“I beg to differ. The same thing happened at the other restaurant with your steak, then here, and your neighbor clearly has you wrapped around her finger.”

“Mrs. Hoffmeister?”

“Yes, the woman pretends to be incapable of dusting, but she can drag herself out of her apartment to smoke?”

I wave away his concern. “She doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s just old and I think she’s a little lonely. Her husband passed away about a decade ago. It’s probably for the company.”

“Doesn’t mean she should be manipulating you into doing her house chores. If she’s lonely, she can have you over for coffee.” He leans back and crosses his arms.

“She’s not manipulating me.” For a moment, I forgot how annoying this man could be.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Okay then.”

“I mean it.” My voice sounds as if I’m ready to pound my foot down on the floor in true toddler fashion.

He raises his hands. “Forget I said anything.”

I give him a sharp nod and let the topic go, but the entire walk home, all I can think of is whether he’s right. I hate that I feel a nagging suspicion that there might be something to Andrew’s theory.

Chapter Twelve

Andrew

“Are you going to tell me where we’re heading?” I ask as Kenzie leads me farther from our meeting spot at the southwest corner of Central Park.

This is one of her “not dates” for me to find the love of Christmas.

“Haven’t you ever heard that patience is a virtue?” She glances over her shoulder and my eyes fixate on her long blonde hair once again. Today it’s in waves.

“Not one I’m blessed with.”

It’s Friday night and the air is chillier than earlier in the week, so I’ve watched her nose and her cheeks turn pinker the longer we walk.

We take a right when we hit 6th Avenue, and soon after, Radio City Music Hall comes into view. I stop immediately.

It takes her a moment to notice, and when she does, she swivels around and frowns. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”

I nod toward the Radio City Music Hall sign. “Please tell me you’re not taking me to see the Rockettes.”

She crosses her arms and juts out her hips. I’m not sure why it’s sexy as hell when she’s annoyed with me. “Part of our deal is that you go into this with an open mind.”

“It’s hard to have an open mind when I know I’m going to have to watch a bunch of women in sparkly costumes kick their legs in unison to the beat of Christmas music for the next two hours.” I’d rather spend the two hours in a prison cell.