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Maceo laughs. “I saw. Looks like you pampered yourself a little, too,” he says, nodding to my manicure.
I’m shocked he noticed. “I went to get my hair trimmed, and Eduardo could tell I was out of sorts. He suggested the mani-and-pedi.”
Maceo’s dark eyes crinkle at the corners, appraising every part of me. “You look beautiful by the way, and not a speck of makeup on you. I like that you wanted to look nice for me tonight.”
“This wasn’t planned.”
“Ah, but you decided to do it after I asked you out on a date,” he points out with a cocky grin. I throw my napkin at him and he catches it in midair. “Temper, temper. What else did you do today?”
“The rest of my day was devoted to your build. I reached out to my general contractor, Jared, and filled him in on the project. He’s stoked I landed us a huge business deal. Like me, he’s trying to make a name for himself. After going over the plans and picking who we needed to get the job done, we split the job of calling in the troops.”
“Sounds like a productive day.”
“It was. And how was yours?”
Maceo sighs before meeting my eyes. “Long. I had a meeting with a client in Denver who is eager for our assistance. Came back and worked on my bike before getting ready to pick you up.”
I’m about to ask him what assistance he provides when he jumps to another topic. “So tell me about you and your family. You said you’re from Los Angeles.”
“Yeah, lived in California all my life ‘till last year when I moved here. My mom and dad still live in the same little house where I grew up. Dad’s a retired welder and mom’s the secretary at my old high school. I have a sister, Simone, who’s two years older than me. She’s an accountant, and she’s doing well for herself in Sacramento.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, not sure if I’m boring him. “You don’t really want to know all of this, do you?”
Maceo tilts his head. “I want to know everything about you.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Tell me more.”
“Um, I went to the University of Southern California for Architectural Engineering and Design. Worked in a big firm in San Diego after I graduated. Four years—I learned a lot and worked myself ragged. Didn’t work out for me there, and I decided I needed a fresh start. Picked Fort Collins on a whim and here I am.”
All our drinks, appetizers, and main dishes come out at once. No spacing out courses here. We don’t hesitate. I moan around my first bite.
“It’s good, right?” Maceo says with appreciation.
I steal his spoon right out of his hand, taking a hefty scoop of hisgazpachoand I moan again.
“Here,” he says, raising his fork to my mouth. “Try thepastilla. It’s my favorite.”
I allow him to feed me, and now I’m moaning around the tasty meat pie.
“I could fucking listen to you make that sound all night,” he murmurs, watching my mouth. I flush from his confession.
We eat in silence for a while. I continue to moan with every bite, and Maceo groans in response. I swear I catch him adjusting himself several times throughout the meal, making me giggle.
As we wrestle over the last piece of lamb—which he allows me to steal—he clears his throat. “So, why didn’t it work out for you in San Diego?”
My face puckers before I can recover. “It’s not a pleasant subject for a dinner date.”
Maceo smiles around his whiskey, but sets it down and looks at me expectantly. I groan and shrug my narrow shoulders. I have nothing to hide. If he’s going to react anything like the people I left behind, it’s better to find out before actually considering getting close to him.
“I quit. Jacob, my boyfriend of nearly eight years, worked with me at the firm. He went behind my back and took full credit for a project I worked on. He stole my promotion, knowing I was working day and night to get it for years.
“Jacob acted like it was no big deal, and he tried to play it off as if he hadn’t swept the rug right out from under me. He told me I was overreacting, that I should have been happy for him and for us, saying he was more suited for the position. He truly felt it was best for our future together, me working under him.
“His betrayal was hurtful, but it was worse when I was screwed over by management. They were well aware it was my project and they gave Jacob the promotion anyway. It was a good ‘ole boy system and I wasn’t one of the boys. I was never going to get ahead and be an equal to any of them.
“I walked out the door and never went back. Packed up all my shit while Jacob was at work and moved out. I went home to my parents for a spell before deciding I needed a clean break from all of it. Moved out here for a fresh start. I’ve been working on building my solo career since, and I’m pretty proud of Holland Build and Design Solutions. Like I said, it’s not a conversation to share on a first date.”
