Page 46 of Mr. February

“Hi, Jenny. Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might want to switch places with me so you could have dinner with Wade. And, um, I’m sorry for my behavior. It won’t happen again. You have my word for whatever that’s worth.”

Jenny was uncertain what to do. When she glanced at Wade, though, his beaming smile convinced her to take Suzanne up on her offer.

“Okay, that sounds good. Are we allowed to switch places, though? I thought the whole point was we were supposed to get to know new people.”

Suzanne smiled at her sadly. “You’re a good person, aren’t you? I’m glad; he deserves someone good. Don’t screw it up like I did. He doesn’t realize how amazing he is, but I hope you do.” Suzanne looked away and cleared her throat.

“But, yes, it’s okay for us to switch,” Suzanne said. “I don’t know anyone at this table yet, and I’m sure there are people you haven’t met at Wade’s table, so we’ll still fulfill the goal. If anybody gives you any trouble, though, I’ll take full responsibility for the swap.”

Before Jenny’s eyes, Suzanne’s personality transformed. She became a gregarious, talkative person. In moments, she had the table’s full attention. Jenny might have felt inconsequential thatno one noticed her leave, but she was so eager to find out about Wade and Suzanne’s conversation that she didn’t care.

When she reached Wade, he stood and helped her to a seat. They spent the next two hours laughing and enjoying dinner. It was easily the best date of her life, despite sharing a table and conversation with six other people. The food was amazing, and she was glad she chose this restaurant from the sign-up list.

Wade assured her they no longer had anything to worry about where Suzanne was concerned. Jenny wasn’t so sure she believed it, but he seemed confident, so she relaxed.

Occasionally, she met Suzanne’s eyes across the restaurant. The other woman clearly had the rest of the table in her thrall, but it seemed like a character she donned. For the first time, Jenny wanted to know more about Suzanne and the situations that shaped her.

Her interest in the other woman flew out of her head when Wade threaded his fingers with hers as he spoke with one of the other people at their table. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him. Maybe they didn’t need to talk about Valentine’s Day after all.

JENNY

Jenny’s cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, but she wouldn’t change it for anything. Wade entertained her and the other denizens of their table with funny tales of co-workers and clients.

His stories were hilarious but not at the expense of other people. He used self-deprecating humor occasionally, but he mostly framed his stories so that the events unfolded in a funny way without anyone being the butt of the joke.

Jenny hadn’t realized how much Chad’s mean humor affected her until she contrasted it with Wade. Wade found enjoyment in laughing at things, too, but he looked for the ridiculous in situations, not in hurting people with a sharp tongue and praising his own cleverness.

She relaxed more as the evening progressed, the situation with Suzanne nearly forgotten. They consumed copious amounts of delicious Tex-Mex food, and Jenny had a margarita she swore was the most perfect margarita ever made. The others at the table turned out to be laid back and funny once they all got past the awkwardness of dining with strangers.

As they prepared to leave after an unexpectedly fun evening, Suzanne approached their table. Jenny stiffened in defense, but Wade laid a comforting hand across her back. Already, they were so in tune.

“Don’t worry; I’m not here to cause any trouble,” Suzanne announced. “I forgot my coat, and it wasn’t a pretense. If it wasn’t so damned cold outside, I would have left without it. It’d be just my luck the bus would break down, or we’d be stuck outside if I did that, though.”

Jenny had noticed the winter jacket earlier but hadn’t paid much attention to it. Suzanne grabbed it and left without saying another word.

“That was weird, right?” Jenny asked Wade.

“Kind of. When we get back to our suite, I’ll tell you everything.”

Jenny could hardly wait until they got back to the hotel. They boarded the bus with their table mates. Several of their fellow diners enjoyed a generous number of libations, and the ride back to the hotel was loud and rambunctious. Jenny happily snuggled into Wade’s embrace and let the sounds wash over her.

However, the closer they got to the hotel, the more nervous she became. She still wasn’t sure what he would expect from her.Yes, she found him attractive, but she wasn’t comfortable getting naked with him so soon. Yet she wasn’t opposed to it. How could she expect him to know what she wanted if she didn’t know herself?

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly to avoid drawing attention to her.

Jenny’s smile flashed. Before she could reassure him that everything was fine, he added, “And don’t say you’re fine. I can feel your tension, you know?”

She huffed out a laugh. Once again, he beat her to the punch.

“Are you worried about us?” He gestured between the two of them. “And my expectations now that we’re going to a hotel room together?”

Jenny widened her eyes. “How did you know?”

His laughter rippled across her back.

“Because I’m worried aboutyourexpectations.”

“You are?”

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