Taking Chances (The Chances and Choices Duology - Book 1 of 2 - Contemporary Romance) Read Free Page A

energetic dog stood
there watching the whole exchange. Both of them had big grins on their faces,
looking extremely amused at my predicament. Taking mercy on me, the man finally
said, “It doesn’t look like you are going anywhere for a while. I’m Seth. Seth
Davis.” He extended a hand to shake with mine.

 
    “Abigail Brown, nice to meet you,” I said,
shaking his hand gently. Nice
to meet you ?? My thoughts screamed at me. How clever. I tried to push the negative self-talk out of my mind,
but it seemed to be just as stubborn as Buster, who was panting and lolling on
the ground as if he intended to stay there indefinitely. “Come on Buster. We
need to go,” I tried again.

 
    Buster finally harumphed and started the process of standing up. Sumptuous Seth, as I had decided to
call him silently in my head, surprised me by saying, “Wait.”

 
    This gave me an excuse to pause and look
directly at him. He was a sight – all tall, dark and handsome, but that
standard description didn’t do him justice. He was all of those things, but he
was also one of the most ruggedly good-looking men I had ever seen. His jeans
and tee shirt were snug enough to give a hint of the tight, tan body that they
covered. I licked my lips and realized that his full attention was focused on
me. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to say something. Oh no! Did he ask me a question?

 
    “Huh?” I asked. Oh, way to dazzle him with your witty repartee, Ab.

 
    He didn’t seem to be phased by my inner turmoil.
“I said that Buddy and I were just getting ready to head to Treats, the bakery
on Beach Street. Would you like to join us?”

 
    I knew the place he was talking about. It was a
local favorite. They had a few alfresco tables that overlooked the water.
People took their dogs there all the time. The bakery even offered specialty
dog treats, and they kept water bowls outside for their canine visitors.

 
    I didn’t have to think about it. “I’d love to,”
I answered instantly, and the four of us set off.

 
    That is when it happened. He was so handsome,
and I was so nervous that my diarrhea of the mouth set in. I started chattering
non-stop and couldn’t seem to stop myself.

 
    It only took a few minutes to walk to the
bakery, but by the time we arrived, I had already told him about my job,
Courtney and that I was divorced. The only things I knew about him were that
his name was Seth Davis, he was super-hot and he had a dog, named Buddy.

 
    When we arrived, I finally took a breath, so
Seth took that moment to say, “If you want to stay with the dogs and grab us a
table, I’ll go in and order. What would you like?”

 
    “English Breakfast tea
with cream and sugar, please.”

 
    “Coming right up, ma’am,” he said before
flashing his amazing smile at me and dashing inside. As I flopped down in an
available chair, I shook my head in disbelief at my incredible fortune and the
way my non-stop rambling was likely ruining it.

 
    “I’m glad you’re here, Buddy,” I said to the
dog. He thumped his tail upon hearing his name. “I have acted like such an ass
that I’m quite certain he would sneak out the side door, if he didn’t need to
get you back.”

 
    It took quite a while for Sumptuous Seth to come
back. I almost had myself convinced that he had left out the back entrance and
would come back later to collect his dog. I took a deep breath and vowed not to
beat myself up like this. If he was gone, I wasn’t any worse off than I was
when I started my walk, I rationalized; and if he was still here, I needed to
slow down and let him do some of the talking.

 
    My breath hitched a little when I saw him
opening the door to come out to our table. He was so damn good looking, and I
couldn’t believe he was here with me. I clearly wasn’t the only one who noticed
how handsome he was. Every woman and a man or two gawked as he walked past.
Seth didn’t even seem aware of all the attention