Something she couldn’t identify flickered across his face before he answered. “Vanessa.”
“Vanessa worked at the bar?” Why hadn’t he mentioned that before now?
“Veryfleetingly. I’d just gotten home, and she was between jobs, so her working behind the bar helped both of us.”
That shouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable, right? So why did it? “Is that how you started dating?”
“Yes. I knew it couldn’t last. We were too different, something I should have paid more attention to. But I didn’t listen to my gut.”
“You and I are different.” The words slipped into the air before she could stop them.
“We’re not different in the big ways. We both have the same ethics and morals. And we both want to make this work.”
He was right. Of course he was. Maybe she just needed to stop questioning things and bringing her past insecurities into play.
The waitress stopped at their table again, this time setting down their meals. Immediately, Harper leaned forward to smell her ravioli. The pasta was filled with ricotta cheese and drowning in a luscious cream sauce.
She groaned. “Oh, God, I take it back. You can wine and dine me here whenever you want.”
At Cody’s silence, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her with the most intense look in his eyes. “I’ll bring you here whenever you want, Storm.”
She could feel herself blushing, and when she couldn’t think of a witty reply, she looked at Cody’s plate. It wasn’t justherfood that looked amazing, his tagliatelle with pork ragu looked and smelled just as good.
“So, how do you feel about sharing food?” he asked, as if reading her mind.
“I’m not opposed to it.”
Without another word, he put some pasta on his fork and placed it in front of her. She opened her mouth, another groanslipping from her throat when the delicious flavors hit her tongue. “My God, food in this town is out of this world.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s out of this world.”
She blushed again, tilting her head. “Stop being such a charmer.”
“Never.”
The conversation was lighter throughout dinner, but for some reason, the little fact that Vanessa had worked at his bar kept playing on her mind. Why, exactly, she wasn’t sure. Because he’d admitted to not listening to his gut and dating her anyway? Because that story was all too similar to theirs?
Halfway through her meal, she pushed her chair back. “I’m just going to pop into the bathroom.”
He nodded, and she felt his gaze on her the entire way. It was hot and way too intimate for the busy restaurant.
In the bathroom, she was just about to come out of the stall when the door opened and the voices of two woman sounded.
“Doesn’t Cody Walker look hot tonight?”
“Just tonight? That man always looks good.”
The first woman’s voice lowered. “And he’s with that bartender of his. The one who’s had trouble following her around town. Man, he just loves to save people.”
Harper frowned. What were they talking about?
“Has he saved someone before?”
“Don’t you remember Vanessa? She started working at the bar when she had that really aggressive ex who wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m pretty sure that’s how her and Cody got together. He was protecting her from the guy and she was bragging all around town how safe Cody made her feel.”
“Oh, Idoremember that.”
“She actually told me it was a double-edged sword though. Cody likes playing protector, so when she didn’t need one anymore, he started pulling away. Especially emotionally. Like,ofcourseshe shouldn’t have cheated on him, but it probably got to a point where she just wanted someone to dote on her and love her again.”
