His Uptown Girl

Running a hand over a well-crafted Federal chest of drawers, Eleanor turned to Pansy and wiggled her fingers. “Dust.”

“Chicken.”

Eleanor wasn’t going outside to talk to a guy leaning against a work truck. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Never had been...even if she was determined to get out there...wherever “there” was. “No way.”

“Candy ass.”

“Calling me names won’t work. Get the lemon oil and let’s make sure our pieces up front look pretty. Tourists will be pouring in with Mardi Gras weekend coming up. I could use some sales.”

Pansy propped her fists on angular hips and narrowed her piercing blue eyes. “Come on, El. What will it hurt to do a little flirting? You’ll probably never see him again and you need to get your feet wet. Beyond time, sugar.”

Yeah, it was way beyond time. That’s what her daughter, Blakely, had yelled at her over a month ago—to get her own life. But Eleanor wasn’t going outside and getting her feet wet with some random house painter. Even if she’d never see him again. Even if it was harmless, silly and somewhat daring. “I’m moving on, Pansy. I am. I even checked out that eHarmony site last night, but I’m not the kind of girl who goes up to a random guy and says, uh, I wouldn’t even know what to say.”

“Pretend you’re locked out and need a screwdriver or something to jimmy the lock. I’ll hide in the back.”

“Jimmy the lock? Who are you? Nancy Drew?”

Pansy faked an elaborate laugh. “You’re so funny. Share it with the sex god across the street. Unless you’re...chicken?”

Eleanor looked around the antiques store that had been her salvation, first after the hurricane and then after the sex scandal, and felt the security she always did when she really thought about who she was. Did she want to be another relic of the past like the beautiful pieces in her store? Hmm. Pansy was right. Blakely was right. She needed to step out and get a life. “Okay. Fine.”

Pansy froze. “Really?”

“Yeah, what’ll it hurt? Not like I’ll see him again.”

Pansy pulled Eleanor to her, snatching the ponytail holder from Eleanor’s hair. “Ow!”

“Hold still,” Pansy said, tugging strands of Eleanor’s hair around her face and studying it critically.

Eleanor batted her hands away. “Jeez, Pans.”

“Let me grab the coral-rose lip gloss I bought at Sephora. It will look nice with those new red highlights you just put in.”

“I’m—”

“Shh,” Pansy said, pressing a finger against Eleanor’s lips. “He’s a little out of your league so we need to prepare you for—”

“Please.” Eleanor pushed past her friend and tucked her shirt into her new gold Lilly Pulitzer belt. “He’ll be gone before you could perform all that magic. Besides, he’s not out of my league. Forget the lip gloss.”

“Whoa, that’s my sassy girl,” Pansy called, scurrying to the back of the store, thin arms and knobby knees moving so fast she resembled a clumsy puppy. She sank behind the counter, leaving only her eyes visible. “I’ll hide back here so he buys the story.”

“This is nuts,” Eleanor proclaimed.

Pansy’s hand emerged over the register, shooing her toward the door. “Just go.”

Taking a deep breath, Eleanor pushed the glass door, ignoring the dinging of the sleigh bells affixed to the knob, and stepped onto Magazine Street, which had started waking up for the day. She shut the door behind her, slapped a hand to her forehead and patted her pockets.

Damn, she was a good actress.

She started toward hunky painter dude, looking both ways before crossing the street ’cause she’d learned that rule when she was seven years old. The closer she got, the hotter—and younger—the guy looked.

God, this was stupid. Pansy was right. The man was out of her league.

Too hot for her.

Too young for her.

She needed to go back to her store and abandon the whole ruse, but as she began to turn, he lifted his head and caught her gaze.

Oh, dear Lord. Eyes the color of smoke swept over her and something shivery flew right up her spine. It wasn’t casual or dismissive. Oddly enough, the gaze felt...profound.

Or maybe she needed to drink less coffee. She must be imagining the connection between them. It had been almost twenty years since she’d tried to pick up a man, so she was out of practice. That was it. She imagined his interest.

He lifted his eyebrows questioningly, and she tried to remember what she was supposed to ask him. A horn honked and she turned her head.

Yeah. She stood in the middle of the street like a moron.

The Aztec sex god turned his head and nodded toward the car. “You gonna move?”

“Yeah,” she said, stepping onto the sidewalk. She licked her lips, wishing she’d put on the stupid lip gloss. Not only did she look stupid, but her lips were bare. Eleanor the Daring was appalled by Eleanor the Unprepared, who had shown up in her stead.

“Can I help you?”

You can if you toss me over your shoulder, take me to your temple and play sacrifice the not-exactly-a-virgin on your stone pillar of lust.

But she didn’t say that, of course.

“I’m looking for a screw,” she said.

* * *

DEZ BATISTE LOWERED his phone and stared at the woman. “I beg your pardon?”

“Huh?”

“You asked for a screw?” he repeated.

She turned the color of the red tiles that framed the doorway behind her. “No. I didn’t ask you—uh, I meant a screwdriver.”

He almost laughed because he could see where her thoughts had jumped to...which was kind of cute.

He’d parked in front of the club five minutes ago, pissed he couldn’t get his damn contractor to show up. He’d dialed Chris Salmon three times, but hung up each time he heard the voice mail. He wasn’t in a good mood, didn’t need some woman bothering him, but when he’d really looked at this one, he had put his bad mood on pause.

“A screwdriver?”

She nodded and a chunk of hair fell from behind her ear. She pushed it back.

“At first I thought you were propositioning me.” He smiled to let her know he wouldn’t bite. At least not hard.