Blind Date Disasters & Eat Your Heart Out Read Free Page A

her mind.
    â€œYou sound busy.” Her mother sniffed in that way all mothers have that insures guilt to the tenth degree. “Too busy for me, probably.”
    It was pure bad fortune that Cami happened tohave the gene inside her that made it impossible to enjoy herself in life unless everyone around her was happy. Yes, that left her wearing the proverbial doormat on her head that said Take Advantage of Me Because I Can’t Say No, but it happened to look good on her, if she did say so herself. “I’m not too busy for you, Mom, but—”
    â€œGood, because he’s the catch of the year, and—”
    Cami tuned her out, her attention drawn by a noise coming from the living room. Her master carpenter. Her gorgeous master carpenter.
    The man who hadn’t given her a second look.
    Was she, at twenty-six, losing all appeal? So maybe she carried a few extra pounds, but she hadn’t had time for exercise since…since, well, she hated exercise.
    But even if she had the time, which she didn’t, and even if she worked out seven days a week, which she didn’t, she’d still have too many darn curves.
    So really, all she had going for her was her hair and her own teeth. That had to count for something.
    â€œLulu says he loves the Tahoe region and he’s thinking of relocating here permanently, seeingthat his stock portfolio is worth more than her retirement fund.”
    Cami hadn’t had a date in…well, forever. Sad state of affairs, really.
    Even sadder was the fact she was sitting here, without pants, actually considering it.
    It was just one night. With a computer geek, which meant he had to be at least semiintelligent. “Mom—”
    â€œAnd I bet he has all his hair.”
    â€œMom—”
    â€œBecause he’s blond. It’s really hard to pull off a blond toupee.”
    â€œMom, stop. I’ll do it.”
    â€œAnd he has all his— What? You will? You really will?”
    â€œYes, but this is the last time. The real last time. Got that?”
    â€œAbsolutely. Probably.”
    Cami could only sigh. And hope he indeed had all his hair.
    Â 
    T ANNER WAS STILL leaning over the set of plans when his new boss came racing through the back door. Strange, since he would have sworn she was still in the town house, but even stranger, her cat took one look at her and hissed.
    She was already dressed, in a pale green business number that showed a set of legs well worth a double take. There was makeup on her face, and her hair had been taken care of, piled on her head in some artful manner.
    Pretty quick for a female, especially one who looked as she did, all blond and buxomy and naturally tousled.
    That kind of natural look took women forever in the bathroom to achieve. Tanner knew this because, one, his mother had been both blond and beautiful, and in his memory of her, she’d never taken less than a lifetime to get ready to go anywhere, and two, in his wayward youth, he’d worked his way through plenty of blondes of his own.
    At thirty-two years old, he had higher standards now.
    Usually.
    Skidding to a halt between the kitchen and the living room, she stared at him, clearly shocked to find him still there. “Oh,” she said, blinking huge chocolate eyes that suddenly seemed…different.
    â€œYep. Still here.” He wondered what she’d done, exactly, because though a sexpot was a sexpot, it was almost as if she was a completely different person.
    â€œOh,” she said again, ignoring her cat, who walked away from her, tail switching back and forth in annoyance.
    Very strange.
    â€œDid you forget I was here?” he asked, her reaction reinforcing his earlier thought—he was working for a woman missing a few marbles.
    â€œI…yes. Yes, I guess I did forget.” She bit her full lower lip and looked at him, as if she’d never seen him before.
    She was sleepy-eyed and pouty-lipped and could have