He shook his head, but his face had a broad grin. “I’m gonna take a lot of snacks on the hike Saturday. You’re pretty grouchy when you’re hungry.”
Emily couldn’t suppress a begrudging chuckle. When she checked out, she winced a bit at the cost.
“These are good shoes,” he soothed. “You’ll be able to wear them for a long time. I’m sure you’ll get your money’s worth out of them.”
“You’re assuming I’ll go on more than one hike.”
“Okay, we’d better get some dinner into you right away.” He winked, as his dimples peeked out.
“It’s too late for dinner; I think I need some chocolate in an IV.”
“Finally, you’re smiling. I was about to give up.”
“Sorry to be so difficult.”
“It was worth the wait.”
She pondered his words as they walked. He’d certainly been patient with her. Her mom and sister always complained when they took her shopping, saying she spoiled the experience. And they hadn’t even had to put up with her spasmodic episodes in response to random skin contact. He was pretty nice—for a guy. And he was nice to look at, too. Of course, she only liked him as a friend.
She caught his eyes and flashed him a sincere smile. He snapped his face away, but she still noticed his ears reddened. Was he blushing?
Spencer felt his face heat up, and quickly turned his head to the side. She’d given him one of those full-on devastating smiles. He’d really had to work hard for this one. She must really, really hate shopping. She’d been acting awfully strange—jumping, dropping things, tossing shoes into the air. And she was really stubborn, even more stubborn than his four sisters. And that was saying a lot. He hated to be so demanding, but he knew he’d feel responsible if she got blisters on the hike. After all, he’d talked her into it when she obviously didn’t want to go.
He wasn’t quite sure how he’d accomplished it. He guessed he’d convinced her by emphasizing they’d be going as friends. That seemed to be her main concern. Just his luck... Girls had thrown themselves at him for years while he’d insisted on remaining friends. But since he’d met a girl special enough for his first kiss, she had instituted the friends policy. God must have a sense of humor.
He felt really protective of her, the way he felt about his sisters. No. Nothing like the way he felt about his sisters. He never thought about kissing his sisters, and he thought about kissing Emily all the time.
He turned his face toward her again. “You want to try the best pizza in New York City?”
“Oh, yeah—that sounds great.”
Her smile was radiant. He needed to remember that. Pizza made her smile. Shopping did not.
“It’s in the next block.”
She nodded her head, picking up the pace almost imperceptibly. She must be really hungry. He observed her without turning his head. She was chewing on her bottom lip the way she always did when she was thinking about something. Her lips were so full and soft-looking. He could imagine how they would feel against his own. She continued to worry her lip, as she turned to look at him. He darted his eyes to the sidewalk.
“I’m buying my own
pizza.”
“But it was my idea. It won’t make it a date just because I buy you a slice of pizza.”
“Yes it will. It’s our house rules.”
“Then don’t tell your mom and your sister. If they don’t know, it won’t be a date.”
“But I’ll know, and Charlie will know. She always knows. I can lie to Mom, but Charlie always knows.”
“Fine. You can buy your own pizza. But just so you know, that’s not how I was raised.”
“What do you mean?”
Spencer hesitated. “You’ll probably think this sounds chauvinistic, but my dad taught me to respect women. You know, to treat them with deference. To open doors and speak politely, to protect them, and... He taught me to pay for their dinner.”
“He didn’t really tell you to pay for every woman’s dinner, did he?”
“Well, not exactly. But he did teach me if I asked someone to go eat with me, I’m offering to pay for the meal. That would be true even if you were a guy. It’s especially true since you’re a woman.”