Sebastian sat next to me, his knee brushing mine whenever he moved. I’d moved to the side the first few times it happened but eventually stopped leaning away.
“You should try the lemon pie. You’ll love it,” Peter suggested when it was time for dessert.
“She doesn’t like lemon,” Sebastian said, his eyes on me.
“That’s okay, I’ll try it,” I said, wondering how Sebastian knew I didn’t like lemon.
Peter nodded and closed his menu. “Great, let’s share one.”
I also didn’t share unless it was with my kids. When the waitress came back, she leaned close to Sebastian, giving us both a clear view down her top.
“Are you guys ready to order?” she asked, only looking at Sebastian.
What was it with that guy? Had he bathed in sugar and slapped on some pheromones to make all the women within a five-foot radius crazy?
“Chocolate lava cake,” Sebastian ordered, and neither his gruff tone nor lack of manners put a chink in the waitress’s rose-colored glasses.
“We’ll have the lemon pie,” Peter said, handing the menu back.
Awkward silence encased the table once the waitress was gone. I was surprised it took that long to reach this stage in our three-person date. Peter had been handling it fairly well, considering the grumpy chaperone he had to put up with.
“So, Peter, do you still ride your mountain bike?” I asked, remembering he’d mentioned going for a ride when we were waiting to pick up the kids once.
“Sure do. There’s nothing better than racing down the mountain. You’ll have to come with me,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“I’d love to,” I said, 100 percent not intending to follow through on my promise. If there was anything I hated more than lemon, it was mountain bikes. I owned one for a brief period when I was trying to find myself; I sold that incarnation of evil a week after I bought it.
Sebastian snorted and typed on his phone. He’d barely lifted his head all night, his device keeping him occupied.
“You don’t like riding a bike without a motor,” Sebastian said under his breath.
How in the world he knew that was a mystery I’d solve another day.
“I have photos from my last trips to Coldstream,” Peter said, oblivious to our exchange.
And this was when the longest ten minutes of my life commenced. I didn’t know there were so many angles you could take a photo of your bike. I chugged my wine and signaled for another glass. I’d need it to get through the rest of this date.
It was a sure bet that I’d not be going on another one. When the waitress came back with my wine and the dessert, I nearly groaned in relief. But I had better manners than that, and instead I only let out a little sigh.
Sebastian chuckled next to me, and I elbowed him when I turned around. He grunted but didn’t comment.
Peter pushed the lemon pie to the middle of the table, cutting a piece off with his fork. I crinkled my nose at the smell. I just felt like lemon should stick to what it was good at, like lemonade.
Sebastian pushed his plate in front of me with one hand, his attention on his phone. Peter didn’t notice I wasn’t eating the tart, too engrossed in scarfing it down himself.
Never one to pass on anything to do with chocolate, I stuck my fork—or rather Sebastian’s fork—into the cake and took a huge chunk out of it. As soon as the sweet taste of heaven hit my mouth, I groaned. The velvety cake melted on my tongue, and my mouth experienced chocolate overload.
I chanced a look at Sebastian to see if he would demand the return of his cake, but he was still engrossed in his phone.
I finished the treat in a few minutes, wishing there was more. I vowed to make a trip to Sweet Dreams soon for their chocolate cupcakes.
“Did you like the lemon pie?” Peter asked, not realizing he’d finished the whole piece off by himself.
“It was great,” I said, licking the remnants of chocolate off my fork.
We’d finished dinner, and I was busy chugging wine when Peter turned back to Sebastian. He’d been trying to engage him in conversation all night, but since my chaperone only gave one-word answers, all his endeavors so far had failed.
“You gonna follow us home to my place?” Peter asked.
My head snapped around. “Your place?”
“Unless you want to go to yours,” he said. “But my house is kid free at the moment.”
Is he delusional?
“That’s okay. I’d rather just go home. I’m really tired,” I said.
I got up and opened my bag, pulling out what I guessed would cover mine and Sebastian’s bill. I put the money on the table.
“Hopefully this will be enough for dinner,” I said, hoping future run-ins at preschool wouldn’t be awkward.
Sebastian picked my money up and handed it back to me. I automatically took it and watched him get out a stack of bills and throw them on the table.
Peter stared at us with a frown. But at least he was smart enough not to say anything. Sebastian put his hand on my lower back, and we walked out of the restaurant in silence.
Once I burst through the doors, I took a deep inhale. Sebastian dropped his hand and turned in my direction.
I put up a hand, not in the mood to talk about what just happened. “Not a word. I just want to go home.”
For once he didn’t argue and instead nodded before we got on his bike and rode home.
CHAPTER FIVE
“I didn’t bite him, I only squeezed him with my teeth,” Luca said, his little face scrunched up.
“We don’t bite other people,” I explained, watching his expressive eyes. He wasn’t sorry at all, and I didn’t know how to make
