Huh. Apparently she didn’t need me. I went back to my conversation with the guys.
By the end of the cookout, I’d only spent a few minutes with Sheridan out of the five hours we’d been there. All the women had wanted to talk to her about everything from fashion advice to the best selfie angles. It was exhausting to listen to.
“I think we should go out for dinner,” I told her as we walked to the car after saying our goodbyes. “It was not a date if I hardly got to see you.”
She laughed and said, “I had a wonderful time today, and dinner sounds great.”
I had a feeling this was going to be the longest date I’d ever been on. And I was more than okay with it.
Chapter Nine
Sheridan
* * *
Since we were dressed casually, we found a quaint little restaurant not too far from where I lived and ordered a bottle of wine. I was already looking forward to the naked portion of our evening, and based on the way Lars had been looking at me the last half hour, he was too. I wanted to lean over and kiss him, hard, and taste the wine on his lips, but a public display of affection like that probably wouldn’t be the most prudent move at this point. I had a love-hate relationship with the press these days, but it came with the territory. I was a public figure and they had a job to do. Even when it annoyed the hell out of me. I’d gotten used to it, but sometimes I just wanted to enjoy dinner or a night out in peace.
Here in St. Louis, they mostly left me alone unless I was somewhere high profile, like the bachelor auction, but you never knew when someone was going to pop up with a camera and I wanted to keep this thing with Lars as low key as possible. It was just easier that way.
“I’m very sorry about Annalise,” Lars said, apologizing for the second time since we’d left the cookout.
“Really, it’s okay. Hadley told me about what happened to her parents and how important you’ve become to her. She’s just a baby, you know? She doesn’t understand loss and grief and all that stuff. She probably looks at me as someone who could potentially take you from her, even though that’s not true, so I can see why she reacted that way.”
A faint smile played on his lips as he reached across the table for my hand. He brought it slowly to his mouth, his eyes never leaving mine, and gently kissed the inside of my wrist. “You are a good heart,” he said softly.
“Thank you.” I smiled back, even as goose bumps broke out on my flesh and my insides yearned for more of his touch.
“You spent a long time talking with Hadley,” he said. “Did you get along with everyone?”
“Yeah, they were great,” I replied, reluctantly pulling my hand away and lifting my wineglass. “I really enjoyed Hadley. She writes about the fashion industry, so we had a lot to talk about, and Nina’s a lot of fun.”
He nodded. “I don’t know so many of the wives and girlfriends. Only Hadley and Nina. Because I’m single, I don’t attend a lot of family events and parties. It was different when Ben was killed. I…” His voice trailed off as he looked away. “I guess I am a loner. But it was important for me to show support after such a tragedy and then Annalise, she became very attached.”
“I think you’re a little attached to her, too,” I teased, smiling over the rim of my wineglass.
“Yes. She is so small. Innocent. I feel very strongly the need to protect her.”
“Of course. And that’s why my feelings aren’t hurt that she doesn’t like me. She’s jealous. It makes perfect sense.”
“She is not usually like this.”
“She’ll come around. You’ll see.” I sat back as the waiter delivered our meals and a twinge ripped through my lower back that made me cringe.
Oh, no. Not tonight.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax.
But it was no use. My back seized up and the pain had me clenching my teeth.
Sonofabitch.
“Sheridan?” Lars asked, watching me carefully.
“I need…to call…my bodyguard.”
“Why?” He was instantly on alert, looking around. “What is it?”
“My back…a cramp.” I clutched the edge of the table so hard my knuckles turned white. “I won’t be able to walk.”
“Will you be able to finish dinner?” he asked.
I narrowed my eyes in disbelief. “It hurts to move, Lars.”
“What should I do?”
“I just need to get home. I have muscle relaxers. This happens every so often. Since…the accident.” Fuck, this hurt. Normally when it happened, I was at home, where I could hobble to bed and take my meds. Now we were in a public place and there was no way I’d make it out to his SUV. This had been my biggest fear about venturing out again.