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“That sounds like a good plan.” She stood and wobbled slightly, one hand bracing on the table. “I’m okay. It’s the heels.”
He glanced down, noticed she wore three-inch stilettos and had a hard time not rolling his eyes. Why women wore those things was beyond him. Sure, they made their legs look great, but so did a good pair of boots. Besides, she wore a pantsuit, and no one could see her legs. Personally, he thought stability while walking was more important, but he kept his mouth shut. His sisters had long ago taught him that most women didn’t care what he thought when it came to their clothes.
“Come on.” Cypher motioned toward the door. “I’ll grab keys on the way out.” He followed her to the door, stopping to grab a set of keys from the box that hung next to the door on their way.
Chapter Four
Lauren sat in the passenger seat of a newer model pickup and give Cypher directions. She hadn’t had so much to drink that she had difficulty with directions or keeping up with what was going on, but she was definitely a little tipsy.
“You said you’ve been in town for a while. You aren’t wearing a ring, are you married?” Cypher asked no looking away from the road.
She glanced down at her hand. She knew some people didn’t wear rings because they didn’t want people looking for their spouse to make trouble, others so they could screw around on their spouses. If she had someone who cared enough to want to put a ring on her, she’d wear it.
“No. At first I was busy with school, then building my practice. I haven’t even been on a date in over a year.” Just thinking about it made her want to hide in embarrassment, much less admitting it. But between her work and patients, and just dealing with life lately, she hadn’t had the time or the interest in going out to find someone to spend time with, even if she was lonely.
She wouldn’t tell him how long since she’d had sex, that as even more humiliating. Especially since she knew there were women who hung around the club just to sleep with them. Lacey had told her about seeing one of them during an appointment. And she knew they ran the strip club out near the county line. He probably got laid daily. And that though only made her feel worse.
“Take a left at the next light.” She turned her attention back to the road rather than her abysmal love life.
“Could I talk you into letting me take you for dinner one night this week?”
She turned and stared at him, not that she could see him well, with the passing streetlights and the glow from the dash.
“Are you asking me on a date?” Shit. She shouldn’t have said it like that. Why had she drank so much?
“Yeah. Do you not like guys? Are you into chicks?”
Lauren sputtered. While she’d heard far more offensive ways of asking of someone was a lesbian, that had been unexpected. She hadn’t been mistaken for gay for turning someone down since school, when she’d been more focused on studying than dating.
“No, I like men just fine and I’m not into chicks. I just didn’t expect to be asked out.”
“So can I?” He glanced in her direction before turning his gaze back on the road.
She watched him for a moment longer while she considered what to say.
“Are you really interested, or just making nice to the only doctor who barely anyone talked to all night?”
“I’m interested. And I know Lacey talked to you, and Jenna. A couple of others, though you’re right. You weren’t a social butterfly.”
She shrugged. “Not my event, I wasn’t supposed to be the center of attention.” And that was totally fine with her. She didn’t want to be the center of attention. Especially not in a crowd. But he had made sure she wasn’t attached before asking. That was a good sign.
A good sign for what? Did she actually want to go out with him? She watched his face in the flickering light. Yeah, she did. The admission, even if only to herself, surprised her. She’d thought she was more in touch with her own feelings and emotions than to be able to surprise herself.
She directed him to make a couple more turns, then he pulled in to the driveway beside her RAV4.
“That your car?” Cypher jerked his chin toward her little SUV.
“Yeah. Why?” she wondered what he would have to say about it. Considering that he drove a motorcycle or a pickup, she didn’t think he would think much of it, but she liked it.
He gave a one-sided shrug, as if he wasn’t sure or he didn’t know quite what to say.
“Just not what I expected. Not from the way you’re dressed.”
Lauren frowned. “What does the way I’m dressed have to do with it?” She looked down at herself. It was a nice suit.
Cypher made a face. “It’s stuffy.”
“Stuffy?” She wasn’t sure if she should be offended. She’d dressed like she would for a wedding with her family. Where she was expected to be presentable and well dressed. Then her mind flicked back over what everyone else had worn. There had been a lot of jeans, a few skirts and the only people dressed even semi-formal, other than herself, had been the brides.
