“Why? Did you finally get turned down? Crash and burn? She send you home with blue balls?” He snickers at his own stupid cracks.
“No, you idiot. Things seemed to be going well until her fuckhead ex showed up. Then her attitude changed. She became quiet and stiff. The openness and ease of the night shut down fast.”
“Her ex showed up? On your date?”
“Yeah, which is weird. It doesn’t sit well with me. We were at fucking Chick-fil-A.”
“You took her to Chick-fil-A? No wonder you crashed.”
“Ha-ha. It was her choice. She has a standing date with her niece on Wednesday nights. I asked her out, and she suggested I join them. It wasn’t ideal, but the alternative was to wait until next week, which wasn’t an option.”
“Ahhh.” He motions for me to get up, so he can do his set.
“So we were having a great time. Then there he was, standing at the end of our table. He was not there by coincidence. The way he looked at her was not the look of a man who wants to be an ex.”
“How’d it make you feel?”
“Feel? I saw red. He stood there and had the balls to apologize to her for her loss and didn’t give a shit about the little girl. Didn’t even give her a second glance. Presley’s hands were shaking when she left.”
“Tripp owes me fifty bucks.” Robbie grips the weight and starts to lift.
“What the fuck?”
“Knew it the minute she picked up her violin. Knew it in my fucking bones. You’re a goner.”
“Again, what the fuck?”
“Listen, I’m a happily married man, but even I can appreciate the way that woman looks. Presley is a looker. It’s no surprise she has an ex lurking around. She’s your disease. Tripp said it’d take a month, Max said two months, I gave it a week.”
“I think Ember needs to take you back to your shrink. Obviously, you’re insane.”
“I’m not the only one who noticed. You’re not subtle.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, and now that you know there’s another man sniffing around, you need to make your move. Regardless if he’s an ex.”
I stay quiet, processing his words. Then an idea hits me. “Come on, man. We need to wrap this up. I’ve got shit to do.”
He stops mid-lift and gives me a knowing grin.
Fuck Robbie, Max, and Tripp. And fuck the damn disease…
Presley: Thank you for the gorgeous flowers, and thank you for including Winnie. She’ll be elated when I pick her up.
I smile at the text and pay for the food, then go back to my car. The whole drive to her place, I hope she doesn’t throw me on my ass.
Her car is in the parking lot, which is a good sign she’s home. I take out my phone, shoot off a message, then hold my breath.
Me: How about lunch?
A few seconds pass, but finally, the response bubbles start moving.
Presley: When?
Me: Now.
Presley: Now?