“I’m apoorresident.”
“My brother is a pediatrician.”
“That’s a tough job. One pediatrics rotation was enough for me.”
“I love kids.” She picked up her drink and sipped. Wow, this was good. Now that she was used to the vodka and tart lime and cranberry juices, she was enjoying the taste. She started to take another swallow.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She smiled. She still wasn’t feeling anything for Dylan, but she was becoming more relaxed.
“Are you dating the caterer?”
Anita choked. When she started coughing, Dylan leaned over and patted her on the back.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” she scratched out, her eyes watering. She accepted the napkin he held out to her. Carefully she wiped the corners of her eyes, not wanting to smudge her makeup. She glanced down at her dress, worried she might have spilled the drink on the pristine fabric, and sighed with relief when she saw she hadn’t.
“You shouldn’t drink those so fast.”
He was probably right, but that didn’t stop her from draining her glass. He thought she and Tanner were dating? To quote her favorite movie line,“Inconceivable.”If she wasn’t sure of that before, she was positive now after their encounter in the pantry.
“I need another drink.”
He paused, then quickly made it for her. “Take this one slow, okay?”
Anita tried, but the drink was so good, she couldn’t help but take a big gulp. “FYI, Tanner’snotmy boyfriend,” she said, finally remembering Dylan’s question. “We arenotdating.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
She gazed at him. Even tilted her head as she met his eyes. Nope. Nothing. That was disappointing. He was handsome, nice, and a doctor—what else could she ask for? But there were no rough edges to Dylan. There were plenty of delicious ones to Tanner.
Stop thinking about him!
“I guess I figured you two were together because you seem so in sync,” Dylan said.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. You both anticipated each other’s needs when you were putting out the food and taking care of guests.”
“We’ve worked together for a long time.” She finished off her drink.
“Yeah, but there’s something else.” He took the empty glass from her hand. “Mr.Not-Your-Boyfriend has kept his eye on you all night.”
She laughed, and for some reason it sounded both muffled and too loud. “Ha! Harper said the same thing. But I’m here to tell you, you’re both wrong.”
“Good.” He leaned over the bar until their faces were close. “Want to grab some coffee after the party? I’m staying with my parents over the weekend, so I don’t have to drive back to Little Rock tonight.”
“Would that be like a date?”
“Yeah. Like a date.”
Her thoughts swirled. Should she say yes? No? Maybe so? “Can I have another cosmo?”
The drink miraculously appeared in front of her. “So, about our date,” he said, leaning forward again.
Anita picked up the martini glass. It had been so long since she’d had a date. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been on one. Wait, it had been Gary what’s his face, her sister’s fiancé’s best friend. She couldn’t remember anything about him except that the date was awful.
