Page 31 of The Hook Up
Ellie glanced at her watch. “Maybe I even have time to hit that little consignment shop around the corner to find a sexy dress.”
“At the rate you’re trotting out the sexy dresses, the man’s going to think you don’t wear anything else.”
Ellie frowned. “You think it’s too much?”
“No, I think it’s great. I like seeing you come out of your shell. Embracing your inner sex goddess somewhere besides online forums.”
“It has been fun,” she admitted, poking at a questionable slice of celery. “God, if Chuck saw me now. He’d die.”
“You didn’t dress sexy for your ex?”
She shrugged and glanced down at her plate. “Not often. I tried a few times, but he didn’t really respond. Well, there was one time I put on a little black negligee and surprised him in the living room.”
“Did he jump you on the coffee table?” Miriam dabbed the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
“He asked me to move so he could see the TV.”
“Ouch.” Miriam glared. “Ass-hat.”
“Pretty much.” Ellie shrugged to let her know it wasn’t still bothering her, even though it was.“Eventually, I stopped trying.”
Miriam reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Well, I can guarantee you Ty is noticing.”
A smile spread over Ellie’s face. She took a bite of salad to cover it, but it was impossible to hide her giddiness at the thought of seducing Ty.
“Well, okay, then,” she said. “It’s time to take things to the next level.”
* * *
Ty’s phonewas at the other end of the house that night when he heard it chime with the ringtone he’d assigned to Ellie Sanders. He sprinted for it, stubbing his toe on the baseboard as he rounded the corner from the hall.
“Stupid dog-reaming jackwagon—” He skidded to a halt in front of the entry table that held his phone.
It also held the only photograph he owned of his late grandmother, and he waited for his chest to stop squeezing before he answered the call.
“Hey, Ellie.”
“Ty! You sound out of breath. Did I interrupt something?”
“No, definitely not. I was just…working out.”
He wanted to punch himself for lying to her, and for no reason at all. Jesus. Did pathological lying run in families? It must. He sat down on the sofa with the phone in one hand.
“Okay, good.” Ellie took a breath on the other end of the line. “I was wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner.”
“Dinner?” He lowered his foot to the floor and focused on not being an asshole.“I…um…sure. What’s the occasion?”
“Oh, no occasion.” She sounded breezy and casual, and Ty had the feeling she was forcing it a little. “Henry’s out of town with my brother, so I thought it might be nice to have you over. You know, as a thank you for all the video work you’re doing for me.”
“You’ve already thanked me by doing all that voiceover work.” He wished he hadn’t said that.
“I know, but I wanted the chance to visit with you outside of work,” she said.
Ty’s heart lurched, but he punched it back down into the hollow center of his chest. “That would be nice,” he said carefully.
“Some one-on-one time would be a great networking opportunity, plus it would be great to interface about professional strategy outside the confines of work,” she added.
Ty frowned, trying to figure out why she sounded like she was reading from the handbook of bad business jargon. Was this a date or a business dinner? Which did he want?
