Oh, you know, because when I do, all I think about are the things I want to do to her and how I can’t, so I wrote them down because the building pressure is fucking torture.
Not that I am going to tell her all that.
She’s built me up in her mind as this villain she can never be friends with, let alone something more. Which is crazy because we have chemistry. Fighting or not, the energy between us is electric. How does she not see that? Hell, how does she not feel it?
I pull into the parking lot and push the ignition off.
“Should we just order it to go?” she asks before reaching for the handle.
“No, why would we do that?”
She twists to face me. “Because this is weird, isn’t it?”
“Dinner?”
“Us. Eating dinner together. Out. Like we are on a date.”
I nod my head a little. “Yeah, it is a little out of the ordinary for us. I won’t lie there, but come on, Calla. Nothing about our situation is normal. Every day is about going with the flow, and right now, the flow is eating dinner. A big fat taco and lots and lots of chips.”
She presses her lips together to hold back her smile.
I want to reach over and brush my hand to her cheek and tell her she can relax with me, that it’s okay to be happy around me, but she jumps out before I get the chance.
I follow her, a crisp mid-September breeze brushing her hair over her shoulder. She grips the front of her jacket tighter around her body.
I open the door to the restaurant, and she steps inside. My stomach rumbles at the smell of freshly baked chips.
“Wow, you really are hungry.”
“Famished.”
I hold two fingers up to the waitress. She smiles in return. I’ve been here enough times to know that half the staff doesn’t speak English, but they are some of the most polite people I’ve ever met.
She shows us to a booth, and Calla and I take separate sides.
Water and chips and salsa are set in front of us immediately, and neither of us waste time digging in.
“Did you not eat today because you were working on your book?” Calla asks.
I let out a sigh.
“Attempting to write one, yes.”
I’d fill her in on my issue, but I don’t want to ruin the night. I still don’t even know if I’m going to say yes to Doug. But fuck, I don’t think I have a choice unless I want to say goodbye to my reputation.
“Does this happen often?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Normally, I can solve a wonky plot pretty fast, but I’ve been a little distracted.”
“I wonder why,” she says, looking past me and sipping her water.
“Yeah, I wonder.”
Her gaze flicks briefly to mine. I wish she let me look into her eyes longer, but this is Calla. I’m fascinated with a woman who likes to keep me on her toes. Perhaps I need to remind her that the two of us know each other a lot better than we think.
“Let me guess,” I say as she sets her menu down. “You’re going to get the steak fajita salad without the tortilla shell, extra lettuce, and light on the peppers.”
Shit. I do know her.
