“You are absolutely right, all-powerful Ledg. I will … make you that dining room table you’ve been bugging me about. And a new bed frame!” she throws in.
“Dining room table, bed frame, and an outdoor swing,” I counter.
“Jesus. Do you know how many mechanics there are in a swing?”
“Take it or leave it, Rina. You want me to go on a date I don’t want to go on to help you out of a bind. You’re going to be working for it.”
“But three huge-ass pieces of furniture? I have commissions out the ass right now. It’s going to take me forever to get them done!” she whines.
I raise my eyebrow at her and cross my arms over my chest. Let’s see how badly she wants me to go on this date.
“God, you’re the worst sometimes. Fine, I will make a shit-ton of furniture in exchange for one date. This is ridiculously one-sided.”
“It sure is. Send me the details.” I walk past her and head to the kitchen. The twinge in my gut at agreeing to a date, no matter how fake it is, has me second-guessing saying yes. I’d do anything for my siblings, but with Ainsley in the picture, this feels like a betrayal, even if we are nowhere near together.
I hear the door slam, and my house turns blissfully quiet. My thoughts are screaming loudly in my head, though. This is a terrible idea. This poor woman is going to be expecting someone who actually wants to go on a date, and she’s going to get me—a man hung up on another woman, who thinks my name is Dean.
I’ll just be upfront when I meet her. I don’t want to get her hopes up, and I’d rather just treat her to a nice dinner and leave as potential friends. Lord knows I don’t need to lie any more than I already am.
Rina sends me the details of this “date”, and I decide to spend the next hour taking a shower and cleaning up the house a little. The least I can do is not look like I just did eight hours of hard, physical labor.
Finally, feeling more like myself, I head to Sal’s a little early. Rina said I was looking for someone in jeans and a white shirt. Apparently, she’s newer in town, so I might not recognize her. What that tells me is to look for the only woman I don’t know who’s wearing a white shirt.
I reluctantly get in my truck and make the quick drive to Sal’s. I also make a plan. After this date, I’m coming clean to Ainsley. If I really want to show her I’m a good guy, I need to start doing damage control. Because there’s no way she’ll let me off easy for the shit I’ve pulled.
Walking in, I see Kelly and throw my hand up with the number one to order a beer. Finding an empty booth that faces the front door is a stroke of luck, but now it’s a waiting game.
Everyone that walks in sends me a nod, but so far, no one I don’t know and no woman in a white shirt. I check my watch and see it’s right at six o’clock. I’ll give her fifteen more minutes, and then I’m out. Just as I make the decision, the door opens, and I catch a flash of white.
I plaster a smile on my face, and then she walks fully in the door.
My smile falters, and I’m confused. She looks around, and her eyes finally catch mine. Her brow furrows, and she slowly makes her way over here.
“Umm. Are you waiting for someone for dinner?” she asks quietly.
I say the only thing in my blank brain.
“Ainsley?”
Chapter 12
Ainsley
What in the fuck is going on right now?
Let me rewind. When Rina called me up a couple of hours after our impromptu lunch, it made me feel like the cool girl in high school. When she begged for my help, I didn’t hesitate. Then I learned she needed my help because she set up a friend of hers on a date and she had to bail. She felt bad for the guy who put effort into the date, so she wanted to know if I could fill in. I wasn’t committed to anything, just a free dinner with no obligations after.
She texted me thirty minutes ago with a description of what this guy was wearing, and I started getting excited. I like Dean a lot, but who’s to say it’s worth it to wait it out? I don’t even know if he sees me like that. So, taking a chance on a blind date turned into an opportunity for me. Maybe this guy is perfect for me and if I turn down the chance, I’ll never know if I lost out. Lunch with Rina made me realize I need to stop hiding all the time. It reinforced my plan to start working outside of my house at least once a week. This just came at a perfect time to start implementing that.
What I didn’t expect was Dean staring at me like he’s just seen a ghost, wearing the green flannel and dark jeans I’m supposed to be looking for.
“Ainsley?” His question comes out confused and breathy.
“Are you my blind date?” I ask. My brain doesn’t have the capacity to figure out what exactly is happening here. I just want clear answers.
“Fucking Rina,” he mutters and swipes his hand through his hair.
“I’m going to be honest. I’m very confused. Did Rina need me as a fill-in? Or is this actually the setup?” I feel stupid because none of this is computing in my brain.
