Trev rapped on the door before he could chicken out. There was no telling how this dinner would go, but he was strangely game for it. His life had become endlessly the same, minutiae and monotony with no hope for change, but now, now he dared to imagine something different, at least in the hidden corners of his brain. The full vision of what he wanted his life to resemble wouldn’t coalesce, but before now, he couldn’t even conceive climbing out of the miserable hole he called “home.”

Leanne answered quickly, and her gaze skimmed him up and down intimately, a look he recognized as her unique style. He straightened a little, tugging at his shirt. “Will I do? Is there anything particular I should know?”

“Just go along with whatever I say,” she whispered.

He smothered a laugh. “Yeah, okay. I played a tree in the school play in elementary school, you know. I’m sure I’ve got this.”

She took his hand unexpectedly, sending delicious sparks all the way up to his elbow. It could be the fact that he wasn’t used to being touched anymore, but it was impossible to deny it felt amazing. He shifted it from a peremptory touch to an intimate one, lacing their fingers together. Leanne paused to smile at him, and…wow. His head spun a little. He’d known she was gorgeous, but she was beautiful in a timeless way. Like Marilyn or Rita at their height, almost too glamorous to be with someone who wasn’t a celebrity or professional athlete.

Panic fluttered inside him. This will never work. Her mom will never believe she’d settle for someone like me. Yet it was too late to flee. Leanne towed him into her condo, and for a moment, he glanced around in awe. The place was lovely, exactly the sort of home he’d want if he could afford something on his own. Open floor plan so the kitchen overlooked the living room, connected via breakfast bar. Near the kitchen, she had a four-seat glass dining table. There was a half bath by the front door, and a hallway led out the other side of the living room, presumably to the bedrooms.

The decor was elegant and modern, done primarily in white and gray with red accents. He loved how bright and spacious it was, but he tried not to show his admiration. He’d already figured out he was pretending to be her man for some reason, so it stood to reason that he would’ve been here before. Trev turned to the older woman currently making no secret about giving him a head-to-toe inspection.

He extended his hand. “Trevor Montgomery. It’s nice to finally meet you. Leanne’s told me so much about you.”