he was snooping, but he pulled it out and there was Cody with two other women. A lot of The Right One information was scattered on a table in front of them. Apparently Cody had gone to some type of seminar sponsored by TRO. An odd uncomfortable feeling welled up in his chest. He didn’t like to think of Cody dating. Almost immediately he quashed the idea. He had no business feeling anything for Cody other than maybe friendship.
He was in love with Sage.
If he could ever find her…
* * *
The afternoon passed quickly. Cody drove to campus, taught her class, and returned. Everywhere she looked, there were signs that Mardi Gras was drawing near. The whole state of Louisiana celebrated the holiday. There was a time when Cody was in the middle of every party and every parade. Now, she kept to herself. Today she’d come home and prepared for the next day’s class before exhaustion got the better of her. When she’d put the finishing touch on the next day’s lecture, Cody closed her computer, folded her hands on top of the lid, and stared at the wide blue expanse of wall in front of her face.
Hunter hadn’t tried to contact her since last night. For the longest, he’d always left a message for her every morning—rain or shine—and now nothing. She ought to be glad, ought to be relieved.
She wasn’t.
Even though the damn man was in the next room, Cody missed him desperately.
In fact…she did something she hadn’t done in a while.
She opened the computer, logged into Facebook, and opened his message box.
Sage : I hope you had a good day at work. If you want to, I’d like to talk to you later. Like we used to. I need you, Hunter.
Right after she hit enter, a spasm of guilt spiked through her belly. She was doing it again. Leading him on. God, she was so weak where he was concerned. He was like a drug to her system.
“Cody?”
The sudden noise behind her, Hunter saying her name, caused her to slam the lid, quickly hiding the evidence of Sage Donovan. Whirling around, she stared at him, her eyes wide, her chest heaving. “Hunter!”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He looked innocently surprised. “What were you doing?”
She blushed furiously and said nothing.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Uh-uh,” she was stammering like an idiot. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
“Look.” He held up his hands. “It’s okay. I understand. Women have just as much right to have a good time, to look for love, in all the wrong places,” he actually sang the last five words, “as men do.”
Cody’s mouth fell open. He knew. “You know?” He knew about Sage. “Hunter…” She felt her face flame like a Roman candle. “I can explain.”
Hunter smiled. “You don’t have to. I saw the folder.”
“The folder.” She repeated. What folder?
“You’ve signed up for The Right One dating service. My friend, Sage, owns The Right One, that’s why the familiar logo caught my eye. What a coincidence, right?”
Like puzzle pieces, Cody tried to assimilate the data he was feeding her. He didn’t know she was Sage. He thought she’d joined a dating service and when he’d walked in just now, Hunter thought she’d been embarrassed because she was looking at men’s dating profiles.
But most important of all—he called Sage his friend, not his girlfriend.
Big difference. Huge difference.
“Oh, the dating service.” She nodded her head and smiled weakly. “Yea, that is a coincidence. And yes, I have the forms, but I’ve never activated my account.”
Hunter nodded his head, like he didn’t believe her, but he wasn’t going to push it. “I came in here to tell you the flooring is ordered and we put the total on your account.” He handed her a slip of paper with the amount written on it.
“Okay, but I have to tell you, I’m not using the dating service.” For some reason it was imperative that he believe her.
Hunter could tell he was getting to her. She
He was in love with Sage.
If he could ever find her…
* * *
The afternoon passed quickly. Cody drove to campus, taught her class, and returned. Everywhere she looked, there were signs that Mardi Gras was drawing near. The whole state of Louisiana celebrated the holiday. There was a time when Cody was in the middle of every party and every parade. Now, she kept to herself. Today she’d come home and prepared for the next day’s class before exhaustion got the better of her. When she’d put the finishing touch on the next day’s lecture, Cody closed her computer, folded her hands on top of the lid, and stared at the wide blue expanse of wall in front of her face.
Hunter hadn’t tried to contact her since last night. For the longest, he’d always left a message for her every morning—rain or shine—and now nothing. She ought to be glad, ought to be relieved.
She wasn’t.
Even though the damn man was in the next room, Cody missed him desperately.
In fact…she did something she hadn’t done in a while.
She opened the computer, logged into Facebook, and opened his message box.
Sage : I hope you had a good day at work. If you want to, I’d like to talk to you later. Like we used to. I need you, Hunter.
Right after she hit enter, a spasm of guilt spiked through her belly. She was doing it again. Leading him on. God, she was so weak where he was concerned. He was like a drug to her system.
“Cody?”
The sudden noise behind her, Hunter saying her name, caused her to slam the lid, quickly hiding the evidence of Sage Donovan. Whirling around, she stared at him, her eyes wide, her chest heaving. “Hunter!”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He looked innocently surprised. “What were you doing?”
She blushed furiously and said nothing.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I didn’t see anything.”
“Uh-uh,” she was stammering like an idiot. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
“Look.” He held up his hands. “It’s okay. I understand. Women have just as much right to have a good time, to look for love, in all the wrong places,” he actually sang the last five words, “as men do.”
Cody’s mouth fell open. He knew. “You know?” He knew about Sage. “Hunter…” She felt her face flame like a Roman candle. “I can explain.”
Hunter smiled. “You don’t have to. I saw the folder.”
“The folder.” She repeated. What folder?
“You’ve signed up for The Right One dating service. My friend, Sage, owns The Right One, that’s why the familiar logo caught my eye. What a coincidence, right?”
Like puzzle pieces, Cody tried to assimilate the data he was feeding her. He didn’t know she was Sage. He thought she’d joined a dating service and when he’d walked in just now, Hunter thought she’d been embarrassed because she was looking at men’s dating profiles.
But most important of all—he called Sage his friend, not his girlfriend.
Big difference. Huge difference.
“Oh, the dating service.” She nodded her head and smiled weakly. “Yea, that is a coincidence. And yes, I have the forms, but I’ve never activated my account.”
Hunter nodded his head, like he didn’t believe her, but he wasn’t going to push it. “I came in here to tell you the flooring is ordered and we put the total on your account.” He handed her a slip of paper with the amount written on it.
“Okay, but I have to tell you, I’m not using the dating service.” For some reason it was imperative that he believe her.
Hunter could tell he was getting to her. She
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