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She had officially lost her mind.
“I got a lecture from Sullivan,” Liam said as he nodded to the hostess that they were ready for their table. “About treating you with respect. Just so you know, I wasn’t planning anything less.”
That genuinely surprised her that Sullivan would say that to his father. “I’m not sure what to make of that. He should know you better than that.”
“I think it has less to do with me and more to do with you. He does care about you, Lilly.”
“He didn’t say anything to me at all about us going out.” He hadn’t. It had surprised her and concerned her that maybe he didn’t even care. But it was interesting he had said something to Liam.
Liam looked like he was about to respond when the hostess came over and smiled at them. “We have your table ready, Liam.”
She said it in a way as if she knew him personally.
Liam gestured for Lilly to go first, and when he put his hand lightly on the small of her back she almost jumped out of her hotly-debated dress. She was jumpy as hell and that annoyed her. She took a deep breath and followed the hostess.
“Here’s our wine list,” the hostess said as she handed the list to Liam. She glanced back and forth between the two of them, clearly trying to guess what the relationship was. “Are you celebrating any special occasion tonight?” she asked carefully.
She was probably closer to Liam’s age than Lilly was and obviously curious.
Lilly shook her head. “No special occasion.”
“Just that she finally agreed to go to dinner with me,” Liam said. “I had to be persistent, Beth.”
Oh, geez. He was playing the part well. “You know each other?” Lilly asked.
“Yes. Sloane babysat for my kids when they were little. Do you know Sloane?”
Lilly nodded. “Yes. I was friends with Sullivan growing up. Well. Still am.”
“I see.” Beth clearly saw a lot and had thoughts on the matter, given her expression. She cleared her throat. “Now why wouldn’t she say yes to dinner with you?” the woman said lightly, workplace expression firmly back in place. “Every woman over forty considers you the town’s most eligible bachelor.”
“There’s your answer,” Liam said. “Lilly isn’t over forty. I had to convince her she likes older men.”
Lilly was amused by the look he was giving her. It was a challenge. She may not get out much, but a lot of her friends were guys. She was used to being teased. This felt more comfortable than him complimenting her dress. This felt like a game, not reality.
“Heisold enough to be my father,” she said to the hostess. Then she looked at Liam and held her hand out for the wine list. “And I’m not sure you’ve convinced me. Yet.”
Liam laughed and handed Lilly the menu. “Persuading you will be half the fun.”
The hostess took a step back. “Your server will be with you in a minute.” She turned and retreated across the restaurant.
“I think we made Beth uncomfortable.” Lilly made a face as she watched Beth disappear into the kitchen. That had all sounded a little more flirtatious than she had intended.
“She’s going to go back and tell everyone she knows that Liam O’Toole had the balls to ask out one of his son’s classmates. It will be all over town by morning that we went on a date. Which is what we want.”
Lilly wasn’t exactly sure that’s what she wanted, but it was the plan they had established. “Fabulous. I think.” She glanced quickly over the wine list. “I’m going to order a glass of rosé when our server gets here.” She passed the menu over to him.
“Any particular one?” Liam glanced at the list. “There’s French, Italian, Australian.”
“I doubt I would be able to tell the difference.” The prices were also just a tiny bit shocking for someone who was used to hanging out at Tap That, which was arguably a dive bar. “Just whatever is cheapest.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I don’t think so. I’m paying and I refuse to look like I don’t know how to treat my date.”
Lilly sat up straighter, instantly protesting. “You don’t have to pay. We never said that. That makes me feel…”
“What? What do you feel?” He was eyeing her, sitting casually in his seat. Liam had trimmed his beard and worn a dress shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up, displaying the tattoos on his forearms.
“Bad. That’s how I feel. Like I’m taking advantage of you.”
