Nova’s eyes narrowed. “Why is that different?”
“Because I’m the male and you’re the female.”
Oh, for crying out loud.
“Ulrich, as I said, while I appreciate good manners, I don’t appreciate outright misogyny. I don’t need you to choose my meal or make any other decisions for me. I’m quite capable of handling those tasks myself.”
Before Ulrich could reply, Glenna returned to the table with their drinks. As she set them on the table, she asked, “What can I get for you tonight?”
“I’ll have the seared scallops with wilted greens,” Nova said. “But please pack them to go and bring us separate checks.”
Nova picked up her wine and looked at Ulrich. “What would you like?”
He gaped at her long enough that Glenna shifted on her feet, which caught his attention. Glenna was also looking at her with shocked eyes.
“Just the check,” he said shortly. “Everything on one bill.”
Nova put her wineglass down, having already drained it. “No. I’m paying for my meal and drinks. You can take care of your own.”
His mouth moved rapidly but no words came out.
Finally, he said, “You’re seriously ending the evening because I ordered for you?”
“No, Ulrich. I’m seriously ending the evening because you had the gall to say that things were different because you’re male and I’m female. While I didn’t think we had the potential for romance, I believed we could be friends. Now, I don’t even think that. I couldn’t be friends with a male who considered me inferior in any way due to my gender. While we are different in a lot of ways, when it comes to making decisions or living my life, I don’t need anyone to tell me how to handle that. Considering your reaction to me refusing a glass of red wine you ordered for me without even consulting me, I doubt very much I would appreciate the way you behaved if I made a larger scale choice you didn’t agree with. So, let’s cut this evening short and go our separate ways before I lose my ability to be polite.”
With that, Ulrich’s face turned dark red. “I’d say you already lost the ability to be polite,” he retorted sharply.
Instead of waiting for Glenna to return with his check, he stood, pulled out his wallet, and tossed a ten and a five on the table, which would barely cover the cost of his wine.
“Good luck on your search for a male,” he said, his tone snide. “I imagine you’ll need it.”
Nova scoffed but didn’t bother to reply. Males like Ulrich wouldn’t hear anything other than what they wanted to anyway. As ire-inducing as his words were, it would be a waste of effort.
When she didn’t reply, his face turned even redder and he stalked away.
A few moments later, Glenna returned with a container and a cup with a lid. “Addie said it’s on the house. She heard a little bit of your conversation and when she saw the look on that guy’s face, I had to stop her from coming over here.”
Nova tried for a smile and knew she failed. “It’s okay, Glenna. I should pay for my meal.”
The other woman shook her head.
“Fine, at least let me give you a decent tip. That guy barely left enough to pay for his glass of wine.”
“It’s fine, Nova. I’ve spent all of three minutes taking care of you guys.”
Nova relented because, honestly, she was too damn tired to deal with this right now.
“Thanks, Glenna. And thank Addie for me, too. I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon.”
Glenna nodded, handed Nova the box and cup. “I put another glass of wine in this for you. You look like you could use it.”
Nova could have hugged her. “I could use it. Thanks.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Glenna walked away and Nova glanced up to see Addie loitering by the hostess stand, watching her. When their eyes met, Addie gave her a shrug and small smile as if to say, “What can you do?”
Already, the irritation Nova held toward the other woman was fading. She lifted the cup toward her in a toast and headed toward the door.
