AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Well, shit.
“Listen, think it over. I don’t know where young people go to meet other young people, but I think you both should give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The visit came to an end as soon as Megan could manage it without being rude and thankfully only involved one broken dish in her attempt to help clean before fleeing into the night.
She thanked Troy and Mr. Chapman and gave a quick round of scratches to Levi before grabbing her jacket and diving out into the dark, cold night.
God, the frigid air in her lungs was a literal breath of fresh air. It cleansed her soul from the weird awkwardness of that setup. Troy looked mortified, but Mr. Chapman looked satisfied with how the evening had gone, seeing as his plan had blindsided them both.
Megan got in her car and collapsed against the headrest with her eyes closed for a solid ten seconds while the engine heated up. It felt so good to be back in her own space with her little air freshener. The familiar scent and hum of the engine smoothed over her like a balm to heal the awkwardness from the night.
Two raps on the window had her jumping out of her skin.
Troy smiled through the window and did a little finger wave.
She rolled down the window, wondering what he could possibly want.
“Hey, um, look, I’m really sorry about that. Dad’s been weird ever since, you know, everything that happened. Going on about life and living for the present and all of that. I guess a near-death experience does that, huh?”
“I guess so.”
Where was this going?
Troy blew out a breath, looking more tired than he had inside. He pulled a hand over his face and let it drop.
“Look, I wanted this dinner to be nice to thank you for everything you did before I could get here. I didn’t know he’d do this. I know it’s got to be awkward hearing this, but I’d like to take you to dinnerwithoutDad.”
Megan looked at him and tried to digest his statement. He was asking her outminutesafter his dad had just tried to set them up. What was he thinking?
At her blank stare, he continued.
“I owe you a lot more, and I admire the shit out of what you do. Please, just think it over. One dinner and then if you never want to see me again, I promise I will personally throw myself off the face of the earth.”
Despite herself, Megan smiled and started to laugh.
“How about I check my schedule and get back to you?”
And that was how they ended up setting up a date one week later.
CHAPTER13
Megan slid into a parking spot outside Osaka, the Japanese steak house in town. Laura had come here with Carter and had raved about the hibachi, but Megan had never been before. Of course, when she had called earlier to ask Laura what to wear, that got her friend’s attention.
“So you’re going?” Laura had asked when they had spoken on the phone two hours ago.
“Yep. So you think the black dress?”
“You’re a knockout in it, but it depends on how much you like him. If you really like him, wear that green dress with the low back.”
Megan had pulled a face and opted to stick with the black. It didn’t show a lot of skin, but had a fun skirt that flared out and fit her figure nicely. It was comfy, and she thought she looked nice in it. Better to play it safe.
“Okay, dressed. Hair up or down?”
“You always have it up at work. It’s so pretty down.”
Taking her advice through speakerphone from where the phone lay on the bathroom counter, Megan pinned part of it back just behind the ear and fought her way through getting a slight curl at the bottom. Her bright red hair almost came down to her hips, and the curl gave it a nice sense of body so it didn’t just hang like a curtain.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m going to a funeral.”
