I stare at the phone as if it has any answers for me. I check the text messages to see if there are any ellipses under his name, but there are not.
“Ridiculous,” I say again. I place the phone on the table in front of me and push the chair back. I swallow hard. It’s now two minutes until eight o’clock.
If I am to face facts, I’m thrilled that Nate seems interested in me though also a little baffled. I’m not accustomed to attention from men. After Justin, I preferred to find my relationships in book boyfriends—ones that never faltered in their dedication to the heroine and certainly didn’t roll over post tryst and proclaim their alternative sexuality. With real men, I don’t try very hard and was once told I was standoffish and unapproachable. I don’t know why I come off that way, but I also assume it to be that part of myself that is only visible to others.
“Do I have resting bitch face?” I hold up the phone and flip the camera around as if to take a selfie. I don’t see anything either wrong with or particularly interesting about my face.
Regardless, I’m not sure how to respond to a man’s approach, especially not a rich, gorgeous one. I’m not even sure if I’m reading him right at all, and my own insecurities keep telling me that he’s just being nice to the new girl and not coming on to me at all. A man that attractive with that much money has to have women dripping off of him and no need to pursue some socially awkward girl from nowhere Maryland.
At exactly eight, the phone rings. I take a deep breath before I pick it up and accept the call.
“Hello?” My heart pounds.
“Hello, Cherry.” Nate’s deep, smooth voice makes my skin tingle. “How was your day?”
I close my eyes, clearly visualizing his strong, square jaw and black hair. Did he have stubble again today, or had he shaved? I open my eyes and shake my head to clear it.
“Pretty good,” I say, trying to maintain a little control or at least not sound like I’m bouncing up and down in my seat. “I took a long walk in the woods and then went for coffee at the lodge.”
“How did you find the trees?” he asks.
“Tall.” I laugh. “Really, it’s a beautiful forest.”
“I’m glad you liked it. I’ve spent a lot of time hiking the trails around there. Did you see the lake, too?”
“Not this time. I took the longer trail through the woods instead. I’ll have to go back another time to see the lake.”
“I’d love to show it to you sometime. I have a boat out there.”
Of course he does.
“It’s not very big,” Nate says, “but good for skiing in the summer and general exploring the water whenever the weather cooperates.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Do you ski?”
“Never tried water skiing. I’ve done some snow skiing before.”
“Well, some of the principles are the same,” Nate says. “The trick to water skiing is just getting up out of the water. It takes a little practice, but I could show you the ropes.”
I shiver at the word “ropes.” I’ve clearly read too many romance books involving bondage.
“That’s…very nice of you to offer.”
“I’m being too forward and assuming, aren’t I?”
“I…I don’t know.” I lick my lips, but my mouth still feels just as dry. I keep picturing his piercing blue eyes and mesmerizing grin. “I mean, we just met, and you are trying to make summer plans.”
I bite my lip as I realize I must sound standoffish and unapproachable—just as I had been told.
“I’m sorry. I’ll tone it down.” I can hear his sigh through the phone. “I really had a great time talking to you last night, Cherry. It brightened up an otherwise grueling day, and I’m grateful for it.”
I take a deep breath and try to repair the damage made from my last comment.
“Well, the night certainly ended on a high note, especially considering how it all started.”
“Yes.” His tone is dark. “Well, I’m sure you’ll never see him again.”
I consider this a moment, wondering what he means. I hadn’t heard from Aaron since he was thrown out of the club, but I also hadn’t checked the online app.
“Did you…did you ban him from the club?” I ask.
“Yes, I did,” Nate says after a brief pause. “I didn’t care for his conduct, and he assaulted one of my security people. I wouldn’t be a good businessman if I didn’t make sure that isn’t going to happen again. Aside from that, he was rude to you, and I simply couldn’t tolerate that.”
“Well, you didn’t have to do all that on my account, but it’s good to know I have at least one place I won’t run into him again. What a jerk!”
“Yes, he was.” Nate laughs softly.
I relax slightly, hoping I’m back on the right track and not revealing any resting bitch face through the phone. I want to question him about his life, but I have no idea where to start. Then I remember something he mentioned earlier.
“So, did you get your business taken care of today?” I ask.
“Business?”
“You said something about it this morning,” I remind him, “when you were texting me.”
“Oh, so I did. Yes, it’s all dealt with.”
“Sorry you had to work on a Sunday.”
“It’s all right.” Nate chuckles softly.
“So, what did you have to do?” I ask, pressing him for a bit more detail. “Something to do with the club? Did you have to count up all the drink receipts?”
“No, nothing like that.” He pauses for a moment. “It wasn’t so
