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“I know we’re not the same.”
“Then I figured you’d appreciate that I also don’t require charity. I work hard. I enjoy putting in the effort. Handouts aren’t my endgame here.”
Rhett reaches across the table and places his hand on top of mine. The warmth seeps through and instantly cools some of my ire. I wouldn’t admit it out loud, but I miss this. The physical touch of another human being, whether friendly or something more. What I wouldn’t give for a simple hug from my brother right now.
Crap. The thought stings my eyes with unshed tears.
“We’re not the same, but we’re alike in more ways than you realize.”
“Can you explain to me what you would do if your client handed you a stack of cash worth four times the work you did that day? Because of her alone, I can afford food for an entire month.” That’s not including the high wage Nora’s been paying me. I’m nearly saved up for a month’s rent already.
His thumb strokes my knuckles and reminds me we’re still touching. I pull away and turn my head to the side, scratching the side of my nose with my thumb to disguise a sniffle.
“I can see why that would make you uncomfortable, but I hope you accepted it. They’re great, well-meaning people. And they want to be your friends.”
The waitress delivers our drinks. I take a hefty sip while I wait for her to retreat from earshot.
“Are you embarrassed by me?” I ask the question gnawing my insides. What else explains why he felt the need to explain my circumstances to his friends. He could easily play the part of the brave knight riding in on his four-wheeled horse to save the plus-sized damsel in poverty.
“Are you crazy? I’m enamored by you. Embarrassment hasn’t even come close to crossing my mind.”
I bring my icy glass to my lips and peer over the rim. “I like you too.”
“Rosie.” His heated gaze drops to my lips.
Right as things start to return to our normal, we’re interrupted by a busty brunette in a black body con dress. She leans her weight on her palm and injects herself into Rhett’s eye line. Curious to how this will play out, I lean back and take another refreshing sip of my crisp drink.
“Hey, Rhett,” she coos in a voice rife with familiarity.
“Melanie.” He greets her politely. If I were her, I’d take his lack of further interest as a cue to fuck right off. Rhett’s eyes meet mine across the table, over the hills of her breasts. The awkwardness forces a bubble of laughter to rise that I disguise with a sip.
“I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Been busy.” He directs his answer at me.
Her body hovers closer to him as if drawn by a magnet.
“Never stopped you before.” She runs her hand down his arm to punctuate her throaty mumble.
An eye roll here should suffice, but it doesn’t. He and I are just friends. Friends who’ve been intimate once, sure, but still friends. I have no right to feel anything about this woman leaning her giant tits across the table I’m about to consume a meal at, but for some reason, I want to grab her by the hair and yank her out of my space.
“You’re being rude.” Rather than resort to physical violence, I use my words.
“I wasn’t talking to you.” For the first time since she arrived, she acknowledges my existence by turning only her head. Her critical eyes rake from my haphazard messy bun down to my plain white tee. The comparison is stark in her eyes, revealing her opinion that there is none.
“Now that I have your attention, I’ll say it again. You’re being rude.”
“You can have him back after I’m finished.” She turns back to Rhett, but I’m far from letting her linger a second longer.
“Honey, if you want to sleep with him, that’s fine. Leave your number, and he’ll call you later, but right now, I’m about to have some dinner after a long day at work, and you’re in the way of that.”
Silence envelops the three of us, blanketing our table from the rest of the patio. Rhett breaks it first.
“Don’t bother expecting a call.” He snags his drink. As the glass contacts his lips, his eyes burn into mine over the rim.
Melanie straightens hastily. “You’re a player, Rhett.” She turns to me with a glare. “Enjoy him for the second you have him. He’s great in bed but will leave you the next morning.”
I consume my drink to silence myself rather than deliver a response. Once she’s out of earshot, I set the slippery glass back on the table.
