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“No,” she says, her eyes dropping to her shoes as if they were about to share the location of buried treasure. “He’s nice, actually. We went to school together.”
Watching her try to find the right words, it all starts to click into place. “You’re on a date. With the suit coat model. And you’re upset about it.”
When she glances back up at me, the tears in her eyes almost bring me to my knees. Her tears are my undoing. I’ve never been affected by tears until they were hers. “He’s a nice guy, but it just feels…wrong.”
Nodding, without thinking, I pull her into a hug. We’ve hugged before, but with each one I feel myself slipping further and further into the deep end of the pool. Soon, my leg is going to be caught in the drain at the bottom and there’ll be no way out.
“I’m proud of you for trying,” I tell her, taking a subtle whiff of her hair and committing it to memory like a creeper. And I am proud of her. She’s putting herself out there for the first time since Josh’s death, and even though I’m not a fan of the douchey model wannabe at her table, I’m glad she has finally taken this step toward moving forward.
“Thank you,” she mumbles, pulling back and noticing the wet mark on my shoulder from her tears. “I’m so sorry.”
“Ehh, don’t worry about it. No one wears tears like I do,” I quip, making her smile. A real one. I love that smile.
“So, you’re meeting friends?” she asks, turning those hypnotic green eyes my way.
“Yeah, Rhenn made plans with a woman, who ended up bringing a friend, which is why I’m hiding out in the bathroom hallway with you instead of enjoying the rest of our dinner.”
“You’re on a date, too. I’m sorry, you should get back,” she says, brushing any remnants of tears off her pretty face.
“Did you hear what I said? I’m hiding out in the hallway with you.”
“That’s weird,” she laughs. “What’s wrong with her? Buckteeth? Lisp? Black olives in her teeth? Oh, wait. Is she picking her ear wax with her pinky and wiping it on her napkin?”
“Gross. What kinda women do you hang around with?” I gape with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open.
She laughs again. There. That smile right there.
“I was just trying to figure out what was wrong with her for you to be hiding out in a hallway with me instead of enjoying your date.”
“Well, she’s probably perfectly nice, but I’m just not feeling it.”
Meghan glances around my shoulder toward the dining room. “We should probably get back out there. We both have dates waiting for us.”
“I’ve been gone long enough now that the only way out of this mess is to fret digestive issues.”
She laughs. “Oh God, me too! He’s going to think I’ve died in the bathroom with stomach troubles, isn’t he?”
I offer her a big smile in return. “Probably. At least you don’t have to worry about the second date. Come on,” I say, indicating the doorway that leads back to the dining room.
When we round the corner, I find our table empty, the busboy working to clear what was left of our dirty dishes. Glancing around the room, I don’t find Rhenn or Shelli anywhere. What I do find is Becca sitting in the seat that was vacated by Meghan, the douchey sport coat model, who I know now as Adam, leaning over the table, eyes riveted on Becca’s chest.
“Plot twist,” Meghan whispers, her delicate little fingers gripping the back of my shirt.
“I suddenly feel like the third wheel. Again.”
“Should we just slip out the back door or do I walk over there and pretend that woman isn’t picking at the cheese left on my Taco Salad?”
“Slip out the back. We definitely sneak away,” I tell her, just as Becca glances up and sees us standing there.
“Hey!” she exclaims, waving wildly and causing her boobs to bounce. Adam definitely notices.
“So the date crasher is your date? Seriously?”
“Agreed. Plot twist,” I mumble as we start to walk over to the table.
“I thought you got lost,” Becca coos, sending a flirty glance to the man across from her.
“Yeah, sorry. I ran into my friend Meghan. She had stomach issues.” I can hear her gasp behind me and feel that soft, delicate hand grab a hold of tender flesh right at my waist. When she twists, it makes me jump.
