Now, she needed room to find out if any of these guys might work out. To see if a first date could lead to a second date. Even if missing out on the action was driving him nuts.
Still sticking to the two-dates-in-one-night routine, he watched her wrap it up with the evening’s first match. The guy, a tall, sturdy man with a full head of brown hair and what might pass for a goatee, gave her a quick hug before leaving. She kept a neutral, if somewhat amused, expression. Only until the door closed. The amusement crumbled into a full-bellied laugh that turned most of the heads in the Friday night crowd.
Not wanting to draw too much attention to their operation—and admittedly curious—Ian crossed the room. Unable to speak as she took deep breaths to squelch the laughter, she gave a wave in greeting.
“Should I even ask how it went?”
Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she took another shaky breath that came out half laugh. “Oh, I really shouldn’t. The poor guy was nice enough. Polite. Well meaning. What if he’d forgotten something in here, like his wallet? He’d catch me laughing. What would he think?”
“He’d probably be confused.”
“Or hurt. But I can’t help it. I’ve been holding it in for almost an hour.”
“He was only here an hour.”
“Exactly. I probably gave myself a hernia.” Leaning forward, she lowered her voice. “Remember how I researched first date tips before round one?”
“Right?”
“And that icebreaker question we both agreed was too ridiculous to ever use?”
His lip twitched. “Yeah”
“Want to guess what he opened with?”
“You’re kidding.”
She clamped her lips shut and shook her head.
This time, when she dissolved into laughter, he did too. Holding onto the edge of the table to keep from falling over, Ian opened his eyes again and met her gaze. The strings of white fairy lights hanging from the ceiling danced in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her. It wasn’t the first time the urge had struck. Maybe not even the second.
This time, though, it would be all too easy to lean forward. To have his lips on hers. His arms wrapped around her. Her body fitted up against his.
“Hard to believe, huh?” Her voice had gone quiet, almost raspy. He wondered if she might feel the same pull. One that seemed to draw them together.
“Yeah. What are . . .” He didn’t finish the thought because the door swung open. He recognized the man from his profile picture. “Bachelor number two is here.”
He pushed aside the impulse to test new waters. That was off-limits. There was no point in wondering.
It took her a moment to realize what he’d said. Haleigh followed his gaze, and her lips formed an “o.”
Ian was comfortable enough with himself to admit the man was good looking. He wished that didn’t bother him. “We can cut it a little short on this one if you need to get home.”
“Okay.”
“Who’s this one?”
“Jay.”
He wondered how she kept the names straight. He still had to track them by numbers. It was probably a teacher thing. Teachers always seemed to know every name of every student in every class. He could barely remember where he parked his car.
“Good luck.” He stepped back, putting a little more distance between them.
“You’ll be in your spot? In case I need you?”
“You know where to find me.”
That earned him another grin, which hit him right in the gut again, and a little below. Turning his back, he recited the starting lineup for the university’s basketball team in his head over and over on the way back to the bar. The sensation soon passed.
Glancing back, he noted that Sidney had discretely cleared the remnants of Haleigh’s first round before she returned to the table with Bachelor Two. The guy held out a stool and helped her into it. Ian scowled.
“What’s bugging you?” Ford dropped into the empty seat next to him. “I haven’t seen you look this mad since the Packers lost in the playoffs.”
“I’m not mad.” Maybe he was a little annoyed that the guy was already covering Haleigh’s hand before they’d even ordered drinks. Wasn’t that a little too smooth and presumptuous? She wasn’t a piece of meat.
“Not a fan of Haleigh’s date, then? What is this, number seven?”
“Eight. Seven left a few minutes ago.”
“I can’t believe how well you guys have pulled this off. You keep doubling up on dates and not one of them has caught on. Obviously, they’re not repeat customers or they would’ve noticed when they came in for another drink.”
“Business is business. Even if they only come once.”
“I guess, but . . .”
Their conversation abruptly halted as an angry brunette stormed through the front door. With a skintight bodysuit clinging to her lithe form, she turned more than a few heads. Beside him, Ford sucked in a breath and let out a low whistle. Seemingly unaware that almost every eye in the bar was on her, she searched the room. Her untamed curls flipped back and forth before she landed on her target. Body rigid, she charged forward.
Breaking his stupor, Ford went into bar owner mode. “Wait, is she . . .?”
“I think so.” Swearing under his breath, Ian sprang out of his seat and maneuvered his way around the bar.
He was too far away to head her off. With any luck, he’d get there before she caused too much of a scene at Haleigh’s table. Twenty bucks said they had a jealous lover on their hands.
As expected, she reached the table first, catching Haleigh and Jay by surprise. Her voice rang over the crowd, which had come to life in the excitement. It was too loud to catch everything spewing from her mouth, but he definitely caught “you” and “cheating” and “excuse of a man.”
He was sorry to be right. He’d be even sorrier if she got her hands on any of the glassware.
Wide-eyed, Haleigh said something. Something the brunette didn’t liked.
Increasing his stride, he arrived in time to pull Haleigh out of the woman’s path as she lunged. Taking a hint, Jay reached for his wife/girlfriend on her rebound. Kicking and flailing, she nearly slipped out of his grasp. Ford suddenly appeared, clutching her by the shoulders to hold her in one place.
“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“You’re taking their side? Of course, you would. Bro code or whatever you call it. Always thinking with your dicks.”
Ian tightened the arm he had around Haleigh’s waist and pulled her back another step as the woman tried to bite her captors. Ford evaded her nip, but just barely. Jay wasn’t as lucky. Her teeth sank into his forearm. Unleashing a yowl, he released his hold to survey the damage.
With one arm free, the woman took another leap toward Haleigh.
“That’s it.” With a jerk, Ford turned her around and threw her onto his shoulder. He marched through the front door while she flailed and sobbed. Before the door closed behind them, Ian distinctly heard her call the bar owner more than a few choice words that shouldn’t be repeated in polite company.
Sidney appeared at their sides, seemingly in a daze. “Who would’ve guessed Ford had it in him?”
The stunned patrons turned their attention to Jay.
Meeting Haleigh’s gaze, he had the decency to at least appear contrite. “Sorry about that. She can get . . . a little unhinged.”
“That’s a way to put it,” Sidney mumbled.
“Was that your wife?” Haleigh asked coolly. “Or your girlfriend?”
“My wife.”
“Current, divorced, or estranged?”
“Current. But you saw how she is. She’s a crazy bitch.”
Haleigh’s back stiffened. “I think you should go.”
“But—”
“You heard her.” Sidney picked up his drink. “This one’s on the house. But it will be on you if you don’t say your good-byes now and forever.
“But—”
&nb
sp; She raised the glass, and with a yelp, he ran out the door.
“I thought as much.” Sidney cleared the rest of the table. “You guys sure know how to pick them.”
Once she returned to her spot behind the bar, the chatter in the room returned. It took Ian another moment to realize he still had Haleigh pulled up against his chest. Releasing her, he cleared his throat and waited for the anger or tears. Either way, he was ready. He’d take responsibility and apologize. In one part of his mind, the rational part, he knew it wasn’t his fault. What could he do if a person lied about his marital status?
Still, he felt responsible. It was his app. He’d been the one to talk Haleigh into using it. For him and his job. He’d inadvertently set her up with a cheater. And not even one week after she’d told him about her ex. This had to be killing her.
His gut twisted.
Whatever she wanted, he’d do it. One word and he’d call off the rest of this experiment. He’d offer to take her to the reunion. If she even wanted to see him again. If she did and they went, he’d act like the most besotted boyfriend. He’d even fake a proposal if that’s what she needed.
He’d do anything to make sure she didn’t hate him.
When she finally faced him, he had an apology ready. It died on his lips as the grin on hers registered. Wait. She’d been set up with an adulterer and she was smiling. Was she actually enjoying this?
“Are you okay?”
“That. Was. Ridiculous.” She let out a shaky laugh. “I mean, did you see that?”
“I did.”
He also couldn’t help but notice how close she’d come to having a drink—or fist—thrown in her face. If she hadn’t made that connection herself, he wouldn’t point it out. Haleigh could switch from carefree to worried beyond recognition with the snap of a finger.
“I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“I have.” Sidney’s lips twitched, betraying the smile that wanted to appear. “Of course, it was on an episode of Real Housewives, but still.”
“Just another night at Amarillo Sour,” Ford added, rejoining them.
Haleigh blanched. “I’m sorry about that. I can move my next dates to another location.”
“Are you kidding? We couldn’t buy live entertainment that good.”
“Your next dates?” Ian asked.
Haleigh shrugged. “A couple of weeks ago, I had a guy walk out on me because I was too awkward. And tonight . . . Can you even imagine who might show up tomorrow?”
“You’ve come a long way,” Ian said dryly, but he actually meant it.
Somehow, in less than three weeks, she’d gone from scared and awkward to laughing at a really bad first date.
He hoped tonight had been the bottom of the barrel.
Everyone else in the bar had moved on with their evenings. A table in the corner signaled for another round. Ford was pulled away by the professor and a couple of other regulars who wanted a full recap from an insider. Left alone, Haleigh sank back into her seat. Ian started to take the stool recently vacated by Jay but switched to the spot next to Haleigh.
She raised an eyebrow.
“We’ll need a priest to exorcise that chair before I sit in it.”
“So the chair made that jerk cheat on his wife?”
“No, but I don’t want to catch any of his bad juju.”
“I thought you said people shouldn’t sit on the same side of the table.”
“That rule only applies to people on dates. Or two guys going to a movie together.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t make the rules. I just live by them.”
Sidney paused by the table long enough to deliver his beer. He thanked her and promptly took a healthy swig to quench his thirst and dull the aftershocks from the showdown. Haleigh eyed him curiously.
“Do you order the same thing every night?”
“For the most part.” He shrugged. “I stick to beer, but I’ll take whatever’s on tap.”
“They rotate it out?”
“Each season.” He gestured to her drink. “Do you always drink wine?”
“For the most part,” she teased, the light shining in her eyes. They really were the most interesting shade. Not gray but the lightest of blues, like the water on a lake in the early morning light. “I never really developed a taste for beer.”
“Then what do you drink during baseball games?”
“Water.” She caught his feigned disappointment. “Don’t judge me. I like water. And besides, it’s like I told Patrick—I usually go with my dad.”
“You don’t drink around him?”
“I don’t drink around either of my parents. Well, besides the occasional glass of wine at Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Are you close to them, your parents?”
“Pretty close. I don’t see them as often as I’d like now that they’ve retired to Arizona, but we keep in touch. I call them a couple times a week, and my mom and I text almost every day.” She twirled the wine stem between her fingertips. “How about you?”
“Oh, I don’t know your parents well enough to call them.” He raised the beer to his lips, masking his laugh.
“You’re such a dork.”
“Actually, guys in my field are called nerds, thank you very much.”
“Well, nerd then.”
“Takes one to know one, math teacher.”
She shook her head, but she didn’t argue the point. “So, your parents . . .”
“Yeah?” He set the beer back down, eying her cautiously. He’d hoped he had managed to get her mind off the question. “There’s not much to say. My parents are divorced. Mom remarried and relocated to Denver a few years ago.”
“And your dad?”
Ian sighed. “He works for an insurance company in Omaha.”
“Is he remarried too?”
“Yeah, a few times. But he’s between wives.” Leaning forward, he covered Haleigh’s hand with his. “Look, my family isn’t exactly my favorite topic. Would you mind if we talked about something else? Like, anything else?”
She studied him silently for a moment, her fingers tapping under his. “Okay. We can talk about something else.”
“Great.” He pulled back and sat up straighter. “What do you want to know?”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment. “I’ve got it. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?”
He nearly spit out his beer. “Is that one of your dating icebreaker questions?”
“Hey, my date bailed, and I researched these. I have to use them on someone.”
He supposed it was his own fault. He’d told her she could ask him anything as long as it wasn’t about his family. As far as first date questions went, it wasn’t the most ridiculous.
Even if it was a little on the nose given his earlier thoughts.
“I was thirteen. How about you?”
“Fourteen.” She rested her elbow on the scarred high-top table and rested her chin against her fist. “What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you on a date?”
Chapter Ten
“You’re sure you want to go through with this?”
Ian had asked the question—or some variation of it—at least ten times in as many minutes. She couldn’t fault him for being surprised when she’d told him she not only planned to keep the dates she’d scheduled for the following evening, but that she’d added another on impulse. He seemed to be taking Jay’s deception particularly hard.
What he didn’t realize was how liberating it had been.
While she’d made plenty of mistakes during her dates, the previous night hadn’t been on her. There’d been the pickup line artist followed by the cheater. The night had been a bust, but she hadn’t been the problem. Actually, her past hiccups paled in comparison to those guys.
The whole experience taught her something. She could do this. She could date.
Of course, this revelation came with a problem. Now that she could
date, she needed to find someone who was second- or third-date material. The reunion was only a few weeks away. That didn’t give her time to play around. Especially not when just this morning Nina had asked for the name of her plus-one.
Then there was the other issue. The one she tried not to think about.
Now that she had figured out first dates, she really didn’t need to have Ian around to give feedback. He’d been useful the night before when it came to keeping her face slap-free. That had been it. She should probably tell him she was fine on her own. That she didn’t need a chaperone. With his launch coming up, he was a busy guy. Last night’s mayhem surely gave him plenty of anecdotal fodder to humanize the app for the board and investors.
She should let him go. It wasn’t that easy, though. She might not need him, but she still wanted him around.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him once more. “Now go away. My future husband just got here.”
Three minutes later, she was ready to pass. Tonight’s first date had sealed his fate by snapping at Sidney a second before openly checking out each member of a bachelorette party as they walked by.
Next.
Date Two was more promising. They found a common interest in big dogs—he had a golden retriever. Like her, he was also close to his parents. Maybe too close.
After he kept checking his phone and sending new text messages, she asked if everything was okay.
“It’s just my mom. I’m keeping her updated on what we’re talking about.” He had to be joking. She almost asked him as much, but he flipped the phone around to show her the conversation. “I’ve told her all about you. She really liked your profile. She said you seemed cute and fun. She’d love to meet you.”
Oh, boy. On the one hand, it was nice to meet a guy who didn’t shy away from commitment. On the other, it was going to be hard enough dating someone. She didn’t want to have to date his mother, too.
She spent the rest of the date counting down the minutes until she could tell Ian. She somehow kept up pleasant banter, while also politely declining an invitation to Sunday dinner at his mother’s house. Still, as she watched his retreating back, she hoped he’d find someone who wanted to try his mother’s apple strudel.
Counting on You (Amarillo Sour, #1) Page 10
