The bell dings over the door, drawing my attention to it. Green eyes flash to mine, and I immediately recognize him from earlier in the week. I watch as he orders his coffee. He’s tall—not as tall as Arlo, but still taller than my own five eight. His blond hair is perfectly swooped to the side, and he’s wearing a T-shirt and jeans. He’s got a clean-cut surfer guy look to him, and it’s not unattractive.
He grabs his coffee and makes his way over to my table.
“Care for some company?” he asks in a gentle voice.
I offer up the spare chair wordlessly. I think about how much Arlo has and continues to hurt me, and suddenly this stranger doesn’t seem so bad.
“I’ve seen you in here before,” I say. Speaking first gives me the edge. I’m not even sure what I want from this man, but I do know I need control, regardless of the outcome.
“And I’ve seen you. Name’s Tyler.” He holds out his hand for me to shake, and I take it cautiously.
“Rina.”
“Pretty name.”
I roll my eyes at him. The blatant line won’t fly with me.
“What do you do that you’re able to just shoot the shit with a random woman in the middle of the day on a Thursday?” I ask in a bored tone.
“I’m a freelance illustrator. Make my own hours, so I can get coffee anytime I want.” He winks.
“Sounds interesting.” I take a sip of my coffee.
“It’s creatively fun, and it pays the bills. What do you do?”
“I build custom wood furniture.”
He arches an eyebrow, impressed, I’m assuming. Usually when I tell a man what I do, I count to five to see the second he gets intimidated and falls back from the conversation. It’s laughable, honestly. But Tyler seems more intrigued than anything.
“That’s unique.” I chuckle at his response. “How many pieces do you do in an average month?” he asks.
I tilt my head, trying to figure out what his angle is. “Depends on the pieces, but I’d say around ten.”
“Very impressive.” He sips his coffee.
“Thanks?” Maybe I’ve just been out of the flirting game for too long. Or maybe I’m too suspicious because of everything that just went down with Arlo.
“Listen, I’m just going to cut the bullshit. I think you’re gorgeous and would love to take you out on a date to learn more about you.”
I sit back, a little stunned at his blunt approach. I’m not sure if it’s him being straightforward or my need to throw Arlo a big fuck you, but I make a reckless decision.
“Dinner tomorrow night?” I ask.
“I know a great steakhouse on the outskirts of town,” he says.
“Great, I’ll meet you there.”
He pulls out his phone and hands it to me with a new contact screen open. I add my details before texting myself from his phone.
“I look forward to tomorrow, Rina.” He stands as he smiles. A smile that tells me I responded exactly how he wanted me to.
I watch him walk out the door before pulling out my phone and adding his name to my contacts.The Rebound.
It takes a minute for what just happened to really hit me. I just got asked out… And I said yes.
What the fuck am I thinking? I’m not in any position to date.It’s one date, Rina, hardly a commitment. That may be true, but going out with a man because of a reaction to another is probably not a healthy way to cope with my shit.
Letting out a sigh, I stand up and make my way to my truck to head home. My lazy day needs a healthy dose of solitude, it seems.
