Page 16 of Just What She Needed

"Thanks so much for tonight, Rhys," she said softly. "You turned what started out to be a horrible night into something great."

He put his foot in front of the elevator door as it tried to close. "I'm glad." Surprising her, he reached out and tucked her hair behind one ear. "I had a great time, too, even though it was just fun and not an adventure. I'll try to ramp up the adventurous side of things next time." He leaned forward and brushed a feather-soft kiss across her cheek. "Goodnight, Rhett."

"'Night, Rhys."

Next time! There was going to be a next time. Hand cupped over the cheek he kissed, Rhett floated into Mel's condo on a wave of thankfulness that even though it had taken her forty-two years, her fairy godmother had finally stepped up.

7

I don't like to hold back, because that's how you hurt yourself.—Chester Bennington

“So?" Mel was almost bouncing on her toes with anticipation. "How'd the date last night with Carl go?"

With a groan, Rhett followed her sister's path to the kitchen. It was too early in the morning to have this discussion. Besides, rehashing the disaster of her blind date made it impossible to focus on the good part of the evening, her impromptu dinner with Rhys. Now that she was halfway awake, she wanted to curl up with a cup of coffee and relive it in her mind. But the memories of his smoky voice, the smile in his blue eyes and the way the sun seemed to be caught in individual strands of his hair would be obliterated if she had to recall Carl's smug face, his loud, obnoxious laugh, and his 10W40 toupee.

When Rhett entered the kitchen with its stainless-steel appliances and black granite countertops, Mel was on the search for sustenance. Cup of coffee in hand, she pulled open the door of the fridge and peered inside.

"We got any bagels and cream cheese?" she asked.

"Not unless you went to the grocery store yesterday. You'll have to settle for toast or cereal." Rhett took a mug from the gleaming white cabinet above the coffee maker and eyed the decreased level of coffee in the carafe with a jaundiced eye.

"It'll have to be toast, then. We're out of milk." Mel pulled a jar of blackberry jam from the refrigerator. "Where's the butter?"

"Blue tub, top shelf." Rhett gave in to the inevitable, She'd be having breakfast with her sister, and they would end up discussing Rhett's date. She pushed aside the thoughts of Rhys until later and went to the pantry to get the bread for toast.

When she returned, she found Mel staring at the tub in her hand with a frown. "What is this stuff? It says yogurt."

"No, it's vegetable spread. It's just made with yogurt. And don't have kittens," she added as Mel opened her mouth to protest. "It doesn't taste like yogurt. Besides, it has half the calories of butter or margarine, and it doesn't have any trans-fat."

A snort of laughter interrupted her. "Aren't we the fun ones? Worrying about trans-fat and crap like that?" Mel pulled a knife from a drawer. "Sure makes dining out an adventure."

"I didn't worry too much about it last night." Glad to have an excuse to turn her back, Rhett popped two slices of bread into the toaster. Screw waiting to think about Rhys. There was no way she could get him out of her head. "I had tacos for dinner, and hell with any kind of fat."

"Do what?" Confusion colored Mel's voice. "Carl said he was taking you to Le Beaujolais."

"He did." Uncomfortable, Rhett shifted her feet as she stared at the toaster. "I left before we ate."

"You ditched him? Jesus Christ, Rhett, what's wrong with you?"

Irritated at the condemnation she heard in Mel's voice, Rhett whirled around and pinned her sister with a hard glare. "No, what's wrong with you? How could you set me up on a date with that guy?"

Mel's own glare sent daggers at Rhett. "Carl's nice, and if you'd just given him a chance, you would've seen that."

"I did give him a chance." Rhett ignored the sound of the toaster popping up the bread behind her. "As long as a chance as he deserved, anyway. If I'd had to sit through a whole evening with him, it would've been torture. I'm lucky I had a rescue call set up."

"I can't believe you." Mel's mouth thinned to a firm line. "You actually set up a rescue call?"

"Damn straight. I ran into Rhys yesterday afternoon, and I told him I wasn't looking forward to this date, and he asked me if I had one." She ignored the growing outrage on Mel's face. "When I told him I didn't, he programmed my number into his phone, and he called me at the restaurant. I told Carl there was an emergency, and I left."

"And I suppose Rhys had something to do with the tacos, too," Mel bit out.

"As a matter of fact, he did. When I got back here, he was headed out to Taco Bell and asked me to go with him. So I did. What of it?"

"I should've known." Mel folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the countertop. "You were too good for Carl. No, you had to have the rock star."

"Too good for..." Even though she hadn't yet had coffee, Rhett's blood was stirring. "Let me tell you something, oh sister of mine. That guy you set me up with? He was pretending I was you."

"Oh, bullshit." Mel turned away, but not before Rhett saw the dramatic eye roll that accompanied her comment.