I Love You, I Hate You: Part 2

Travis reaches for a slice of herbed cheese and tosses in his mouth, without the biscotti. “This place is amazing. Have you ever been here before?”

I force a smile at his lack of manners and shake my head. There’s no point in asking him the same question. It’s obvious the closest Travis has ever been to a fancy restaurant like this one is the sidewalk. “So, tell me about yourself, Travis. Do you have another job besides the Horizon Hotel?”

“Nope.” Travis winks, which doesn’t make me feel too good about what else he does for a living. “What do you do?”

“I was a part-time preschool teacher back in Georgia. They discounted Molly's daycare, which allowed me to bring in some income while going to school. Childcare is not cheap.”

“That’s your daughter, right?” Travis swallows half his glass of wine in one big swallow, not at all savoring the exquisite flavor. I have more class in my pinky toe than this man does in his whole body

“Yeah. She turned four a couple of weeks before we moved back.”

Travis takes his biscotti and dips it in what’s left of his wine before taking a bite. “This shit is heavenly. You gotta try it.” He holds the soaked bread, which I’m sure tastes wonderful, out to me but I shake my head. He shrugs and shoves the last bite in his mouth, not bothering to swallow before asking, “What do you do now?”

“I’m finishing my last semester online. Between my savings and student loan overage, we’re okay for the moment.” I’m not proud to be freeloading off of Sarah, but she won’t let me pay rent, insisting that she doesn’t have to pay her father so that means I shouldn’t either. I disagree but don’t have the money to press the matter.

“You really should talk to Bane.” Travis finishes his glass of wine then pours himself another. “He can hook you up.”

I shake my head and nibble on my first slice of cheese. It’s amazing, rich and flavorful. I could probably eat a whole block and be satisfied but don't’ because my stomach and cheese don’t always mix. Seeing our waiter approach, I grab two more slices and set them on my tiny serving dish.

Our waiter sets two tiny scoops of ice cream in front of us as someone else takes what’s left of the cheese away. “Mint sorbet to cleanse your pallet.”

Travis lifts the tiny tasting spoon and chuckles before pinching the melon sized ball of sorbet in his fingers and dropping it in his mouth. “Oooh. Brain freeze.”

As thrilled as I am to be in such an elegant place, this date is a disaster. Travis is an embarrassment. People at the surrounding tables have stared at us on more than one occasion. I don't like it. I quickly eat the last slices of my cheese, then finish my glass of wine. “You want to get out of here?”

“Fuck yes.” Travis discards his napkin on the table and stands. “I feel like a fish out of water. Come on. I know where we should go.”

The good thing about modern day dating, there’s no driving. You can drink as much as you want because with the click of an app someone will pick you up and take you to your destination. Although, this concept one hundred percent goes against the don’t get into a stranger’s car concept mom beat in

to me as a kid.

Travis holds the door open of a red sedan that’s taken our transportation job and slides in after me. As soon as the car starts moving, his hand is on my thigh. I swallow hard and look at him, which apparently is a signal to kiss me because that’s what he does.

Travis presses his lips to mine, his tongue sweeping into my mouth. I close my eyes and try to get sucked into the kiss the way I do with Logan but Travis lacks rhythm and finesse. One hand slips up my thigh while the other grips my hair into a ponytail. My roots scream, sending a surge of pain through my scalp. I push his hand away from my hip and to my knee, then pull back.

“You are exquisite,” Travis whispers against my lips. He tilts his head, kissing the tip of my nose.

I smile, because I don’t want to say thank you. Thank you implies I’m enjoying his compliments, this kiss, this night. On a scale of ten, I’d rank tonight a three. Better than my I’ll Make Love to You singer but so much lower than my expectations.

Travis’ phone sounds from his pocket. He leans back in his seat and grumbles upon reading the message.

I smooth the skirt of my dress and cross my legs, secretly hoping it’s an emergency and our night will be over. “Everything all right?”

“Would you be pissed if I left?” Travis looks up at me, lips turning down at the corners. “My boss needs me for a job.”

I reach over and link my fingers with his. I haven’t held a man’s hand that wasn’t Logan’s since high school. My stomach twists with unease, but I smile anyway. It’s not Travis’ fault I’m scrutinizing everything he does, comparing him to a man I shouldn’t want. “It’s fine. Raincheck?”

“Absolutely.” Travis reaches into his pocket and pulls out the wad of cash Bane handed him. The restaurant refused to take our money, as did the bar we started at, so the stack has sat untouched. “No reason your night has to end because mine does.” He unlaces our fingers and sets the cash in my hand. “Bane wouldn’t have given this to me if you weren’t around. You should take it.”

The driver stops in the roundabout of the Horizon Hotel. Travis gets out first, holding the door open while I tuck more hundred dollar bills than I’ve held in my entire life into my purse.“Get yourself a room. Have some drinks. Order room service and then pamper yourself in the morning.” Travis smiles down at me adoringly. “I have a feeling being a single mom means you come second more often than not.”

I shrug. Everything Travis is suggesting sounds wonderful, and while Sarah probably wouldn’t care if I spent the night away, it’s not her responsibility to take care of Molly in the morning.

Travis looks at his phone again and frowns. “Shit. If I don’t go now they’re gonna have my ass.” He opens the Uber car’s door again and starts talking to the driver, probably offering him a boat load of cash to take him wherever it is he needs to go. The driver must agree because Travis gets in and rolls down the window. “I’ll call you.”

24

Danika