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“Thank you, but no.” Callie didn’t want him to think she expected anything from him. “I don’t want to disrupt your plans.” Surely he had something planned, maybe a date with some gorgeous model or wealthy socialite. He was, after all, more handsome than anyone should be. Not to mention rich. Either attribute would easily attract women, but when they were wrapped together in such a nice package, they made a man irresistible.
Dylan stepped closer and moved his hand from her forearm to her shoulder. “You wouldn’t be disrupting anything. Actually, you’d be saving me from eating alone.”
Callie choked back a laugh. She doubted he needed saving from anything. Ever. The man oozed competence.
Go for it, a tiny part of her brain encouraged. What do you have to lose? Besides, what else would she do all night? Get takeout and read a book? Watch television?
“Okay, but I want to check in first and drop off my things.”
Dylan didn’t object. “Does five o’clock work for you?”
That should give her more than enough time to check in and take a shower. “Sure. I can meet you here.”
“It doesn’t make sense for you to drive back here. I’ll pick you up. Where are you staying?”
He might be right, but she hesitated anyway. “The Wharf Motel, but I don’t mind driving back here or meeting you at the restaurant.”
“I’ll be there at five.”
Dylan struck her as the stubborn type who wouldn’t budge on this one. Rath
er than waste her energy, she nodded and walked alongside Dylan as he escorted her to the door.
***
By the time she stepped out of the shower a little later, Callie wondered if her entire trip was jinxed or something. First, her father hadn’t been able to fly up from Florida. Then the motel had mixed up her reservation and her room hadn’t been ready. Finally, to top it all off, there had been no hot water for her shower. If things kept going the way they were, she might just pack up tomorrow morning and go home and forget about the meeting with her father.
Right now, though, she needed to concentrate on getting through dinner with Dylan Talbot. Whenever they were together, she felt off balance, drawn to him in a way she hadn’t felt before. Callie couldn’t fully explain it. Granted, he was worthy of god status. Any woman with eyes would agree. Still, she’d been around handsome men before and not been affected by them in the same way. It unsettled her, and she wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“Just remember who he is and who you are. Men like him don’t get involved with elementary school teachers. Even if they are excellent teachers who have the Massachusetts State’s Teacher of the Year award to prove it.” Callie told herself as she looked through the outfits she packed. She didn’t have many options. She didn’t want to wear Lauren’s violet skirt again, and it seemed like a good idea to save her other skirt for her meeting with Warren. Depending on where they were going for dinner, shorts might be too casual, so that left only the red sundress.
Nervously, Callie cut the tags off the dress and slipped it on. The bodice of the dress was formfitting with a low-cut back and full skirt that ended just above the knee. Callie chewed on her bottom lip and examined her appearance in the full-length mirror. While the dress would definitely look better on her friend Lauren, she had to admit it flattered her figure and coloring. She only wished the top wasn’t designed to fit so snugly.
That evening, Dylan took her to The Spiced Pear, an upscale restaurant located at the beginning of Newport’s famous Cliff Walk. Although butterflies danced in her stomach, she found Dylan surprisingly easy to talk to. So easy in fact, before she knew it, their waitress had finished clearing away their dinner plates.
With a heavily laden dessert tray in one hand, the pretty, well-endowed, bleached blonde waitress returned to their table. “Would either of you be interested in dessert?” As the woman spoke, her eyes never left Dylan’s face, and Callie got the distinct impression that the dessert she was offering Dylan wasn’t on her tray.
The young woman had been flirting with him since they’d been seated, but so far he hadn’t reciprocated. Callie didn’t know if that was because he truly wasn’t interested in the blonde or because she was there and he wanted to be polite. Either way, she appreciated it. How embarrassing it would be to have him flirting back with her sitting right there.
Though she couldn’t fault the woman, Callie wanted to throttle her every time she smiled seductively in Dylan’s direction. It wasn’t that she was jealous or anything. She had no reason to be jealous. This wasn’t even a date. Although the waitress had no way of knowing that. Did the waitress think she was too unattractive to be on a date with someone like Dylan Talbot? It doesn’t matter what she thinks.
Instead, it was a matter of proper behavior. Having worked as a waitress in college, she knew what most restaurants considered proper conduct. Many restaurant managers considered flirting with customers a no-no. Although many women still did it often in the hopes of getting a better tip.
“I’m all set tonight. What about you, Callie?” His voice pulled her thoughts away from how a waitress should act and back to reality.
While the white chocolate mousse on the tray looked delicious, she didn’t think she could spend any more time watching the waitress flirt with Dylan. After all, a woman could only take so much. Callie shook her head and smiled. “Couldn’t eat another bite tonight.”
With obvious disappointment that her prey for the evening intended to leave, the pretty blonde accepted Dylan’s credit card and left.
“Let me pay half.” Callie wasn’t comfortable with him covering the whole meal. After all, it wasn’t a date. Not even close.
Dylan pushed away the money she offered him. “Don’t even think about it.”
“But—”
“But nothing. You’re a guest down here this weekend.”
Callie wasn’t deterred by his argument. “Still, it’s not...” she almost said ‘a date’ when their waitress returned with Dylan’s card. Quickly, he signed the receipt and came to his feet, ready to leave.
