Page 29 of A Tempting Seduction

“I'll take you up on that tomorrow,” Renzo said. “Millie's making her famous mushroom risotto tonight, and I'd rather face a firing squad than miss that.”

Walker and I headed for Maverick's Bar and Grill in Walker's truck, the radio playing something by Chris Stapleton that fit the mood perfectly. The parking lot was half full, which meant the after-work crowd was settling in, but the dinner rush hadn't started yet.

Vic greeted us with cold beers and knowing grins. He and Walker chatted a little bit. Vic was a player, and it was always fun to hear his latest antics. What was surprising was that Walker wasn’t really offering anything up. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen him with a woman in the last six months. Interesting.

We claimed a table in the back corner, away from the pool tables and jukebox.

“So,” Walker said after taking a long pull from his bottle. “When are you going to man up and call Ruby?”

Heat crept up my neck. “I'm taking my time.”

“Taking your time with what? The woman already knows you're interested. You've been going to Java Jolt every morning for weeks.”

“I’ve asked her out twice. Each time she's gotten more comfortable with the idea. I'm building trust before I make the real move.” But her second rejection had been less vehement. She hadn’t closed up. She’d smiled. I knew I was getting somewhere.

Walker snorted. “Comfortable. Right.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means you're being a pussy.”

I set my beer down harder than necessary. “Am not. I just don’t want to seem like a stalker, there’s a difference.”

“You’re not waiting outside her apartment. You’re making a call and asking her a simple question. That’s not stalkerish. Heck, Carrie already told her she gave you her number.”

“She did?” Now that surprised me.

“She did. Now use it. If you don’t, I go back to my original supposition that you’re a pussy.”

“I'm being strategic, not scared. But you're right - time to make my move.” I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found Ruby's number. “Time to see if my strategy worked.”

“You're really doing this?” Walker asked.

“I'm really doing this.”

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

“Hi, you've reached Ruby. Leave a message and I'll get back to you.”

The beep sounded in my ear, and for a moment I considered hanging up.

But Walker was watching me with that challenging expression that had gotten us both into trouble since we were kids.

“Hey, Ruby, it's Ford Larson. I was hoping we could talk about getting together sometime. Maybe dinner this weekend? Give me a call back when you get a chance.”

I ended the call and set the phone on the table.

“Not bad,” Walker said. “Direct, but not desperate.”

“Thanks for the analysis,” I grumbled.

“Think she'll call back tonight?”

“How should I know?”

Walker grinned and signaled Vic for another round. “This is going to be fun to watch. I think I’ll buy popcorn.” He pulled out his phone. My eyes squinted. This time, he scrolled through his contacts and pressed enter. “Hey, Carrie, it’s your favorite brother… Yep, he pulled his finger out of his rear and called her… No, he had to leave a message…” Walker chuckled. “No, he didn’t sound desperate… Yeah, I was worried, too… Call me if you hear anything from her side, I’ll keep you informed from his side.”

“Tell Carrie I’m writing her kids out of my will.” I pointed at Walker.