“You all right?” T.J. asked.
“Not really,” she admitted. “I don’t think this was a good idea.”
“The restaurant?”
“The date.”
“Oh. Because I’ve already bored you so much you’re ready to chew your arm off in an effort to escape?”
Three hours ago, she’d had the hideous run-in with Mitch. She was dealing with her half brother trying to destroy her life’s work, her ex-boyfriend thinking he was the father of her child, and lots of unresolved feelings for said ex-boyfriend. While a perfectly nice man had asked her to dinner, all she could think was that she wanted him to be someone else.
“You haven’t bored me.”
“Give it time.”
She tried to smile. “It’s not you. I’m not ready for this. The whole boy-girl thing.”
“Dating?”
“Yeah. Dating.”
“It’s been a couple of years since your husband died.”
“Meaning I should be ready to move on? I know. I am. Ray isn’t what makes this awkward. My life is… complicated.”
“You have a crush on a woman?”
She laughed. “No, but thanks for asking.”
He leaned forward. “Then what? I’ve told you I think you’re beautiful. God knows I’m a hell of a guy. Rich, handsome, charming. What’s not to like?”
“Modest. You left out modest.”
“I like to leave people with something to discover on their own.”
She looked into his blue eyes and wished she felt something. A spark. A whisper. Anything. He was as handsome as he’d claimed, so why couldn’t she seem to notice?
“If you’re worried about getting back into dating, don’t sweat it,” he said. “It’s like riding a bike. We ask each other questions, have a conversation, I pay for dinner, you let me kiss you, we call it a night.”
Kissing? She wasn’t ready for that. At least not with anyone who wasn’t Mitch. “You make it sound simple.”
“It is. Tell you what. If you start to lose your way, let me know and I’ll help you find it.”
Why couldn’t Mitch be like this? Fun. Easy to be with. He had been, all those years ago. Everything was different now.
“Stay,” he said, lightly touching the back of her hand. “At least through appetizers. I want to get the avocado egg rolls and if the plate comes with just me sitting here, everyone will feel sorry for me.”
“Okay. I’ll stay.”
“Good. Just so you know. No matter how much you pressure me, we’re not having sex tonight. I’m serious. Even if you beg, I’m not giving in. It’s just the kind of guy I am.”
Some of her tension eased. “I can live with that.”
He winced. “Couldn’t you at least pretend to be disappointed?”
“I am, on the inside.”
“I wish that were true. Now, let’s begin that conversation. We’ll talk about me because it’s one of my favorite topics.”
“I’m dying to know everything.”
“I grew up in the area. In fact I went to high school with your sister Lexi.”
“I think I knew that.”
“We dated. Twice. I tried to get to first base and she tried to make me a eunuch.”
Skye laughed. “She’s a Titan. You have to respect that.”
“I did. I played football where I was so good I was practically a god. We probably know a lot of the same people.” He named a few. She recognized some, not others.
“Oh, yeah, Mitch Cassidy. Isn’t his place next to Glory’s Gate? He was in my class.”
She did her best not to react to the words. “I knew Mitch. We, ah, dated for a while. Years ago. Before I got married. Obviously it was before. Dating during would have been so awkward.”
T.J. leaned back in his chair. “The ex, huh? Was it serious?”
Skye took a drink of her margarita and hoped she could pull off sounding casual. “At the time, but we were both really young.”
T.J.’s gaze didn’t waver. “It must have been right before he went into the navy.”
“It was.”
“You know he’s back.”
She forced a smile. “Yes. We’ve run into each other. He was wounded but he seems to be doing better now.”
“Anything I should know about you and Mitch?” he asked.
“Not at all. That was over a long time ago.”
“Good. Because I’d like you to give me a chance, Skye. I think we could have fun together.”
Her stomach lurched and not in a good way. The tequila sat uneasily and she couldn’t imagine keeping food down. Still, none of her reaction was T.J.’s fault. If Mitch hadn’t come back she would be enjoying her date. So she was going to fake it until it was real. Or something like that.
“I think we could, too,” she said, and raised her glass. “Here’s to finding out.”
MITCH HAD NEVER been inside Glory’s Gate before. He’d been in the barns-they’d been a favorite place for Skye and him to meet when they’d been dating. He knew how to ride in by darkness and escape undetected. But he’d never walked up the front steps like someone who had been invited.
Too little too late, he thought, pausing at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you all right?” Fidela asked, hovering at his side. She held a brightly colored bag in one hand-a bag containing birthday gifts for Erin.
He could see Fidela wanted to offer help but didn’t dare. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out his temper was something to be avoided and all too close to the surface these days. There were moments, flashes in time, when he saw what he’d become and didn’t like the result. But mostly he was pissed at the world and didn’t care who knew.
“I’ll be fine,” he said, clenching his teeth and taking the first step.
The pain was manageable, but it promised to grow. He worked steadily, climbing the stairs, focusing only on the step in front of him, ignoring those left and those behind. By the time he reached the top, he’d broken out into a sweat and felt nauseous. He knew the latter was the result of the fire burning in his leg and that it would soon fade.
What mattered was showing up. His last encounter with Skye-when she’d thrown the milk shake at him-had reminded him of his purpose. To take her down in every way possible. Being at Erin’s birthday party was the next step in his plan.
They moved toward the big front door. Fidela stayed by his side, not touching, but willing him along. He could feel her love and concern and took strength from it. Then the door opened and Erin rushed out.
She wore jeans and a pink shirt. A tiara proclaiming Birthday Princess sat on her head. A purple boa was draped around her shoulders.
“You came!” she crowed in delight. “I knew you would and you did, you came!”
She rushed at Fidela and hugged her tight, then turned on him and did the same.
She was small and slight and possibly his child. Emotions rushed through him, moving too fast for him to identify them. Still, he knew having a daughter would change everything. It would define him and give him purpose. Being her father mattered.
But before he could get caught up in the moment, Erin stepped back and grinned.
“There’s lots of food. All my favorites and some stuff Mom said we had to have for the grown-ups. And the cake is so big!” She clapped her hands together. “Come see.” She hugged him again. “You came.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
She gazed up at him. “You’re my hero.”
