But I wasn’t so sure. Most self-assured women didn’t getnaked in a public restroom and offer to blow a stranger a few minutes aftermeeting them. I wasn’t complaining though. Ash was freaking hilarious. I washaving a really great night. Just not in the way that Penny had hoped. Ash andI could be really great friends. But…nothing more. And I was pretty sure shefelt the same way. Our conversation flowed easily. But there wasn’t any sexual chemistry.I was simply curious about her.
She laughed. “Matt, I take back what I said earlier, you’rean amazing human.”
“Hmm?”
She gestured to the waiter who was carrying over two traysfilled to the brim. “You ordered food for me.”
“Yeah, you were taking forever in the bathroom.”
She put her hands up to her ears. “Stop. No, that didn’thappen. We started over, remember?”
I laughed and grabbed her hands, lowering them from her ears.Her eyes locked with mine for a beat. A piece of me wanted to feel some kind ofspark. Some draw to her. I felt nothing. I immediately let go of her so thatthe waiter could serve us our dinner.
“I love when people order food for me,” Ash said as the waiterwalked away. “But what the heck is all this?”
“You never told me what you wanted. And you said to justorder something a normal person would like. So I ordered a whole bunch of stuffa normal person might like.”
She looked around at all the food that had just been put downon our table. Plate after plate after plate. She abandoned the free bread,reached toward the middle, and grabbed a chicken finger from what I was prettysure was a kid’s meal. “I think this is the best date of my life.”
I raised my eyebrows.
She held up her hand with a laugh. “Don’t freak out. I know thisterrible date has been one for the books. But this food?” She groaned. “Sofreaking good. I could get lost knee deep in a basket of these chickenfingers.”
I laughed. She was adorable like I’d assessed earlier. Andalso smart and funny. And pretty. But…she wasn’t Brooklyn. I wanted to feelsomething. I really did. But I just…didn’t. I was very aware of the fact thatmy heart had stopped working years ago. I never seemed to feel anything. “Sowhat happened between you and Joe? How did it go from sort of happy todivorce?”
Ash picked up a French fry. “Sort of happy.” She sighed. “That’sthe funniest part. I thought I was happy. But looking back? And hearing myfriends’ analysis of him. And yours? I don’t know what I ever saw in him. I justwant to be loved, you know?”
I pressed my lips together. Yeah, I knew.
“I don’t need to go into specifics about how our relationshipimploded. The gist is, Joe cheated on me with an Instamodel. And even though I totallyfixed his family business for him and made us a small fortune in the process, he’strying to leave me with nothing.”
“Have you hired a good lawyer?”
“Yes but there are…extenuating circumstances.” Ash clearedher throat and took another sip of wine. A big, healthy sip that had herreaching for the bottle for a refill.
That was a very weird answer. But honestly, half the stuffthat came out of her mouth was weird. Before I could ask what she meant byextenuating circumstances, she changed the topic.
“So how do you know Joe exactly? I’ve just been blabbering onand on about him. But I’m so curious about how a guy like you could possibly bean acquaintance of Joe’s.”
“I went to high school with him.”
“And what was my ex like in high school?”
“A complete asshole, much like he seems to be now. He washellbent on causing chaos and backstabbing everyone at every turn.”
“That sounds about right.” She paused as she took anotherbite of a chicken finger. “Something about the fact that I might be the firstperson he’s ever cheated on… makes me feel terrible. Somehow I want to be oneof many? If that makes any sense. I’ve always wanted to ask someone that knewhim. Was he always a cheater? I hear that phrase a lot. Once a cheater, alwaysa cheater.”
“I have no idea.”
“Oh.” She looked down at her chicken finger as she doused itwith ketchup.
“But any guy that cheated on you is an idiot, Ash.”
I could see her smile even though she was still concentratingon covering her chicken finger with way too much ketchup.
“If it makes you feel any better, Joe sold drugs and evenplanted some in my friend’s locker to get him arrested.” I wondered what had happenedto Felix. I hadn’t heard from him in years. “Joe was a piece of work.”
“He sold drugs? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, he put them in the cupcakes.”
Her jaw literally dropped. “You don’t think he still…” hervoice died away and she shook her head. “He couldn’t be. I oversaw the production.”But she didn’t look entirely convinced.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it now,” I said. “If he’sstill selling, it’s on his hands. Not yours.”
“You’re right. And Joe would not do well in prison. I doubt aprison commissary would sell the fancy hand moisturizer he insists on using. Itcosts more than my shoes.”
I laughed.
“But his hands are very soft.” She pretended to gag.
I laughed. “So why do you still wear the rings if you’redivorcing that soft-handed prick?”
Ash looked down at her left hand. “I don’t know. Becausetaking them off means starting over? And I’m too old to start over.”
I didn’t know how old she was. But she looked like she wasstill in her twenties. If she was too old to start over, then I was doomed. Notthat I wanted to start over anyway.
She pulled a plate of lasagna in front of her. “Can I ask youa question?”
I nodded. I didn’t really want to talk about me. Honestlymaking fun of Cupcake all night sounded a lot better. I looked at the platesand grabbed some ravioli.
“I’ve been dying to know all night. And I don’t want to makeyou feel weird or anything. But I can’t
