But Courtney had outfoxed him once again. She wasn’t waiting for him, and since Matt refused to stand around in the entrance foyer, he asked the hostess to seat him at one of the outside café tables. The car-free historic area was a perfect venue for people-watching, especially on a warm May evening when the entire female population of Winchester, Virginia, had busted out their sundresses.
He enjoyed the view as the sun sank low and he sipped a local beer with a hoppy, thirst-quenching taste. He made a point of ignoring his watch. He had nowhere to be, no schedule to worry about. He could kick back and enjoy.
Courtney eventually arrived, wearing a turquoise sundress of almost the same color blue as her eyes. The scooped neck displayed a sweet, soft cleavage that jiggled a tiny bit with every step she took on her high-heeled sandals as she came down the promenade. Her dark, unbound hair feathered back from her face as she walked with the confident, hips-forward stride of a runway model.
She was built like a brick outhouse, and Matt wanted to explore every inch of that incredible body. But getting her naked was going to be a challenge. She’d had so much experience fending off guys that she knew every trick in the male book of seduction. It was one of those ironies that a woman built for sex had chosen to become an ice maiden.
She sat down at the table and gave him a coy, knowing smile, as if she expected him to say something predictable. He was too smart for that. He needed to surprise her or he’d never make any headway.
So he decided not to play her at all. He’d simply be honest with her. And in that vein, he said, “You look gorgeous tonight. Did you pick that dress because it’s the same color as your eyes?”
She cocked her head and gave him a look. This was not the look of a woman who was buying what he was selling. “Do you always use that line?” she asked.
“It wasn’t a line. I’m trying to be honest and sincere with you.”
That earned him a laugh that lit a couple of tiny blue flames in her eyes. “Are you capable of being honest and sincere?”
“I’m always honest.”
“Really?”
He leaned forward, making extended eye contact. “I’m not here to break your heart. I’m here to buy you dinner, have a few laughs, get to know you better, and hook up with you if you’re interested. If you’re not interested, that’s okay too.”
She blinked. Score one for his side.
She recovered quickly and shot him a killer smile complete with adorable dimples. “I’m not hooking up with you. But dinner sounds good.”
She picked up the menu and studied it with an air of nonchalance that was about as phony as a three-dollar bill. He didn’t call her on it though. He simply sat back, took a sip of his beer, and enjoyed the view.
A moment later, the waitress came by. He fully expected Courtney to order a Manhattan, but she surprised him by asking for a beer and a cheeseburger.
He liked that. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone out with a woman who’d ordered a cheeseburger. It was a shame the way so many women obsessed about their diets and their hips sizes. Courtney wasn’t a skinny little thing. She had round hips and a tiny waist and that rack, which was enough to distract any straight guy. In fact, Courtney’s cleavage had been scoring looks right and left, which she completely ignored. He wondered if she even realized that she was the object of anyone’s admiration.
When the waitress took away her menu, he leaned in again. “So, how does someone become a wedding planner? I mean, did you study that in college, or did you get one of those useless degrees like a BA in English?”
She gave him another quelling look, which he richly deserved. But then he’d asked the obnoxious question precisely to elicit that response. She was beautiful when she glared like that. And he was a lot like the boy in the back row who couldn’t resist pulling the pigtails of the girl sitting in front of him. He found both joy and a weird kind of excitement in teasing Courtney.
“I’ve got a master’s of science in nursing. I’m a registered nurse.”
“No way? How did you go from nursing to wedding planning?”
“I burned out on nursing two years ago at about the same time Willow bought Eagle Hill Manor. I helped Willow plan Jeff and Melissa Talbert’s wedding and discovered I had a knack. When she offered me a job, I jumped at it. It can be stressful, and there are bittersweet moments, like that day Brandon left Laurie at the altar, but on balance, there are more good days than bad, and that’s more than I can say about working at the hospital.
“How about you? Did you want to study law, or was it one of those things you had to do in order to get your Lyndon family man card?”
He laughed. “Lyndon family man card?”
She shrugged, dimpling again. “As near as I can tell, the only male Lyndon without a law degree is your brother Daniel. And didn’t he go to law school for a couple of years too?”
“Yeah, he did. But you’re not counting Jeff. He doesn’t have a law degree, and I don’t think he ever went to law school.”
“Yes, but Jeff has refused to take the Lyndon last name, so he doesn’t count. He doesn’t need a Lyndon man card.”
“Okay, I can see your point.”
“So lawyering is your dream job, huh?” Courtney asked.
Wow, she wasn’t going to let this go. Should he change the subject? He wanted to, but he jettisoned the idea. She’d call him on it if he tried to deflect. So he continued being honest. “Funny you should ask that,” he said.
“Funny why?” she asked.
“Look, if you really want to know, I’m
