Beth and the Bachelor. Susan Mallery

didn’t trust easily and she wasn’t a fool. Despite her obvious nerves and the fact that she was so ill at ease, she was saying awful things about him, Todd had to respect her honesty. ‘‘I’m going to give you some dating advice.

      Use my first name. Mr. Graham makes me feel like I’m the high school principal.’’

      She stared at him, opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. A flush of color crept up her cheeks. ‘‘I have been calling you that, haven’t I?’’ She shook her head. ‘‘I don’t think I should do this. I wasn’t good at dating when I was young and I know I haven’t improved since then.’’

      He liked her vulnerability. Maybe this evening wasn’t going to be so horrible after all. ‘‘It’s like riding a bike— everything will come back to you.’’

      ‘‘You say that like it’s a good thing. I’m not so sure. I distinctly remember being tongue-tied and incredibly nervous in high school. I don’t want to go back to that.’’

      ‘‘How about if I handle the difficult parts? I’ll introduce topics of conversation and keep things running smoothly. All you have to do is remember to breathe and respond where appropriate.’’

      Some of the stiffness left her body. ‘‘Should I take notes?’’ she teased, as she flashed a smile that momentarily made her quite attractive.

      ‘‘I think you’re smart enough to remember the highlights.’’

      ‘‘Keep the instructions in single-syllable words and I’ll be fine.’’ She leaned forward a little. ‘‘Actually, I do have a few dating questions, if you wouldn’t mind answering them.’’

      ‘‘Not at all.’’

      ‘‘Do you like all the dating you do? Don’t you get tired of all those different women? And how on earth do you keep their names straight? I’ve always wondered about that. Do you use a common endearment? Are they all honey, or in this case because they’re so young, baby?’’

      Todd’s first instinct was to be insulted. If one of his male friends had asked him the last question, he would have decked the guy in about two seconds. But Beth wasn’t one of his male friends, and as he gazed at her, he realized she wasn’t trying to be rude.

      ‘‘I’m only asking because your life is so different from mine or from anyone’s I know.’’ Her mouth turned up at the corners. ‘‘I was married, all my friends are married. The most romantic excitement at my house is when there’s a good love story on television.’’

      ‘‘Flash cards,’’ he said, pretending seriousness. ‘‘I have my secretary write out flash cards on each of the women I date, then I memorize the information. If I start to get confused, I just pull it out for a quick review. Of course it gets more difficult in the bedroom, what with me not having access to my pants pocket. In that case, I either tuck it between the mattress and the box spring, or under the pillow.’’

      Beth stared at him for a long time, then she smiled again. The smile broadened and soon she was laughing. He joined in. His gaze drifted over her face. She was prettier than he’d first realized. Her blue eyes seemed to signal her emotions in the most charming way.

      ‘‘Flash cards,’’ she said. ‘‘What a great idea. Should I ever find myself in your situation, I’ll remember that. Although the odds of it being a problem are quite slim.’’

      ‘‘I think you’ll do fine. You’re all right now, aren’t you?’’

      Her hands rested in her lap. He stared at her long, bare fingers and could easily imagine a slender gold wedding band on the ring finger of her left hand. Beth was one of those women born to be married.

      ‘‘If I’m not fighting nausea, it’s because of you,’’ she said.

      ‘‘A compliment to warm my heart.’’

      She returned his smile. ‘‘I’m being serious.’’

      ‘‘I can tell.’’

      ‘‘No, really,’’ she insisted. ‘‘I never thought it would be like this.’’ She motioned to the limo interior, then to him. ‘‘I didn’t think everything would be so nice or that I would be able to talk to you.’’

      ‘‘What were you expecting?’’

      ‘‘I thought you would be kind of a snob, and that you would be angry that I wasn’t some young girl…you know, a bimbo.’’

      Todd couldn’t remember the last time someone had insulted him so completely, all the while apparently unaware of what she was saying.

      ‘‘Oh, no,’’ Beth said quickly. ‘‘You have this tight look on your face. I said something horrible, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’’

      ‘‘I’m not upset,’’ he told her.

      ‘‘Then what?’’

      He looked at her. ‘‘You don’t have a very high opinion of me. So far you’ve implied that I date younger women, that I call them all baby because I can’t remember their names and that they must be bimbos.’’

      Beth covered her face with her hands and made a sound low in her throat. ‘‘I should never be allowed out on my own,’’ she moaned. ‘‘Especially not in a situation like this.’’

      She raised her head and stared at him. Remorse darkened her eyes. ‘‘I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to be insulting. That’s not even what I was thinking. I guess it’s because I don’t think of you as a real person. I mean I’ve read about you in the newspaper and everything. You’re like a movie star or a celebrity—very much larger than life. I don’t think of you as being like everyone else.’’

      He wasn’t sure how to take that. In a way, her opinion was flattering. He liked the fact that she saw him as larger than life, but he didn’t want her to be intimidated. But before he could figure out how to respond to her, the limo pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant.

      Beth glanced out the window, and read the discrete lettering on the awning. ‘‘I’ve heard about this place,’’ she murmured. ‘‘It’s very expensive.’’

      Todd leaned close. ‘‘I can afford it,’’ he whispered.

      She looked at him. Their faces weren’t that far apart and he had the sudden urge to kiss her. Startled by the impulse, he pulled back.

      A uniformed doorman reached for the rear handle and opened the door. Todd stepped out, then paused to assist Beth. He took her hand in his as she stepped out, then released her.

      ‘‘I’m sure you meant to reassure me when you told me you could afford a place like this,’’ she said as she walked next to him toward the double doors. ‘‘But it didn’t work.’’

      ‘‘So you think this would be easier if I was a truck driver or maybe a schoolteacher?’’

      She tilted her head slightly as she thought. ‘‘Maybe. Although I can’t imagine dating ever being fun. But yes, I would like it if you weren’t so…’’

      ‘‘Successful? Rich? Incredibly good-looking?’’ he offered helpfully.

      She came to a stop on the walkway and stared at him. ‘‘Not to mention modest.’’

      But there was a smile tugging at her lips and she wasn’t as tense as she’d been before. Todd bent his arm, then drew her hand up to the crook of his elbow. ‘‘You’ll be fine,’’ he promised. ‘‘I won’t let anything bad happen to you.’’

      ‘‘You don’t know how much I want to believe you.’’

      They headed toward the wide double door. A young woman held it open for them. Once inside, they were greeted by Lucien, the owner of the