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“All of that, if possible. Somewhere near the West Village,” I said.
“Yeah, I can come up with some suggestions. Was that all you needed advice on? Need some help on how to seduce a woman? Win her over?”
I laughed. “No, but thank you. I think that’s something I’m more than capable of doing on my own.”
Chapter 10
Hope
I looked down at my red and black floral dress and matching red shoes and questioned, not for the first time, if I was wearing the right outfit. Mac hadn’t told me much about the date, just that we were going out. I could only assume it would be somewhere that we would be seen and have a conversation. A place where we could get to know each other better. Like, well, a date.
Faith had been all excited for me, telling me this was the start of something great between me and Mac. Telling me, I would look back on this years later as when everything began for us. I was sure she was being overly emotional as she had just found out she was pregnant again. I appreciated her optimism and her desire to help me be excited about the date, but her comments only made me more nervous.
What was Mac thinking this was exactly? Was it a date? Was it just a way for us to get over the gossip? Was it a way for me to show Bash that I had indeed moved on past him and he should leave me alone? What? I should have asked Mac, if I had, I wouldn’t be second guessing everything. We had been having such a lovely conversation and he had been so easy to talk to, I had completely forgotten to ask.
He hadn’t brought it up. He hadn’t set any boundaries with us or even flat out asked me out, made me think this wasn’t a date. I was the one who had practically asked him out. Well, he had officially done the asking but only after I had told him to. Sort of. I guess. I had no idea. It was all very confusing.
As were my feelings for him. I had never allowed myself to think of Mac as anything more than a friend or a mentor. After talking to him at the bar, seeing our picture, and the conversations we’d been having, I began to allow myself to think we might be something more than friends. I just didn’t know if I was deluding myself when I did.
For the night, I would see the evening as a way to have fun with a man I admired and I enjoyed spending time with. One who seemed to feel the same about me. I wouldn’t think about it being anything more. I wouldn’t let my feelings get in the way of what we were doing.
The sound of the buzzer telling me that I had a guest broke me from my thoughts and I almost jumped in fright. I shook my head and laughed at myself and let Mac up to the apartment. I gave a quick look around to make sure I hadn’t left anything out. As I did, I wondered what Mac would think of my place. It wasn’t much, just a two-bedroom apartment in the West Village. It was close to school and not that far away from where Faith and her family lived. Still, I loved the cozy feel to it, with the small kitchen that I could still do some cooking in but rarely did and the view of the city and streets below.
By the time Mac got to the door, I had calmed myself down and I put what I hoped was a happy and relaxed smile on my face, only to have my mouth gape open as I looked at the sexy man standing at the door. I had seen him in suits, even in a tuxedo a time or two, but there was something about seeing him in a pair of dark jeans and a polo shirt that made him look sexier than all those times combined.
There was something more intimate about his look, and I realized it was because I had never seen him in such attire. It showed me that he was more relaxed, that he was trying to be more casual, and he was letting me see more of his true self. I don’t know why, but it meant more to me than if he had brought me a dozen roses and serenaded me.
He also looked sexy as hell. The jeans hugged his legs and hips in just the right way to show the muscles I’d never been able to see in his dress pants. It helped to show that he was fit and strong without being overbearing. The green polo shirt set off his blue eyes, making them seem darker and sexier, if that was possible. I had never thought about eyes being sexy or that they could turn me on, but Mac’s did.
It took me a moment to realize we were just standing in the doorway and I had been staring at him for who knows how long. I started to blush as I stepped aside and said to Mac, “Come on in.”
“Thank you,” he stammered.
“I’m ready, just let me grab my coat and purse,” I said.
“Take your time. We’re in no rush.”
“No dinner reservation to get to?” I asked as I put on my coat.
I turned to see Mac staring at me, his mouth slightly open as mine had been a few moments before. I stood in front of him and didn’t say anything, just let myself enjoy the fact that there was a man standing in front of me who liked what he saw.
“Not until later and we have plenty of time to get to the theater, but I thought we could get a drink beforehand.”
“What movie did you want to see?”
I tried to hide my disappointment, I had wanted us to sit and talk and get to know each other better. It hurt a little that he didn’t want to, that he wanted to sit in a theater for a good portion of our time. It was the easiest way to make the evening go by and I got the impression that was what he wanted.
“A movie? No. I thought we could go seeAnd He Wore a Hat,” he said.
“You got tickets toAnd He Wore a Hat?”
It was one of the newest and well-reviewed plays in New York. It had garnished a lot of buzz before it had even opened and had been sold out for months. I had tried to get tickets but had been unsuccessful. I had wanted to see it so badly I thought about asking Cole if he could use some of his influence to get Faith and I tickets, but I never got the chance or courage to ask him.
I couldn’t hide the excitement from my voice, or my face, and I didn’t want to. I had no idea that Mac liked going to the theater too. It meant a lot that he would take the time to try to get tickets for us and for such a hard-to-get show and made the night that much better.
“Yes,” he said, clearly pleased with himself. “I remember how much you like the theater and I took a chance that you hadn’t seen it already.”
“I have not. I tried to get tickets, but they were impossible to get. Not even with the lottery,” I said.
