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“I wouldn’t do that.”
I nodded. “Maybe it’s a weird fetish for you? Or you like the idea of being seen as her savior?”
“No, man. None of that. I just like her, okay? She’s always smiling. Cute and funny. She lights up this whole place when she comes in, and honestly, I could use a little more of that brightness in my life, you know?”
I dialed down the intensity. I could see Felipe meant it.
“All right, I had to be sure.”
He exhaled. “Damn. Talk about giving a guy a heart attack.”
I shrugged. I wasn’t going to apologize for looking out for my sister.
“When you go on a date, think carefully about where you take her, all right? You need to call ahead, make sure wherever you go is ADA-accessible. There are still a lot of places without accessible bathrooms or that have steps that make it difficult for her to get around. And she has some diet restrictions, too. Don’t surprise her with some fancy meal. Make sure she can actually eat it first.”
“Wow, okay, yeah. I didn’t think about all that.” He finished the second drink and set it on the counter. “But I don’t even know if there will be a date. I just gave her my number. She hasn’t called.”
“She will,” I said. “How much do I owe you for the drinks?”
“Uh, they’re on the house.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Of course. You’re here looking out for Dakota, and I respect that. But I gotta tell you, man, Dakota might be in a wheelchair, but she always struck me as a woman who could take care of herself.”
“Oh, I know.” I quirked a smile. “The fact that you know means you might actually make it past one date.”
He gave a breathy laugh. “Lucky me.”
“Very lucky.” I picked up my cups and saluted him. “Have a good day.”
He nodded. “You too.”
He looked a little wary, but that was good. Any guy who wanted to date Dakota needed to understand the assignment. My sister shouldn’t have to waste her time with men who were intimidated by her wheelchair or who believed it defined her.
Felipe had passed the first test. Time would tell if he made it past another.
A text buzzed on my phone as I got back into my car.
Joey:
I never deleted your number. Here’s mine if you want it. But you can always stop by, like last night.
My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed hard. Did I want to respond to this text? It was basically an invitation to hook up again, and if I took it, there’d be no resisting the urge.
I tapped out a reply before I could overthink it.
Kit:
About time you used my number. I was starting to get a complex.
Joey replied instantly.
Pretty sure you didn’t want me using it before now. Wasn’t even sure if you’d want me to do it now tbh
Kit:
I’m not sure either. Not sure of much of anything when it comes to you.
