Kenzie patted his hand. “Stop thinking. What happens happens in its own time. Just stay in the moment. I had a friend who used to say life is what it is, stop tormenting yourself about what life isn’t.”
Her skin was soft on his and he stopped himself from groaning as his pulse sped up and he suddenly wanted more than just a touch from her. “Easy to say, but not so easy to do,” he admitted. “So teach me how to stay in the moment.”
“Stop thinking about the past. Stop thinking about every little thing as it happens. Every day is a do-over. Make it count. Do something unexpected.”
Do something unexpected. For the first time in his life he gave in to an impulse. He half stood, leaned over the table and kissed her on the mouth. Her lips were soft and silky and her breath tasted of the martini she’d drunk. For a moment, her lips opened under his and then she suddenly drew back and pushed him away, her eyes wide in surprise. As he sat down again, she pressed her fingers to her mouth.
“Is that unexpected enough?”
She slid out of the booth. “I have to go.” She turned and half ran out of the bar.
Reed was stunned at his boldness and even more surprised at her response. Was she rejecting him? Of course she was. But there was something about that kiss that stayed with him.
“And he kissed me,” Kenzie said as she bent over the dining table, scissors in hand, cutting out the last piece of the bridal gown she’d designed for Maya’s present. The other pieces were stacked in a pile near her elbow. Scattered scraps of lace dotted the table along with satin ribbon, spools of white thread and what she called her super-duper, extra-magical sewing machine.
“You did tell him to do something unexpected.” Nina had to be the reasonable one. Her knitting needles clicked. A pair of booties in a silvery white took shape beneath her fingers. Knitting had always been Nina’s hobby and she was having a field day knitting for Lydia. She’d already knitted a sweater and hat for baby Russell and had a blanket next on her list.
“I didn’t mean right then. Later, after I was long gone.”
“He could have kissed any other woman,” Nina pointed out calmly, “but he kissed you.”
Kenzie was as flustered as she was turned on. His kiss had curled her toes and sent a stab of desire through her so strong she’d been unable to catch her breath for an hour afterward. “He’s my grandmother’s partner. He co-owns the hotel and casino with her and Lydia.”
“So what?” Nina said with a chuckle. “He’s still a man and you’re a beautiful woman.”
Kenzie wanted to stamp her feet and scream. Her best friend wasn’t reacting the way Kenzie thought she would. She’d expected Nina to understand her confusion.
“Did you kiss him back?” Nina’s voice sounded sly and amused.
“No! Of course not!” She carefully snipped the last bit of fabric and placed the final piece of the gown’s skirt with the others.
“Why not?”
Because she’d still be there kissing him if she had. “It’s too weird. If I get involved with him, my grandmother will be all up in my business.”
“That would distract her from being all up in my business,” Nina said ruefully.
“You just want me to throw myself on the ‘I’m-your-friend’ sword. Not doing it.” Kenzie sat on a stool next to Nina. “The real problem is, I liked the kiss.” She wanted to kiss him again and again and again while running her hands through his tousled blond hair. She wanted more than just a kiss. Her breasts grew taut and a hunger grew deep in the pit of her stomach.
The real problem was that Reno was her new home and she didn’t want complications while she figured out her place. Reed was a complication. She had too many things to do.
Her phone rang, and she answered it, glad for the distraction from Reed.
The boutique manager sounded harried. “We’re having a problem with the computer. Again.”
“Did you call tech support?”
“Not yet. I will after I hang up.”
“I’ll be right down.” She glanced at Nina, who grinned at her. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“I have to go.”
“This conversation isn’t over.” Nina wrapped her knitting around the needles and slipped it in her tote.
“Yippee,” Kenzie said as she headed toward the door.
* * *
“The computer just went haywire,” Bianca Cranston said.
Bianca was a small, round woman with pale brown hair surrounding a heart-shaped face. Though a little on the plump side, she dressed with a flair for showing her curves rather than attempting to hide them. Today she wore a rose-colored blouse over a gray pleated skirt. She’d wound a Hermès scarf around her throat, making the outfit look expensive and chic. Kenzie maintained that even the plainest outfit could be made to look regal with the addition of an expensive silk scarf. She allowed her employees to wear the scarves in the store so customers could see how easily one scarf could add character.
A few seconds after Kenzie arrived, Reed strode into the store. When Kenzie spotted him, her cheeks flamed with heat and her heart skipped a beat. He looked so handsome in black jeans and a black knit polo shirt with his ragged hair curling around his ears. He almost looked like a pirate. All he needed was a gold hoop earring to complete the image.
“What’s the problem?” Reed asked, setting a briefcase down on the counter.
Bianca held her hands up. “I was in the middle of a transaction when the computer shut down and the screen went blank. I checked next door at the ski shop and their computer is fine.”
“Let me see what I can figure out.” He bent over the computer without even the briefest glance at Kenzie.
Kenzie backed away, feeling a little miffed. He acted as though nothing had happened between them. First she wanted to slap him. Then she wanted to kiss him. Don’t go there, she scolded herself. He’d only been doing what she’d suggested, something unexpected. Why did she think his kiss meant anything more?
Men. Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them. They’re all idiots.
She stayed out of his way. He opened his briefcase to show rows of tools and a box of CDs. “Do you have something you can use while I’m fixing this?”
“We can use the computer next door to ring up purchases,” Kenzie said with a nod at Bianca.
Reed pulled a couple of tools out of the briefcase and opened the side of the computer. In seconds he had parts strewn across the counter. Kenzie found a stool and sat down to watch him.
“Done anything unexpected today?” he asked, a playful tone in his voice.
Kenzie tilted her head. “No. But the day is relatively young yet.”
He pinned her with a sexy stare. “Do you want to do something unexpected with me?”
Did she? Yes, but she wasn’t going to admit it. “I believe you already did that.”
He grinned. “I had something else in mind.”
“Such as what?”
“Have you ever gone bowling?”
Not a day in her life. “Bowling?”
“How about tomorrow?”
She took out her phone. “I need to check my schedule.”
He