Operation Date Escape

but I ran into road construction.”
    “You still haven’t answered my question. Why are you here?”
    “As luck would have it, I’m your date.”
    It took a moment, but when his words finally hit her – like a ton of bricks. “You what?”
    He motioned toward the house. “I’m taking you to my company picnic.”
    “Your company picnic?”
    He nodded, grin still intact.
    What was going on here?
    “ I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I’m supposed to be meeting a man named...” Her words trailed off as the realization of what her mother had done hit her. Cole Maxwell. Max.
    Shit.
    “You’re Max?”
    “To some of my friends,” he replied with a calmness she certainly didn’t feel at that moment. In her case, every single sensitive part of her body was going haywire. All she could think about was what it had been like to be made love to by this man. A man she’d done everything in her power to force from her thoughts. And now here he was in her life again.
    She forced herself to focus on the present and the situation she’d suddenly found herself in. “My mother was a part of this?” It was more a statement of fact at this point than a question.
    He nodded. “I’ll admit she might have helped me out a little, but it was my idea.”
    “My mother did more than help a little. She lied to me.”
    “There wasn’t any lying,” he argued with a smile.
    “I...you...” She gave a frustrated groan. “How could she have done this to me? Her own flesh and blood!”
    “I think your mother felt guilty about the wedding cake thing , so she agreed to help me out.”
    “The wedding cake thing?”
    “Yeah.” He chuckled. “After your mother found out we had gone out, she brought a tray of wedding cake samples in to the station for me to taste. Apparently one date to her meant you and I were engaged or soon would be.”
    “ Oh my God,” she gasped. “I can’t believe she would do something like that.”
    “Trust me, she did. My entire crew witnessed it.”
    Heat rushed to her cheeks. “This is unreal.”
    “If I remember correctly, yo ur mother is rather fond of the cappuccino truffle torte. But you, on the other hand, are more the French vanilla with cream cheese icing kind of girl.”
    She groaned and dropped her head back against the headrest, covering her face with her hands. “I can’t believe she did that.”
    His husky chuckle echoed in the car. “Her grandmother clock is ticking, you know.”
    She lifted her head to look at him. “She actually said that?”
    He nodded with a grin.
    “I am so sorry. I told Nanci something like this would happen if my mother found out I liked you.”
    “So you do like me.”
    How had that slipped out? Luckily, she hadn’t blurted out her need to feel his lips on hers again, to have him make love to her the way only Cole could.
    “I can’t do this,” she said, reaching out to turn the keys in the ignition. “I have to go.”
    His hand covered hers, stopping her. “Don’t leave.” It wasn’t an order. It was more of a determined plea.
    She was angry with both her mother and Cole for deceiving her the way the two of them had. But she was even angrier with herself for wanting him the way she did.
    “Why shouldn’t I?” she asked, her narrowed gaze pinning his down.
    “Because you and I need to talk.”
    “Yeah, well we could have done that over the phone,” she replied and then cringed. Why did she have to go and bring up the phone?
    The widening of his grin told her she had indeed prompted thoughts of their last phone conversation. Thankfully for her, he made no mention of it. In fact, he said nothing at all for several long moments, just stood there grinning.
    “ This isn’t going to work,” she said halfheartedly.
    He broke eye contact just long enough to glance over his shoulder toward the house where the picnic was in full swing and then back to her, the expression in his dark eyes tender. “It can work. And for the record, you’re wrong about me.”
    “How so?”
    “I’m not perfect, Kelsie. Not by a long shot. All I ask is that you give me the chance to prove it to you.” He hesitated, his smile widening. “You know, I have to say I never thought I’d find myself trying to convince a woman how ‘not perfect’ I am.”
    “ Look, Cole, I’m sure you’re going to make some other woman very happy─”
    “I don’t want some other woman,” he said, effectively cutting her off. “I want you.”
    “ What about the