Kelsi scowled at her phone. “How did you know that?”
“Because I know you.” She could practically hear the eye roll Abby was giving her. “Now, get your cute butt out of that car and go have fun. There’s no pressure on this date, okay? Just go, talk to a cute boy, eat some good food, maybe have two glasses of wine, and forget about the assholes of the past. If anyone deserves to have a good night, Kelsi, it’s you.”
“Thanks, Abby.” Kelsi’s eyes were slightly misty, definitely from allergies and not Abby’s words, as she said goodbye and glanced back toward the restaurant. Reminding herself there were no stakes for this date, she pulled herself together and stepped out of the car.
She made her way up the wide porch steps and into the restaurant. The first thing she noticed when she walked in wasn’t the delicious aroma of crab cakes and pasta sauce and she-crab soup, but the man leaning against the wall next to the host’s stand, dressed down in dark jeans and a black Henley that stretched indecently across his chest.
He glanced up from his phone when he heard the door open and did a double take when he saw her. His jaw slackened as he traced the exposed line of her neck down to the silk she was draped in, following the lengths of her calves to her black pumps and back up again.
His blue eyes were full of so much heat that she imagined she could actually feel his touch where they lingered. She shivered involuntarily as gooseflesh rose on her arms, and Dylan pushed off from the wall, pocketed his phone, and slowly strolled toward her. She barely noticed his limp, his gaze holding her own until he stopped only a foot away.
Absent-mindedly, she thought about how the shade of his eyes was the exact same blue of her dress.
“Red,” Dylan said, voice low. Nothing else, only his nickname for her.
His cologne, a subtle but masculine mix of amber and sandalwood, enveloped her. She inhaled deeply, feeling heat pool in her core at his proximity and overwhelming presence.
Kelsi cleared her throat. “Dylan,” she answered in kind.
“You look absolutely breathtaking.”
Her breath hitched. He towered over her; even in her five-inch pumps, he still had a solid four inches on her. A stray lock of hair fell over his brow, and her hand twitched with the urge to brush it out of his face.
The door at her back opened once more, warm and humid summer air blowing the strands of her ponytail lightly. A warm hand wrapped around her waist as Sheridan came up on her right side. He was dressed smartly in black slacks and a simple white button-down, the top few buttons undone. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, making his ensemble casually sexy. She supposed he did look rather nice, but she thought she might prefer the Henley look.
She glanced over at Dylan, and his eyes burned furiously as he stared fixedly at where Sheridan’s hand rested on her hip. A muscle feathered in his jaw as he clenched it tightly.
Sheridan seemed unaware of the heated glare his left hand was receiving and reached his right hand out to Dylan in greeting. “Hey, man. Haven’t seen you in a bit. How are you?”
Dylan pulled his gaze from her waist and turned his attention to Sheridan’s outstretched hand, reluctantly taking it and giving a perfunctory shake. His expression didn’t change, but she saw Sheridan shake out his own hand slightly after Dylan released his grip.
“Good.” Dylan glanced between the two of them. “Are you two ...?” he ground out, letting the question drop off, looking as though the words themselves had to fight to get past his lips.
Sheridan, once again seemingly ignorant of Dylan’s behavior, grinned at him and said, “On a date? Yeah, we are.” He squeezed Kelsi tightly to him.
Her smile felt brittle on her face. Dylan smiled at Sheridan, but it was all teeth.
Sheridan finally turned fully to take in Kelsi’s appearance. “You’re looking good tonight, Kelsi.”
Dylan scoffed and said, staring directly at her, “She’s looking more than good. She’s perfection.”
The sincerity in his tone made her chest clench. She stopped breathing altogether as she held his gaze.
The moment was broken by the host calling out Dylan’s name. He turned to retrieve a takeout bag, and Kelsi and Sheridan followed him toward the stand, Sheridan separating from her to give the host his name for their reservation.
Dylan stopped by her side, so close that his arm brushed hers. “See you around, Red.” Her eyes followed him as he walked out of the restaurant, limp more evident than before.
“Kelsi,” Sheridan’s voice called to her. “Our table’s ready.”
She walked past him to follow the host to their table, and his palm landed on her lower back. It was chivalrous and expected of a Southern boy in these parts, but it weighed heavily and uncomfortably against her.
Her mind kept going back to the way Dylan had looked at her, his words. Had he meant them? That she looked perfect? Her heart fluttered, but she’d had enough men in her life disappoint her that she couldn’t let herself fully believe it, not yet.
Plus, the warmth of Sheridan’s hand seared like a brand against her hip. She was on a date with another man, and she owed Sheridan a chance. He’d been nice to her so far, he was handsome, and they didn’t have nearly three decades of history.She cut a sideways glance at him as she dodged a table in their path, and he caught her gaze with a wink.
Yes, this was exactly what she needed.
The host sat them at a central table, couples on either side of them, and handed them both menus, leaving a wine list on the table. Kelsi’s nerves came back full force. She hated small talk, and that was what first dates were, right?Oh God, she thought, starting to panic. It had been way too long since she’d been on a first date with anyone. She couldn’t remember what to do.
