Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(49)

She sure was pretty. With mesmerizing, inquisitive hazel eyes that seemed to focus on him an awful lot.

Then again, maybe he was reading way too much into that.

He didn’t need to focus on a pretty woman with gorgeous eyes. The last time that happened he got dumped.

He was always getting dumped.

Food? That he knew. Women? Not a damn clue.

He sure as hell didn’t need a woman in his life right now.

All he needed was a talented chef.





Twenty-Three





Barrett had taken many trips to San Francisco before, and had pretty much seen everything the city had to offer.

But, he had to admit, seeing it through Harmony’s eyes was fun. There was nothing like playing tour guide for someone who’d never been here before.

There was no doubt San Francisco was a beautiful city, so he’d enjoyed every second of taking her to see all the sights.

They stood at the railing at the edge of Pier 39. He breathed in the crisp sea air, making him wish he were out on his boat right now doing some fishing. A large group of sea lions sunbathed on the boat docks.

“This is amazing,” Harmony said. “They’re so cute.”

She got out her phone to take pictures.

“Well, they’re noisy. And they smell.”

She laughed. “They’re definitely noisy. All that barking. What do you think they’re talking about?”

“Probably things like ‘Move over, you’re in my spot.’ Or ‘Hey, that’s my woman you’re hitting on.’ ”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy.”

“Come on. Look at those two big ones yelling at each other. There’s a ton of sea lion testosterone flying around.”

“If you say so. And in the meantime the lady sea lions are ignoring it all, sunning themselves on the deck, oblivious to all that male posturing.”

“Imagine that. Just like human women, ignoring all our best moves.”

She leaned against him. “We can’t make it too easy for you.”

Barrett’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the text message.

“It’s Flynn. The interview went well and he’s bringing the chef—whose name is Amelia—over to the house to cook dinner for us.”

“That’s great news, right? He seemed eager to hire a head chef, and if he’s bringing her to the house to cook dinner, he must really like what she could bring to his restaurant.”

He typed a text message back to his brother, then shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I hope so. I guess we’ll find out at dinner tonight.”

She slipped her hand in his. “In the meantime, how about a ride on a cable car?”

Now that was something he hadn’t done yet. “Sure.”

They grabbed the cable car on Hyde Street and rode the entire line and back. Barrett had to admit it was pretty fun, especially since the cable car was crowded, so they had to stand, and he had his arm around Harmony the entire time. Her body was pressed to his and though she held on to a pole, the movements of the cable car shoved her into him.

He didn’t mind that at all. Neither, it appeared, did Harmony, as after a while she turned to face him, wrapping her arm around him.

“You’re missing the sights.”

“I don’t know about that. You’re a pretty hot sight.”

He bent and brushed his lips across hers, wishing he could deepen the kiss and take a full taste of her. But he was mindful of their audience on the cable car, which included children, so he tabled that thought for later.

Once they hopped off the cable car, he took her hand and they headed toward his car. It was getting late and they needed to head back to Flynn’s house. He shoved the bag of souvenirs Harmony had bought into the backseat and drove off.

Flynn’s car was already in the driveway when he pulled in.

“I wonder if he brought Amelia with him?” Harmony asked, as they got out of the car.

“I guess we’ll find out when we go inside.”

She took the bag from his hand. “I’m going to stop in the cottage first to freshen up.”

He tugged her against him. “You look pretty fresh to me already.”

She laughed and pushed him away. “I’ll be right in.”

Barrett went in through the back door. Flynn wasn’t in sight, so Barrett went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, went into the living room and grabbed the remote, turned on the television and scrolled through until he found the sports station, then settled in and took a couple of long swallows of beer.

“Making yourself at home, I see,” Flynn said, as he came down the stairs.

“You know me.”

“I do. Did you two have fun today?”

“We did. We did the whole touring thing, or at least as much as we could get done in an afternoon.”

Flynn went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer for himself, then came into the living room and took a seat on the recliner to watch sports with Barrett.

“When’s Amelia coming?”

“About six.”

“Great. What’s she cooking?”

“No idea.”

“Didn’t you buy the food?”

“Nope. She said she wanted to.”