It wasn’t his fault. Like he said, he hadn’t been out on a date in ages. Maybe that was how awkward all first dates were. I’d never even dated, so who was I to judge?
And here I thought our age difference was going to be the awkward part.
13.Cole
Iwas such an idiot. What the hell was wrong with me?
I mean, I knew I was rusty, but that was epic levels of putting my foot in my mouth. What on earth had possessed me that I wouldn’t keep lamenting having to go through eleven more dates?
The more I thought about everything, the more I slapped my face until I gave myself a concussion. Or at least that was what it felt like when I got home, and I didn’t remember a second of the entire walk back.
I expected to be grilled on entry, but the house was as quiet as anything. Even Honeybee was gone.
“I guess they’re all still out,” I told the four walls surrounding me.
I grimaced. Should Ella be out this late?
My phone informed me it was only nine, which only drove the point harder on what a terrible date this was. Thanks to me.
With a sigh, I stripped off my clothes and walked into the shower. Maybe some hot water, soap, and hope would help me forget my atrocious dating skills.
I mean, what kind of person doesn’t check dietary requirements with their date? And why the hell did I think going to The Crown would be a good idea?
Sure, Cole. Take your first date in years to the only place you’ve never set foot in because of its bad reputation.
I was such an idiot.
Would offering Samir a get-out-of-jail-free card for our dates salvage the situation, or would it make it sound like he was the worst date ever?
I shook my head and let out a deep breath.
Even if I wanted to, Enzo wouldn’t let me do that. And to be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to stick with the dates—if for nothing else than to make sure Samir knew my lack of skill or panache had nothing to do with him and everything to do with me.
When I came out of the shower, I dressed right away and left the house before the others got home. The last thing I needed was to recount this evening’s events.
I picked up an order of a double cheeseburger from the Outpost and made my way to the station where I could enjoy my dinner in peace and quiet. Or, at the very least, without any intrusive questions about tonight.
Naturally though, as soon as Cooper and Josh turned up for their shift after midnight, things went south fast.
“Oh man,” Cooper said. “I hate you so much for signing me up for that auction!”
I chuckled and took a sip of coffee.
“Why? What happened?” I asked.
“My date is a creep,” he answered.
“I thought your date was Mrs. Sanders.”
“Yeah. She’s a creep.”
Josh chuckled, but Cooper glared at him.
“You think I’m kidding? She spent the whole evening spoon-feeding me, and every time I tried to eat by myself, she would slap my hand away and tell me it’s her privilege.”
I burst out laughing, and Josh rolled away from Cooper, holding his belly while Cooper sat there entirely unamused.
“I hate you both,” he said. “Especially you.” He pointed at me. “Just because you were dragged in the mud, you didn’t need to drag us down with you.”
