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“Ready?” Parker asked once we pulled up to the valet of a very posh-looking restaurant.
I nodded and glued a perma-smile to my face.
He handed off the keys and came around to escort me inside. I placed my arm on his and it felt weird. Parker had a similar build to Cooper, but for whatever reason, even just holding his arm felt completely different and I was grateful when our host seated us on opposite ends of a small table for two in the center of the restaurant. I glanced around, and realized that this was the perfect place to be seated when you wanted to see and be seen. I considered Parker and realized he probably was that kind of guy.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt a little guilty for pre-judging so much about the guy across from me, but for some reason, I couldn’t turn off my own critical eye.
Once Parker had placed an order for a bottle of wine and some kind of fancy appetizer, he turned his attention back to me. “You know, this almost didn’t happen tonight.”
My brow wrinkled at his odd statement. “What do you mean?”
“Cooper came to see me—after he’d left your office, I’m assuming.”
I sucked in my breath and gripped the cloth napkin draped across my lap.
“He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was not allowed to have anything to do with you. Outside of the office, that is.”
I couldn’t breathe. A strange mix of terror and anger wrapped around my lungs, making it impossible to exhale.
Parker laughed softly and reached a hand across the table towards my hand. “It’s all right. I’ve known Cooper for a long time now. He’s a lot of hot air, if you ask me.”
It might be true that Parker had known him longer, but I would argue that by now, I might have a more complete picture of who he actually was. Which seemed ridiculous, considering how little I actually knew about my mysterious, sometimes lover.
“Did he say anything else?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual, before taking a sip of wine.
“No. He’s weird sometimes. It’s not like no one has ever dated in the office before.” Parker paused and took a sip of his own wine. “I mean, you guys didn’t have a thing or something, did you?”
I almost spit out my mouthful of wine.
Alarm bells were ringing in my head and I wanted to get up and bolt from the restaurant. My eyes darted around the restaurant, as if expecting Cooper to pop up from one of the surrounding tables and yell, “aha!”
He held up a hand before I could speak. “Sorry, totally inappropriate. This isn’t the time to open the ex-files. Let’s talk about something else.”
“Um, aren’t you worried that he’s going to get mad? I mean, couldn’t he fire you?”
Parker shrugged. “I doubt it. Brighton Enterprises is a little too…fragile…for that right now. Like it or not, Cooper needs me. Besides, we go way back.”
I tried to feel as relaxed as Parker looked, but I couldn’t unwind the panic seizing in my chest.
“Enough about all that,” Parker said. “So, you said you were from Kansas. Did I tell you that I went there once?”
I shook my head and he launched into some story of a road trip from hell that ended in a family reunion that made the road tri
p seem like a vacation. His story was quite animated, and I was sure that under other circumstances, I would have found the entire thing quite charming. As it was, all I could muster was feigned interest while the majority of my brain reeled, trying to keep it together so I didn’t have a panic attack in the middle of the restaurant.
The rest of the so-called date passed in a blur of Parker’s overly self-indulgent stories about his life. By the time he pulled up to my apartment complex, I was relieved to be home so I could stop worrying about Cooper popping out from behind the bushes, but also to finally get some peace and quiet. Parker’s endless ramblings had made it impossible to fully analyze the situation at hand.
Parker unbuckled his seat belt and I looked over. “Let me walk you up.”
I wanted to say no, but figured it would be rude. Parker might have been mentally exhausting, but he was a nice guy and I didn’t want him to think I was a bitch.
He opened the car door for me and led the way back to my apartment. We hesitated outside my front door. I nervously jingled my keys, trying to figure out how to get him to go away.
He mis-read my cue and leaned into me. My whole body rattled with panic as I jolted back, hitting my back against the door frame. I could feel my eyes were popped wide open as I stared at him. Parker frowned and seemed confused. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no, everything was lovely. Thank you so much, Parker.” Before I could stop myself, I extended my hand out for him to shake.
He took my hand and squeezed before I turned and jammed the key into the lock on my front door. I disappeared inside and shut the door behind me.
