Page 56 of Under the Lights
“Casseroles. They usually have ham in them. Or broccoli, which I don’t get as a date food because it’s the worst at getting stuck in your teeth.” He took a bite of the pizza because he was starving. Once he’d chewed and swallowed it, he swiped at his mouth with a napkin. “Chicken, but not barbeque or fried chicken. Fancy stuff, like chicken cordon bleu and such.”
“Because they’re trying to impress you.”
“And you don’t care about impressing me?”
“Nope.”
He waited while she ate a bite of her pizza to see if she’d expound on that resoundingnopeat all. Not that his feelings were hurt, but the transition from her naked body under his to her clearly not giving a crap what he thought of her was pretty abrupt.
When he didn’t say anything, she shrugged. “Those women are showing you what you could look forward to in the future if you put a ring on it. You’re leaving in a few days and, if you ever think about me again, it won’t be the food that’s on your mind.”
“How could I forget frozen pizza?” he teased.
She was wrong when she saidifhe ever thought of her again. He’d think about her. He thought about her all the time now—what she was doing, how work was going, when he could see her again—and he didn’t think a day’s drive to New Jersey was going to change that. But wondering if she’d ever think abouthimat all bruised his pride a little.
Of course, if she did think about him it would probably be to wonder what she’d been thinking, sleeping with a guy who’d managed to screw up every aspect of his life before he even hit middle age and barely had a pot to piss in. He needed to keep reminding himself why this was a fling and not a relationship, or he was going to get in trouble.
“I had a choice,” she continued. “I could make a nice dinner, which would take forever to cook and eat, or we could have frozen pizza and use that extra time in a better way.”
“You made the right choice,” he said. While he’d probably end up prowling around the McDonnells’ kitchen in the middle of the night, looking for a snack, he didn’t want to spend what time he could sneak with Kelly watching her chop vegetables.
They demolished one and a half pizzas while talking about the upcoming game and the other guys and the parade. When Chase expressed some concern about walking the parade route, Kelly laughed and told him she was sure Jen had a float arranged for them. They wouldn’t make the honored guests walk circles around Stewart Mills.
“Have you heard anything from back home?” she asked, tossing her balled-up napkin onto her empty paper plate.
“Like what?” He hadn’t really thought much about home in the last couple of days.
She shrugged. “I didn’t know if they found your business partner or how things were going with work and stuff.”
The question took a little of the shine off the evening. “They did find Seth, and at first he claimed he didn’t take it. But everybody knows that’s not true, so now he’s claiming it was his money, too, so he was free to take it. There are lawyers involved and possible criminal charges, depending on how it shakes out, so it’ll take a while to sort.”
“But you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. Starting over sucks, but at least I won’t be starting over in too big a hole. I’ll manage whether I’m able to recoup any money from Seth or not.”
“That’s good news, then.”
He tried to read her expression, but she gave him nothing but friendly curiosity. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Maybe some sign her interest was more than friendly? She could be fishing to see if his life was in better shape than it had been before, which might give him a promotion into relationship material.
But it didn’t matter. As he’d said, the hole he’d be digging his way out of wasn’t too deep, but it was still a hole. The foundation he’d been basing his life on had been built on sand and collapsed. He had no interest in dragging anybody else into the rubble, especially Kelly.
He reluctantly pushed his chair back from the table. “I should get going. Even though I know it doesn’t bother your parents, I hate being out late. It feels rude. Plus, you have to work early.”
“And the big game’s tomorrow.” She stood, too, and walked with him to the door. “You have plans beforehand?”
“Nope. We decided if we try to do a pregame practice, we’ll be too tired to actually play the game. Napping was mentioned.”
She laughed. “Do you want to grab a late lunch after my shift?”
“I’ll definitely need to eat.”
“Good. I’ll text you the time and place.”
He kissed her good night, trying not to lose himself in it so completely that he ended up back in her bed. Only the knowledge her shift would start before he was even out of bed in the morning gave him the will to break it off.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, and she smiled.
Chase stepped out onto the street and, because he was paying attention to making sure the outside door locked behind him, almost ran into another pedestrian.
