Taking Heart (19 page)

Next was Colton, who didn’t like being called Colt, with short, messy
blond hair, glasses, and an unconventionally handsome face. His features
separately were not perfect—his chin a little too wide, his eyes drooping
down a little at the corners, his lips thick and almost pouty—but all
together formed a compelling face that was more than pleasant to behold.

“We’ve actually met before,” Colton said as he shook her hand, his almost
translucent blue eyes dancing across her face. “At a party a long time ago.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling stupid for not recalling. “I’m sorry, but I don’t
remember.”

“That’s alright,” he said with an almost-smile. “You were with your
boyfriend at the time.”

“Ah. That would do it.”

“Lisa told me what happened. I’m really sorry to hear about that.”

She stuck her hands inside the pockets of her dark blue pea coat. “Thank
you. I appreciate that.”

“So can I get you a beer?”

She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t like beer. But I’ll take some hot
cider.”

“That sounds really good actually,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched him join the guys by the grill, all three glancing at her
from the corners of their eyes.

“So you like Colt, huh?” Lisa said, appearing beside Ren without warning.
She wrapped an arm around Ren’s shoulders and squeezed. “Good choice. He’s a
really nice guy. He doesn’t jump from relationship to relationship, doesn’t
party too much, and actually owns a popular little used bookstore downtown.
He’s pretty much perfect for you.”

Ren studied the guy in question, enjoying his boyish smile. “So what’s
wrong with him?
Still lives with his parents?
Open-mouth chewer? Smoker?”

“Has his own house, mouth closed, and not anymore.” The sisters turned to
each other and smiled. Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“He’s too perfect,” Ren said. “There’s bound to be something wrong, a
deep dark secret.”

Lisa snorted. “Well then you can find out and let me know. Here he
comes.” She walked past the approaching Colton and threw Ren a thumbs-up once
he had his back turned.

“Did you ladies have a nice chat about me?” he asked with a teasing grin
as he handed her a glass mug filled with steaming amber liquid.

Ren felt her face flush. She took a drink of her cider to avoid
answering, and almost spit it out.

“Oh watch out,” Colton said after she gulped painfully. “Jordan said it
was straight off the stove.”

She nodded, her tongue and throat smarting. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Sorry. You were too quick.” He bent down and laid a hand on her shoulder
as he studied her face. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” She stuck her tongue out. “See?”

He laughed as he led her over to the plastic lawn chairs. He held onto
the back of one chair as she took a seat.

“Just so you know, I already kicked Nicholas out of the running,” he said
as he sat down.

Ren frowned. “Running for what?”

He reached over and tugged on her knit beret playfully. “For you.”

“I never said I liked either of you,” she said with a coy smile.

He returned the smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “We’ll just
have to change that.”

“That’s it!” she said suddenly.

“What’s it?” he asked in alarm.

“I figured out
who
you look like,” she said
excitedly. “Like Paul Newman.”

His eyebrows rose. “So you’re saying I look like a wrinkled old dude?
Thanks?”

“No, the young version. You should take that as a compliment. He was
really good-looking when he was younger. Come to think of it, he was still very
handsome when he was older.”

Colton grinned from ear to ear but said nothing.

“Okay, what?” she asked.

He shook his head but kept right on grinning. “Nothing.”

Colton sat close to Ren for most of the night, even when the sun began to
set and everyone gathered around the fire pit. They found they had several
things in common—a love of the arts for one—and their conversations
transitioned smoothly from one subject to the next. At one point, after seeing
her rub her hands together, he put an arm around her shoulders, drew her near
and whispered, “Is this okay?”

She bit her lower lip as she smiled up at him. “More than okay.”

He asked for her number at the end of the night and, like a true
gentleman, gave her a peck on the cheek before saying goodbye. A little while
later, after helping her sister load the dishwasher, she drove home feeling
exhilarated, feeling like maybe she may have found someone to help her get over
both Ben and Eric.

The next day she received a text message from Eric asking how she’d been.
She took a quick break from icing cookies and went into the office to make the
phone call.

“Hey!” she said when he picked up the phone.

“Hi. You sound very happy.”

She smiled to herself, remembering the night before. “I guess I kind of
am.”

He yawned. “What happened? Did you win the lottery?”

“Actually, I just met a fantastic guy last night.”

“Oh really? I don’t remember meeting you last night.”

She chuckled. “Well, you’re fantastic too, but actually, I was talking
about one of my sister’s boyfriend’s friends. His name is Colton and we really
hit it off.”

“Did you, now?”

“Yes. He texted me early this morning, asking if we could go out
tonight.”

“And are you going?”

“Yes,” she said, grinning like a madwoman. “He said he was going to take
me on a walking tour of downtown Chicago.”

“Haven’t you lived there all your life?”

“Sure, but it sounds romantic, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, real romantic,” he said sourly.

“Hey, have I caught you at a bad time?”

“No, why would you think that?”

“Because you seem disgruntled.”

“Now why do you think that would be?”

She was starting to become disgruntled herself. “I don’t know. Is
something bothering you?”

“God, Ren!” he said in exasperation. “You call here at nine in the
morning, talking about some guy you’re absolutely crazy about, and then ask me
what’s bothering me? Are you that dense?”

She gasped. “Hey, aren’t you the guy who flew out here just to tell me
that you’re in a serious relationship?”

“Yes, because you said you weren’t over Ben yet,” he almost shouted in
exasperation. “Don’t tell me you’re over him now
.?
”

“And what would you do if I am?” she challenged. “Would you break up with
your serious girlfriend and come down here to be with me?”

There, she’d finally given him cause to pause. “It’s too late,” he said,
his voice raw.

“Exactly my point. So tell me again why you’re so angry?”

He let out one long gust of breath. “Because I wanted to be that guy who
made you giddy with excitement.” His voice was weary now, sapped of all the
energy produced by his anger. “I can’t do this, Ren. I can’t hear about every
guy you’re dating because I can’t be objective when it comes to you.”

“What are you saying?” she asked, holding her breath. She had only wanted
to make Eric a little jealous. She hadn’t wanted to put an end to their
friendship altogether.

“You’re gonna have to find someone else to confide in.”

“So I can’t call you anymore?”

“No. You can still call me, just don’t talk to me about the men you’re
dating because I
will
hang up on you.”

“Fantastic. That’s exactly what I wanted: a conditional friendship,” she
said, rising to her feet. “I don’t know what I was thinking, calling you.”

“I don’t know either. Not one of your brightest moments.”

“Screw you.”

“You already did, remember?” he said bitterly. “And then you dumped me.”

“As I recall, you left me.”

“Because you weren’t over Ben yet!”

She was puffing in anger now, so incensed by Eric and his
self-righteousness. “Well, I’m definitely over someone,” she said and hung up.

“What the hell was that all about?”

She spun around to find Jolene at the door, giving her older sister a
concerned look.

Ren shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the haze of anger and
exasperation. “Just Eric.”

Jolene raised an eyebrow. “First fight?”

“Shut up, Jo,” she said and squeezed past.

Her sister, for once, did as she was told.

“Hey, where did you go just now?”

Ren blinked and looked up at her date as they walked along the riverbank.
“Did I just space out again?”

“You had this frowny, faraway look,” Colton said. He let go of her hand
and draped an arm around her shoulder instead. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, embarrassed. “I just had a bad day.”

“You want to talk about it?”

She pulled her beret lower and tried a reassuring smile. “I just had a
fight with someone who used to be a good friend.”

“What was the fight about?”

“Nothing I care to talk about.”

“You’ll make up. Good friends always do.”

She looked out across the sparkly lights reflected on the river. “Maybe.
Or maybe this just shows that we weren’t good friends to begin with.” She
looked up at Colton and it suddenly struck her that she was wasting a perfectly
good date with a perfectly good guy. “I’m sorry. But I’m back, I’m here now.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer, enjoying the
contrast of his warmth against the cold night air.

Dinner was at a small, tucked away restaurant alongside the river. Each
time Eric entered Ren’s
thoughts,
she shoved him into
a closet in the back of her mind and turned her attention back to her charming
date.

Colton was attentive and funny and was not afraid to let his feelings
about her be known. He often took to gazing at her quietly, prompting her to
finally ask, “What? Do I have spinach in my teeth?”

“No,” he said with a hearty laugh.

“Then what the heck are you staring at? You’re making me nervous.” She
pressed her palms against her cheeks, an alternative to covering her face with
the tablecloth.

He eased her hands away gently. “I didn’t realize I was staring. But if you
must know, I was thinking that I’m pretty lucky to be out here with you
tonight.”

She felt the warmth spread on her face and wondered just how red she’d
turned.

“And I’m not going to lie, I was also looking at your lips, gauging how
good a kisser you are,” he added with a grin.

She bit her lower lip and contemplated his mouth. “I’m okay, I guess.”

Colton pulled his chair closer, and with gentle fingers, he touched her
chin and angled her face up to his before closing his eyes and leaning down.

The kiss was soft, tentative, and wholly without tongue, and a few
seconds later, he pulled away. Ren opened her eyes to find his icy blues
searching her face. “How was it?” she asked almost inaudibly.

He gave a lopsided grin then glanced around the room. “I think I’d like
to do it again. But somewhere a little more private.”

Eric had just come home from the club when his cell phone began to ring.
He looked at the clock, knowing that only one person would call him at this
ungodly hour. No doubt to gloat about how wonderful her date had been, how
right she and Colton were for each other.

He paused for a moment, wondering what would happen if he just cut her
out of his life altogether. Certainly his relationship with Karen would
benefit, but if he were being honest with himself, he knew he would always
wonder about the girl who had captured his heart in Colorado. Cursing his own
curiosity, he answered. “Hello?”