The Girl Next Door

Mia shakes her head before grabbing her purse. “Nope. Mom went to visit her sister and Dad left on Thursday for another trip.”

That’s probably for the best. I have no idea how Dan will feel about me dating his daughter. He likes me well enough as the son of his friend and neighbor, but am I good enough for Mia?

Probably not.

But like she said, we’re taking this relationship slow. I won’t worry about jumping over that hurtle until I clear this one.

“All set?” I ask.

“Yup.” She closes the door behind her as we head to the truck. When she reaches for the handle, I brush her hand aside and open it. Once she’s safely secured inside, I close the door and jog around to the driver’s side before sliding onto the seat and starting up the engine. A few moments later, I’m pulling from her drive and heading out of the subdivision. I wave to the guard in the gatehouse before we hit the main road.

“You never mentioned where we were going.” Her fingers tangle together in her lap.

It’s difficult to believe she could be nervous. I reach out and grab her fingers, wrapping my hand around them.

“I made reservations at Marco’s. It’s an Italian restaurant on the other side of town.” I glance at her. “Have you ever been there?”

“It’s one of my dad’s favorites. We used to go there all the time when I was a kid.” Her eyes grow distant. “I can’t remember the last time we had dinner there.”

“They have the best eggplant parmigiana.”

“The spaghetti and meatballs are good, too,” she adds with a smile.

I nod in agreement. Marco’s is one of those restaurants where you can’t go wrong no matter what you order. It makes me doubly glad I picked that place to take her. Other than group dates when I attended prom and homecoming, I’ve never taken a girl out on a date before.

I pull the truck into the crowded parking lot and cut the engine. We exit the vehicle before heading inside to the hostess station. The ambiance is upscale, and the lighting is dim. The dining room is cavernous with high ceilings that give it a spacious feel.

It’s the perfect place for a first date.

If I play my cards right, it’ll be one of many.

I’m almost tempted to pat myself on the back for a job well done, but I’ll save that until after I drop her off. Although, so far, we’re off to a good start.

The hostess grabs two menus and seats us at a white cloth-covered table in the main dining room near the stone fireplace. I make sure to pull out Mia’s chair before taking a seat across from her. A waitress stops by and fills our water glasses as we peruse the menu.

“Any idea what you’re going to order?” I ask.

A thoughtful expression flickers across her face as she shakes her head. “There are so many options to choose from. It all looks amazing.” She glances at me. “Maybe the lasagna.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I agree, “but I’m going for the eggplant.”

As she continues to study the menu, I glance around the dimly lit room before my attention gets snagged by a couple tucked into the corner. I blink and refocus my eyes to make sure they’re not playing tricks on me. When the man shifts, I get an unobstructed view of him. My heart kicks up its pace as he leans across the table and locks lips with the woman seated on the other side.

There’s no mistaking the guy.

It’s Dan, Mia’s father.

What’s most disturbing is that the woman he’s with is not his wife. She looks nothing like Julia. There’s no way to even confuse the two.

What the hell?

Didn’t Mia say that her father was out of town for business? If that’s the case, what is he doing here with another woman?

I drag a hand over my face, knowing this is going to blow my whole night apart.

“Instead of lasagna,” Mia murmurs, still staring at the menu, “I’m going to try the lobster stuffed ravioli.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

When I fail to respond, she glances at me. “What do you think?”

“Oh, ah…” I’ve never been in a situation like this before. Even though I have no idea what to do, I realize staying is not an option. At some point, Mia will notice her dad and I can’t allow that to happen.

“You know what? We should go somewhere else.” When her eyes widen, I add hastily, “Some place better.”

“You want to leave?”

I wince at the shock lacing her voice. “I want our first date to be special and this isn’t going to cut it.”

She lays the menu down in front of her. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not.”

“Dead serious,” I say nervously. “Let’s go.”

As Mia opens her mouth to pelt me with questions, our server arrives at the table with a smile plastered across her face.