She didn’t want him thinking she was a charity case, but rather an independent woman capable of taking care of herself.
Her heels clicked against the smooth pavement, focused on not rolling her ankle as she made her way to her car. Normally, she would have waited to get ready until closer to the time Trevor was supposed to arrive, but after the way she’d looked during their date last night, Lexi was determined to look more presentable this time.
Using the few hours she had after work to pamper herself—something she very rarely did—she’d splurged and gotten her brows waxed. After that, she went home and indulged in a relaxing, well-deserved bath.
Surrounded by bubbles she’d bought at the dollar store, Lexi took her time re-reading a few chapters of a book by her favorite romance author before getting into the shower to shave and wash her hair.
She then gave herself an at-home mani-pedi, got dressed, and did her hair and makeup. When she was finished, Lexi felt pretty and refreshed, which had been her goal.
But time had gone by faster than she’d thought, and now she was rushing to make it home to get dinner prepped and in the oven on time.
Finally to her car, Lexi leaned her hip against the back bumper and shifted both sacks into in her left arm. Then, lifting that same knee, she propped the bottoms of the sacks onto her leg so she could use her right hand to dig into her pocket for her keys.
Not an easy task, considering she was in a dress and heels.
Pulling her keys free, Lexi had just found the right button and was about to pop her trunk open when a man’s loud voice came from right behind her.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“Oh!” Startled, Lexi jumped and turned quickly, dropping one of the bags in the process.
The sound of glass shattering hit her ears, and Lexi cringed, knowing the bottle of wine she’d just bought to go with dinner had broken. When she looked up and saw who the man was, she became even more frustrated.
“Rob?W-what are you doing? You scared the crap out of me!”
Bending down, Lexi sat the bag she’d been holding onto the ground and quickly scooted the other one away from the growing puddle of spilled wine. Swiftly, she began to transfer the groceries out of the ruined sack and pile them into the other one as best she could.
Ignoring her question, Rob asked, “What’s the wine for? Hot date?”
Thinking he’d back off if he knew she was seeing someone, Lexi answered, “As a matter of fact, yes.”
“With who? Oh, wait!” He snapped his fingers. “I bet it’s that tall asshole from the diner. What was his name...Trevor?”
Lexi hated the way Rob said Trevor’s name. She stood to face him. “That’s none of your business.”
Just then, a mom with a shopping cart and two young kids in tow walked by. Rob waited until they passed before inching his way closer. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Lexi-Loo. It is my business.”
He smelled of whiskey and was starting to slur his words. Alarm bells went off inside her head, and Lexi glanced over to where the mom had walked.
If she could make eye contact with her, the other woman would call for help. Unfortunately for her, the mom was leaning into her minivan’s open side door, buckling the youngest child into his car seat.
Lexi quickly scanned the rest of the parking lot for someone else. Regrettably, it was a small, neighborhood market. A handful of other cars were in the lot, but she didn’t see any other people around.
Her breathing picked up, and her heart felt like it would pound straight out of her chest, but she stood her ground.
“No, I’m not wrong.” She tried to go around Rob, but he slid over, blocking her path.
“Like hell, you’re not. I’ve been asking you out for a month and a half. This guy walks in and you’re practically spreading your legs for him right there in the middle of the fucking diner. Now, you’re dressed like a whore, wearing all that makeup and those fuck-me heels. The guy must be a damn good tipper.”
Lexi gasped at his insulting words. Having lost her patience with the imbecile, she slapped her palms against Rob’s chest and pushed him hard enough he stumbled back a few steps.
Then, she let loose with everything she’d wanted to say since he’d started coming into the diner, but couldn’t.
“I amnotdressed like a whore, and for the past month and a half, I’ve been telling you no! I know you think you’re God’s gift to women, but the reality is, no woman with a lick of common sense would eventhinkabout dating someone like you. So take a freaking hint, Rob. I don’t want to go out with you. Not now, not ever. Got it?”
Stepping past him, Lexi made a beeline for her door. Remembering she still hadn’t unlocked the car yet, she hastily pressed the button and reached for the handle. She’d just started to open her door when a large hand flew past her head and slammed it shut.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
