The Best Man Plan, стр. 35

He was tired of tiptoeing around his need for her. It was time to man up and let her see how he felt. And if she wanted the same thing, great. If she didn’t, they’d go back to being friends. But this nothing zone was driving him crazy.

Puddy followed him around while he put some touches in the living room. He’d stopped and bought a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers while he was in town today, so he laid those on the coffee table in the living room. His dog thought those were a gift for him and kept trying to nibble at them.

“Dude, not yours.”

Puddy seemed offended by that, but after a couple of stern looks from Jason, the pup wandered off to wrestle with one of his toys.

He took a shower and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then came out to the living room to find Puddy with a mouthful of flowers and stems.

“Dammit, Puddy,” he muttered. “I told you those weren’t for you.”

He could have sworn Puddy smiled at him. He shook his head.

The doorbell rang, so he cast a glare at his misbehaving dog and went to answer the door.

Erin took his breath away. She wore a yellow sundress. Her raven hair spilled in waves over her shoulders.

“Hey,” he said when he finally found his voice. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thanks. You took a shower.” She stepped closer and ran her fingers through his hair. He sucked in a breath at the feel of her fingers sliding along his scalp.

“I worked on the house today, so I had sawdust in my hair. Plus, I was sweaty.”

She lifted up on her toes, leaned in and pressed her nose against his neck. “Mmm. You smell good.”

He wanted to wrap his arm around her and kiss her right there on his doorstep. She’d probably let him. But he wanted to take things slow, let her decide the tempo this time. “Thanks. Come on in.”

Since she had Agatha with her, who was straining at the leash to get at Puddy, she walked in and let Agatha off the leash. The two dogs ran down the hall and disappeared.

She looked down at the petals and stems on the living room floor. “What happened?”

He knelt down and picked up the mess. “My attempt to have flowers for you. Puddy had other ideas for them while I was showering. Sorry.”

She laughed and squatted down, picked up one semi-intact daisy and brought it to her nose. “Pretty. Thank you.”

“I tried. Next time I’ll make sure any flowers I bring to you aren’t left at dog level.”

She stood. “Oh, there’ll be a next time?”

“Hell yes there will be. A woman like you deserves flowers every day.” He took one of the flowers he’d managed to salvage and tucked it behind her ear, enjoying the slight flush to her cheeks.

“I don’t know what to make of you, Jason. I’m used to you teasing me. You’ve done that our entire lives. But this is a new side to you.”

“Oh, you mean you don’t know everything about me after all?” He went into the kitchen to get the wine, opened a bottle and poured two glasses.

“I guess not.”

“That’s good.” He handed her a glass, then took the snacks he’d made out of the refrigerator and laid those out on the island, too. “I’d hate to think I was boring and predictable.”

She took a sip of the wine, then picked up a mushroom and bacon bite and popped it into her mouth.

“You are anything but predictable, Jason. Did you make these?”

“Yeah.” He took a bite as well.

“And these, too?” She tasted the apple-gouda pigs in a blanket, then smiled. “They’re amazing.”

He shrugged. “Just some easy-to-make appetizers. Not exactly rocket science.”

“But you baked things. Tasty things. I’m impressed.”

“I like to make interesting things. You can cook, too, if I remember right.”

“Yes, I can. And I’m stealing both of these recipes for my next party.”

He arched a brow. “You’re having a party?”

“Yes. As soon as I find a place to live.”

“What about the condo you and Owen got together?”

“I talked to the leasing manager the other day, told her the story about Owen dumping me at the altar. She was horrified and immediately let me out of the lease.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. She just went through a not-so-fun divorce, so I think I hit her emotional buttons. We won’t get our deposit back, but at this point I’m happy to get out from under a long-term lease on a condo, or having to argue it out with Owen over which one of us has to live there. It was a place we chose together, and I don’t want any part of it.”

“I understand. You need a fresh start. Now you can take your time looking for your own place. Or just stay at the house for a while until you get your bearings.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. I had planned to be out of there, to be living an independent life. A married life.”

“I know.” He wasn’t sure how in depth she wanted to talk about Owen, so, again, he was going to let her take the lead on this. He was open to letting her vent about it. No matter how he felt about her, she was first and foremost his friend, and she’d been hurt. It was going to take her a while to get over it.

But instead she dove into the snacks and drank two glasses of wine and told him all about the day’s wedding, which sounded like it went well.

They had moved over to the sofa to drink their wine. The dogs were playing together on Puddy’s blanket on the floor.

“I’m glad you had a good day,” he said.

“I did, actually. Seeing two people who obviously really care for each other made me realize that’s what I deserve. I want someone who loves me unconditionally, who’s going to be there for me no matter what.”

“You do deserve that.”

“But I’m