It wasn’t until we’d sat down and ordered drinks that I realized we’d have to wait for Hailey’s friend to get there before we could order. The good mood I’d been enjoying vanished, but I kept a polite expression on my face. I chatted with Sean about work and told Hailey some mildly embarrassing stories, but I couldn’t help but keep glancing at my watch. Jesus, I was starving. Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty, and as we got close to the hour mark, even the waitress started getting a little annoyed.

Finally, about fifty minutes after we’d sat down, a petite woman with long brown hair dropped into the chair next to me.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said breathlessly. “There was an armadillo in the road, and I couldn’t just leave it.”

My interest was piqued at the sound of her husky voice, but it solidified when the woman turned toward me and I saw her face. Dark-brown eyes, a mole on her cheekbone, a sharp nose, full lips. There was a gap between her two front teeth when she gave me a small smile.

Holy fuck.

“I’m Sarai,” she said, lifting her hand politely for me to shake.

I froze like a twelve-year-old who had just gotten caught staring at the pretty lifeguard at the neighborhood pool.

“This is Alex,” Sean said, laughter in his voice.

“I’m Alex,” I mimicked, shaking her hand and then letting go as if it were on fire. Oh, that was real smooth. What the hell was wrong with me?

“Nice to meet you, Alex,” she said politely.

She turned back to the table, and I immediately wanted to poke her or pull her hair or make a joke. Anything to get her to turn those big brown eyes my way. The only problem was that my tongue seemed to be glued to the roof of my mouth.

I wasn’t that guy. I didn’t see a pretty face and clam up. I didn’t stumble over my words or make an ass of myself. I was cool. Collected. Charming as fuck. Women loved me.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hailey said with a wave of her hand.

“How’s the armadillo?” I asked at the same time.

“It’s dead,” Sarai replied.

I almost laughed. She’d said it so matter-of-factly, like I should have known the answer before I’d ever asked the question.

“And you still stopped?” I said, my lips twitching.

“Well, someone has to call it in,” she said with a shrug. “You can’t just leave dead animals on the road.”

“Right,” I replied.

“So I stopped and dragged it off the road and waited for someone to come get it.”

I glanced at her hands.

“Don’t worry—I washed them,” she said. Smiling, she lifted her hands from the table and wiggled her fingers.