and what he was doing? Had he read The Hardest Fall before his accident? It had been out for just over a year and had definitely made waves in the last six months. In fact, the poor author had gone into hiding due to the backlash over the unhappy ending, so there was a very good chance that a girl in Buffalo or some other nearby region had started chatting to a hot singer in a band about the character he resembled, and given him ideas.
And maybe he knew damn well that we hadn’t slept together, and was just playing dumb to get himself out of hot water, with a fan that actually spoke English for once? I have to find out, either way!
‘It’s possible…’ she hedged, responding to Bruce only when she realised that at least twenty seconds had lapsed since he’d inquired. ‘But I think I’m going to have to see him again and talk to him to know for sure- and before I share my intel, if you don’t mind.’
‘That’s fine,’ Bruce said easily, winking at her. ‘I mean, I’m curious, but we’re sort of trained in this place to keep our eyes on the floor and not root through closets for skeletons.’
Leigh was relieved, because she didn’t want to colour in Ryan’s blank slate with black marker if he really was an innocent guy who just so happened to have a striking name. Bruce rested the tray on the table. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Leigh, but I’m on my break and you look like you could use a coffee so I took the liberty of ordering you another latte.’
Leigh smiled at the concierge and accepted the cup that he handed to her, even though it was the champagne that she really wanted to chug down. ‘Are you going for employee of the month or what? Because if you are, know that you can count on my vote- and relax a little! You’re so attentive that I feel exhausted from just watching you micro-manage me.’
Bruce smiled shyly at her as he sat back down. ‘I’ve gotten employee of the month the last six months in a row so no, I’m not actively campaigning for what’s basically in the bag.’
Leigh laughed. ‘Well I’ve never gotten that kind of thing, so you should be very proud.’
Bruce cocked his head and smiled, and Leigh noticed for the first time, just how attractive the young Canuck was. He couldn’t have been a day older than twenty-one, and had dark brown hair that shone with reddish highlights in the lamplight, and dark brown eyes that were flecked with gold. His left eye had a very large fleck- a deformation in pigment she supposed, but the placement of it made him look like one of those wet-eyed Manga characters, like Astro Boy. His build was average; fit but nothing spectacular, so he wasn’t hot, per se, but he was warm, and getting warmer- and he was exactly the sort of guy that she knew her parents wanted her to bring home; wholesome, easy-going and attentive. Not a Ryan Weaver or a Kellan Kyle… but a Wesley. A Jasper. An Aspen.
‘What?’ Bruce asked then, putting down his coffee and wiping at his upper lip. ‘You’re staring! Do I have foam under my nose?’
Leigh laughed. ‘No, sorry. I was just thinking of how much my parents would adore you.’ The moment she said it, Leigh wished that she could take the words back and then, when Bruce blinked rapidly, she knew that she didn’t have a shot in hell of doing any such thing. ‘Um, sorry! That came out wrong!’ She leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her cardboard cup. ‘I do this thing, where I project book characters onto actual people… I know it’s weird, and I’m sorry, but it’s just a habit of mine and yeah, I was doing you.’
Bruce chuckled self-consciously. ‘That sounds promising… how did I fare?’
‘Among my favourites.’ She smiled at him. ‘And two of my mother’s.’
Bruce stared back and then rested his elbows on the table, studying her. ‘Well let me ask you something… are they the kind of characters who you’d allow to buy you a drink, sometime?’
Whoa! Okay, where did that come
And maybe he knew damn well that we hadn’t slept together, and was just playing dumb to get himself out of hot water, with a fan that actually spoke English for once? I have to find out, either way!
‘It’s possible…’ she hedged, responding to Bruce only when she realised that at least twenty seconds had lapsed since he’d inquired. ‘But I think I’m going to have to see him again and talk to him to know for sure- and before I share my intel, if you don’t mind.’
‘That’s fine,’ Bruce said easily, winking at her. ‘I mean, I’m curious, but we’re sort of trained in this place to keep our eyes on the floor and not root through closets for skeletons.’
Leigh was relieved, because she didn’t want to colour in Ryan’s blank slate with black marker if he really was an innocent guy who just so happened to have a striking name. Bruce rested the tray on the table. ‘I hope you don’t mind, Leigh, but I’m on my break and you look like you could use a coffee so I took the liberty of ordering you another latte.’
Leigh smiled at the concierge and accepted the cup that he handed to her, even though it was the champagne that she really wanted to chug down. ‘Are you going for employee of the month or what? Because if you are, know that you can count on my vote- and relax a little! You’re so attentive that I feel exhausted from just watching you micro-manage me.’
Bruce smiled shyly at her as he sat back down. ‘I’ve gotten employee of the month the last six months in a row so no, I’m not actively campaigning for what’s basically in the bag.’
Leigh laughed. ‘Well I’ve never gotten that kind of thing, so you should be very proud.’
Bruce cocked his head and smiled, and Leigh noticed for the first time, just how attractive the young Canuck was. He couldn’t have been a day older than twenty-one, and had dark brown hair that shone with reddish highlights in the lamplight, and dark brown eyes that were flecked with gold. His left eye had a very large fleck- a deformation in pigment she supposed, but the placement of it made him look like one of those wet-eyed Manga characters, like Astro Boy. His build was average; fit but nothing spectacular, so he wasn’t hot, per se, but he was warm, and getting warmer- and he was exactly the sort of guy that she knew her parents wanted her to bring home; wholesome, easy-going and attentive. Not a Ryan Weaver or a Kellan Kyle… but a Wesley. A Jasper. An Aspen.
‘What?’ Bruce asked then, putting down his coffee and wiping at his upper lip. ‘You’re staring! Do I have foam under my nose?’
Leigh laughed. ‘No, sorry. I was just thinking of how much my parents would adore you.’ The moment she said it, Leigh wished that she could take the words back and then, when Bruce blinked rapidly, she knew that she didn’t have a shot in hell of doing any such thing. ‘Um, sorry! That came out wrong!’ She leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her cardboard cup. ‘I do this thing, where I project book characters onto actual people… I know it’s weird, and I’m sorry, but it’s just a habit of mine and yeah, I was doing you.’
Bruce chuckled self-consciously. ‘That sounds promising… how did I fare?’
‘Among my favourites.’ She smiled at him. ‘And two of my mother’s.’
Bruce stared back and then rested his elbows on the table, studying her. ‘Well let me ask you something… are they the kind of characters who you’d allow to buy you a drink, sometime?’
Whoa! Okay, where did that come
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