‘I don’t bite,’ he whispered.
Mallory lowered her voice to match his. ‘But maybe I do.’
Alexander winked in delighted response.
They managedto snag a table in the corner and ordered sandwiches from the smiling waitress. ‘Please bring me the bill afterwards,’ Alexander said firmly. ‘I’ll be paying. With money.’
Mallory snickered. ‘You sound like a pompous dick.’
‘I invited you here. I want to pay for the meal.’ He wagged his finger. ‘You have form in places like this.’
The waitress agreed. ‘Yeah, Mal doesn’t usually pay for her food here. She’s got some kind of arrangement with my boss.’ She nodded and moved away to deal with another customer.
Alexander grinned knowingly. ‘I rest my case. Although one must question why you eat so badly when you have so many restaurant owners keen to feed you.’
She sniffed, although in truth he had a point. ‘You still sound like a pompous dick.’
He grimaced. ‘Unfortunately that’s what Cathy West thought.’
Abruptly Mallory realised that she wasn’t dismayed in the slightest, though she did her best to look disappointed while mentally castigating herself. Cathy was a great fit for Alexander; she was everything he wanted. And if the date had gone well, Mallory would be freed from all future obligations. Damn it.
‘What happened?’
‘Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. I was the epitome of charm…’
‘And modest with it,’ Mallory muttered.
‘If you’d prefer misplaced modesty, I’m sure I can conjure some up.’
She held up her hands. ‘No, you’re right. Stay as you are.’
He laughed. ‘We chatted. We had lots in common, I made her laugh in the right places and I don’t think I made any terrible faux pas. There was an awkward moment when I spilled some water but it landed on the tablecloth and not on her dress, so I think I got away with it.’
‘And?’ Mallory pressed.
‘At the end of the evening,’ he looked away as if embarrassed, ‘Cathy thanked me for a lovely time and said she didn’t think there was much point in a second date.’
Oh. That wasn’t good. Mallory leaned back in her chair and considered as the waitress returned with their sandwiches. ‘Okay,’ she said finally. ‘Cathy West isn’t the one but it doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the experience. You didn’t float her boat, but did she float yours? You’re usually the one who’s too picky, Alexander. How did you feel about her?’
He picked up his sandwich. ‘I can’t profess sudden undying love, though she seemed nice enough.’
‘Nice enough?’ Mallory whistled. ‘No wonder she wasn’t interested in a second date.’
‘What’s wrong with nice? Cathy was nice. I liked her and I enjoyed her company. She was definitely … nice.’
Mallory took a bite of her sandwich, chewed it thoughtfully then swallowed. ‘Were you attracted to her?’
‘She’s very pretty.’
‘That’s not what I asked.’
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Yeah. I guess I was attracted to her a bit.’
‘Uh-huh.’ Mallory nodded. ‘What was she wearing?’
Alexander stared at her. ‘Is this a test?’
‘Answer the question.’
