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about her living room and trailing down the hallway until Mary returned.
Not to mention, she liked the idea of Alex working his way around her bed.
Tina shrugged with an embarrassed smile as she took a seat next to Val on the floor
among the large boxes holding the pieces to her bed.
I kind of like the idea of Alex messing around with my bed.
I bet, Val said wryly. If his kiss was as good as you made it sound, I m surprised
you let him go last night.
Tina blushed. You know one night stands aren t my thing.
It doesn t sound to me like that s what he s after.
Tina didn t think so either but was still undecided as to whether or not taking a
chance and finding out would be worth the heartache it could very possibly bring later.
Besides, in the past, her choices in men hadn t been the best, and she d paid for it dearly
when all was said and done.
I don t know, she admitted wearily. It would be nice if he actually wanted to try
to have a real relationship. She shrugged. It s still way too early in the game to just
come right out and ask.
So, have your way with him and see where it leads. From your recount of last night,
it s obvious you two are crazy about each other.
Are you serious? Tina squawked. Just have my way with him? Is that your
answer for everything?
When Val grinned devilishly, Tina shook her head with exasperation and laughed
quietly.
You have to take a chance. I mean if you really like this guy, you have to give him
the benefit of the doubt. Now, I m not saying to sleep with him if you don t want to, but
what I am saying is that you should follow your heart on this one. I really think there's
more to him than the others.
She knew Val was right, but she wondered if she could let go of her fears and take
that leap& to trust Alex with not only her body, but also her heart.
A knock sounded at the door.
That s not him already, is it?
Glancing at her watch, Tina shook her head. It shouldn t be. It s only a little after
five. He s not supposed to be here until seven.
Getting to her feet, Tina hurried to the door and looked through the peephole.
It s a delivery guy, she said, casting Val a sideways glance. Mr. Simms usually
called her down to pick up the recent stream of deliveries she d been receiving but she d
warned him earlier when the bed was delivered to just send up any unexpected deliveries
and only call up to announce visitors except Alex, since she and Val would have their
hands full assembling the bed. He d assured her he remembered what Alex looked like
and marked down her requests.
Sliding the chain lock free, Tina opened the door.
Good evening, ma am.
Peering into the light brown eyes of the young delivery boy, Tina smiled as she
glanced quickly at the large bouquet of roses filling his hands.
Good evening. May I help you?
I m looking for Tina James.
I'm Tina.
Great. He smiled. These are for you.
Taking the flowers from his hands, she shook her head. Just a moment.
Hurrying across the room, she sat the fragrant bouquet on the sofa table, and grabbed
some cash from her purse before scampering back to the door. Handing the young man a
tip for his troubles, she smiled. Thank you.
As he thanked her with a smile and turned for the elevator, Tina closed the door and
hurried back to the table now holding a large vase of red roses. Reaching out, she rubbed
a radiant red petal between her fingers and admired its velvety softness.
Getting to her feet, Val brushed off her legs and bottom, and then moved to the sofa.
Secret admirer again? she asked.
Most likely.
Oh, here s a card. Smiling, Val pulled a small envelope from the opposite side of
the aromatic bundle and handed it to her. What s it say?
Pulling open the light pink envelope, Tina pulled out a plain white, gilt-edged card,
and frowned at the flowing script written upon it.
From your secret admirer, she read aloud, unable to keep the exasperation from her
tone.
You're right. This is getting a bit strange, Val admitted.
Nodding, Tina slipped the card into Val s hand and relaxed back against the sofa
beside her friend.
I wonder who this guy is, Val said, before she too leaned back against the billowy
cushions.
I don t know, Tina admitted with a shake of her head.
Looking around her apartment at the many vases of roses, she cringed inwardly. She
didn t have a clue who her admirer could be and now that the gifts were coming to her
home, she was feeling more and more on edge. Something about this secret admirer
business wasn t right.
She had bigger things to worry about than some secret admirer.
Maybe it s that guy who keeps coming into the shop for Bouncing Betty. He seems
to like you.
Humph. Tina rolled her eyes. That would be just my luck. She grinned.
What? Don t you like the idea of having a secret admirer? Val inquired. Or are
you already so hung up on Alex that the thought of another man doesn t interest you
anymore?
Bingo.
What? Tina asked.
Val cocked a brow knowingly.
All right. I guess I should be a little more excited about the aspect of another man
being interested in me, but& She shrugged restlessly.
Alex was everything she d ever wanted in a man. She had the overwhelming feeling
that after spending time with Alex no man would ever live up to her now absurdly high
standards. Which is insane, she reminded herself. She hadn t known the man for more
than two days.
Sometimes the heart knows what we don t. Val smiled.
After two days and one date?
Val shrugged and propped her feet up on the coffee table. You never know.
Admiring the roses a moment longer, Tina rolled Val s words around once more,
then stood and moved toward the large, scattered boxes. She wasn t ready to consider the
fact that Val could be right.
Come on, Tina said, slapping the toe of Val s shoe. Let s see if we can at least get
the rails set up. When Alex gets here we ll see if he can help with the heavy stuff.
* * * *
As it neared seven o clock the sun slipped lower into the horizon, and Alex peeked
out the window. It wasn t completely dark yet, but the sun was sheltered behind the thick
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