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“It was fun,” she said. “But I need to get going. Early day tomorrow.”

The statement wasn’t an exaggeration; she really did have a client meeting her at the office at eight-thirty, the only time the man could squeeze out of his schedule before he had to get to work.

However, Aaron didn’t seem too happy to hear about her professional commitments. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice turned coaxing.

“Oh, come on,” he replied. “It’s not that late. I was kind of hoping we could go back to my place for a nightcap.”

A nightcap? Did people even say that anymore?

But Aaron looked serious enough, which meant she needed to tread cautiously…even as she thought he had some pretty big cojones if he thought she was going to go back to his place on a first date. She wasn’t a prude or anything, and yet she had never once gone to bed with a guy after just a couple of drinks.

“Thanks, but I really need to get home.”

For just a moment, his eyes remained narrowed, but then he appeared to shake off his irritation, saying, “Okay, sure.”

And then he leaned in toward her, one hand reaching for the small of her waist.

Instinctively, she moved away, and a flash of anger showed in his features.

“So…not even a goodnight kiss?”

In the grand scheme of things, Delia knew it wasn’t that huge a deal. But something inside her was recoiling, and if she’d learned anything over the years, it was to trust her gut.

“I don’t kiss on the first date,” she said, her tone deliberately light.

You really think you’re all that?

The words sounded clear in her mind as a bell, and for a second, she just stood there, not sure what the hell was going on.

Had she just heard Aaron Sanchez’s thoughts?

Before she could even begin to process what had just happened, he spoke again.

“I get it. You have a nice night, Delia.”

He turned and walked away, his stride fast, angry. For just a second, she wondered if she should say something to stop him, then realized this was the best possible outcome. At least he’d gotten the message.

And although she knew she had a lot she needed to sort out, one thing was crystal clear.

She didn’t think she’d have to worry about Aaron Sanchez anymore.

Chapter Thirteen

A very welcome message pinged Caleb’s phone early Monday afternoon.

Can we meet for dinner at my place? I’ll order takeout.

He honestly hadn’t expected to hear from Delia today, since he knew she had a full schedule, what with balancing both her mother’s clients and her own. She hadn’t said exactly when her parents would be back from their anniversary trip to Hawaii, but it sounded as if they were going to be gone all this week as well.

Not the greatest timing in the world, considering how their vacation lined up with the tournament, but sometimes you just couldn’t do much about those sorts of coincidences.

At least Delia had reached out, though, which seemed to indicate she had something important to discuss. She was friendly, sure, but she also didn’t generally invite him to hang out just because.

Whatever her motivations, he wasn’t about to turn down the invitation.

Sure. I’ll bring the wine.

Her reply came back almost at once, so even if she wasn’t camped on her phone, she must have had it somewhere nearby.