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Trying not to appear ungrateful, Willow gave him a quick smile. “Thank you, Neil, I appreciate that. I’ve never eaten here before.”
“It’s the best of the best, and I only ever have the best.”
Her smile slipped quickly. “That sounds…nice”
Neil laughed, and his chin wobbled. “I’m good at what I do, and I’m well compensated for my talent as the best brain surgeon in the Midwest. Only the best for me.”
“I see.” Aware of her cool tone, Willow dropped her head and looked back at the menu.This is going to be a disaster.
“Waiter?” Neil snapped his fingers, craning his neck as though he expected the server to be right on hand. Willow closed her eyes, wanting to slide down into her chair with embarrassment. “We’re ready to order.”
Her mouth fell open at his complete lack of consideration. She hadn’t even had a chance to fully look at the menu.
“To start, I’ll be having the lobster salad with lime vinaigrette. She'll have the crab cakes.”
Blinking in surprise, Willow opened her mouth to protest, but Neil wasn’t finished.
“And you can bring me the…” He squinted at the menu. “‘Crispy chicken supreme coated in a homemade spice rub and served with sauteed spinach, and the lady will have the maple roasted sweet potato salad.”
Scowling, Willow sat back in her seat and resisted the urge to fold her arms.I liked the sound of the crispy chicken supreme.
“More wine?” Again, the server looked in Willow’s direction, as though he figured she might need more than one glass to get through the rest of the evening.
“I…” Hesitating, Willow glanced down at her bag, thinking about her phone inside. “Not at the moment. Thank you.”I need to text Asher.
Neil didn’t hesitate to put in his drink order. “I’ll have a vodka martini. Actually, make thattwovodka martinis. By the time you finish serving the second one, I’ll already have drunk the first!”
Again, loud raucous laughter came from Neil, and Willow grimaced.
“Did I tell you that I bought the latest Tesla model?” The minute the server stepped away, Neil was already talking about himself again. “I already have a sports car, obviously, and a vintage car for the days I’m feeling nostalgic.”
I don’t know how much I can take of this.Reaching for her little bag, Willow rose from her chair. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
Neil was going on and on about his vintage car and didn’t seem to realize that she was going—either that, or he thought that the other restaurant patrons would want to hear all about his car collection. By the time Willow made her way to the restroom, she could still hear him talking, although who he was talking to, she had no idea.
Walking into the restroom, Willow leaned back against the door for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
This is awful. I thought I could put up with the dinner, but now, I’m not so sure.Chewing her lip, she pulled out her phone and called Ashton.
“Willow?” Asher’s voice sounded urgent. “Willow, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Listen. Is there any chance you could come pick me up tonight?” A pause at the other end of the line gave Willow her answer. “Listen, don’t worry about it. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have called in the first place.”
“Are you okay? Is there something wrong with your date? If you’re in trouble, Willow, then you know I’ll drop everything to come get you.”
Keeping her sigh behind her lips, Willow shook her head as though Asher could see her.
“No, don’t worry, I’m fine. I was just wondering how much wine I could drink.” Trying to inject a little humor into her voice, Willow’s smile barely touched her lips as she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. “I’ll see you later tonight.”
“I can come and get you. It’s no problem.”
“I don’t want you to ruin your plans just for me.” Again, Willow shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Forget I called. Neil is fine. He’s just a bit…full of himself.”
“Let’s hope my date is a little better.”
Her eyes widened. “Date? You have a date?”
“It’s last minute, but I said I would go.”
