Heath: How about if we go to my place after dinner? You’ve never been there.
Ally’s pulse quickened at the idea of entering Heath’s private lair. Part of her saw spending time at her apartment as having a modicum of control, only she hadn’t realized that until she’d read his text, and now, relinquishing control to Heath was surprisingly easier than it had been last night.
Ally: Yes. But I still don’t think I can stay over.
Heath: Way to kill a guy’s hopes.
Ally walked into the café around the corner from the hospital to meet Amanda and sent a quick response.
Keep hoping. You never know when I’ll change my mind.
She stood just inside the doorway of the café, surveying the tables and booths, looking for Amanda. The line to the counter at the opposite end of the café ran along the wall to her left and stopped just a few feet short of where she stood.
“Ally!”
She spotted Amanda in a booth by the wall. The heels of Ally’s boots clicked as she made her way to the booth and slid in across from Amanda.
“I didn’t see you. Sorry.” She set her purse behind her and eyed Amanda, whose blouse was unbuttoned lower than usual. When they’d spoken in the morning, Amanda had said that her date was a dud. He’d been cute and sweet, but too nice. Ally didn’t know a guy could be too nice for Amanda. For her? Sure. But for her conservative sister? She needed details.
“What is up with you?”
Amanda’s eyes widened. “Nothing is up.” She straightened her napkin on her lap, and when her name was called, indicating their food was ready, she jumped up to get their order. “I’ve got it.”
Ally hadn’t seen Amanda look so excited in a long time. She watched her sister hustle across the floor in a pair of black heels that were higher than what she usually wore. She knew her sister reserved these particular sexy heels for special occasions. With them, Amanda wore a tight black skirt that accentuated her tiny waist, and if Ally wasn’t mistaken—which, after twenty-six years, she surely was not—her sister’s ass swayed in a way that had available written all over it.
What the hell?
“Here we go.” Amanda set the tray on the table and slid into the booth, handing Ally the salad she’d ordered for her. She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, while Ally tried not to sneer at the two guys checking out her sister from a nearby table.
“Here we go? Like I didn’t just watch some sex kitten who used to be my conservative sister slink up to the counter?” Ally smiled as she stabbed a tomato and pointed it at Amanda. “What happened to you last night?”
Amanda shrugged. “I don’t know. Jeb was really sweet. He was smart and funny and nice.”
“Yeah, you gave me that already. Too nice, if I remember correctly.”
“Right. Too nice. And it got me thinking.” Amanda took a bite of her salad.
“Are you going to clue me in, or am I supposed to guess this part?”
“Remember Kevin?”
“Boring Kevin? How could I forget?” Amanda had dated Kevin for two months. He was so quiet that Ally had thought he was mute the first time she’d met him.
“And do you remember M.J.?”
Ally rolled her eyes. Another boring boyfriend Amanda had dated for a few weeks.
“Right. Well, what do my previous boyfriends tell you about me?”
“That you like boring guys?”
“No, that I’m a boring-guy magnet. Whereas you’re a hot-guy magnet.” She raised her brows. “Speaking of hot guys. I saw your man walk out of NightCaps last night.”
“Yeah, I know. We can go back to him in a sec.” She set a serious stare on Amanda. “Tell me about you. You do realize that you’ve sexed yourself up enough that guys will expect more from you than hand-holding and fluttering eyelashes, right?”
“I am the older sister, you know.” Amanda set down her fork and wiped her mouth, then folded her hands in her lap and pulled her shoulders back. “I’m just testing the waters. Last night one of the partners in my firm, Mick Bad, was at NightCaps. I told him I was going there on a date with a guy from our building, and then I saw him up at the bar with some other guys, and he kept stealing glances at me. Mick’s a real sex machine. I mean, our female clients dress in six-inch heels when they have meetings with him, and I know it’s for his benefit.”
“Mandy, those women can probably handle six-inch heels and sex-machine guys. But you’re not that girl.”
“Relax. I don’t want to sleep with Mick.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Or maybe I do, but I won’t. He’s way out of my league. But it made me think about what I do want. I liked that he was looking at me last night. I like the way he was looking at me. I was more intrigued by him than my date. So…” She motioned toward her outfit. “I’m running an experiment. To see what happens if I dress a little sexier.”