“You know better than to keep secrets from your brothers, man.” Austin was the last to leave the ice, and was grinning like the others. “But I feel for you. They’re not gonna let up till they figure out who the hell she is. Isn’t it driving you fucking crazy?”
“To be honest, it’s kinda nice being anonymous sometimes.”
“I get it. With big skates comes big responsibility.”
Linc nodded, and prayed his teammates wouldn’t find out who she was, at least not yet. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to know who he’d been talking to, he just wasn’t ready to accept the rejection when she found out who he was.
***
“Your party is already seated.” The server tucked two menus under her arm and led him through the restaurant.
Will had asked him to dinner. Linc had said yes under the assumption that it was a team thing, but the waitress led him to a two-seater table, with a woman sitting with her back to him.What, the fucking fuck?
Linc slid onto the seat facing the woman who gave him a shy smile. She had long, wavy black hair, the darkest brown eyes he’d ever seen, and her sandycomplexion, smooth and tawnywas flawless. If she wasn’t a model, he’d eat his shoe. “I’ll give you a minute to look at the menus. Drinks?”
She ordered a Dr Pepper and he asked for an iced water with lemon. Who was this girl? Why was he here?
“Mr. Morrison asked me to give you this.” The server handed him a menu with a folded sticky note stuck to the front of it. He unfolded the sticky note.This one isn’t Miss Bennet, but she’s gorgeous, and in-the-flesh. You’re welcome – Will.Linc tried to stop his eyes from rolling.P.S. Dinner’s on me.
The food better be good. He’d never tried the Ethiopian restaurant before, but he was going to order one of everything on the menu just to get back at his interfering, Cupid-wannabe captain.
She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I’m not what you expected, huh?”
Linc’s face burned with embarrassment. Blind dates were awful at the best of times, but when it was a surprise blind date… it was a new level of mortification that Linc had been unprepared to face when he woke up that morning. “You could say that. I thought I was meeting the team for dinner.”
Her jaw dropped open, and a small giggle escaped her as she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh no. They didn’t.”
If the ground opened up and swallowed him whole from his humiliation it would be a mercy killing. “They did.” He groaned, hanging his head in his hand. “I… never mind.”
“If you wanna leave, we totally can. I don’t mind.”
“Oh hell no. We’re eating this place out of all the food they have. Will’s paying.”
Her grin was infectious. But it didn’t set his heart on fire. His fingers itched to pull the phone from his pocket and message Elizabeth. They ordered sambusas and curry – vegetarian for her – and Linc asked for a refill on his water.
“What were you going to say? Why do your friends hate you so much they sent you on a surprise blind date?”
“You don’t wanna know.” His cell phone buzzed in his pants, and a bolt of joy struck him straight in the chest. He was a goner.
“Sounds like exactly the kind of story I want to know.” She sipped her Dr. Pepper. “Actually, hold that thought. I need the restroom – be right back.”
He gave her a small smile, pulling out his phone before she’d even turned her back to him, but his stomach sank when it wasn’t Elizabeth. The message was from Will, asking what he thought of Sabrina. Sabrina. He hadn’t even asked the woman’s name. Because she wasn’t Elizabeth.
Linc: You doing okay, milady?
Elizabeth: Why, Mr. Darcy, I thought you had forgotten me.
Linc: Never in a million years.
This girl had worked her way into his life and he had no desire to shake her loose. Not even for the striking beauty walking toward him from the bathroom.
“Okay, whoeversheis, you should be withherright now, not me.”
“Hmm?”
The server placed the plate of sambusas between them and poured a refill of water for Linc.
“Whoever it was who made you smile like that. Why aren’t you with her?” She picked up a sambusa, the crisp filo pastry crunched as she bit into it with a moan. “These are so freakin’ good.”
