Free A Change of Heart by Barbara Longley

side.
    “Brenda came by for Cory. You just missed her,” Ted answered. “She offered L&L employees a discount on haircuts.”
    “Humph,” Wesley grunted. “She does mine for free.”
    The remaining day crew left, and Ted went out the doors with them, heading for his Mustang. He had a date on Sunday. Cory didn’t think of it as a date, but he did. With someone as wary and skittish as she was, he’d have to find ways to circumvent her defenses, gain her trust and work his way into her heart before she even knew what was happening. The challenge gave him a new focus.
    He wanted to replace her bad memories with good, coax more of those heart-stopping smiles out of her and erase the hurt from those pretty brown eyes once and for all. Was he crazy? Probably, but he’d been far less restless at work since she’d joined them, and being around her did something to him. Every hard-earned look of trust she aimed his way turned his insides to mush and stole his breath.
    Watching her spirit ignite when she argued with him about updating their systems sent his pulse soaring, and the glint of competitiveness he’d witnessed when they talked about their bet gave him glimpses of the feisty woman she’d been before that asshole stole her fire.
    L&L was the perfect place for Corinna Marcel, and he intended to be there for her each step of the way as she returned to herself, full of confidence and ready to take on the world.

    Like every other Friday, Ted worked on payroll, hurrying to get it done. He couldn’t wait to see the pleased expression on Cory’s face when he handed over her first paycheck. Hell, he couldn’twait to pick her up on Sunday to take her to his folks’. He turned up his iPod dock and moved the ruler down to the next line on the spreadsheet.
    “Hey, kid.” Kyle stood in his doorway with his shoulders bunched forward. “I have a favor to ask.”
    “You’re much more likely to get that favor if you’d stop calling me kid,” Ted muttered to his desktop.
    “Huh?”
    Ted blew out a long breath and turned the volume down on his iPod. “What’s the favor, Kyle?”
    “I…uh…” He cleared his throat. “I asked Brenda Holt out for a date.”
    “Yeah? Good for you. What’s that got to do with me?”
    “She said she’d only go out with me on one condition.”
    Puzzled, Ted abandoned his spreadsheet and frowned. “And?”
    “It has to be a double date with Cory, and I thought you could be the fourth.”
    “Why me?” Ted leaned back in his chair, his thoughts spinning.
    “I don’t want any of the other guys on our crew along. You saw how they acted around Brenda.” His brow furrowed. “And you—”
    “I’m the safest choice?” Like he couldn’t possibly compete? Ted’s jaw clenched, and the familiar ache of inferiority twisted his gut.
    “No. It’s not like that. You didn’t seem interested in her, is all. Help me out here, will you? We’re talking bowling and pizza—completely casual.”
    “I’ll talk to Cory about it this Sunday.” Hell, what differencedid it make? He should be grateful for any chance he caught to spend time with her. “I can’t promise anything.”
    “Sunday?” Kyle’s eyes lit up. “What’s going with you two this Sunday?”
    Heat crept up his neck. He shouldn’t have let that slip. Speculation and gossip at work would not help his cause. “I’ll do you this favor if you’ll do one for me.”
    “Yeah?” Kyle’s eyes filled with amusement. “What’s that?”
    “Cory is coming to dinner at my folks’ house this Sunday. It’s not a date, just a friendly gesture to a newcomer. I’d—”
    “Just a friendly gesture, eh, kid?” Kyle smirked. “I’m a newcomer. You’ve never asked me to have dinner at your folks’.”
    Ted glared. “You want me to arrange this foursome or not?”
    Kyle’s smirk remained firmly in place. “Yep.”
    “Then keep that bit of information to yourself.”
    “Done.” He straightened up off the door