“That’s good.”

“What about you?”

“I’m an only child and my parents are separated. For the time being.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“They have an unusual relationship,” she said carefully. “I guess what you’d call a love-hate relationship. When they’re together, they’re crazy for each other, then they start fighting, like, really fighting—doors slamming, things being thrown, smashing dishes—and then they split up. But when they’re apart, they’re even more miserable, so it usually doesn’t last long. I think this might be the seventh or eighth time they’ve split up.”

“Wow.”

“I know.” She smiled ruefully and hitched a shoulder. “What can you do?”

“Your hobbies?” he asked.

“I don’t have time for much fun these days. Too busy working. I do things with my girlfriends. I guess they’re kind of like my family. I’ve never been athletic, like you, but I do run to stay fit.”

“Do we run together?” he asked, arching a brow. She laughed at the crazy question.

“No.” She gave her head a firm shake. “You’d leave me in the dust with those long legs. But I am pretty good at poker and I like dancing.”

“Dancing. Ugh.”

Their eyes met and even though they had different opinions on dancing, amusement shimmered between them.

“I’m trying to get you to take ballroom dancing lessons with me,” she said, tapping her chin. “Because we watch Dancing with the Stars together and I want to dance like that.”

Now he gave a shout of laughter. “Dancing with the Stars, huh? Okay, honey.”

This was fun. Even though it wasn’t real. Maybe because it wasn’t real, it took away all the pressure of a real date, of really trying to get to know someone. Shelby had never felt so relaxed with a guy. Though awareness of him did create a few tingles. His big hands holding the beer bottle were lightly sprinkled with dark brown hair, his fingers long, nails neat and trimmed short, but definitely not manicured. The cuffs of his loose button-up shirt were folded back on strong forearms and she swallowed hard as her eyes moved over bulging biceps and the open neck of his shirt.

“So how long have we known each other?” he asked.

“Hmm. When do you think we first saw each other at Java the Hut?”

“April twenty-fifth.”

She blinked at him, her smile fading. “April twenty-fifth? Really?”

His cheekbones darkened, but he maintained the cheeky grin. “I remember it well. It was the day I got promoted to Senior Business Analyst.”

“Ah.” Whoa. For a minute there, she’d been a bit freaked out that he remembered the exact date they met. “Okay. Let’s go with that. We had coffee a few times, started dating.”

“Sounds good.”

They looked at each other, and the music and loud chatter in the bar muted, the rest of the room shrank away into dark corners, leaving them sitting in a circle of awareness at the small round table. Shelby dropped her gaze to the table then lifted it again, a tentative smile touching her lips. She licked them, then wished she hadn’t as Jake’s gaze fell to her mouth.

Heat slid down inside her, pooling between her thighs. Oh heavens. She was getting all girly mushy and this wasn’t even a real date. Shit.

“What kind of movies do you like?” Jake finally asked, his voice taking on a faintly rough edge.

They chatted about movies and music and their work. He convinced her to order another drink, and pleasantly mellow from the wine and a little beguiled by his charisma, she was happy to sit there and talk. He was so easy to talk to. He didn’t make her feel stupid. And though he’d given her admiring glances, he really hadn’t looked lower than her mouth, unlike most guys who seemed to think they had to talk to her boobs. His interest in what she had to say seemed genuine, and that was probably the sexiest thing about him.

She was tired of guys who thought she was a brainless, big-boobed blonde, guys like the last few she’d dated who’d never called again once they’d gotten her into bed. Guys who didn’t want to talk about current events or even play a smart game of poker unless it involved the removal of clothing.

She bit her lip as the thought entered her mind that maybe Jake was expecting more than she’d planned. It seemed far-fetched that he was going to all this trouble out of the goodness of his heart. For her.

“I have to go,” she said, standing so fast her chair wobbled. She grabbed her purse and forced a smile. “Sorry, but I have work to do in the morning.”

“Saturday?” He stood too, although more slowly, a faint frown creasing between his eyes.

“Yes.” She nodded vigorously.

She opened her purse and dug for her wallet, intending to pay for her drinks. He laid a gentle hand on her arm, and she paused, lifted her eyes to his face.

“I’ve got it,” he said quietly.

“No. I want to pay.” She rummaged farther, lips pressed together. She did not want to owe him more than she already did for agreeing to do this. Lord knew what he’d expect in return for drinks. Her stomach clenched painfully and she tossed a bill onto the table. “There.” She flashed him her brightest smile. “Thanks again for doing this.” She made her voice cool and brisk. She extended a hand to him and, after a brief pause, he took it. She gave a firm shake then released it. “We’ll still meet at the North Beach parking lot?”

“Uh. Yeah. Sure.”

“Great. See you then.”

“Hey, Mom! I’m here. And I brought you cookies.”

Silence greeted Shelby as she let herself into the house where she’d grown up, where her mom still lived, at the moment alone.

“Mom? You home?”

Shelby frowned at the lack of response. She’d told her mom she’d drop over Saturday for a little while. Why wasn’t she here? Then she heard muffled noises down the hall of the spacious bungalow. She moved through the front foyer, through the living room and paused, listening. Her heart picked up its pace a little. Was her mom okay?

“Shelby?” Mom’s voice called from her bedroom down the hall.

“Yeah, it’s me. You okay, Mom?”

“Fine, fine. Just hang on a sec.”

Shelby let out the breath she’d been holding and walked into the kitchen. She set the container of chocolate-chip cookies on the counter. Breakfast dishes still sat there—a couple of plates, knives, two coffee mugs.

She turned at the sound of her mother entering the kitchen. “Hi,” she said, smiling. Her mom was tying a robe around her waist and her short, blonde hair stood up all over her head. Her cheeks were pink. “Um…did I come at a bad time?”

“Oh no. Well. I forgot you were coming.”

No surprise there. Shelby tried to keep the corners of her mouth from turning down. But when her dad appeared in the doorway behind her mom, she saw why she’d forgotten. She sighed.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Shelby sweetie. What’re you doing here?”

“I made cookies this morning. I brought some for Mom.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” Mom said. “You make such good cookies.”

Shelby wasn’t sure why, at her age, she still made these stupid little efforts to please her parents. She should have moved past that, shouldn’t have the need for their approval anymore, but it seemed that she liked to continue to torture herself. She knew her mom would eat the cookies or serve them to guests without even remembering Shelby had made them. Her mom hadn’t even remembered she was coming that afternoon.

She would’ve asked her dad what he was doing there, but it was pretty obvious. “Are you getting back together?” she asked.

“Yes.” Her mom beamed and shot a smile over her shoulder at Dad. “We already are. Your father moved back in yesterday.”

“Wonderful.”

Her mom frowned. “You don’t sound very happy for us.”

What could she say? Wasn’t it always better when love triumphed? When a marriage survived, got another chance? But she knew it wouldn’t last, and sometimes she wondered if it wouldn’t just be better if they split up for good and quit riding this rollercoaster they’d turned their lives into. “Of course I’m happy for you,” she said with a smile.