“No way. He didn’t,” Arwen said, suddenly coming out of her shell. Oh brother. Courtney could almost see the musical wheels turning in Arwen’s mind.
“Oh yes. He did,” Ryan said with a sober look in his blue eyes. “And then Brandon bet him a hundred dollars that he couldn’t.”
“No,” Arwen and Courtney said in unison.
Ryan nodded. “And Matt took the bet.”
Matt tucked Brandon’s business card into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Of course he didn’t need Brandon’s contact information, but the card served as Brandon’s marker. One hundred dollars if he wrangled the ice queen into bed.
“You sure you don’t want to put a time frame on that?” he asked. “Because having an indefinite period of time to pursue her gives me the advantage, you know.”
Brandon snorted a laugh. “You’re delusional.”
“Why do you say that?” Matt turned on his barstool and studied his friend. Brandon was a couple of years older, but that didn’t mean he had any experience. Not when it came to women. Brandon had spent the last ten years in a serious, committed relationship with Laurie Wilson. Last August, he’d halted the wedding with a heartfelt speech about needing to date other people. The drama had been hard on Laurie, and Matt truly felt for her.
But he’d also understood Brandon’s fear. Matt had done everything in his power to help Brandon learn how to play the field, but the guy just wasn’t a player. And he’d been a jerk to think that he could dump his girlfriend at the altar and then somehow win her back.
“Courtney Wallace is a little psycho if you ask me,” Brandon said. “I’m really tired of her messing with my car. Someone needs to teach her a lesson.”
“Whoa, wait a sec. I’m happy to have a little fun with her, but I’m not into teaching her a lesson.”
“A little fun? Bro, I want you to break her heart. Honestly, I’d throw another C note into it if you could assure me of that.”
Matt straightened on the barstool. “I can’t take that bet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I never lead a woman on. It’s one of my rules. I’m not into breaking hearts, Brandon. I’m into enjoying women.”
“Well, rule or not, I’d like to see that woman suffer. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get the smell of spoiled milk out of a car’s carpets?”
“No. And I truly feel your pain,” Matt said.
“So you’re not taking the bet?”
“Oh, I’m taking the bet, all right. I’ve had my eye on her for quite some time.” He stood up.
“You’re making a move now? But she’s sitting with Ryan Pierce.”
Matt shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not worried about the competition.” He snagged his beer and strolled across the bar’s dining room.
Brandon didn’t understand how this game worked. A guy looking for action needed to be ready at all times. The world was filled with hot women, and Courtney Wallace was the definition of hot. She had curves, lots of them, and a sweet little rack that was mouthwatering. Combine that with that wide-open, blue-eyed stare of hers. If you didn’t know better, you might think Courtney Wallace was sweet and naive.
But Courtney fell into the category of wise beyond her years. And that made her a special challenge.
Not that Matt usually wasted his time with women like Courtney when there were so many ready to tumble into his bed. Why waste his time on someone who’d built walls around herself and made it clear she wasn’t interested?
He had two reasons. First, he needed to show Brandon that any woman was fair game. It was a matter of attitude. Matt had once been where Brandon was now. Kind of dorky when it came to women. The guy needed inspiration.
And his second reason was entirely personal. If he was going to be stuck here in Shenandoah Falls, working for his father, he needed something adventurous to fill his time. This wasn’t Washington, DC, where the number of single, willing females was plentiful. This was little Shenandoah Falls. And Courtney Wallace probably ranked right up there as the hottest single girl in town.
And she just happened to be sitting with Ryan Pierce. Pierce knew a hot woman when he saw one. So taking a full-frontal approach wasn’t going to work. Besides, he had some history with Courtney. She’d shut him down a couple of times already.
Instead he headed straight for Arwen Jacobs because he had something in common with her. They both worked at LL&K, and that gave him a hook. A reason to approach, something to say, and the appearance of spontaneity. All of which were crucial.
“Arwen, I see you’re signed up for the open mic tonight. I didn’t know you had musical talent.”
She blushed, probably because she was embarrassed that someone from work was here to see her perform. He took a seat next to her, gave Courtney a quick glance, and then asked, “What kind of music do you do?”
“She’s a singer-songwriter,” Courtney said. “And you probably should be careful because anything you say or do is likely to end up in one of her songs. She’s got a talent for capturing the ups and downs of life as a single woman.”
Score. Courtney just couldn’t help herself. He turned toward her with a smile. “I guess I’ll have to be careful, then.”
Courtney leaned forward, cocked her head, and tossed her hair back. Bingo. That little hair toss was a giveaway. She was interested. But then, he already knew that. He’d danced this dance with Courtney a couple of times already.
And that was the thing about Courtney Wallace that he couldn’t quite figure out. Matt was exceptionally good at reading body language. He could tell when a woman was interested in a casual hook-up. And for quite some time now, Courtney had been sending casual hook-up signals loud and clear.
But he’d never been able to close the deal. He’d tried for a while, right after Brandon had broken up with Laurie,
