Page 42 of The Last Date

“I know, right?” I grinned. “I honestly couldn’t believe it.”

“Do you care that he used to have a drinking problem?” she asked, watching my eyes carefully for my honest reaction.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen him drink, and he’s never seemed drunk or out of control around me. A lot of people have problems in the past that they get over.”

“That’s absolutely right,” Sarah said, nodding. “You used to be so ridiculously shy that you couldn’t speak to boys at all. Your mother’s string of endless dates cured you of that.”

I stopped myself from biting my lip. “Yeah, I guess so.” Turning to her with a grin, I added, “And you got over your squeamishness about blood and guts to be able to listen to your dad’s stories about tough surgeries.”

She held up her hand in defense. “Only a tiny bit. Just enough to be polite.”

“Still, you used to turn green at the mention of the word blood. People really can change.”

“That’s absolutely true,’’ Sarah said. “I’ve seen many people change completely. But thanks to the internet, people’s pasts and reputations linger forever. Do you care that he used to have an embarrassing TV show?”

Exhaling a long breath, I stared into my wine glass. For a split second, the pale liquid reflected the green photo on the wall behind me. I wanted to paint those colors.

“He wants me to paint again,” I said softly. “He was looking into little art studios. He was encouraging me to look up art supplies that I need.”

Sarah’s eyes lit up

like they did when she saw a kitten. “Really? That’s adorable.” Then she tapped the table between us. “But answer the question about the TV show.”

I shrugged. “It was a long time ago. It actually looked sort of hilarious, even though it was in sort of poor taste. I guess I don’t really care. The only thing that bothers me is that he didn’t tell me anything about himself in the beginning.”

“This is why, obviously,” Sarah said. “He wanted you to fall for him before your opinion of his present character was tainted by what you knew of his past.”

My chin bobbed up and down. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. It was a tiny bit underhanded, but I can’t really blame him. You know what I mean?”

“You’ve never really cared about the opinions of others,” Sarah said. “As long as you’re not embarrassed. I know how much you can’t stand that.”

I nodded, pondering.

“Your parents, however, really have a stick up their butts about reputations,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“True,” I nodded.

“Remember though, they can’t really do anything to you.”

My head snapped up, studying her expression. “What do you mean?”

“You’re an adult woman,” she smiled. “You have a job. You can walk out. I’m sure you could afford your own apartment. If you had to leave in a hurry, you could stay with me for a few months.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

“No problem. They aren’t going to lock you in the basement or something. They’ll threaten to cut off your inheritance, but do you really care about that?”

I answered immediately. “Not in the slightest.”

“Good. Then just remember how free you are. Heck, you could move in with Oakley right now if you wanted to. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having you in his bed,” she laughed. “Or maybe he’d be a gentleman and pretend that you were staying in the guest room.”

“No, I would definitely be in his bed,” I smiled, unable to meet her eyes.

Sarah’s stuttered little gasp made me laugh out loud. “I knew it! I didn’t want to ask, but I just knew it.”

“Quiet,” I mumbled, looking around. Today there were three little old men at the bar, and Beverly was sitting at a table in the front window reading a book.

“So?” Sarah hissed. “Any details at all?”

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