She made no gesture to give him change. “We’re not finished.”

  “Huh? I need to get back to work.” He checked the time. He had a planning meeting in an hour and a half.

  “Me too. One hundred, and you have a bargain.” Denise smiled.

  “What?” He tried to lower his voice so as not to disturb Gina. Landon thought forty dollars was generous. He had no idea of the value of art.

  At the end of the haggling, Landon paid seventy-five dollars. Surely, that was a tax write-off.

  “Sold, and for your generosity, I have two tickets,” she whispered, “to Shen Yun. And for the record, I can’t conduct auctions because it’s a conflict of interest since it’s our charity, but that was fun, and I’ll make sure the foundation manager gets the proceeds.”

  “What?” Landon shook his head in disbelief. This sister was cunning. “She who?”

  “Shhh. It’s a performance of Chinese culture, costumes, music, and dance.”

  No was on his tongue when Denise said, “I got these tickets from a client, and my sister loves these performances. Of course, you have to spring for dinner because it will be a date.”

  This woman was over-the-top scary. Landon was too dumbfounded to speak. First, she had weaseled him to overpay for this Black angel—he didn’t let go of his money that easily.

  Now, she had set him up on a date without his permission. But he wasn’t complaining. Landon wanted to find out if all the things Denise said about her sister were true, like eating cereal at night because she didn’t have time in the mornings or having three favorite colors and wearing them all the time in some variety.

  “It’s this weekend, so you might want to cancel if you have other plans. The tickets can only be used to take my sister, so if you have a girlfriend, I rescind my offer.”

  Shaking his head, Landon chuckled in disbelief. Who was running his life—him or this woman? “Not interested.” Did he say that?

  “Liar. I’m trying to help you out here. I saw the way you looked at my sister. She is more than a pretty face.”

  Among other things, he remembered his unexpected attraction to Gina the first time he saw her. After the pleasantries, they clashed on charity work. But she seemed to have won via Denise since Landon handed over his money without knowing how it would support the child.

  “These tickets are valued at two hundred and fifty dollars. Don’t let them go to waste.” With that said, she laid them on the counter, inched them closer to him, walked away, and kissed her sister goodbye. “Don’t work too hard, sis. Bye, Landon Michaels.”

  Taking a seat, Landon tried to figure out how he had just been ambushed.

  Gina looked up at him when she ended the call with a client and asked, “Can I help you? My sister sold you the Christmas piece that came in, which she shouldn’t have because that’s the charity manager’s job to assign an opening bid price, which probably would have been more. But the money will get to them. Trust me. Thank you for supporting Every Day Is Christmas.”

  His mind captured her smile for instant playback. This was a refreshing moment. Although Denise was entertaining, Gina fascinated him. He slipped the tickets in his pants pocket. He needed to leave but had this small window to speak with Gina. “You’re welcome. I do think it’s overpriced—”

  She cut him off. “Can you put a price on investing in children’s future?” She didn’t allow him to answer. “No. Most of our ornaments and Christmas-themed items are crafts by talented children trying to earn money for softball uniforms, piano lessons, or whatever creative ventures spark their curiosity.”

  Landon held up his hands in surrender. “I apologize. As you saw a few weekends ago, my philosophy on investing in children differs from yours. I like to spend time with them as a mentor.”

  “That’s time I don’t have,” she told him. “I like my weekends to be my own.”

  “I hope you will after April fifteenth. What do you do for fun?”

  “My sister and I hang out mostly, or occasionally, I’ll meet up with a couple of friends.”

  Yes, the reason for Denise’s ambush. Landon exhaled, not sure if that was his open door. “I have two tickets to see a Chinese performance, Chen Won. Would you like to go?”

  “Shen Yun?” She didn’t hide her surprise or delight. “I’m sorry, but I already have a date.”

  “Right. If it’s with your sister, she gave me your tickets.”

  “What?” She stood. Gina was not happy. Her nostrils flared, and she stomped her feet hard enough to break a heel, but it didn’t give.

  Landon stepped closer to the desk. “We’ve been ambushed. If you don’t mind, let’s get to know each other over this date.”

  “Is this a date?” She jutted her chin and folded her arms.

  “Bad choice of words. So it’s not a formal date because a man never allows a woman to pay. Never.”

  Gina was quiet, and her features softened. “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”

  “I’d rather pick you up.”

  “It’s not a date.” She smiled as her next client walked in.

  “You win for now.” Landon walked out the door to return to his job.

  Chapter Five

  Gina phoned her parents on Saturday morning. Despite the anticipation of another amazing Chinese performance, she was nervous Landon would be there as her date or escort, a man she didn’t want to be attracted to. “Track my whereabouts.”

  She told them how Denise had given the tickets to a man she knew little about to be Gina’s date. “I’ll pay her back! She knows how much I look forward to going, and she set me up.”

  Her mother, Patrice Christmas, always played the mediator between Gina and her sister. “Denise is a good judge of character. She wouldn’t put you in harm’s way. And we know God can dispatch an army of angels to protect you.” She was on speakerphone.

  Gina’s dad, Ray, was in the background. “And you did say yes.”

  “It was a conspiracy.” Gina tried not to fume as she got ready.

  “Find out as much as you can about him. A photo ID is even better,” Ray said.

  “He did give me his business card. His name is Landon Michaels—”

  “Highway to Heaven,” her mom said as if she was playing a game show.

  “Right. His grandmother was a fan.” Gina chuckled. “He’s a civil engineer with Claymount Engineering Company.”

  “That’s a good job,” her father said. “You need to find out if he’s paying alimony or child support.”

  “Your father has a point. I pray that my girls would step into the pathway of a good-looking, God-fearing, family-oriented man. Pray for discernment. There are a lot of copycat Christians out there.”

  “Don’t I know it,” she mumbled before they ended the call.

  Gina loved her older sister, but she was ready to strangle her when she found out what Denise had done, and all Gina needed was one minute in between appointments to threaten her. “And I thought you were auctioning off artwork. Instead, you were auctioning me off!” She didn’t hide her hurt feelings.

  “Girl, please. Landon is doing us a favor. He wouldn’t have accepted the tickets and asked you out if he wasn’t attracted to you. You could have said no if you didn’t want to go with him.”

  There was no way Gina wanted to miss the performance. Hopefully, he would sleep through it so she could enjoy it without interruption. Between nervousness and attitude, Gina wasn’t in a forgiving mood to let Denise off the hook. She called her while getting dressed.

  Denise answered in a cheerful tone. “Are you excited?”

  So her sister was playing games. “Yes, to see the performance. No to Landon being there with my ticket. I don’t know this man.”

  “You will after today,” Denise said in a sing-song tone. “He has my stamp of approval.”

  “Girl, it’s one day shy of April first, and we’re too old for April Fool’s jokes. I can’t believe you did this.”

  “Stop protesting and get pretty. I’m dropping you off, so you don’t have to drive. If you’re uncomfortable with Landon taking you home afterward, call me, and I’ll come and get you.”

  “This is a matinee, and I can park in a garage.”

  “Not by yourself.”

  “Says the woman now concerned about my safety.”

  After they ended the call, Gina showered, applied her makeup, and eyed her clothes in her closet. Why was she second-guessing her attire? With spring on the horizon, she had planned to wear her powder blue dress and duster set, but now?

  She tapped her chin, careful not to smudge her makeup. “Why am I obsessing over what to wear? Landon is taking me by default—or ambush, as he called it.”

  Gina liked attending cultural events. They made her appreciate her diversity. She piled her hair on top of her head, looped earrings through her ears, and threw a kiss at her reflection as her doorbell rang.

  She peeped out the window to double-check that Denise had not handed over Gina’s address as part of her match-making mission.

  Denise’s navy blue Benz was in the driveway. Of all the professionals her sister worked with as a sales rep, Gina was surprised she didn’t have someone special in her life. But payback was coming one day soon enough.

  In truth, dating didn’t seem to be on a woman’s side, regardless of her looks, education, and confidence. Gina slipped on her duster and opened the door.

  Her sister stood there, squinting and scrutinizing her, then bobbed her head. “I approve. You look pretty. I hope you enjoy your date.” Denise grinned as the two walked to her car.

  “According to Mr. Michaels,” Gina paused to slide into the car and snap her seatbelt, “this is not a date because he’s not paying.”

  “Ooh, a man with integrity. I like him even more.” Grinning, Denise steered her car to the highway to Stifel Theatre.

  Once Denise was downtown, she maneuvered her car through the crowd to get Gina as close as possible to the entrance.

  “I’ll jump out here. It’s not a far walk. I hope Landon doesn’t stand me up with those tickets.”

  “Me either. Enjoy.”

  Gina stepped out and joined the others at the light to cross the street. As she climbed the stairs with everyone else, she looked up, made eye contact with Landon, and almost tripped.

  Landon stood magnificent in a tailored royal blue suit that had heads turning. His tie and pocket handkerchief were a contrast but color coordinated. Suddenly, Gina felt attendees had parted a path for them.

  He descended quickly toward her to catch her before she fell. His strong hand lifted her with ease, and Landon guided her up the remaining stairs to the landing. “You look beautiful,” he said as his eyes twinkled in appreciation.

  Sucking in her breath, Gina thanked him. She felt beautiful, hoping the concealer camouflaged the dark circles and tired lines around her eyes. When was the last time she was given a compliment? Not during tax season, for sure.

  The two entered the theater after passing through a metal detector. Landon showed their tickets to the usher, who guided them up the stairs.

  “I have to say I feel uncomfortable accepting the tickets when I could have paid for them myself.”

  His admission made Gina respect him more. “Thank you for saying that.”

  With his hand on her arm, Landon kept her steady as they climbed the stairs to another level.

  “Did you want any popcorn or something to drink? If you let me, I plan to take you to dinner afterward.”

  Gina didn’t commit. She hoped Denise didn’t plan that, too.

  As expected, Denise had gotten them perfect seats. Landon asked again if she wanted anything. She declined, zooming in on couples, some with matching colors, who seemed happy for the outing. Do Landon and I look like a couple? she wondered.

  The lights faded to dark as the commentators appeared on stage. The woman spoke in Chinese, and the male translated in English.

  “You’re going to love this,” Gina whispered as she braced to be wowed. The large screen unfolded and stretched across one end of the stage to another. Soon, the battle on the virtual screen seemed to jump onto the stage, and the story began.

  Surprisingly, Landon seemed just as engaged whenever she glanced at him. Gina was impressed.

  When the intermission was announced an hour and a half later, Landon was speechless.

  “Impressed, huh?”

  “Yes.” He looked surprised and smiled at her.

  Gina blushed. He seemed nice enough to get to know.

  Two and a half hours later, by the end of the show, Landon couldn’t stop singing the show’s praises. It was as if he met Jesus.

  Without asking for permission, Landon held her hand as if it were natural between them while he guided her out of the auditorium. She didn’t protest his touch, which made her hand tingle. Landon seemed aware of the spark and squeezed her hand before she could remove it.

  They walked through the doors outside, and Landon faced her. “This is where it could end or begin with us.”

  Us. She wanted to say there wasn’t an “us” but held her peace.

  “We can go to dinner, and I’ll take you home, or I’ll wait with you for your sister to pick you up, which is a bad choice. Or you can allow me a date without interference from your sister.”

  Gina tilted her head as she studied him for the first time. She noticed the slight dimple when he was about to smile but didn’t. His stare was intense yet warm, never wavering as people moved around them. “Since you gave me three choices, I’ll pick numbers one and three.”

  She giggled.

  He frowned.

  “I didn’t know I gave you so many choices.” He reached for her hand and squeezed. “So what did you agree to?”

  “I’m an accountant. Numbers are my game. One is for you to take me to dinner and then home, which will be my parents’ house. Heads up, they have tracking on my phone and probably have a drone flying overhead.”

  He glanced up and squinted in the sky. “Tell me you’re kidding.”

  “I am, but put nothing past my family. And yes to going on a real date. Any man who enjoys aerobatics during a fight scene can’t be all bad.”

  His hearty laugh rumbled from his stomach. “Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll get the car and bring it around?”

  Gina nodded, then tracked his swagger down the stairs before he blended in with the crowd.

  She sighed. If today’s “not a date” outing turned into the “best date ever,” Gina would owe Denise big time. If not, Denise wouldn’t hear the last of it.

  Chapter Six

  Landon had been on two blind dates in his life, both disastrous. Today was a setup date, and it had a different feel. Not only was he engrossed in the performance, the company was stunning.

  Gina was carefree, relaxed, and beaming with happiness as she followed the show—the opposite of the all-business woman he first met.

  “Do you have a preference or food allergies?” he asked after he helped her into his car.

  “That’s considerate of you to ask, but I don’t,” she said as her phone chimed with an alert. She looked down and laughed, then tapped away her response. Gina turned to him. “That was our matchmaker.”

  “Tell her I owe her more for those tickets.” Landon chuckled. “I had a good time.” And that surprised him.

  “She didn’t pay for them. Denise gets them free from her clients all the time.”

  So, the joke was on him. When her sister told him the value of the tickets, Landon felt obligated not to let them go to waste.

  Once they arrived at the Thai restaurant, Gina seemed delighted in his choice.

  At the entrance, an unkempt man dressed in torn clothes, worn brown boots, and an oversized dirty khaki coat looked at them. His eyes pleaded with them not to ignore him.

  “Can you spare some change?” He stretched out his dirty palm.

  Landon moved his mouth from side to side. This man needed food, not a handout. “What can I get you here to eat?”

  His eyes lit up. “Sir, I can eat anything. I’m so hungry.”

  The raw pain in the beggar’s voice made Landon ache. “Done.” He touched Gina’s back to guide her up the stairs, but she didn’t budge as she fumbled with her wallet.

  “That’s not necessary. I got him,” Landon tried to dissuade her.

  She jutted her chin. “He asked for change.” Gina handed him a ten-dollar bill.

  Landon said nothing as the man accepted it. Watch him disappear now, he thought.

  The man didn’t need Landon to order him food. Gina gave him money. A tear fell from the man’s eye with his whispered thanks.

  Judgment belongs to Me! God thundered.

  Landon repented silently.

  “Come on. He’s waiting on his order,” Gina said and stepped toward the doors. Once they were shown to their table, Landon kept his word. “Although we’re eating here, I would like to place a to-go order of whatever you can cook fast,” he told their hostess. “Please add bottled water and dessert.” Then he nodded for Gina. She ordered a chicken cashew wheat noodle dish while Landon’s mouth watered for teriyaki chicken and rice.

  When the woman left to do his bidding, Gina smiled. “That was nice of you.”

  Landon accepted the compliment, but his mind was still on God’s rebuke even though Landon’s generosity was worth more than ten bucks. “Tell me, what attracted you to accounting?”

  “It’s on the building—Christmas Tax Help for All Seasons. My grandfather had smart sense. Without a formal education, he was self-taught in managing money. He could easily have been a financial advisor in his day. Instead, he showed people how to save money on their taxes and save money, period. My dad went to school, and he helped grow the business. I wanted to be like them.”

  Landon admired that Gina was down to earth. “Is that why you started the charity?”

  “Oh no.” Gina shook her head and waved her finger while leaning forward. Were her eyes always that alluring, or was this the first time he noticed? Landon wanted to meet her midway as if she was about to whisper a secret, but Gina smirked instead. “It’s my turn for the next question. What do you have against charities?”