“If she hates me more at the end of this, it’s not my fault.”
“Dakota’s not going to hate you. She really just needs a night out. And, honestly, I think you do, too.” Hazel raised an eyebrow.
I looked up at her and swallowed hard. I could still hear her screaming, even when I tried to block it out. Maybe I did need a night out. And I was sure Dakota needed one.
Besides, I wanted to figure out why she hated me.
“Okay. I’ll do it.”
I held up my hand as everybody started talking at once. “But no outside interference. This is just friends. That way, she can stop scolding me about every single thing I do.”
“You see? What’s with the sniping and the growling? I don’t know what’s up with you two.”
I ignored Myra. “But…then we’re done. No more dates.” Not that Dakota would agree to more. “No more interfering or whatever the hell is going on here. Just let us be.”
“We can try,” Hazel said. “But she’s our best friend, Macon. We want her happy. If she’s happy on her own, then that’s great. But she needs a night to enjoy herself, and you two need to be friends.”
I wasn’t going to touch on that. But I would be a good friend. I could do that.
And maybe I could figure out why she hated me so much.
Chapter 4
Macon
The next day, I pulled at my collar, grateful that I hadn’t put on a tie. I still wore a suit jacket, a button-down shirt, and nice slacks.
For some reason, I felt like I should have brought flowers or a corsage or something.
It hadn’t been that long since I’d been on a date. But, Jesus, I had never been on a blind date.
Though this wasn’t really a blind date, at least not for me, though I would be a surprise to her.
We were meeting at an upscale chophouse; one the girls had said Dakota had always wanted to try. I had been there a couple of times before, mostly with my business partner Jeremy and his wife. Thankfully, Jeremy had never set me up on blind dates, even though his wife wanted to. For those outings, I hadn’t minded being the third wheel.
This was something altogether different. I just hoped to hell that Dakota didn’t throw her drink in my face when I arrived.
Why was I so nervous? This wasn’t a real date. I was simply getting our friends off our backs. This was only to get Dakota out of the house. I didn’t think I was the right person for the job, but here we were. Hopefully, if the others realized that this was a bad decision, they would stop bugging.
I rolled my shoulders back, ignored the wandering gazes of two women waiting for their seats, and went up to the podium.
“Brady, party of two?” I asked.
“Let’s see, sir. Yes. Your other party is already here. Let me show you the way.” The younger man in front of me raked me with his gaze. I ignored that, as well. I knew I looked good in a suit, but maybe it was the glare on my face that made him do a double take. That usually attracted more people than I wanted.
Or perhaps I was just having a weird day.
I saw Dakota by a fountain before the host got there, and I tapped the man on the arm.
“I see her. I’ll make my way over. Thank you.”
The guy stepped back and nodded. “Have a good night.”
I made my way towards Dakota, my gaze on her face, so I knew the moment she saw me.
Her eyes tightened, and she glared before slowly setting down her drink and reaching for her bag. She pushed her chair back and stood, her hand fisting around her small clutch.
“You.” She whispered the word, and I was grateful. Thankfully, nobody turned to look at us or wonder what the hell was going on.
I had to swallow my words because I could barely think. She looked gorgeous with her hair in an updo thing with pieces that framed her face. She wore a jumpsuit, all black that tucked in at the hips. It was sleeveless and had a low neckline—so low I wanted to peek just to see. Though I knew that that was one of my more lecherous thoughts. Still, I couldn’t help it. I’d always thought Dakota was beautiful. So fucking hot, it was sometimes hard for me to think while around her.
And that was part of the problem when it came to Dakota and me.
“Take a seat, Dakota.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
I moved to her. I towered over her, though I hoped like hell I wasn’t intimidating her. “Our friends asked me to be here, so…I’m here.”
She swallowed hard, and I looked down to see the uncertainty in her gaze.
I reached out and brushed my finger across her shoulder. I hadn’t even realized I was going to do it until I made contact, the warmth of her nearly too much for me.
She didn’t back away, but she did flinch.
I quickly lowered my hand.
She met my gaze as if searching for something I wasn’t sure she’d see. “I’ll sit down if you tell me what’s going on.”
“I promise.”
She let out a breath and then lowered to her seat.
I tucked in the chair behind her, doing my best not to touch her before sitting across from her.
“Our friends said that you and I need to be more friendly. I’m here to make sure you don’t hate me any longer.”
I said the words quickly, and her eyes widened.
“So, you’re not here because my date bailed?” she asked, her voice soft.
I held back a curse. It hadn’t even occurred to me that her mind would go there. “Of course, not. I’m it. Your date. One that isn’t supposed to go anywhere. It’s not even really a date.” I paused.
