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“Let me guess. You were wearing heels?”
“Nope. Managed to trip in flats. Needless to say, he did not call for another date.”
“And the other nightmare date? Couldn’t have been worse, right?”
“Oh, yeah, it was worse. Nice, romantic restaurant with these candles they come by to light when it starts to turn dark.” She paused. “Long story short, between dinner and dessert, I managed to upend the candle onto his lap. And he sort of caught on fire.”
“What the fuck?”
“He was able to get the flames out quickly, but he was pretty upset about his designer suit. The matchmaker blocked my calls after that mishap.”
She really was a dating calamity. “The likelihood of finding anyone honest on a dating app is low. Guys lie about wanting a relationship when in truth they’re shooting fish in a barrel of women who believe it.”
Her lips pursed. “Guess we’re back to me being desperate.”
“That wasn’t what I said.” But the thought of her going on more dates with assholes like Tate made my blood boil.
“You think comparing me to a fish in a barrel doesn’t imply it?”
I pulled into my driveway and killed the engine. “I’m just saying you won’t find a quality guy this way.”
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”
“Considering how things have been going, maybe you should.”
Her mouth fell open before she practically growled. “Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out of my car so I can drive it home.”
Her temper was once again a turn-on. “I’m sorry. I just think—”
“No, no, no. Try again, but stop with the first two words.”
My lips curled with a repressed smile. “I’m sorry.”
“What do you have in the bag? And don’t you dare say dinner. What is for dinner? Because the answer to this question will determine whether I stay or go at this point.”
“The best carne asada you’ll ever taste.”
Her adorable nose scrunched up. “From a bar?”
“The chef is also a butcher. I get all my meat from him. Come on, I’ll grill it up for you, and you’ll forget all about being mad at me.”
She grinned, seemingly quick to let go of her irritation. I admired her ability to quickly shake off a bad mood or annoyance. “Must be a hell of a steak.”
The only other women who’d set foot in my house were my mother and Dominic’s girlfriend. As a rule, I didn’t bring women into my home, opting instead to go to their place and leave as soon as possible.
I led Addy down the hall, ignoring the formal living and dining rooms as I often did, and headed straight for the kitchen.
“You have nice taste.”
“The decorating is all my mom.” She couldn’t stand seeing a house this big empty of furnishings and whatnot, and I could no longer stand her complaining about the lack of decor when she visited.
The large kitchen with high-end appliances and custom cabinetry had come with the house. Although I did quite a bit of cooking, ninety percent of it was on the grill outside.
In the family room, the most lived-in part of the house with my television and couch, Addy paused by the family photos, causing me to tense. Those were also my mother’s idea, to make the place homier. Hell, I didn’t mind the pictures but rather enjoyed the reminders of those I loved.
