“After dinner, would you care to go for a walk?” He asks as he cuts his food.
Hmm, so far heseemshuman enough, if a little odd. Maybe Hot Book Guy is wrong, and your date is just a normal guy.
Before you can answer, your phone buzzes. And buzzes.
Someone is calling.
You glance at the caller I.D. It’s Hot Book Boyfriend.
Of course it is.
But you can’t answer a call from him in front of your date!
“Just a second,” you say with a smile before hitting the ‘answer’ button. “HiMom. I’m on a date. I’ll call you later.”
You hang up.
And for a second, you debate about turning your phone off.
But that seems like a bad idea.
After all, Mr. Hot Book Guy is bound by magic to protect you. So he’s probably only trying to help.
“Sorry about that,” you say with another polite smile as you start in on your salad.
Honestly, aside from being rather sterile of conversation and humor, your date hasn’t done anything horribly wrong.
Well. Aside from that very red-flag sneer earlier when you tripped.
Details.
And the fact that you’re still pretty sure he lied about knowing Corrine. Which is super weird, because she set you up with him.
Didn’t she?
Midway through another bite, your phone buzzes again.
This time you stand up, grabbing your purse.
“Excuse me for a minute,” you say, heading to the ladies’ room. It’s the fanciest restroom you’ve ever seen in a restaurant, complete with black marble floor and sinks, gilded mirrors, and fresh roses adorning the glinting countertop.
Fortunately, it’s also empty.
You shut yourself in the nearest stall and pull out your phone.
But before you can even read his message, golden light flashes out of the screen, making you jump. You nearly drop your phone, but somehow miraculously manage to hang onto it.
Barely.
“I figured out who he is,” Hot Book Guy says coldly as he materializes in the tiny stall between you and the door.
You stand there, mouth agape, staring at him. Fortunately, you only came in here to hide, and you’re still fully dressed.
But still—
“You can’t be in here!” you hiss once you find your words.
He folds his arms. “Why not?”
