Page 109
“Oh no, he’s free as a bird. Nobody’s managed to saddle this bronc,” Amy cooed.
Again, it was hard to keep a straight face, especially when he heard Lark giggle.
The waitress was so not the woman he wanted to be meeting alone for drinks. After he promised the waitress to meet up, the four of them talked for a bit more at the bar, then left for dinner together. Ryker had been in heaven because that meant that Amy and he were seated together as a couple, and he totally played it up. Because hey...couple.
Kostya had picked a restaurant that was known for great food, and then the smart man had requested a booth! Ryker had immediately offered to put Lark’s purse on the other side of Amy because she was ‘so small.’ Amy had glared at him, but he didn’t care. It forced her to sit a little closer to him, and that was all that mattered.
“So how often do you pick up waitresses?” Amy asked sweetly as the calamari appetizer was served.
“As often as they fall down,” he answered.
Amy rolled her eyes.
“Did I tell you how much I like your outfit?”
“This old thing? I just found it in the back of my closet and threw it on.”
“If that’s what’s in the back of your closet, I can’t wait to see what’s in the front of your closet.”
“Sweatpants, t-shirts, and my managers' uniforms.”
“What is the uniform?”
“Black slacks and a white button-down blouse. Really boring.”
“I bet that on you, it looks great.”
She turned away from him to include Kostya and Lark in the conversation, and Ryker grinned. Kostya and Lark were so deeply engrossed in one another that they didn’t even remember that there were two other people at the table.
“So tell me about yourself,” Ryker pressed her.
“I’m boring, just like my restaurant manager uniform. I go to work, then I go home, eat dinner and go to bed. I do that six days a week.”
“What do you do in your downtime?”
“Laundry.” Her eyes dared him to question her further, so he did.
“Come on, you have to at least go to the grocery store, right?”
She nodded.
“TV?”
She shook her head.
“Sudoku?”
She shook her head.
“Reading?”
She nodded.
“Ah-ha! What a coincidence, I read too.”
“Congratulations. Most kids are reading books in about second grade, I’m glad to hear that you read, that’s exciting news.” She nipped a piece of calamari off the platter, dipped it in cocktail sauce, and took a bite. How in the hell did she make eating so sexy? “So what do you like?”
“Calamari,” he answered.
