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“Yeah,” I said softly. “Thanks for telling me. But I hardly know the guy. I don’t have any expectations yet.”
Except that I did.
And now they’d been dashed.
Chapter Twelve
Brad
Daphne Wade looked even more beautiful than she had last night.
Hell, even in a bathrobe with knotted hair and nausea, the woman had been a goddess. Of course, I’d seen beautiful women before. It wasn’t her beauty that attracted me so much. It was something else. Something I still couldn’t quite put my finger on.
She was quiet tonight. She sat beside me in the passenger seat of my truck, and once we got to Westminster, she guided me to the pizza place.
Murphy and Patty sat in the back seat, talking about nothing in particular and making out a little.
“Are you still mad about me decking that guy last night?” I finally asked.
“No.”
Okay, then what was the problem?
We pulled into Rosetti’s Pizza and Pasta, and I parked the car.
“It’s a weeknight,” Daphne said, “so we should be able to get right in.”
True to her word, we were soon seated in a booth opposite Murph and Patty. I ordered a pitcher of Coke and then cleared my throat. “This was your idea,” I said to Daphne, “so what do you recommend?”
“The New York–style pizza, with whatever toppings you want. I’m having mushroom and black olive.”
“What about pepperoni?” I asked. “You ate it last night.”
“I’ve decided to stop eating meat.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“Well, not all meat. Only meat that’s not humanely raised.”
“Yeah,” Patty piped in. “I’m going to have my family send us some pork from Iowa. We just need a place to store and cook it. Hint. Hint.”
Daphne’s cheeks blushed a beautiful pink.
“Sure, you can keep it at our place,” Sean said. “We have a huge freezer. Brad keeps us stocked with great beef. Right, Brad?”
“Not a problem,” I said.
“Thanks,” Daphne murmured.
The server came by and took our order. Daphne and Patty ordered pizza with mushrooms and black olives. I wasn’t sure I could be a vegetarian, even for a night, so Murph and I ordered the supreme. A man needed his protein. There were limits to what I’d do for a woman, even one as beautiful and interesting as Daphne Wade.
Patty was a chatterbox and engaged Sean and me most of the evening. Daphne stayed quiet. Although she hadn’t been overly talkative last night, this was a definite difference.
The server laid the check down and I grabbed it. I had unlimited funds, and I enjoyed treating my friends. They were always very appreciative.
“Thanks, dude,” Murph said.
“Yeah, thanks so much,” Patty said. “I have to agree with you, Daph. This pizza was spectacular.”
Daphne smiled at her roommate and nodded. “Told you.”
How I wished that smile had been for me.
“It was pretty damned good,” Murph agreed. “You ladies up for a nightcap back at our place?”
“Sounds great to me,” Patty said.
I turned to Daphne. “You don’t have to drink, but I hope you’ll come.”
“No thank you,” she said.
“Come on, Daph,” Patty urged. “It’ll be fun.”
Daphne arched her eyebrows at her roommate. Something wasn’t right. She cleared her throat. “I promised Ennis I’d meet him and Dirk for a drink.”
“Oh. Okay. I guess it’s just me, guys,” Patty said.
I looked Daphne straight in the eye. “Cancel.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why should I?”
“Because I’m asking you to. Because I want to spend the evening with you.”
“I believe in honoring my commitments.”
“You’re not breaking a commitment,” I said. “You’re postponing it.”
“I don’t see why I should—”
“Do it. Please.”
Her gaze never wavered from mine. She was looking at me. Looking into me. Looking for something, and I wasn’t sure what.
“I…can’t.”
I got up from the booth and extended my hand to her. “Come outside with me for a minute. I want to talk to you.”
“We’re leaving anyway,” Daphne said. “You just paid the check. Thank you, by the way.”
“You’re welcome. Now come talk with me.”
“Go ahead,” Murphy said. “Patty and I are happy to hang here for a few.”
“Come on,” I urged.
When she put her hand in mine, sparks shot through me. She stood and I led her outside. We found a bench a few yards away from the entrance.
“Sit,” I said.
She sighed and sat down.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “I thought we had something special starting.”
“So did I.”
“Then what’s wrong? Did you change your mind?”
“I didn’t,” she said, “but apparently you did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Patty told me you were with a woman last night.”
Shit. “That didn’t mean—”
She held up her hand to stop me. “Don’t. It doesn’t matter anyway. We just met. You’re way older than I am. I’d be a disappointment to you.”
“Daphne, you could never be a disappointment to me.”
“How can you say that? You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re beautiful on the inside and out.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Are you kidding? You love animals so much that you’re willing to give up eating meat unless it’s humanely raised.”
