Page 75 of After Hours Lectures
“C’mon. Things were good between us before. We could have that again.”
My eyes narrowed. “You need to stay the fuck away from me.”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond before I slammed my door closed and collapsed on my bed.
* * *
The next day,I hid in my room to avoid running into Ford until it was time to leave for Hayden’s. We were meeting at his place, and then he would drive us into the city for dinner.
My stomach was tangled up in knots during the ride to his house. I’d been looking forward to our date, but now I needed to talk to him about the job offer from Flirting with Fire, and I was debating whether to tell him what Ford had done the night before.
When Hayden answered his door, all other thoughts left my head as I focused on how incredibly sexy he looked in his burgundy button-up shirt that stretched across his toned chest and dark denim pants.
“You look hot,” I gushed as I leaned in for a kiss.
After we broke apart, he looked me up and down. “So do you.”
My face heated under the intensity of his gaze. “Maybe we can skip dinner and go straight to dessert instead.”
He seemed to consider it for a minute, but then shook his head. “No way. I spent all of yesterday looking forward to this date. You’re not getting out of it now.”
“Fine,” I huffed playfully. “Let’s go.”
Hayden drove us into the city and parked his SUV in the garage across from the pier where the restaurant was located. He laced his fingers with mine and we walked toward the French bistro. Holding his hand was such a small gesture, yet it filled me with pride that he was happy to be seen in public with me. It had been a long time since I could be openly affectionate with someone, and I looked forward to when we could be seen together every day.
He gave the maître d’ his name, and we were led to our table right away. Although it was doubtful we’d run into anyone we knew, he’d requested a table toward the back of the restaurant to give us some privacy.
We were handed our menus and told that our server would be with us soon. I took a quick glance around the restaurant. The low lighting and candles on every table helped to make us feel secluded and gave off a romantic vibe.
“You went all out tonight, didn’t you?” I teased, feeling a bit out of my element.
He smiled. “This is my parents’ favorite restaurant. I haven’t been here in a while, but I thought you would enjoy it.”
“Good evening,” our server greeted us a moment later. “My name is Nick, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Would you like to see our wine list?”
“Yes, please,” Hayden replied.
Nick handed over a leather-bound menu and explained he’d give us a minute to make our selection.
Hayden looked at me. “Do you prefer red or white?”
“I don’t usually drink wine,” I said sheepishly. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you choose.”
When Nick returned, Hayden ordered a bottle of pinot noir.
“Everything looks good,” I said as we perused our menus. “Any idea what you’re going to order?”
“I usually get the coq au vin, but I also highly recommend their filet mignon.”
Nick presented the pinot noir and removed the cork before pouring a small amount for Hayden to try. After he gave his approval, the waiter poured us each a glass and then took our food order. I went with Hayden’s suggestion and got the filet mignon.
After sipping the wine, I brought up the job offer. “So, I received an interesting phone call yesterday.”
Hayden lifted an eyebrow. “Really? From who?”
“Do you remember the band Flirting with Fire that played at the softball game?”
“Of course. I love their music.”
