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The bite of food in my mouth turns to paste and I swallow. Offering Chad a polite smile, I say, “Yeah, I know what you mean. To be honest, though, this is my first blind date.”
“Really?”
I nod, wondering why he sounds surprised.Am I supposed to have gone on a ton of blind dates by the time I’m eighteen?
Ping.
JACE: You’re too good for him.
A wet sort of smacking noise draws me up short. I glance up to see Chad eating his chicken parmesan with his mouth open. The food rolls around his tongue as he smacks his lips, chewing, and I quickly drop my gaze.
Okay, so he’s not the politest eater.
Chomp, chomp, smack.
And he’s loud.Reallyloud.
I clench my teeth as I try to ignore the mashing sound of Chad’s mandibles across from me.It doesn’t matter that loud eaters are your biggest pet peeve, you can get past this. In the grand scheme of things, eating loud is a small thing.
Chomp, chomp, smack.
I shudder.Oh my God, I’m gonna carve my ears off with my butter knife.
What am I thinking? I’m not freaking desperate. I don’t need a man so badly I have to put up with something I hate. Why am I still here?
Because I don’t want to give Jace the satisfaction of knowing he’s right and I’m having a miserable time.
I flick my gaze to Jace over Chad’s shoulder and catch a self-satisfied smirk.
Right. I can do this.
Chomp, chomp, smack.
Never mind. I can’t do this.
I shoot up from my chair so fast, I nearly knock it over.
Startled, a speck of food falls from Chad’s mouth onto his lip. I think I might barf.
Pressing a hand to my stomach, I mumble, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to . . .” I trail off with a jerk of the thumb as I turn and make a beeline for the restrooms we passed on our way in.
I catch Charlotte’s worried gaze as I pass, but ignore it. She’ll have to assume I’m fine.
My feet fly over the polished concrete floors as I contemplate my next move. I could ask Jace to take me home and listen to him gloat. Or I could simply spend the next twenty minutes in the bathroom until it’s safe to come out and Chad has finished his supper. It runs the risk of him thinking I’m in here taking a giant shit, but at this point, it feels like the safer bet.
The palms of my hands meet the thick oak door of the bathroom as I push inside. The door swings shut behind meand I don’t take more than two feet before a familiar embrace swallows me up, wrapping around me like a warm scarf.
I jump as my heart claws into my throat.
In the back of my brain, I know it’s Jace, but it doesn’t matter. Memories flood my brain, taking me with them on the current. For one frightening moment, I’m back at Riverside, inside the high school locker room where fear clogs my throat.
It’s pitch black. I’m searching to see ifhe’sinside waiting for me. Without windows, it’s so dark, I can barely see my hand in front of my face and the light switch won’t work. Thick arms come around me, pinning me against the cold metal.
A gravelly hum rumbles through my chest from behind, and I blink, waiting as the image in my mind fades and the bathroom comes into view again.
I remember where I am—the restroom at Pizzuto’s—submerged in the masculine scent of citrus and cedar.
The arms holding me weaken as I turn around to face a grinning Jace. “Miss me?”
