Page 17 of Chasing the Dream

“Just kidding.”

“Very funny.”

He put his hand on the doorknob but couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her back.

“I have a pool, so you might want to bring a bathing suit. See you tomorrow, Morgan.”

With that, he sauntered out the door, forcing himself not to glance back, though he was dying to. He backed his car out and started to drive away, but he had to look.

Sure enough, she was still standing in the doorway, and she raised her hand and waved at him. He waved back, thinking he saw her smirk, though maybe he’d just imagined it.

He drove away, realizing he’d been imagining quite a lot of things about Morgan Delaney lately.

Chapter 7

Morgan waited for Maria to leave before she got dressed for her dinner with Gabe. Luckily, Maria hadn’t questioned her anymore about why she’d chosen to spend the evening with him instead of her. It was true that she didn’t like blind dates; however, the real reason was more complicated than that. She was looking forward to spending more time with Gabe and getting to know him better. But first, she had to decide what to wear.

She rifled through her options and settled on a tank top, floral knit skirt, and a pair of flat sandals, thinking he better not accuse her of being too dressy. She would have dressed this way no matter whom she was going to dinner with, but in this case, she’d skipped the heels.

She hesitated about bringing a bathing suit, but only because she wasn’t sure she was ready for him to see her in one. He’d seen her in swimsuits numerous times as a teenager, but that was before she had boobs. Not that she minded having them, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea to display them to her boss. Gabe is my boss now. She kept reminding herself of that as she got ready.

At the last second, she threw her bathing suit and cover-up into a tote bag just because she didn’t want him to think she was afraid to. Then the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to a different version of the Gabe she’d seen all week. He was casually dressed in navy-blue cargo shorts, a T-shirt advertising the Phoenix Suns, and a pair of running shoes. He’d often worn T-shirts of his favorite sports teams as a teenager, and she wondered if he still owned shirts with the Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings on them.

“Very nice,” he said, greeting her.

“What is?”

“Your outfit.”

“It’s not too dressy?” She laughed to take the edge off, and he smiled.

“Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

She picked up her purse and tote bag and started to walk out.

“What’s in the bag?”

“My swimsuit. You told me to bring it, remember?”

“Yes, only I don’t really have a pool.”

Her eyes went wide, and he burst out laughing. “Gotcha!”

“Brat!” she said, shoving past him.

“Just like the old days, huh?” he said, turning the lock on the door and shutting it behind them.

“Yes. Only you didn’t talk to me that much back then.”

“Sorry about that.” He opened the passenger door for her, and she slid inside, careful not to let her skirt ride up.

“Are you really sorry?” she asked once he’d gotten in.