Chance (The One More Night Series) Read Free Page B

guess.”
    “Definitely for the better.”
    “I was kind of tired of looking like Zorro.”
    “Unless you carry a whip, nothing about you resembles Zorro.  I’m pretty sure he didn’t have your curves.”
    I cocked my head at him.  That was nice of him to say.
    So, you’re going to sleep with him, too?
    Oh, please, mother.
    I needed to just calm down and get it together.  So I tried.
    “Well, that depends,” I said.  “Which Zorro are we talking about?”
    “Douglas Fairbanks was the first actor to play him.”
    That set me back.  He knows about silent movies?  I love silent movies. 
    “And Tyrone Power played him, as did a shitload of other actors.  I might be wrong, but I think the last one who played him on the big screen was Antonio Banderas.  Catherine Zeta-Jones co-starred opposite him.”  Then he stopped.  “You know, if you had wavy hair, you’d look a lot like her—at least when she was in her prime.”
    I just looked at him.  “Seriously?  Catherine Zeta-Jones?  Now you’re pushing it.”
    “I’m not.  The more I look at you, the more you look like her.  There’s a resemblance.”
    “How I wish.”
    He raised his eyebrows at me as he started to load one of the dishwashers.  “Looks to me as if your wish came true.”
    He was flirting with me, and I have to say that I didn’t mind it.  He was cute in a boxer-like sort of way—his nose looked as if it had been smashed at some point, which gave him an edge I kind of liked. 
    “Happy tonight is over?” he asked.
    “Are you joking?  All of us just walked through the fires of hell.”
    “How are your feet?”
    “Like little tug boats.”
    “Swollen?”
    “To say the least.  Yours?”
    “Not too bad—but I’m not asked to wear heels.  Women get the raw end of the deal when it comes to that.”
    I lifted my eyes toward heaven.  “Finally, a man who understands one of the disadvantages of being a woman,” I said. 
    He grinned at that, and when he did, those dimples of his appeared again.  If things fell through with Chance, here was a man who was not only holding my interest, but who also seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  Maybe it was time to get back in the saddle again—one way or the other.
    “Look, I know you’re busy cleaning up, but I wanted to stop by before I left to thank you for all of your help tonight.  I really appreciate it.”
    “I appreciate that, Abby.  No one else has stopped by to say so.”
    “They should have.  And by the way, I should have listened to you earlier.  Remember that ridiculously full tray you warned me not to take all at once?”
    “I remember.”
    “Turns out you were right.  I almost tripped over a woman’s dress, and if I had, those drinks would have gone flying.”
    “But they didn’t?”
    “They didn’t.”
    “You righted yourself in time?”
    “Let’s just say that someone was very kind and stopped me from doing a face plant before disaster struck.”
    When he was finished loading the dishwasher, he switched it on and appeared to make a decision.  He looked up and shot me a glance.  “Some of the guys are going out for a beer after this.  I’m going with them.  You should come with us.  You know—with me.  I’ll introduce you to all of them.  They’re a rowdy bunch, but they’ll take to you in a heartbeat.”
    “You really think I can be one of the guys?”
    “Hell, no.  You’d be there to make the rest of us look better, and to help lift our collective IQs way above the usual troglodyte level.  So, how about it?”
    I was about to answer when I saw him glance to my left as a hand descended upon my upper arm.
    “We should go,” I heard a voice say.
    I turned and faced Chance, who still had his mask on.  So, he hadn’t run away when he saw me without my mask.  I had to admit that gave me a sense of relief.  When it came to my looks, I never believed the compliments I received.  I didn’t buy them—never had.  In my mind’s