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Jerome stared at her until she stopped. “Have I insulted you with my opinions?”
“No, not insulted. I appreciate the honesty, but we should probably draw a line under it. I’m not looking for a guy who spreads his seed around, whether it’s an evolutionary necessity or not.”
Her date straightened his shoulders and shifted in his seat.
“Okay, then. If that’s what you’d prefer.”
“That’s definitely what she’d prefer, buddy.”
“Not your business,” she called out softly.
Dex made a zipping motion across his lips and dipped his head, but she could tell he was smiling when he did it, which made her want to smile as well.
She looked up as Jerome stood. “Sorry about my friend.” But not really.
“I’ve seen him online, so I guess I should consider myself lucky to get out of here with my nose intact.”
On that prim statement, Jerome upped and left.
She folded one of her paper napkins, a touch prim herself. “Happy?”
“Thrilled,” Dex said. “Don’t tell me you were having a good time.”
“Okay, I won’t.”
The scape of the chair Dex wasn’t using at his table sounded like an invitation. (He had pushed it out a few inches with his foot.)
“Excuse me?”
“I’d rather not sit in the same chair as your date. Come visit.”
“Do you promise not to talk about spreading your seed?”
He gave a cheery salute. “Scout’s honor.”
She picked up her tea, napkins, and purse and headed over. Once seated, she took a good look at her new coffee shop companion.
Handsome as ever, but a pronounced weariness pulled at his eyes. “You okay?”
“Me? I should be asking you that.”
“But I asked first.” She smiled at him. “You seem a bit on edge.”
He shook his head, then seemed to revise his opinion. “I’ve just been dwelling on the past, and how it really shouldn’t have anything to do with the present or future, but somehow always manages to find a way.”
She hadn’t expected that, but it was rather in tune with her own thoughts.
“And this is the result.”
A negligent shrug of those broad shoulders. “I’m trying to be a good guy, but then I scare off perfect strangers because I don’t like what’s coming out of their mouths. Should I apologize?”
“To Jerome?”
“To you.”
She chewed on her lip. “I had it under control, so I didn’t need your input.”
“But?”
