He wheeled at the sound of her voice, and his suntanned countenance crinkled into a welcoming smile. “Well, I’ll be. You look completely recovered.”

A little out of breath, she drew up in front of him and grinned. “I really am, and I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me.” Her mind shied away from some of the things he’d done. It was embarrassing when a man saw you at your worst, and she had definitely hit bottom in the throes of that flu. “I honestly don’t think I would have lived through it by myself.”

He shook his head. “Erin would have come. She was on the phone to check on you several times a day, and the only reason she wasn’t there was because I told her I had everything under control.”

Julie knew Erin was a fabulous friend, too. But it had been Blackie who’d gone the extra mile for her this time. “I was wondering . . . well, I’d like to do something special by way of a thank-you, and I was thinking maybe I could take you out for dinner and drinks.”

He arched a black eyebrow. “Hmm. I’m a little old-fashioned about a lady paying my way, so I’ll only say yes if you let me cover the beverages and the tip.”

“Deal,” Julie said with a laugh.

“As it happens, I’ve been craving Mexican food for days, and José at the Straw Hat makes a mean margarita.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “The restaurant is only a few doors down.”

Julie shifted the strap of her handbag on her shoulder. “I, um, wasn’t thinking of tonight. I’m not dressed to go out.”

He narrowed an eye. “You look fabulous.”

“In jeans and a top?”

“You do very nice things for a pair of jeans. And look at me.” He glanced down at himself. “I’m not exactly dressed up, either.”

He wore creased Dockers and a pressed pinstripe shirt with the long sleeves folded back over his forearms, which were dusted with fine, black hair. “You look amazing to me.”

Julie hadn’t meant to sound as if she were drooling, but in truth, Blackie was a handsome man who did make her mouth water when she looked at him. He seemed to sense her discomfiture, and his dark blue gaze held hers for a long moment that made her pulse flutter. “Ditto, so let’s do dinner together tonight. It’s not as if the Straw Hat has a dress code.”

“Okay,” she said, even though she still felt she wasn’t dressed for the occasion. “Lead the way.”

He laughed and took her arm. “I prefer to let a lady walk beside me.” He released her to step around to her left side. Then he cupped her elbow in his hand again. “On the inside, of course, where I can protect you from careening automobiles if there’s a wreck.”

Julie giggled. “Do you know how that custom originated?”

“I do, and I understand that there are no buggies or wagons out on the street to put you in danger of being sprayed with mud or trampled by a runaway horse. But a car could go out of control and come up over the curb at us.”