“So, Sebastian,” Peter said, “are you our Nora’s brother? Cousin? Family friend?”
“Roommate,” Sebastian responded absently, still looking around the crowded space.
Peter turned to me with a frown. “You have a roommate?”
Guess now I have to go with that one.“I sure do. He’s a keeper, this one.”
Desperate to make the night less awkward, I waded into safer territory and asked him about his daughter. “How’s Lilly?”
Peter’s eyes lit up at the mention of her. She’d been living with him since his divorce and visited her mother every other weekend. “She’s great. Such a smart kid. Must take after me, because she certainly didn’t get it from her mother.”
He boomed out a laugh, and I cringed. I really hoped this wasn’t going to turn into a trash-talk-your-ex kind of night. As much as I hated Jim, the only people I complained about him to were Malena and Stella.
“Did you see the notice about the zoo trip?” I asked, hoping to change the topic again.
“I don’t know why they keep doing those trips. They cost money, and the kids don’t learn anything when they go to the zoo.”
“I think it’s a great way for them to learn more about animals they wouldn’t otherwise see.They might not be inside a classroom, but trips like that are invaluable for their development,” I said, swallowing down the rest of my lecture.
He boomed another laugh. “Of course you’d say that. My wife was the same. Always telling me that kids don’t just get their education at school.”
Time to change the subjectagain.“How is your job going?”
He was a used car salesman and loved to talk about his job. And surely that was a safe topic. And it was. Unfortunately, it was also the only thing we talked about for the rest of the night. Who knew there were so many different ways to sell a car?
Sebastian sat next to me, his knee brushing mine whenever he moved. I’d moved to the side the first few times it happened but eventually stopped leaning away.
“You should try the lemon pie. You’ll love it,” Peter suggested when it was time for dessert.
“She doesn’t like lemon,” Sebastian said, his eyes on me.
“That’s okay, I’ll try it,” I said, wondering how Sebastian knew I didn’t like lemon.
Peter nodded and closed his menu. “Great, let’s share one.”
I also didn’t share unless it was with my kids. When the waitress came back, she leaned close to Sebastian, giving us both a clear view down her top.
“Are you guys ready to order?” she asked, only looking at Sebastian.
What was it with that guy? Had he bathed in sugar and slapped on some pheromones to make all the women within a five-foot radius crazy?
“Chocolate lava cake,” Sebastian ordered, and neither his gruff tone nor lack of manners put a chink in the waitress’s rose-colored glasses.
“We’ll have the lemon pie,” Peter said, handing the menu back.
Awkward silence encased the table once the waitress was gone. I was surprised it took that long to reach this stage in our three-person date. Peter had been handling it fairly well, considering the grumpy chaperone he had to put up with.
“So, Peter, do you still ride your mountain bike?” I asked, remembering he’d mentioned going for a ride when we were waiting to pick up the kids once.
“Sure do. There’s nothing better than racing down the mountain. You’ll have to come with me,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“I’d love to,” I said, 100 percent not intending to follow through on my promise. If there was anything I hated more than lemon, it was mountain bikes. I owned one for a brief period when I was trying to find myself; I sold that incarnation of evil a week after I bought it.
Sebastian snorted and typed on his phone. He’d barely lifted his head all night, his device keeping him occupied.
“You don’t like riding a bike without a motor,” Sebastian said under his breath.
How in the world he knew that was a mystery I’d solve another day.
