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“Not happy to see me, huh?” I laughed when her groan echoed in the glass she took a desperate gulp from.
There was a light shine in her eyes, and she rolled them. “I’m kind of busy here,” she said, pointing to the empty table. There was another glass with stray drops remaining in the bottom next to the empty bottle, but the chair was open.
“Yeah, your date looks like quite the company.” I coughed to cover my laugh, nodding again to the empty seat.
Amanda raised her hand, pressing it against her eyes and groaning quietly. “He’s in the… you know what? I don’t have to answer to you. Why are you bothering me?”
“This guy is bothering you?” The man that must’ve been her date slid into the seat across from her, eyeing his empty wineglass. Then he looked at me, clearly uninterested in any confrontation.
Amanda sighed. “No, he was just leaving.”
I smirked when her date looked mildly more interested. “You’re not going to introduce me to your date?” I asked, earning me a glare.
She dropped her head back, and the man reached for the bottle as if to make sure it was really empty. “I wasn’t planning to,” she said.
“Why not?” I asked, stepping forward and reaching past her. “I’m Drake Moore.”
The man took my hand and gave me the smile he probably gave to colleagues. “Dallas Hall. The pleasure is all mine.” Figures. I recognized the name. The man was loaded—his whole family was. Was Amanda settling for him because of his money?
“It sure is,” I said with a laugh. “How do you know Amanda?”
She put her head in her hands as if she could disappear behind her fingers. “This is unreal,” she groaned.
“Her cousin married a buddy of mine,” Dallas said. He winked as if he had said something suggestive, and I lifted my brows. “And you?”
“Her older brother is my best friend. Amanda is practically my little sister!” I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her into a half hug she fought against. “I’m like a second older brother.”
She pulled away, pushing me back. “You are not.” Then she turned to her date. “He is not. He’s my brother’s friend. I hardly know him, and I don’t know why he’s bothering me right now!”
Her cheeks were a bright red, and she looked at Dallas pleadingly. “So wait, you guys do know each other or you don’t?” he asked. Oh Jesus.
“Yes!” we shouted at the same time, drawing attention from nearby tables.
Dallas didn’t look fazed. Instead, he looked past me like he was searching for the waiter, his hand still resting on the empty bottle of wine. “Right on!” he finally said. “Do you want to sit down?”
“He was just leaving,” Amanda offered before I had a chance to accept his invite or come up with an excuse not to. I had been torn between staying and making her uncomfortable and going home to enjoy the pizza that was likely ready and waiting for me at the front counter by now.
I chuckled. “Yeah, what she said. See you in the morning,” I said, winking at her. “See ya, Denton.”
Her date looked confused for a minute before realization crossed his face, and he laughed. “It’s Dallas.”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said. I smirked, winking at her again when she groaned.
Chapter eight
Amanda
“Son of a bitch,” I grumbled, ignoring the loud throwback music coming through the speakers and paying no attention to the way Dallas danced next to me in the driver’s seat. He faced me, turning the music all the way down.
“Okay, did I do something wrong?” he asked, concern tainting the enjoyment that was on his face previously.
I swallowed the guilt that filled my throat. “Not at all. Why?” As I asked, I kept my gaze towards the road, watching him move from the corner of my eye. I was expecting his hand on my thigh before I felt it.
Dallas looked at me like I had missed something obvious, placing both hands back on the steering wheel. “You’ve been swearing under your breath since we left the restaurant.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s not you. It’s just…”
“That Drake guy.” Dallas nodded as if to confirm he had the right answer without even waiting for me to do so myself.
