned. “But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“You’re right,” she said, determination filling her warm brown eyes. “You intentionally date women that are all wrong for you.”
“I enjoy the women I date.”
“Really? Then why don’t you go out with any one of them more than a few times? Why hasn’t anyone seen you with the same woman more than once?”
Because he didn’t get involved. Because he preferredto keep his relationships, such as they were, light and easy. No strings.
“Because they bore you to tears, Drew,” Tilly said with more of that brutal honesty he was beginning to resent. “I don’t think Emily does, and that has you more than a little nervous.” She let out a sigh. “You’re a sweet, funny, caring guy. Do yourself a favor. Get to know a woman you have something in common with for a change. You might find it’s nowhere near as terrifying as you think.”
Light and easy relationships, or safe and unemotional ones? his conscience taunted.
“You don’t understand,
Speaking the truth had never been one of Tilly’s failings. She could be brutally honest. Today was no exception.
Drew pushed off the refrigerator and moved to one of the bar stools at the breakfast bar and sat. “For one, she lives in New York City. Or she did,” he corrected. “There’s a chance she could end up moving to California.”
Tilly shrugged. “That’s not much of a problem as far as I can see, either way. They do have fires in need of investigating in New York, you know.”
His family was here. He wasn’t about to move three thousand miles away just to be with a woman. Not a chance. Of course, if she stayed, geography would hardly be an issue. “She’s rebounding,” he said, scrambling for more excuses.
Tilly folded her arms and gave him a look filled with a wealth of knowledge, the look that said she saw right through his flimsy arguments, as if they were nothing more substantial than the scrap piece of black lace Cale had held in his hands earlier.
“I hate to be the one to tell you this,” she said, “but not all rebound relationships are destined for failure.”
Was she referring to her and Scorch? Tilly had been on the rebound, so he’d understood why she’d put the paramedic through the wringer when he’d first shown interest in her. It’d taken her weeks to finally agree to go out with Scorch, not that Drew could blame her for being gun-shy in the relationship department. Not after discovering her previous boyfriend in bed with another woman.
“Yeah?” he questioned, not willing to give up the fight. For what? he wondered. His freedom? No way was he in danger of risking his bachelorhood. He was attracted to Emily. Big deal. He’d been attracted to a lot of women. “How about rebounding and pregnant?”
Tilly shrugged, then folded her arms. “And this is a problem because…”
“Because there’s a father to her baby out there somewhere,and once she tells him about it, he might want her back. Okay, so the guy left her for another woman, but once Emily tells him he’s going to be a father, that could all change. The responsibility of a child is involved here. Marriages have been based on a lot less, you know.”
Tilly dropped her hands to her sides in exasperation. “For crying out loud, Drew. Has she said she wants to marry this guy?”
“Well…no,” he admitted slowly. But she hadn’t said she wouldn’t, either.
“Just because she’s going to have this guy’s kid,” Tilly argued, “doesn’t mean she’ll want to go back to him.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it shouldn’t matter to him in the least. He didn’t get involved, dammit.
Tilly moved away from the counter and approached the breakfast bar. “You want to know what your problem is?” She leaned forward to rest her arms on the Formica top.
“No,” he told her, primarily because he didn’t like the direction their conversation had turned. “But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“You’re right,” she said, determination filling her warm brown eyes. “You intentionally date women that are all wrong for you.”
“I enjoy the women I date.”
“Really? Then why don’t you go out with any one of them more than a few times? Why hasn’t anyone seen you with the same woman more than once?”
Because he didn’t get involved. Because he preferredto keep his relationships, such as they were, light and easy. No strings.
“Because they bore you to tears, Drew,” Tilly said with more of that brutal honesty he was beginning to resent. “I don’t think Emily does, and that has you more than a little nervous.” She let out a sigh. “You’re a sweet, funny, caring guy. Do yourself a favor. Get to know a woman you have something in common with for a change. You might find it’s nowhere near as terrifying as you think.”
Light and easy relationships, or safe and unemotional ones? his conscience taunted.
“You don’t understand,
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