The two muscle-heads behind her continued their mooing and laughter until the music finally swallowed the noise. Kate breathed a sigh of relief.
Her date stood up revealing six feet of muscles and broad shoulders. Okay, so he had a tiny bit of a stomach and a touch of padding over those muscles, but guys could get away with that. He was still hot with a capital H; with dark hair that held just a slight wave and brilliant green eyes framed in ridiculously long lashes. If Kate could have made up her perfect dream guy, he’d probably be it.
“Kate, it’s so good to finally meet you. Thanks for coming.” He held out his hand and Kate shook it politely.
“Thanks for inviting me, Kyle.”
He grinned again, flashing ridiculously straight white teeth, as he waved her to a seat opposite him. “Sorry, I’d do the gentlemanly thing and seat you, but…” he nodded to the crowd that was growing thicker by the minute. “I’d probably get trampled to death.”
She laughed a little at that.
“I took the liberty of ordering you a drink. I hope I got it right.”
Kate took a small sip of her drink. Amaretto and cola. Her favorite. “You remembered.”
“Of course. I remember everything we talked about. After all the online conversations we’ve had, I feel like we’ve known each other for ages.”
Kate’s heart fluttered at the expression on his face. He was looking at her as if…as if she were…beautiful. “Um, excuse me for a moment, would you?”
She practically bolted from the table, ducking through the crowd and into the ladies’ room. Locking herself inside one of the stalls, she focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out.
Surely Kyle didn’t think she was beautiful? No way. He was faking it. Had to be.
She let herself out of the stall and hurried to the mirror for a quick once-over. She was the same boring old Kate: pasty skin, plain brown hair, unremarkable features, and way too many “curves.” The only thing special about her were her eyes. They were a big, soft gray with a slight almond shape to them like cat’s eyes. She liked her eyes.
A skinny redhead shoved her way into the restroom. She was clearly three sheets to the wind. She glared at Kate for a minute out of narrowed eyes and said, “Hey, aren’t you with that hot guy? The green-eyed one sitting in the corner.”
“Uh, yeah, we’re on a date.”
The redhead stared at her for a minute than burst out laughing. “You?” she sputtered. “He’s on a date with a fat cow like you? I don’t think so. Probably just thinks you’re an easy lay.”
Kate’s cheeks burned with shame. Her stomach churned so bad she wanted to puke. The redhead was right. What was Kyle, gorgeous Kyle, doing on a date with someone like her?
Still, after the guys out front, she’d had enough. Kate whirled on the woman and snapped, “Maybe he just has taste. After all, what would he do with a stick insect like you? Snap you in half?” And with that she stormed out the door, head held high.
Okay, it had been a nasty, mean thing to say and Kate was a little ashamed of it, but really. A person could only take so much.
She wanted to just leave, to vanish into the night. She did not want to face Kyle. But her mama had raised her better than that, so she headed to the table. Ignoring Kyle’s welcoming smile, she blurted out, “Thanks for the drink, but I’m not feeling well. I need to go.”
A look of concern crossed Kyle’s face. Disappointed he wasn’t going to get laid, no doubt. “I’m so sorry, Kate. Did something happen? Was it the drink?”
“I’m fine. See ya around.” And with that she turned on her heel and began working her way back through the crowd toward the door.
“Kate! Kate!”
Shit, he was coming after her.
“Kate, wait. Let me at least walk you to your car.”
But it was too late. Kate pushed her way out the door of Durty Nelly’s and disappeared into the dark.
* * *
“Branwen, this is my friend, Kate.” Tiffany waved Branwen to a seat at the table. It was too hot to sit outside, but somehow Tiffany had managed to talk the waiter into seating them right next to the window overlooking the river. “Kate, this is my new neighbor, Branwen. You’re going to like her. She’s a hoot.”
“Hello, Kate. It’s lovely to finally meet you. Tiffany has told me so much about her best friend I feel as if I know you.” Branwen eyed Kate as they shook hands. Tiffany was right. The girl was pretty. Beautiful, even. Her porcelain skin was flawless, her perfect bone structure framed by glossy waves of mink dark hair. And her eyes, lordy, her gray cat-eyes would have given Zeus the hard on from hell.
“You, too, Branwen.” The smile Kate gave as she returned Branwen’s handshake transformed her face from beautiful to downright stunning. Like stop-your-heart-in-your-chest kind of stunning. How on earth was this girl still single?
Branwen surreptitiously eyed Kate’s figure as she and Tiffany chatted over their menus. Okay, so she was an average size for an American woman. About a sixteen, give or take, and packed into an hourglass figure that would have made Marilyn Monroe weep with envy. What was wrong with this society that a perfectly healthy, gorgeous woman was convinced she was fat and disgusting? Seriously, if Branwen still had the power, she’d have done something about that. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the power to fix a whole country anymore.
Kate was giving a run down on her dating disaster with some guy named Kyle. It sounded truly horrific, but Branwen wondered just how accurate Kate’s description of events was. And Kyle seemed like a gentleman, from the sound of things.
“Kyle…Kyle. Do you know his last name?”
Kate frowned. “O’Conner. Why? Do you know him?”
“Not personally,” Branwen said with a little shrug. It was the truth, as far as
