Page 30 of A Real Man for Christmas

“And what can I get you this evening?” The waiter paused at our table and fished for a pen and pad in his apron pocket. When he had them in hand, he looked up. He dropped his pen.

“I think I’d like the flank steak with chimichurri sauce, please,” I said.

“Great.” The waiter wrote it down. He swung to Tanner. “And for you?”

“I’ll have the chicken alfredo, please.”

The waiter leaned closer to the table. “Sorry. Didn’t quite catch that.”

“He said chicken alfredo,” I repeated helpfully. I also asked for glasses of water and a bottle of red wine Tanner suggested.

“Very good, ma’am. I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“Thank you,” Tanner and I said at the same time as the waiter left.

“So chicken alfredo, huh?” I guessed male models must not have to watch what they ate as closely as female models did.

He nodded. “It was the closest thing to mac and cheese on the menu.”

I laughed. He cocked his head to the side and regarded me for a moment. I felt the full impact of his attention on me like a physical force.

“So having a date to your sister’s wedding is really important to you, huh?”

I unfolded my napkin and placed it in my lap. “Yes, I mean, maybe it shouldn’t be. But it is. You’re still okay to go with me, right?”

He held a hand up. “Whoa. Didn’t mean to freak you out. Of course I’m still willing to go with you. More than willing. Excited. I was just wondering why it was so important.”

I bit my lip, thinking. “Pettiness, I guess.”

He barked out a surprised laugh. “I think you should try to be a little more honest there, Margot,” he teased.

I gave a wry smile and shrugged. “It’s okay. I know it’s petty. It’s just that there’s always been this rivalry between Lindsay and me. She has always, always come out the winner. She’s my younger sister so I feel like I should’ve led the way insomething, but she’s always been first at everything. First bra, first boyfriend, first to finish college. She even moved here to New York where I desperately wanted to live but couldn’t.”

The waiter returned with our glasses of water and bottle of wine. Tanner let him pour before picking back up the thread of our conversation.

“Why didn’t you go to college in the city like you wanted to? Lindsay didn’t keep you from it, did she?”

I shook my head. “I’d just been accepted to NYU when my dad was diagnosed with lymphoma. I stayed closer to home to be there for him and to help Mom.”

“Wow. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. When the scare was past and Dad was in remission, I enrolled in the nursing program at Georgia State, and Lindsay came here for college, which I guess had been her dream too. And, you know, good for her. But attending college here gave her a claim on the city I’ll never have.” I held a hand up in a gesture of voilà. “Lindsay wins again.”

“But what you did was a good thing. You gave up your dream to help your family. That’s a really big deal. You don’t have to feel like Lindsay beat you to anything.”

I slouched in my chair. “I mean, intellectually I know you’re right. And I’m not sorry about what I chose to do. It was the right thing, and I’m glad I was there for my dad—and my mom. They really needed the support. It mattered to them that I was there.” I picked up my glass and put it back down again. “But I can’t help feeling left behind. Like I missed out. I was rejected.”

Rejected? Where had that come from?

Tanner nodded, his gaze locked on mine. It was electric, the way his intensity absorbed me. “I think that would be hard. I understand now.”

I waved a hand. “It’s not a big deal. Like I said, just being petty.” My smile was rueful. I took a drink of water.

He cocked his head, and his kind eyes holding mine stirred my heart. “I don’t think so at all. Life is short. It’s too short not to go after what you want.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You took time out and helped your family. That’s great. That’s worthwhile. But now it’s time to pursue the course that’s going to make you happy. And if part of that is bringing a hot date”—he pointed to himself with both thumbs—“to Lindsay’s wedding so she has one less thing to rub your face in, then I amthrilledto help.”

A laugh burst out of me, and I choked on my sip of water. “Thanks. I’m pretty thrilled you’re helping too.”

Our entrées were delivered, and we attacked them. Cold weather and comfort food—the perfect winter combination. Not to mention that I was sharing the meal with the thigh-ignitingly hot man sitting across from me. Although I lingered over every crumb, the dinner was all too short. We shared a piece of chocolate cake for dessert and he ate as much of it as I did. When it came to the last bite, though, he let me have it.

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