“I hope you don’t kill me for saying this, but I lucked out. You’re absolutely beautiful.” His compliment caught me off guard, making my cheeks flush pink.
“I could say the same.” I smiled.Were we flirting right now?
“I’ll see you for dinner, Lisa.” He bowed his head cutely before standing straight again and flashing me that almost playful smile.
After a few minutes of some light snooping, I left Dad’s office. He didn’t want me running the company and had kept me out of the business. He wanted whoever my husband would be to take over when he retired. In his mind, only a man could handle a business. Since he lost Lucas, it was now in the hands of whomever I marry. More like whoever Dad chooses for me to marry.
I didn’t want to do this, but I would. I could only hope that Christopher wouldn’t turn out to be a bad guy.
“Damn, Lisa, you always look so beautiful. Where are you headed, all dressed up?” Liv asked me as she took Abi from my arms.
I didn’t want to relinquish my beautiful niece, but I had only stopped by to drop off her favorite teddy she’d forgotten at my apartment. I was on my way to the dinner date Dad had planned for me with the future husband he’d picked for me. There was no time to stay and chat like I would have liked or I’d be late. I couldn’t resist holding Abi for a few more minutes, though. Her sweet cheeks were so kissable. The enormous bow in her strawberry-blonde hair was more than I could handle.
“I have a date,” I answered with a small smirk.
“Oh?” She raised her brow at me. “Good. I am glad to see you moving on. I can’t wait to hear about it later.” Liv smiled up at me as she sat Abi on her hip.
She had her flaming-red hair braided to the side, still the picture-perfect woman. Lucas came up beside her, kissing her temple, and then Abi. I watched as his lips sank into Abi’s cheek, making me want to do the same immediately.Sweet baby cheeks.
“Who’s the guy?” Lucas turned his attention to me, keeping his arm wrapped around Liv.
“Christopher.”
I didn’t want to say his last name, just in case Lucas knew it. I was sure he would have recognized it. He narrowed his eyes on me for a moment, seeing something was up—that I was holding something back—but he wasn’t sure what.
“Is he nice?”
“It’s a blind date. I figured maybe if someone else set me up, they wouldn’t be as bad as if I had chosen them myself.”
I mean, technically, it wasn’t a lie—but it wasn’t entirely true, either.
“Call me if you need me… or Rose.”
I still didn’t understand why he called Liv, ‘Rose’allthe time. It was really cute, but he only confused people by calling her that when they first met her. I doubted I would ever be lucky enough to find a love like the one they share. It was a love story unlike any other, and I was truly happy for them both. I just prayed that one day I would find a fraction of what they have.
“Will do.” I leaned forward, kissing Abi’s little cheek again. “I’ll see you guys later.”
I quickly hugged them both and hurriedly made my way to the car. I loved the way my BMW reflected the streetlights off its shiny black paint. Taking my place behind the driver’s seat, I blasted my music to keep my nerves from taking over.
I was running late by the time I arrived. I could see Christopher already seated at our table through the large glass windows of the restaurant. He looked rather annoyed with his jaw clenched and his hand fisted over the table. I felt my stomach sink with worry.What if he was just like Dad, too?
I entered the restaurant, letting the delicious intermingled smells of food waft into my nose. This place had a reputation for making the best meals. My stomach growled as the smell made my mouth water. I felt quite starved and couldn’t wait to eat. The hostess showed me to my table, just as Christopher spotted me. He stood up, smiling at me as his eyes roamed my body.
I was wearing a dark red dress with quarter-sleeves and a high-low hem. I paired it with my favorite pair of black stilettos and a black, clutch purse. His eyes lingered over my cleavage for a moment before meeting my gaze.
“Sorry, I’m late. I had to drop something off with my niece on the way here. She can’t fall asleep without her favorite teddy,” I explained, taking my seat across from him.
“No problem. I was worried you had stood me up, but I am glad to see you didn’t,” he said, smirking at me like I was the meal he was ready to devour. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you.” I smiled sweetly at him as I placed the cloth napkin over my lap. “You clean up pretty nice yourself.”
He was wearing a white button-down shirt, showing off more of his tanned skin. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, letting me see he had decently sized muscles. He had on a pair of black trousers and nice black dress shoes. He styled his hair neater than before, but it still had the same tousled feel.
“Good evening, can I take your order?” our server asked, with a genuinely friendly smile.
Christopher started right off the bat, not even confirming with me to see if I was ready. I hadn’t gotten the chance to look at the menu yet, although it seemed it didn’t matter as—to my surprise—he ordered for me, too. He ordered me… a fucking salad.A fucking salad.
Suffice to say, I was pretty peeved and interjected that I would have the same thing he was having instead… Steak and lobster tail, because he would soon learn, as my future husband, that I could order for myself. He looked at me rather stunned when our server left, almost as if he was mad I dared say anything.
