“You’ve been to Curly’s before?” I asked more to distract myself from the date.
“A couple of times for lunch when I came here to meet Wynter. I can’t imagine how busy that place gets on a Saturday night.”
Shit. My knuckles were white again.
Ruby smoothed her skirt under her legs. Her excitement filled the cab and only cranked up my guilt. I did not want to do this.
By the time I parked in the lot, I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I’d purposely come early in the evening when there’d be fewer customers, but small groups walked into the double wooden doors. More cars flowed into the lot behind us.
I didn’t kill the engine, just glowered at the restaurant. In my periphery, I could see Ruby’s hand on the door handle.
Kill the engine and walk in with her. That was all I had to do.
That was it.
A warm hand landed on my arm. “Tenor? Is everything okay?”
I closed my eyes and exhaled. “I don’t—” She deserved some sort of explanation, but I couldn’t delve into my previous humiliation. But when I looked at her wide, worried blue eyes, I couldn’t allow her to think any of this had to do with her. “I don’t like attention on me.” The idea of getting stared at scratched under my skin.
Confusion glimmered in her eyes a moment before understanding sank in. “And people will see you on a date.”
“That’s what we want them to see.”
“True. But a date can mean many things. It doesn’t have to be diners staring at us while we eat. I get gawked at when I’m here with Wynter. A Saturday night? We’ll be their dinner show just eating the buns.”
The burn in my stomach cranked higher. “I owe you a supper.”
“Hmm.” She rested her elbow on the console and put her chin in her hand. “Where else would you go on a date in town?”
“I haven’t been out in a . . . long time . . . with someone.”
Her smile was encouraging. “You’ve been single for a minute?”
I shook my head. “I don’t date anymore.”
She was quiet a moment and I let her read into my statement however she wanted. “Just like you don’t have people over to your house?”
“Like you with your work and your books, I don’t like to be judged based on how I live my life.”
“And you have been before? Judged by how you live?”
“Yes.” How I lived, what I did in my free time, what I wore, and what my priorities were. The urge to share more with her was strong, but I tucked it away. Not today. Not ever. It was easier being alone than facing that.
She dug her phone out of her purse. “What would you have eaten if we’d ordered?”
“The beef tips are my go-to at Curly’s.”
She nodded and poked at her screen. Bewildered, I watched as she pulled up Curly’s menu and hit the contact info. When they answered, she rattled off my order and one for her—the chicken primavera. After she hung up, she shot me a satisfied smile. “Twenty minutes. Then we can find a place for a picnic.”
Acute relief cooled the sting of humiliation. I should be able to take her out to a goddamn restaurant. “This was supposed to be a date.”
“It is. I’m sure people will see us together just driving around. Should we take the food back to your place?”
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. I didn’t want her to feel like I was squirreling her away or, worse, embarrassed to be seen with her. “There’s a park by the river.”
“Perfect.” She crossed her ankles, drawing my eyes to her bare legs.
“You really do look good tonight.”
