“I bet if you’re nice to her, she’ll even sleep with you.”
He doesn’t move. A frown creases his forehead.
I take out my phone. “I will call your older brother. Keep trying me.”
McCarthy finally leaves with a scowl.
I order two glasses of wine and try to catch my breath.
McCarthy is leaning over the table. He gently pokes Juniper in the nose with one of the vegan twig appetizers. He’s flirting with her, trailing his hand up her arms, playing with the delicate rings on her fingers.
I know what two people that are about to hook up look like.
I wave my empty glass in the general direction of the bartender.
The bartender just sets the bottle in front of me before I can turn, almost falling off my stool.
“Jenna?”
Ah, my dinner date. The room is blurry, and I try to blink the guy into focus.
“At least you’re age appropriate.” I hold out my hand then decide “fuck it” and give him a one-armed hug.
He doesn’t return it.
“You looked younger in your photos.”
“Yeah.” I glug the last of the bottle of wine into my cup. “I was a younger girl yesterday. Don’t worry”—my voice drops to a whisper—“I’ll put out.”
That gets his interest.
I think about my dinner order. Maybe the seafood pasta?
Kyle? Cole? is droning on about some entrepreneurship book he just read, which just sounds likeChicken Soup for the Tech-Bro Soul.
Across the room, McCarthy’s whistling the tune of that “What’s your name, who’s your daddy?” song, the notes sharp against the burble of the crowd.
“It’s just that for me to be successful, I need a traditional woman—a woman who knows she needs to cater to a man. Honestly, women today? They’re too independent, and too many men let them get away with it. Like that guy.” He nods over to McCarthy and Juniper. “He’s got the right idea. That girl’s—what? Twenty?”
“Twenty-two. She has a very elaborate skin care routine.”
“Still young enough that she’ll still be moldable.” He nods. “I want a wife who will look up to me, let me guide her.”
Revolting.
McCarthy’s date yells at him and dumps her drink on him.
“Dammit!” I swear as she jumps up and storms over to me.
“You shouldn’t let him out in public.”
McCarthy swaggers over. “For someone who claims she’s treating dating like her full-time job, shereally needs to work on her customer service. Guess she can’t just take a joke.”
“Oh.” Juniper looks apprehensive.
“Yeah, I heard that.” McCarthy levels his gaze at her.
“You…” She looks between McCarthy, high on his perceived win, and me, drunk and practically falling off my stool. “You two deserve each other.”
