“I don’t give a damn what everyone thinks,” she retorted, her voice rising.
“Really? Not even your aunt?”
She shut her mouth and glared at me for a moment.
“I have to go, Wrenn. This is for the best. You’ll see.”
***
Throwing myself down on the sofa, I groaned as I realized I’d forgotten to talk to Mark about canceling the “date.” I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the fridge; it was already past seven.
Too late now.
I didn’t have a choice. Getting up, I threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, not taking too much care in my appearance. A quick run though my hair with my fingers and I was done. Grabbing my keys, I headed for my car, already wanting the night to be over.
***
Mark’s text said to meet them outside the steakhouse in town. It was pretty busy for a Monday night. The place was as corny as you could get, with stuffed animal heads adorning the walls and the waitresses dressed up as cowgirls, but they apparently did the best steak in the county. I spotted Mark and Shelly at a booth, with them an attractive blonde woman who looked around my age.
“Hi guys,” I said, sliding into the booth next to the woman who could only be Julie. She gave me a smile. She was very pretty. Her blonde hair fell down her back. She wore a black pleated skirt and an aqua-colored sweater that looked striking against her porcelain white skin.
“Julie, this is Dalton. Dalton, Julie,” Mark introduced us.
“Nice to meet you,” I murmured, taking her outstretched hand. She smiled at me. “And lovely to see you again, Shelly.”
Shelly smiled at me, her hand casually draped over Mark’s.
“So, you’re a teacher too?” Julie asked.
I nodded.
“I don’t know how you handle all the hormones,” she chuckled. “And being so attractive, I bet all your students have crushes on you.”
“Maybe one or two,” I admitted awkwardly, trying to laugh off the uncomfortable weight sitting on my chest.
“I don’t know what’s so special about him,” grumbled Mark, which earned him a smack across the ear from Shelly. “What?” he protested.
Mark was right: Julie was funny, friendly, and very attractive. She would have been perfect if I was interested in dating.
And if I wasn’t already in love with someone else.
Holy shit, where did that come from? I was in love with her? Not that it changed anything. We couldn’t happen. Not now, not in a month. Not ever.
***
I went through the motions of the date, from pretending to listen to asking questions to laughing when she made a joke. At one point
I saw Mark and Shelly exchange a look, one that read ‘this is going really well!’
By that point I was already planning on what I’d say to Mark. I’d just come out of a long-term relationship. She’d hurt me pretty bad, and I wasn’t ready to move on…Blah, blah, blah.
Glancing at my watch, I was surprised to see it was only eight. Fuck. It felt like I’d been sitting here for hours. My mind drifted to Wrenn. What was she doing right now? Probably lying down on the sofa watching a horror movie. I smiled at the thought. That was exactly where I’d rather be right now; curled up with Wrenn, watching movies while moving her hair aside and kissing her neck.
Why did my head always wander back to her?
Chapter Eighteen
Wrenn