Free Be My Valentine by Debbie Macomber Page A

stumble upon you and Dianne the first time you met. Life is so ironic, isn’t it?”
    â€œOh, yes, life is very ironic,” Dianne said. Steve sent her a subtle smile, and she couldn’t hold back an answering grin.
    â€œIt was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Louise finished.
    Â 
    â€œCan you believe that Louise Lester?” Steve said later. They were sitting in his luxury sedan waiting for their turn to pull out of the crowded parking lot.
    â€œNo,” Dianne said simply. She’d managed to make it through the rest of the dinner, but it had demanded every ounce of poise and self-control she possessed. From the moment they’d walked in the front door until the time Steve helped her put on her coat at the end of the evening, they’d been the center of attention. And the main topic of conversation.
    Like a bumblebee visiting a flower garden, Louise Lester had breezed from one dinner table to the next, spreading the story of how Dianne and Steve had met and how she’d been there to witness every detail.
    â€œI’ve never been so…” Dianne couldn’t think of a word that quite described how she’d felt. “This may have been the worst evening of my life.” She slumped against the back of the seat and covered her eyes.
    â€œI thought you had a good time.”
    â€œHow could I?” she cried, dropping her hand long enough to glare at him. “The first thing I get hit with is that you’re some rich playboy.”
    â€œCome on, Dianne. Just because I happen to own a business doesn’t mean I’m rolling in money.”
    â€œPort Blossom Towing is one of the fastest-growing enterprises in Kitsap County,” she said, repeating what Sam Horton had been happy to tell her. “What I don’t understand is why my mother hasn’t heard of you. She’s been on the lookout for eligible men for months. It’s a miracle she didn’t—” Dianne stopped abruptly.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œMy mother was looking all right, but she was realistic enough to stay in my own social realm. You’re a major-league player. The only men my mother knows are in the minors—butchers, teachers, everyday sort of guys.”
    Now that she thought about it, however, her mother had seemed to recognize Steve’s name when Dianne first mentioned it. She probably had heard of him, but couldn’t remember where.
    â€œMajor-league player? That’s a ridiculous analogy.”
    â€œIt isn’t. And to think I approached you, offering you money to take me to this dinner.” Humiliation washed over her again, then gradually receded. “I have one question—why didn’t you already have a date?” The dinner had been only five days away, so surely the most eligible bachelor in town, a man who could have his choice of women, would’ve had a date!
    He shrugged. “I’m not seeing anyone.”
    â€œI bet you got a good laugh when I offered to pay you.” Not to mention the fact that she’d made such a fuss over his owning a proper suit.
    â€œAs a matter of fact, I was flattered.”
    â€œNo doubt.”
    â€œAre you still upset?”
    â€œYou could say that, yes.” Upset was putting it mildly.
    Since Dianne’s house was only a couple of miles from the community center, she reached for her purse and checkbook. She waited until he pulled into the driveway before writing a check and handing it to him.
    â€œWhat’s this?” Steve asked.
    â€œWhat I owe you. Since I didn’t know the exact cost of Jill’s stuffed animal, I made an educated guess. The cost of the roses varies from shop to shop, so I took an average price.”
    â€œI don’t think you should pay me until the evening’s over,” he said, opening his car door.
    As far as Dianne was concerned, it had been over the minute she’d learned who he was. When he came