1
BROOKE
Once again, my life had taken a bizarre turn because my parents were doting on my older sister.
Turning the music up, I nodded along, impressed by the sound system in Mom's otherwise boring car. One perk of this odd errand.
Dad had plans to go out with an old friend tonight until Katrina called. A new aquarium was being installed in her fancy new office, and she apparently needed their guidance to make sure that the arrangement was perfect before the fish arrived tomorrow. So, as always, my parents had to drop everything and go help.
Whatever. I was left to cancel Dad's "man date." With anyone else, a quick phone call would have sufficed. But this guy wasn't anyone else.
Warrick was Dad’s friend from high school. He’d skipped several grades, and it sounded like he was some kind of scrawny brainiac that Dad had felt sorry for, since he was several years younger than the rest of the kids.
They’d reconnected around six months ago when Warrick needed a chipped tooth repaired, but couldn't make it to Dad's dental office during the day. Dad had seemed slightly annoyed at the time, but understood that Warrick would sometimes get lost in work. He was some sort of inventor now.
Anyway, they bonded more than just his tooth.
Dad had been in a slump lately, meanwhile it turned out Warrick was attempting to pull himself out of his shell and try new things. So they had gone out to all sorts of strange events over the past few months together.
Snorkel lessons in a local pool. A personalized golf lesson with a professional instructor. A private whiskey tasting at some old-fashioned cigar club.
I liked that Dad was getting out more. He was devoted to his job, but I wasn't sure how exciting the dental industry was. I was perfectly happy to put in my six hours a day as his receptionist over the summer, then work on my own projects.
I pulled into a parking lot next to a massive field just as the sun was going down, and wondered how I was going to find this guy. According to Mom, he was "charmingly kooky," one of those freaky creative types.
After parking the car, I went over to the edge of the field that was supposedly the meeting point.
There was a huge bonfire blazing, a few smaller fires, and I saw several dozen people arranging their instruments. I smiled. A real hippie drum circle! It looked amazing and I was excited to peek in on something a bit different.
Then I noticed an incredibly tall, striking, broad-shouldered man pacing back and forth in front of two women with flowers in their hair who were greeting everyone.
Even though he was a bit shaggy and unkempt, and he was wearing an unflattering green plaid shirt that didn't fit properly, he was gorgeous. There was no hiding his powerful frame.
As I passed by him, his brilliant green eyes latched onto mine. We both paused, then he flashed me a dazzling smile. It was like being hit with a lightning bolt of joy, so strong it was hard to breathe for a moment.
"Welcome," said a blonde wearing a pink flower tiara as I approached. "Will you be drumming or dancing tonight?"
"Neither," I said. "I'm looking for a man named Warrick Cedar. Do you know him?"
She shook her head, but the gorgeous man stepped to me. "I'm Warrick. Why are you looking for me?"
Holy crap.Thiswas Dad's geeky high school friend? He barely looked thirty-five, and the more I stared, the more I realized he was absolutely jacked. Yet it was those sharp, curious eyes that left me breathless.
"I'm Frank’s daughter," I said, as we stepped out of the way to make room for three long-haired guys carrying djembes. "Brooke."
Warrick shook my hand warmly, his eyes dancing. "Brooke. You just turned twenty-one. Studying engineering and robotics. Working reception at Frank's dental practice over the summer before you go back to university."
His palm felt so good in mine. That innocent skin on skin contact made something in my lower belly prickle and awaken.
"That's me." He released my hand, but stayed close. "Um, Dad was called away tonight. He asked me to come and let you know."
Warrick nodded. "Yeah. I'm useless when it comes to the phone." His smile was a ray of sunshine as he asked, "Do you want to stay? I bet it’ll be fun."
Although I didn't know what was going on, I did know one thing for certain. I wanted to do anything that made Warrick smile like that. There was something electrifying about him. He was strange, yet wildly sexy.
I'd never thought that way about anyone before, and the idea surprised me.
But there was no denying it: this older, fit, slightly dorky inventor was the first man who had ever made my libido stand up and say hello. It was definitely worth checking out a drum circle to explore that a bit further.