Page 54 of Meet Cute or Your Money Back

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “I kind of panicked.”

“Well…you can’t do that anymore, okay?” he finally says, pointing a finger at Abby. “No more pictures. No more following us.”

“Sure. Yeah,” Abby agrees and almost immediately, I notice the mischievous glint in her eyes. “It’s a shame for this food to go to waste. Appetizers. A bottle of wine?—”

I narrow my eyes at my sister. “I’m sure it won’t go to waste?—”

“You two should enjoy dinner—” Thatcher starts to stand, offering Abby his seat, but she clamps her hand to his shoulder, shoving him back down.

“No!Youstay,” she says.

“Abby,” I start to say, but she quickly cuts me off.

“I’m just getting off a fourteen-hour shift at the hospital and more than anything, I need sleep. But I want to make sure my sister won’t be eating alone, you know?”

“Oh my God,” I mutter and bury my face in my hands. This is humiliating. The Larsen girls are not subtle, apparently. “Abby, I’ll be fine eating alone.” I don’t add the fact that I do it all the time for the newspaper reviews.

Thatcher turns his bemused smirk toward me with an eyebrow lifted. “I have no other plans for tonight.”

Before I can answer, Abby claps her hands together. “Great! It’s settled.” Yanking a twenty from her wallet, she hands it to me. “That’s for the wine I had at my table. I’ll have them move my bill to this check. Okay, toodles!” she blurts out, hardly taking a breath between words.

With his elbow on the table, Thatcher holds out his hand to me. I stare blankly at it, then slap his palm like I’m giving him five.

He doesn’t move except for the corners of his mouth twitching upward ever so slightly, amusement glinting inhis green eyes. “Your earpiece,” he says. “Not a whole lot of need for it with me sitting directly across from you.”

“Oh.Ohhhh. Right.” I’m such a dumbass. I pull the earpiece from my ear and drop it into his palm.

Thatcher clears his throat and opens the menu, pursuing it. While he studies the entrees, I study him, my heartbeat quickening as his tongue darts out absently as he’s thinking.

I quickly avert my eyes, staring back down at the menu I’ve long since memorized and ignoring the fluttery things happening in my belly.

He’s way too handsome for his own good.

“I think I’m going to try the mushroom pappardelle,” Thatcher says, lowering his menu.

My gaze jerks back to him in shock. “What?”

“The pappardelle,” he repeats. “I know…” He rolls his eyes. “Most people go for the?—”

“Bolognese,” I finish for him. “But the pappardelle is underrated. Especially here.”

His smile widens. “I forgot I’m dining with a foodie. Actually…” He pauses to nudge his menu aside as our server approaches. “What am I thinking? I’m going to let her order for me.”

Well, shit.

I think I just fell in love.

Chapter 15

Thatcher

“Rollerblading? Really?” I mutter under my breath, trying not to let my skepticism bubble over. The sun is shining high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the park, but all I can think about is how this is another one of her quirky ideas.

Allie flashes me that infectious grin of hers, her hazel eyes twinkling with mischief.

My heart somersaults in my rib cage and I try to ignore the things her smile does to me.

I shouldn’t have stayed and had dinner with her the other night. I knew I shouldn’t. And yet, I was so thrown off by Allie’s sister being there photographing the date, I just… I don’t know. I said yes when I shouldn’t have.

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