Say You Want Me

Or, if he was honest, he could admit he hadn’t made the effort lately to get off his ass and find Ms. Right. Busting auto thieves and chasing down muggers was less daunting to him than playing the dating game. If the rejection didn’t get you, the emotional roller-coaster ride would. Most of the time it was easier to stay on the sidelines and hope that fate would send someone his way.

Which meant a lot of evenings like this one, where a craving for manicotti like Mama Calabria made had brought him to Trattoria Fabrizio. He poured another glass of Chianti and raised it in a silent toast. To Ms. Right. Wherever you are.

He blinked at the image of a woman that appeared in the glass in his hand. The kind of woman fantasies are made of. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and wondered if it was time to switch to water.

When he looked again, he saw that the image was a reflection of a real woman, who was walking toward him. She looked even better in real life than she had in his glass, with long strawberry-blond hair, legs a Las Vegas showgirl would envy and a figure that made every man in the room put down his fork to watch her walk by.

Carter rose when she stopped at his table. “Hello. I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” she said. She pulled out the chair across from him and sat. “I didn’t think I was running this late.”

“That’s quite all right.” He sat also, unable to stop staring at her. If the fates really had sent this woman to him, they couldn’t have done a better job. Up close, she had skin like porcelain, delicate features, and large blue eyes framed by thick lashes. Bedroom eyes. He let his vision move lower, to the generous breasts swelling at the neckline of her little blue dress, and the belt cinching her trim waist. Yes, this was his fantasy woman all right.

Any minute now, he’d wake up and reality would come crashing down around him, but while the fantasy lasted, he intended to enjoy himself. “Would you like some wine?” he asked.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

He signaled the waiter for a glass and poured for her, then topped up his own glass. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” he said.

She smiled. “Didn’t Marcelle tell you? It’s Joni. Joni Montgomery.”

He nodded. “Pleased to meet you, Joni. I’m Carter. Carter Sullivan.”

She froze with the wineglass halfway to her lips. “I thought your name was Brian.”

Ahh. So she was someone else’s fantasy after all. Well, whoever this Brian character was, he was going to have to wait his turn. “No, it’s Carter.”

“I must have misunderstood.” She sipped the wine. “To tell you the truth, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.” She glanced at him. “I don’t know how much Marcelle told you about my situation.”

“Marcelle didn’t tell me anything.” Which was, of course, absolutely true.

The waiter arrived with two gold-tasseled menus. Carter pretended to read his while studying her. No rings on her fingers. Tasteful but expensive gold earrings. Neatly trimmed nails and a plain gold watch. Classy, not flashy. Exactly the kind of woman he favored.

The way she was staring, he wasn’t sure he’d made such a great impression on her. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

She flushed, a rosy glow like candlelight against ivory. “It’s just…your hair. It’s not thin at all!”

He put one hand to his head. When he was younger, he’d complained because his hair was thick and hard to style, but now he was at the age where he was grateful it was all there. He grinned at her. “No, it’s not. Guess I’m lucky that way.” He sat up a little straighter. So she liked his hair. That was a start.

The waiter arrived to take their order. She had the chicken piccata while he went with the manicotti. “You said something about your situation?” he prompted when they were alone again.

“Oh yes.” She smoothed her napkin in her lap. “Well, I don’t usually go on blind dates. I mean, not that it isn’t a perfectly nice way to meet people but…well, to tell you the truth, I’m so busy I really haven’t had much time to date.”

“Believe me, I understand.” He sipped his wine. “What do you do?”

“Marcelle didn’t tell you that either?” She laughed. “I’m going to have to talk to that girl. I’m a nurse. She and I work together in the emergency department at Santa Rosa Hospital.” She smiled at him. “And I understand you’re an accountant.”

He was tempted to go along with the story, but he’d always been a lousy liar. “Actually, I’m a cop,” he said.

Her smile melted away and something like anger flashed in her eyes. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

He shook his head. “’Fraid not.” He took out his wallet and flashed his I.D. and flat badge. “San Antonio’s finest, at your service.”

She sat back, silent for a long moment, staring into the wine. Carter wondered if now was the time to come clean with the whole story—that he didn’t know Marcelle, or the missing Brian, and that he wasn’t her blind date for the evening, though he’d gladly volunteer for the job.

She began to chuckle. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I just realized, this must be Marcelle’s idea of a joke. She knows how I feel about cops.”

He stiffened. “And how is that?”

She blushed again, a deeper red. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m sure you’re a very nice person. I just don’t want to date a cop. I mean…not usually.”

He was saved from having to respond by the arrival of their dinner. As he silently ate his manicotti, he was acutely aware of the beautiful woman seated across from him. His fantasy woman who didn’t want to date a cop. It figured.

She pushed her chicken piccata around on her plate, not eating. “Is something wrong with the food?” he asked.

“No. No, it’s delicious.” She pushed her plate away and looked at him. “I’m sorry. I’ve really gotten off on the wrong foot, haven’t I? Can we start again?” She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Joni Montgomery.”

He smiled and took her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Joni. I’m Carter Sullivan.”

“My pleasure, Carter.” They sat there like that for a long moment, smiling and holding hands. Carter felt a surge of something like hope. Maybe this night had some magic in it after all….

“Excuse me, did you say your name was Joni Montgomery?” A short, balding man in a three-piece suit approached their table.

Joni turned to him. “Yes?”

“I’m Brian Anderson. Marcelle’s cousin.”

JONI STARED at the man. Short…balding…three-piece suit…he even had Marcelle’s squint. She looked again at the man across from her. Tall…gorgeous hair…a sports coat he filled out to perfection. What had she been thinking? This wasn’t a man who needed a cousin to fix him up with a date. Women probably followed him around like puppies.

So what was he doing sitting across from her now?

“I…I can explain,” he said.

“Oh, and you will,” she muttered. She turned to Brian. “I’m terribly sorry, there must have been some mix-up.” She glanced at Carter, then back at Marcelle’s cousin. Should she stay or go? After all, Brian was her real date. But she and Carter had been having such a nice time. Brian was probably nice, too, but what if he wasn’t? She was running out of time to find a man who could convince G.P. to leave well enough alone. She looked at Carter again. Did she stick with a known danger—a very handsome danger at that—or try the unknown danger, who might very well turn out to be another toe-licking alien?

Carter chose that moment to wink, a slow, seductive lowering of one eyelid that sent a hot shiver through her. She swallowed and turned back to Brian, giving him her best smile. “Um, I must have gotten my days mixed up. Maybe we could try again some other night?” Marcelle wouldn’t be happy about this, but Joni would think of something to tell her.

“Oh, well…” Brian glanced at Carter, who sat with arms folded across his chest, silent challenge in his eyes. “Uh, yeah. Maybe some other time.” Brian backed away from the table. “Uh, guess I’ll go now.”

When he was gone, Carter refilled her wineglass. “What now?” he asked.

She leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Now, you explain. Why didn’t you speak up when you realized what was happening?”

He smiled. A devastating grin that warmed her like a shot of good brandy. “Imagine you’re a man sitting in a restaurant, down in the mouth because once again you’re eating alone. Suddenly, a beautiful woman sits down at your table and announces she’s your date.” He shook his head. “I haven’t learned many lessons in my life, but I know that when the fates hand you a gift like that, you shut up and take it.”

His words sent another tremor through her middle. No one had ever referred to her as a gift before. She ran her fingers up and down the stem of her wineglass. “I’d think a cop would be too hard-nosed to believe in something as ephemeral as fate.”

“Then you’d be wrong. My persistence in believing nothing happens by chance has kept me safe and sane out there on the streets.”