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“Some friends of mine are having a party tonight. You should come.”
Oh. Not a date, then. He already had plans.
She rolled her eyes to disguise how disappointed she was. “Pass.”
“It’ll cheer you up. Come on.”
She took another swig of beer to soothe the tightness in her throat. “I don’t think hanging out with a bunch of writers is going to cheer me up. No offense.”
“They’re not all writers. These are my undergrad friends. They’re cool. You’ll like them.”
She seriously doubted that. Even if they were the coolest of the cool, Esther plus party rarely equaled a good time. She wasn’t into making small talk with people she didn’t know unless there was a likelihood of sex in it for her at the end of the night. Even then, it was an ordeal. A gauntlet she had to run to claim the prize. She wasn’t in the mood for gauntlets tonight.
“Come on, what else are you going to do tonight? Sit around your apartment alone feeling sorry for yourself?”
That was exactly what she was going to do. “Did you not hear my sulking and drinking plan?”
His face crinkled with concerned disapproval. “Don’t do that. Come out with me and drink around other people. It’ll be more fun.” He leaned over and nudged her arm. “You know you don’t want to be alone.”
She didn’t. But she had no desire to go to a party either. She wanted to have him all to herself.
But she couldn’t very well ask him not to go. If she wanted to spend time with him, it would have to be on his terms.
She blew out a breath through her front teeth. “Fine.”
Esther couldn’t believe she was putting on more godforsaken makeup. Fresh foundation and blush and an extra coat of mascara. A darker lipstick than the tinted balm she wore to work. She’d even let her hair down and taken a curling iron to the ends. And changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a low-cut top with a coordinating scarf.
She’d wound up going to more trouble than she would have if she’d gone out with Jinny tonight.
Her carefully laid plan to spend the night snuggling on the couch with Jonathan had fallen to shambles. Not that she’d necessarily planned on snuggling with him. It was just that his limbs were long and her couch was only so big. Some physical contact was inevitable.
Well, she didn’t have to worry about that now. She’d be spending her evening trying to think of interesting things to say to strangers. Joy.
The way Jonathan’s eyes bulged when Esther opened the door made the effort she’d put into her appearance worth it. His gaze dropped furtively to her chest then quickly away again, giving her a sharp thrill of satisfaction.
He’d dressed up too. “I almost didn’t recognize you without a hat on,” she said, smirking at him. In addition to losing the beanie, he’d changed into a dark blue denim button down and black pants with ankle boots. Esther was getting to see Date Jonathan tonight.
He ran his hand through his hair. “Funny.”
“Don’t do that.” She reached up to smooth his hair back down. “I like your hair. You should show it off more often.” It was thick and silky soft, and it made her want to bury her fingers in it.
His mouth dimpled in surprise. “Really?”
She forced herself to stop petting his hair and dropped her hand to her side. “Yeah, really.”
His eyes slid up and down the length of her body, lingering on her cleavage again before skimming away. He cleared his throat, blushing a little. “You look very nice.”
My god, he was adorable. He smelled nice too. Clean and masculine, like some kind of piney soap, with no trace of cigarette smoke on him. She could get used to Date Jonathan.
She stepped outside and locked her apartment. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” As much as she appreciated Date Jonathan, the prospect of this stupid party filled her with dread. The only upside to the ordeal was that she’d be there with him.
“Don’t be negative,” he said. “You’re going to have fun.” He waited for her to stuff her keys in her pocket before presenting his arm like they were attending a cotillion. “I promise.”
She took his arm and let him lead her away. Like a lamb to the slaughter.
Chapter Eighteen
The sun was a blinding orange blaze in the rearview mirror as Jonathan drove toward downtown. The farther east they got, the more nervous Esther got. She sank into a moody silence and turned her face to the window, watching the palm trees and shiny glass buildings glide by in the coppery light.
