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I can’t argue with that.
We head into what turns out to be an old-style Italian eatery. I like it—the place has charm. It’s not all that busy, which is great, but we still ask for a seat in the back.
The hostess leads us to a nice private booth in a far-away corner. We take off our coats and sit down across from each other.
After a beat, a waiter comes over with menus and two glasses of ice water.
We thank him as he hands us the menus and places the waters on the table.
After he leaves, we peruse our options.
“What are you thinking about getting?” I ask Finn.
“Hmm, let me see.” He taps the menu. “This Delmonico steak with a side of pasta sounds good.”
“It does,” I agree. “In fact, I think that’s what I’m getting.”
“Yeah, me too,” he says with finality.
When the waiter returns, we both order the steak and pasta.
Once he’s out of sight, Finn asks me how the first night with Ellie went.
Chuckling, he says, “You didn’t hook up with her and lose our bet already, did you? You could just be holding out on me.”
“Yeah, right, dickhead.” I roll my eyes at him. “No, nothing like that happened. Not even close. Our night was purely platonic. We watched a movie and then sat and chilled for a while.”
He nods. “Sounds nice. And hey, by the way, I’m just giving you a hard time. I know nothing happened. You have more willpower than to lose our bet on the first night.”
“Gee, thanks,” I mutter.
Ignoring my sarcasm, he asks, “So, is Ellie cool? I’m guessing if she’s anything like Arden, she’s pretty awesome.”
Our dinner salads arrive, so we wait until the waiter leaves again to continue our conversation.
When he’s out of earshot, I plunge my fork into my salad and nod. “Yeah, she’s great. She’s easy to be around. We hit it off right away.”
“Any flirting?” he asks.
I have to be honest, so, after I finish my bite of salad, I share, “Yeah, she’s a fucking huge flirt. But I think that’s just who she is. She likes to joke around a lot too.”
“Just who she is, huh?” Finn asks. He takes a sip of water, looking doubtful. Setting his glass down, he says, “Maybe she’s attracted to you, Nils. And that’s why she was flirting.”
Uh-oh, what if he’s right?
’Cause God knows I’m attracted to her.
Since I don’t even want to entertain the implications of us both being attracted to each other, I shake my head and insist, “Nah, like I said, it’s just who she is.”
Finn snorts, then says, “Okay, so I have an idea.”
“Uh-oh, what?”
I’m leery, as you never know what this guy might come up with.
Sure enough, he says, “Maybe when we have an opportunity, we should put it to a test. If Ellie flirts with me, then we’ll know that’s just how she is with everybody. But if not…” He cocks his head and raises a brow that says more than words ever could.
Great. Just great.
