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Not even going to ask me what I would like? “I actually don’t care for red wine.”
I totally caught the irritation that flashed in his eyes, before he said, “Chardonnay, then?”
“Sure.” I exchanged glances with the server and smiled apologetically, which was dumb. What was I apologizing for? When she’d gone, I picked up the menu, so that I didn’t have to look at Travis. I actually felt a bit embarrassed for him. Also dumb, but oh well.
“I didn’t realize you were so blond.”
“Excuse me?”
“In your profile photo, you didn’t look as blond as this.” He gestured to my hair. “I don’t usually go for blondes.”
I stiffened, raising an eyebrow at him and holding his gaze steadily. I was a millisecond away from calling it quits then and there.
Maybe he sensed that, because he gave me a blinding smile and said, “But on you, I’m prepared to make an exception. It’s very lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, clearly missing the sarcasm in my tone.
“Anyway, tell me a bit about yourself. Why so single?”
Jesus fucking Christ. I shrugged. “Just busy, I guess. My dad is unwell and I’m his primary caregiver. Between that and my part time job, there isn’t much time for dating. How about you?”
“Recently separated.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. She was a bit crazy, if you know what I mean.”
“Not really.” Fuck this guy. Ugh. Actually no, let’s not fuck this guy. Turned out I wasn’t getting laid tonight after all. Before he could say anything more, the server arrived with our wine. Travis went through the whole bullshit routine of swirling it in the glass, holding it up to the light, tasting it, then finally nodding his approval.
The second my glass was full, I wrapped my fingers around the stem and held on for dear life, pretty sure it was the only thing that was going to get me through this whole horrible evening. Then I thought that wasn’t fair. I hadn’t dated for a while, maybe I was just a little rusty. I’d promised the girls I’d give it my best shot, hadn’t I? Bailing after the first half hour wasn’t cool.
Maybe he sensed the tension in me, because from there, Travis admittedly did become a little easier to talk to. He asked some genuinely good questions about my dad, my work, what I did for hobbies. If it hadn’t been for the rocky start, I might even have enjoyed myself. It really wasn’t all bad. We managed to chat all through dinner and he took it in his stride when I said I’d like to order my own dessert, rather than share.
While we waited for dessert, I leaned back in the booth, noting how comfortable the padded cushions were. Travis launched into a story about some end of quarter drama at work, and I listened with half an ear, distracted by the drumbeat in my ears.Not Jake. Not Jake. Not Jake. Not brooding and moody, not able to turn me on with no more than a look.
There was no way I could go home with him. Absolutely no way. All Hannah’s talk about getting back on the horse and me cavalierly saying yeah, maybe that’s what I needed? A big, fat lie. A complete and utter whopper. Because the truth was, I wasn’t over Jake Walker. Not anywhere close. I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant for me long term, but for right now, it meant I couldn’t stay here a second longer. “Look, I—”
“Ssshh.”
“Excuse me?”
He reached over, running the tip of his finger along the back of my hand. Eww. I pulled my hand out of reach.
“I get the feeling you’re about to bail and I just thought, you know, we have this bottle of wine, it would be a shame not to finish it. Would you mind staying a few more minutes?”
Not wanting to look ungracious, I smiled politely and said, “Okay, then.” My phone pinged in my bag and I said, “Sorry, I need to check this, it might be about my dad.”
“Of course.”
It wasn’t about my dad. It was a group selfie of Maya and the girls, their hands raised, open in question. I almost giggled and even though it did feel a bit mean, I sent back a thumbs down emoji. A few seconds later another group photo came through of all of them looking very sad for me.
I went to swipe my phone closed, but accidentally opened Jake’s contact instead. My heart lurched and I stared at it for a long moment. Maybe I should leave here, drive straight to his place, give him a piece of my mind. And then ask him to fuck me. Biting back a sigh, I dropped my phone back in my bag, turning my attention back to Travis.
“Your dad?”
“No, just a friend.”
