“It’s just a skirt,” I said, looking uncertain.

  There was a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Try it on.”

  I put it on and zipped up the back, and let me just say, it fit like a glove had been glued onto my hand and wasn’t coming off anytime soon. I glanced at her. “We obviously don’t wear the same size. I’m not sure if I can even sit in this thing.”

  She waved a hand. “Oh, it’ll be fine. Have a seat and you’ll see.”

  I sat down on a nearby chair and felt the waistband pulling into my stomach. “I can barely breathe.”

  “Then it’s perfect. Clothes aren’t meant to be roomy. They’re meant to be flattering.” She cleared her throat. “The slit in the back should give you some wiggle room.”

  “It does a little.” I twisted and shifted on the chair, frowning. “I don’t know. Maybe I should wear what I initially planned on. First dates are so awkward. I shouldn’t have to feel self-conscious about what I’m wearing.”

  She shook her head as if she pitied me. “Lindsey, I’m going to be straight with you right now. Last Sunday when you brought Jason over, you looked blah, and your clothes were…” She winced like the news she was about to give me would undoubtedly be unpleasant. “Sorry, but they were dowdy.” She brightened. “But now? Now, you actually look dateable.”

  The statement hit me square in the gut, and I glanced away, not wanting her to see how much her words had hurt. Willing the tears to dry up, I grit my teeth. She would not see me cry. Plus, she had put on so much mascara, I couldn’t afford any tears, not if I didn’t want black streaks running down my face. Glancing at the clock, I nearly hyperventilated. “Oh, my goodness. He’ll be here in ten minutes.”

  “No worries.” She ran over to her bag and pulled out a pair of red stiletto heels that were impossibly high and too trendy for my taste.

  “Uh, no. I’m not wearing those. I don’t care what you say, I’m definitely not—”

  “I got it. No problem.” She smirked and put the shoes back in her bag. “I know you so well. That’s why I brought a second pair just in case.” She pulled out a new set of red shoes with heels that were still way higher than what I was used to, but the overall look was a little more conservative. Keywords here: a little.

  “They’re not what I’m used to, so I think I’ll just wear my flats.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “You do not wear flats with this skirt. It’ll look absurd.”

  “I didn’t know you knew that word.”

  “Ha ha.” She ran a hand through her long strawberry blonde hair. “Look, you either wear the heels or you change the outfit.”

  I debated for a few minutes. The ensemble Destiny brought was a bit much in my opinion, and it was definitely outside of my comfort zone. But maybe I needed to get out of my comfort zone. Maybe Jason ditched me because I was too blah as she’d put it. And what was the other word she’d used? Oh, yeah. Dowdy. I definitely didn’t want to be that. “Fine. I’ll wear the entire outfit.”

  She squealed and jumped up and down. “Here are the shoes. Try them on.”

  Thankfully, we were the same shoe size, so when I slipped them on, they didn’t feel too tight, but my feet wobbled as I walked across the room. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Stop worrying. It’s fine.”

  The doorbell rang, and I nearly had a heart attack. “Destiny, I’m not ready for him to meet any of my family yet.” I glanced at her and she caught my meaning.

  “No worries, I understand. I’ll stay in your room and lock up once you’re gone.”

  “Thank you.”

  She pulled a small bottle of what looked like perfume out of her purse, and before I could protest, she sprayed me multiple times.

  “Stop!” I held a hand up and stepped away. “That’s too much.”

  She giggled. “It’s not too much. Trust me on this.” She hugged me, and I patted her back a few times. I wasn’t letting her off the hook yet, but I did appreciate that she’d come to help.

  “I’d better go.”

  “Good luck,” she said as I quickly walked to the living room, doing my best not to fall in her impossibly high stilettos.

  I opened the front door and froze, my breath catching in my throat.

  Wowzers.

  A tall man with dark brown hair and chocolate eyes stood before me. He had broad shoulders and wore a white, button-down oxford rolled up to his elbows, navy pants, and a caramel belt with shoes that matched. His forearms were huge, and he had a five o’clock shadow that gave him a rough-around-the-edges look, but something about his smile made me think he had a big heart.

  I typically dated clean-shaven men, but I had to admit, this guy was appealing.

  He was very handsome. Not the pretty-boy model type. More like the cowboy/fireman/construction worker type—rugged and strong and confident.

  Yeah, he was good-looking all right. Like way out of my league good-looking. Like tie up my tongue so I couldn’t say anything good-looking. I made some kind of noise in the back of my throat confirming I really couldn’t speak.

  He smiled knowingly as if he was used to this reaction from women. “Hi. I’m Gray.”

  I just stared at the man.

  And then I gulped. “Gray, like the color?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. It’s short for Grayson.” He chuckled and glanced at the ground as if I amused him. His eyes caught on my shoes, and he slowly brought his gaze up, eyeing my clothes warily. It seemed like he wanted to say something but held back.

  I finally found my tongue since it was one of those survive or die moments. “I’m Lindsey. Nice to meet you.”

  He smiled at me.

  I smiled back at him.

  We stood there for a few awkward seconds.

  He hesitated. “Shall we go?”

  I nodded, but I didn’t move.

  He cocked his head to the side as if waiting for me to do something. Say something.

  But I could only stand there like an idiot.

  Chapter 5

  Lindsey

  “Shall we go?” Grayson repeated, edging away from the door.

  There was no way this man was going to be interested in me. What had Piper been thinking? Not that I was being down on myself. I really wasn’t. But I was a realist. A guy like him could get anyone he wanted. He didn’t need a lousy set-up.

  This had to be a pity date.

  She’d told him my sad story, and he agreed to come out a sense of obligation to help the poor woman who’d lost all her boyfriends to her cousin.

  Or maybe Piper bribed him.

  Perhaps she even threatened him.

  Oh, goodness. I had to stop these horrible thoughts. They were making me even more nervous. A part of me wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from this man. The other part wanted to throw caution to the wind and just go for it.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked. “You seem a little…confused.”

  That was putting it nicely.

  I blinked, snapping out of my daze. “Sorry. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” I stepped onto the porch and turned to close the door and lock it. “We can go.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m totally fine.” I finished locking the door and took a step towards him. My eyes met his, and for one long moment, I couldn’t look away. I swallowed. Piper should have at least given me a heads up. How could she not warn me he was so…masculine? I took another step, and, of course, I had to pick that moment to trip over my own feet.

  Gray caught me by the elbow and steadied me. “Careful. Those shoes are…hard to stand in, I imagine.” Glancing at my stilettos, he pressed his lips together like he was trying not to laugh.

  I flushed. The shoes looked like they belonged in a nightclub, not on a Saturday afternoon lunch date. Why had I agreed to wear them? I shouldn’t have given in to Destiny’s demands. “Yeah, they are.” I pasted on a smile.

  We strode out to the street where a black Porsche was parked. My eyes widened, and I perked up. Now that was a sports car. I couldn’t believe my luck. And then we walked past the beautiful sports car to the beaten down pickup truck parked right behind it.

  It was all sorts of ugly.

  In fact, I wasn’t sure it would even start. It was light blue with rust scattered across the hood and sides. A paint job would do it a world of good. I didn’t know how old it was, but I figured it had to be ancient by the way it looked. Gray unlocked the passenger door for me, and I stepped into the truck. I heard a slight tear and felt my skirt give a little in the back. Gray didn’t seem to notice as he closed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side. He got in and we were off. I could only hope the tear was minor.

  Now that we were in an enclosed space, that fragrance Destiny had sprayed on me infiltrated the small area, and it was quite strong. I immediately started coughing and my eyes watered. Gray must have thought it was strong too because he rolled his window down.

  I glanced at him sheepishly. “Sorry. My cousin sprayed me with perfume right before you got here. I think it was a little too much.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay. It’s not bad.”

  Oh, it was bad all right. He was too much of a gentleman to say anything. I rolled my window down as well, and then swiftly rolled it back up when the wind blew through my hair. I’d sat for hours while Destiny straightened and curled it, and there was no way I would allow it to be ruined in a matter of seconds.

  “So, you work with Piper,” Gray said. It was more of a statement than a question.

  Good, there was something we had in common. Piper. We could talk about her.

  “Yeah, she’s worked at the restaurant for years now. She’s awesome. One of the nicest people I know.”

  “Funny, she said the same thing about you.” He eyed me suspiciously as if Piper and I had talked beforehand.

  “That was nice of her to say. I mean, she’s a nice person so of course…”

  Ugh. How many times was I going to use the word, nice? “So, you’re a friend of Piper’s husband, Will?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve known him for a while.”

  “That’s great.”

  This felt so awkward. I wanted to leave a good impression, but my conversation skills suffered when I was nervous. Plus, the skirt was so uncomfortable. It dug into my stomach even more than when I’d sat on the chair in my apartment. Being in a vehicle seemed to make it worse. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the blouse fit around me like a straitjacket. I could barely move my arms.

  We made small talk until Gray drove into the parking lot of an outdoor strip mall, and I hid a smile as we circled, looking for a place to park. He must be taking me to the French Bistro. It was the only restaurant at this particular mall, so it was logical to assume we’d have lunch there. I’d only been there one time, and the food was pricey but delicious.

  Gray pulled into a parking space, shut off the engine, and walked around the car to open the door for me. He held out his hand to help me out, and when I took it, tingles spread over my skin, and my pulse accelerated. He let go of my hand, and I had to fight to keep my head on straight.

  We walked towards the restaurant, but instead of heading through the double doors of the French Bistro, Gray turned slightly to his left.

  Apparently, we weren’t going to the bistro. We were headed to Henry’s Hot Hoagies instead. He was taking me to a sandwich shop?

  It was more of a deli or fast-food joint than a restaurant. I’d forgotten it was here since I rarely came to this mall. Glancing down at my clothes, I grimaced. I was way too overdressed for this. Uneasiness washed over me as my heels clicked on the ground. This outfit didn’t feel genuine to who I was.

  I observed through the window small tables with turnstile seats attached. Why would he take me to a place like this on our first date? Either he didn’t take enough women out to know dating etiquette—and I had a hard time believing that—or he wasn’t concerned about making a good first impression.

  Bingo. That had to be it.

  Perhaps I was being too hard on him. Judging by his car, he probably didn’t have a lot of money to spend. I reminded myself that going on a date was more about getting to know the person. It shouldn’t matter where we ate.

  Gray opened the door, but my gaze was still stuck on those tiny little tables inside, and I crashed right into him, face planted on his chest.

  “Woah,” he said, laughing. “Careful now.”

  I backed away, horrified. His white shirt had makeup smeared all over it. In fact, I almost detected a face where my eyes and lips had left an impression. I put my hands on my cheeks. “Oh, no. I just ruined your white shirt.” I wanted to die. I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. What must he think? This was so embarrassing.

  He glanced down, and his lips twitched like he wanted to snicker but thought better of it. “It’s no biggie. I’m sure it’ll come out with some bleach.”

  “I hope so,” I said, voice wobbling. “If not, please tell me and I’ll buy you a new shirt.”

  His eyes flickered with amusement. “Really, it’s not a problem. Don’t worry about it.”

  I was anxious to find a mirror so I could check out the back of my skirt. That slight tear earlier hadn’t sounded good. “Excuse me, I think I’ll step into the ladies’ room for a few minutes before we order.”

  “Sure. Go ahead.”

  My shoes clicked on the floor as I made my way down the small hallway to the women’s bathroom. I felt like a kid playing dress-up with her mother’s clothes. Once inside, I stood with my back to the mirror and looked over my shoulder. There was a tiny tear, but, thankfully, it was minor. The skirt had a slit in the back, and the tear was right at the top of the slit. I doubted anyone would notice. I just needed to be careful when I sat down again. When I turned around, my eyes zeroed in on the sweat marks underneath my armpits. Oh, great. I was nervous, and the blouse was so tight it showed everything. The date had barely begun, and already I wanted to go home.

  I headed back out, and Gray and I ordered sandwiches and drinks. A guy prepared them right in front of us, and we placed them on a large brown tray. Gray paid for the meal, and then we looked for an empty table. A bunch of people entered the restaurant after we’d gone through the line, and I was relieved we’d gotten there before everyone else.

  “Would you like to sit by the window?” Gray asked.

  “Sure.”

  He waited until I took a seat before he sat down. At least he was a gentleman. He prayed over our meal, and then we unwrapped our sandwiches. We’d both ordered meatball sandwiches, slathered with lots of tomato sauce and cheese. I hadn’t been excited about this place initially, but the aroma of meatball and sauce lifted to my nose and my stomach growled.

  I took a bite and chewed. The bread was soft, and it tasted as if it had come straight from the oven. “Oh wow,” I said, mouth full. “This is delicious.” I kept my arms securely to my side, hoping the sweat marks didn’t show.

  Gray watched me, the corners of his lips tugging up. “You like it?”

  I’d already taken another bite and couldn’t speak with my mouth that full, so I gave him a thumbs up instead. After I swallowed, I glanced at him. “I’ve never been here before. Now that I know how good it is, I plan to come back.”

  “I love this place.” He leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room. “I know it doesn’t seem like much, but they make everything fresh.”

  I nodded. “You can taste the difference.” I held the enormous sandwich up and took another bite. Just as I did, a meatball fell out of the roll and landed on my chest, and then bounced all the way down to my lap. My mouth fell open. I had a sauce stain on my blouse that stretched from top to bottom. Destiny was going to kill me. I dropped the sandwich and grabbed napkins, dabbing them all over my blouse in my haste to clean up the mess.

  “I’ll get you some more napkins,” Gray said, heading to the counter.

  If this wasn’t a sign this date was doomed, I didn’t know what was.

  Gray hurried back with a stack of napkins and handed them to me.

  “You know what? I think I’ll head to the restroom to get these wet.” I lifted off the seat and heard another tear. My entire body stiffened.

  Gray’s eyes widened. “Did something just rip?”

  Oh, Lord, please. Put me out of my misery.

  “I…think so, but I’m not sure.”

  That last part was borne out of hopeful thinking. Something had definitely ripped—we’d both heard it. I carefully walked to the restroom and pushed open the door. An older woman with white hair was washing her hands at the sink. She had a pleasant face and wore a sweater that was probably the most obnoxious thing I had ever seen. It was checkered with pink, green, and orange. Each square had a different animal inside it, and it reminded me of the kind of shirt a preschool teacher would wear to get the children’s attention.

  I shook my head to clear it. Considering my state, I was the last person who should be judging someone’s clothing.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “Could you tell me if the back of my skirt ripped?” I turned so she could see.

  “Yeah, there’s definitely a rip here.” She leaned down and fingered the skirt. “I have a safety pin you can use.” She fumbled in her purse and pulled out the pin, and bending down, linked it through the fabric of my skirt. Once it was secure, she stood up. “That’s better. I think it’ll hold.” Her eyes fell to my ruined blouse. “Poor thing. You’ve been having quite the time here, haven’t you?”

  I nodded, regretfully. “I’m on a blind date. Guess I’m a little nervous.”

  She looked at me with sympathy. “That man of yours is hotsy-totsy. I was watching the two of you earlier.” She winked. “Don’t worry about all of this. I think he likes you.”

  I tried to hold back a smile at her use of the word hotsy-totsy, but I failed. “What makes you say he likes me?”

  “Oh, just a feeling I have, and I saw the way he was looking at you.”

  She was delusional. If anything, he was trying not to laugh at me. But she was probably attempting to boost my spirits. “Thank you for saying that.” I wet the napkins Gray had given me and started swiping them across my blouse.

 

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