"if you want to punish me, all you have to do is press that perfect body of yours against mine."

"that's nice to know." she moved closer and slid her right leg between his thighs. her breasts brushed his chest as she spread eager kisses along his jaw.

"i suggest you stop now," he muttered. "there's a seniors' class coming in soon."

"can't. i'm thanking you."

"for what?"

"the flowers you sent." she wouldn't have found the courage to confront him this afternoon if he hadn't made that move.

mark went very still. "i didn't send you flowers."

"but...the card had your name on it."

he muttered something she couldn't completely hear; she caught the gist of it, though. mark's sister or perhaps his mother was responsible for that bouquet.

"so, you didn't send the flowers," she confirmed.

mark wound his fingers into her hair and dragged her mouth to his. "let's just pretend i did."

barbie was more than willing to do exactly that.

chapter 23

lillie higgins stared at the phone, then groaned in frustration and turned away. this should be easy. everyone seemed to think there was nothing to it. but try as she might, lillie couldn't make herself call hector.

in desperation, not knowing how else to manage this, she'd contacted the dealership instead, with a list of imaginary complaints about her car. the receptionist she spoke with made her an appointment for thursday morning at ten. by the time she arrived at the service department, her stomach was tied up in knots a sailor couldn't untangle.

a man she didn't recognize came out to discuss the trouble her car had supposedly been giving her.

"could you explain again what the problem is?" he asked, studying his clipboard.

lillie had a panicky moment before she remembered what she'd told the receptionist yesterday when she'd made the appointment. "there seems to be a hesitation...."

"coming from a full stop?" he asked, glancing up from his notepad.

"yes, that's it. from a full stop."

"how often has this happened?"

she didn't want to overplay the situation. "a couple of times."

he jotted that down. "just twice."

"no, more. four or five times." her hands were clammy and her mouth had gone dry and she had the most compelling urge to turn tail and run. if she hadn't handed her car keys over to the mechanic, she would've made an excuse and left before she looked like an even bigger fool.

he wrote something else on the chart.

"this won't take long, will it?" she asked.

"not at all," he assured her.

inside the waiting area, lillie got a cup of coffee from the machine and picked up that day's paper. although she'd come for the express purpose of seeing hector again, now she prayed she wouldn't. how could she possibly explain what she'd done?

lillie liked to think of herself as mature and sensible. never in all her life, not even as a teenager, had she indulged in such a ridiculous deception over a man. her face burned with mortification. she'd lied about her car-told an outright lie in a futile effort to see hector silva again.

fifteen minutes later, the receptionist came to tell her that her vehicle was ready. she immediately went to pay the bill but found there was no charge. eager to be on her way, lillie hurried out of the building to the lot, where her car was waiting for her.

she nearly stumbled when she saw hector standing next to it.

"lillie," he said, his smile warm. "i've personally checked out the car and i can't find anything wrong with it. i thought if we took a drive, the problem might reappear and i could analyze it."

the offer to spend time with him was tempting, but she'd frittered away enough of his morning. "if you say it's in fine working order, then i'm sure it is. i trust you."

"i wouldn't mind, lillie."

"hector." her face shone as brightly as a lighthouse beacon. "there's nothing wrong with my vehicle," she said, making a spontaneous decision. "i apologize. i shouldn't have wasted your time." the most important thing at the moment was getting away with her dignity-or what remained of it-intact.

hector nodded. "we don't need to test your car, then?"

"we don't."

he opened the driver's door for her, and she climbed in. her hand trembled as she inserted the key in the ignition. the door was still open.

"do you...have you ever gone bowling?" the words came at her in a rush.

"bowling?" she repeated, frowning. "oh, sure, of course." this must be a day meant for lies. in her entire life, she'd never even stepped inside a bowling alley.

"i know it's short notice...i hope you don't mind my asking..."

"i don't mind." how eager she sounded. her heart did a silly dance while she tried to disguise her excitement at his invitation.

"tonight?" he asked.

"yes."

"six?"

"okay." she mentally reviewed her closet filled with misook and st. john suits. what did one wear bowling? barbie would know. barbie would help her. then she realized she couldn't tell barbie. not yet. later maybe, after she'd gone out with hector.

he grinned. "perhaps we should meet there?"

"that's fine." anywhere was fine.

with a verve that was almost boyish, he shut her door, but not before giving her the address of the bowling alley. "i'll look forward to seeing you this evening," he said.

"yes." lillie didn't know if she was going to dissolve into tears or giggles. either way, her actions today had been embarrassing-but she didn't care.

she was going to see hector tonight, and they wouldn't be talking about cars, either.

that evening, thanks to her navigation system, lillie located the bowling alley and got there at ten minutes to six. she wore beige linen slacks and a soft teal cashmere sweater with a floral silk scarf around her neck. earlier in the afternoon, she'd purchased tennis shoes and white cotton socks. with her makeup she'd gone for a light, natural look, and she'd worn her hair neatly tied back. every detail of her appearance had been closely scrutinized.

hector, dressed in a suit and tie, was waiting outside the entrance, and when he saw her, his eyes lit up. lillie knew exactly how he felt, because she felt the same happiness at seeing him.

as she approached, he held out his hands to her, and for a moment neither of them spoke. "thank you for agreeing to meet me."

"thank you for asking me." a little worried, she glanced at his suit. he looked as if he was about to attend a wedding. lillie hadn't realized bowling was such a formal sport.

"should i change my clothes?"

hector shook his head. "no, no, you look perfect."

"but you're wearing a suit...."

his cheeks reddened slightly. "my daughter said i should never have suggested bowling. she said you must think me a buffoon. would you care to dine with me, lillie? i apologize if i offended you by offering to take you bowling. it's been many years since i invited a woman out. i don't know how such things are done now."

all lillie really wanted was to be with hector. it didn't matter to her if they were in a five-star restaurant or knocking down pins in a bowling alley. "hmm. that's quite a decision."

"shall we have coffee and then decide?"

she nodded. "that's an excellent idea."

next they needed to figure out where to have coffee. they chose the cafe in the bowling alley, since that was the simplest alternative. hector led her to a booth in the corner. the menu was shaped like a bowling pin and the salt and pepper shakers were empty beer bottles. lillie was enchanted.

he slid into the booth across from her as she glanced happily around. the atmosphere reminded her of a fifties diner, the kind of place where the day's special was a double bacon cheeseburger with greasy fries. when she read the chalkboard, she saw that the special here was actually two cheese enchiladas with rice and beans.

hector raised his hand and the waitress brought coffee.

lillie leaned forward. "there was nothing wrong with my car." she'd told him as much earlier, but she wanted him to understand the reason for her pretense.

"oh, i knew that all along."

"you did?" that made it even more embarrassing. "i wanted to see you again," she said bluntly.

hector spooned sugar into his coffee. "i wanted to see you, too."

"but you didn't phone, you didn't ask.... my daughter and my friends urged me to contact you. they say that's how it's done nowadays."

"you didn't call me."

she avoided eye contact. "i wasn't sure how. i've never called a man-well, other than a professional or a friend."

"my daughter said if you agreed to see me after tonight, it would be a miracle. she crossed herself when i told her i invited you to go bowling."

lillie laughed. the cheerful clatter from the bowling alley made her curious and she noticed that everyone seemed to be having fun. "i have another confession to make."

"two confessions in a single night?"

"two," she said with a smile. "i've never been bowling."

this didn't appear to surprise him, either. "would you like to learn?" he asked.

"only if you're going to be my teacher."

from across the table he grinned at her and she was mesmerized. he'd captured her imagination and her senses with his unfailing courtesy, genuine charm and with his kindness.

when they finished their coffee, hector procured them a lane, fitted her with rented shoes, and then proceeded to show lillie how to bowl.

by the end of the evening, lillie had to admit she hadn't laughed this much in twenty years. it was gratifying-and completely unexpected-to discover that she had a certain knack for the sport. what they both found nothing short of hilarious was the fact that her ball rolled at the speed of an earthworm. she'd release it just the way hector instructed, return to her seat and wait while the bowling ball slowly but surely trundled down the narrow lane. after what seemed like minutes, the ball would connect with the pins. they'd fall lazily over, one at a time, almost in slow motion, knocking into one another.

people stopped to watch when the ball finally made contact and the pins started to tumble. once she managed to knock down nine pins, and the people in the next alley actually broke into applause.

hector-who was obviously an accomplished bowler, as his succession of strikes made clear-claimed he'd never seen anything like it. apparently, no one else had, either. the place was growing crowded, and lillie was unaccustomed to all the attention, which embarrassed her. all she could do was laugh.