He was digging the hole deeper, and he must have realized it because he quickly added, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. You don’t have to like everyone.”
Harmony narrowed her eyes, but nodded and let it go—for now.
The two sat in an uncomfortable silence, until Dominick asked her another question. This time it was about her major.
“I’m pre-med,” Harmony answered. “But I don’t know if I really want to be a doctor.”
Dominick leaned forward. “Why not?”
“First of all, I don’t really like people.” Harmony looked up to gauge his response. He hadn’t been wrong when he said that, but that didn’t mean she liked hearing it from other people. Dominick’s eyes were wide, so she winked to let him know she was teasing.
“But I think the biggest issue is I don’t have any passion for it. I thought I would do it for the money, but the more I learn about insurance, the more I realize I won’t be making as much as I originally thought. I don’t know if I can spend the next forty years doing something I hate if the money isn’t worth it.”
Dominick’s head tilted to the side as he watched her. “Would any amount of money be worth doing something you hate?”
“Probably not.” She snorted and slowly shook her head. “What about you? I’m curious if the full-time student is following his passion. You look like an English major. Maybe liberal arts?”
This time, Dominick laughed. “Economics.”
She found herself leaning forward. “And what do you plan to do with that?”
“Become an actuary,” he mumbled under his breath.
“A what?”
Dominick shrugged his shoulders. “They calculate insurance risks.”
That sounded like the worst possible job—stuck at a desk all day in front of a computer. And he had the nerve to talk to her about following her passion? She pushed back. “And that’s something you’re passionate about?”
He stared directly into her eyes, the intensity making Harmony uncomfortable. “It’ll pay the bills. And that’s something I’m passionate about. I never want to worry about my family going hungry or about whether or not they’ll have to leave their home because they can’t afford it anymore.”
She was the first to break eye-contact. Her gaze went to the cloth napkin on the table.
“I’m sorry,” he added quietly. “My family has had some hard years in the past. I never want my kids to have to worry where their next meal will come from.”
She nodded even though she couldn’t quite understand it.
It was true, she had to work while she went to school. But only because she liked having a car, or going out to eat, or going to the movies. Harmony had never gone without. Even now, if there was something she wanted, she’d just call her parents and ask. Nine times out of ten, they’d give it to her.
There was another awkward silence, until Dominick, once again, started asking Harmony questions. This time, he was careful to stick to topics that were safe. Where was she from? How long had she been working at the coffee shop? What television shows did she watch? What kind of music did she like?
It was like he was collecting as many facts about her as possible.
They continued this way until the waitress came back with their drinks. The two ordered their food, followed by even more forced conversation.
Dominick was kind in all he said, seeming to be genuinely interested in what Harmony had to say. But even so, dinner was a mercy. There was only so much interest Harmony could force. Dominick was nice, but this wasn’t going anywhere—not when Pax was her intended match. And throughout their dinner together, Harmony hadn’t forgotten that she was supposed to be here with Pax and not Dominick.
With mouths full of food, neither one of them was forced to speak to the other. Instead, they ate their meals with the occasional comment on how good everything tasted.
She couldn’t be sure about Dominick, but Harmony was lying through her teeth with each mmm sound she made. The chicken dish she’d ordered tasted like cardboard. Although, she wasn’t sure if it was the chef's fault or if she was still viewing the evening through goggles of disappointment.
She'd much prefer rose-colored glasses.
When the meal was done, the waitress brought the check. Harmony and Dominick reached for their wallets at the same time.
"I've got it," he said, though his voice carried an emotion she couldn't quite place. It was neither pride nor frustration. Maybe resignation? "It's a date after all."
A date that never was supposed to happen.
The waitress was quick to take his card and return to the table, bringing them one step closer to the end of this disaster.
Dominick signed the receipt then looked down at his watch. “We should probably get going."
Oh, thank goodness, Harmony thought. But the small joy she found in his suggestion was cut short when he finished his sentence.
"The painting class starts in fifteen minutes, and it's a ten-minute drive from here." Dominick’s fingers nervously played with the band of his watch again.
"You mean you want to finish the date?"
A corner of Dominick's mouth lifted into a forced smile. "Of course. Maybe a change of atmosphere will give us a start fresh."
Harmony pondered his words. She didn't want to be here with him. She wanted the date she was supposed to have. But at the same time, she hated being the one to ruin his night. It was obvious he'd put a lot of hope into the evening—an evening that would be a one-time occurrence.
It was a situation with no good outcome.
She took a small breath, put on a bright smile, and spoke. "Okay, but we're driving separately."
She would need some time to regroup before trying to salvage the date from hell.
"How was the painting class?"
"It was fun...until it wasn't."
4
Dominick followed Harmony out to her car. If she didn't want to ride together, that was fine. She didn't know him, and he understood women had reservations about riding with guys they'd just met, especially when the guy wasn’t the one she was expecting to show up on their date.
But Dominick wanted the opportunity to win her over. Just because their date started off on the wrong foot didn't mean he was ready to give up. She might not be overly friendly, but the small glimpses he'd had of her talking to Morgan at the coffee shop were enough to make him believe she was a good person.
Dominick could only hope the mix up was with Harmony's date packet, not his own, and that they were paired together for a reason.
Harmony watched nervously as Dominick followed her into the parking lot. The sun had already set, and the light from the streetlamps cast shadows off all the objects beneath them. As they approached her car, Harmony hit the unlock button on her keyring and turned to face him. "I was serious when I said I wanted to take separate vehicles."
"I know," Dominick answered leaning over to grab the handle on the car door. He opened it wide for her to get in. "I just wanted to do this."
Her dark brows lowered. "You wanted to walk me to my car to open the door?"
He shrugged and smiled, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. "It's a date, right? Driving in separate vehicles doesn't excuse chivalry."
"Chivalry." The word was soft coming from her mouth.
Dominick didn't say anything else, but shrugged, as she slid into her seat. Once he was sure her feet and hands were safely tucked inside, he closed the door gently. Unfortunately, it didn't close all the way. He leaned down to see what happened. On the other side of the window, Harmony smiled sheepishly.
"It gets stuck," she yelled through the glass.
Dominick grabbed the handle to open the door again. It was only a car door, but he was determined to make something work during the date. So determined, in fact, he didn't notice Harmony also reaching for the inside handle.
She pushed as he pulled. The door jerked out, and the top corner hit him in the fac
e, knocking Dominick off-balance into the car parked beside hers. His glasses were knocked off-kilter on his face, and he quickly adjusted them as he found his footing.
Great, Dominick thought. He was looking more incompetent by the minute. His fingers touched where he'd been struck by the door frame, and thankfully came away free of blood. He assumed they wouldn’t—the door hadn't hit him that hard. It was just enough to be embarrassing. He fought hard to fight the blush that threatened to color his cheeks. That would be the icing on the cake. Not only was he having a difficult time closing the car door, but he'd be blushing like a little kid.
"Oh, my goodness. Are you okay?" Harmony planted one foot on the pavement as she made a move to get out of her car.
Dominick put his hand up, stopping her. Forcing a smile, once again, he told her he was fine. Harmony reluctantly got back into her seat and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"I'm so sorry." She paused. "Do you still want to go to the painting place?"
Did she seriously think one bump from a car door was enough to deter him? Dominick's shoulders straightened as he fought to maintain his dignity.
"Just a flesh wound," he said feeling an awful lot like the black knight.
"Monty Python. Funny." She knew the movie he'd referenced?
For the first time during this disaster, real amusement danced in Harmony's eyes. He'd pegged her for the kind of girl who would balk at movies like that, which made the fact that he'd quoted it even worse. It was like his subconscious was pushing her away.
But her recognizing the quote gave him renewed confidence that this date was supposed to happen.
"I'd love to go painting with you. Although I'm afraid my skill is lacking, even for something like that."
"It can't be that bad." She smiled, and Dominick wanted to stand there forever. They were finally finding common ground. Why ruin that by announcing the time?
And yet, he still found his eyes looking down at the watch he always wore, and felt his mouth opening to say, "We're going to be late if we don’t go now."
The smile on Harmony's face fell as she looked down at her phone. "Okay, I'll meet you there."
Dominick stood near her car as she started it up and backed out of her parking space. Once she left the parking lot, he quickly raced to his own vehicle. He started the old sedan with one hand as he called his roommate with the other.
He put the phone on speaker before setting it in his lap and drove as quickly as he could without being reckless.
"Don't tell me she already dumped your sorry ass, Nicky. At least tell me you gave her my number." Conrad's voice came through the speaker loud and clear, bringing a heavy feeling in Dominick's stomach. He knew his roommate was joking around—okay, he hoped he was joking. But it was so close to the truth, and Dominick’s stomach sank with Conrad’s greeting.
"Conrad." His voice sounded pained to his own ears, so he wasn't surprised when Conrad picked up on the tension.
"Wait." There was a beat of silence. "Tell me she didn't actually dump you already. You've only been gone for like an hour."
Dominick rushed to get it all out. "This date couldn't have started out worse. She was expecting someone else. The Date Maker mixed up envelopes!" A choking laugh came from the phone's speaker. "Dude. I know! And I'm trying to turn it around, but I need your help. What do I do?"
Dominick sped through a yellow light as he continued toward his destination. Talking on the phone while driving, running through intersections. It was so unlike him, but he felt like he had so much on the line. When would he ever get a chance like this again? He was on a date, if you could call it that, with a girl he'd thought beautiful from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her at the coffee shop.
He didn't want to blow it.
After giving Conrad the abridged version of what happened at dinner, carefully leaving out his run-in with the car door, he held his breath and waited.
There were a couple uhhs and hmms from Conrad before he answered. "You need to be confident."
"Confident?"
"Yeah, girls love confidence. Go into that painting class and act like you own the place."
Dominick chuckled. "I already admitted I couldn't paint to save my life."
"Then own it. If you're that bad, embrace your terrible artwork. Don't stress and don't act like it bothers you."
Dominick spotted the sign for the painting class, and slowed down. Harmony's car was already in one of the parking spaces near the entrance, and her door opened.
He pulled into the lot carefully, finding a spot.
"What if I already let my insecurities come through? What if the shock of knowing she expected someone else already ruined the night?"
"Then I called dibs. But seriously, you got this.”
Dominick rolled his eyes even though he knew Conrad couldn't see it. He hit the button on his phone to end the call and watched as Harmony paced back and forth in front of the entrance. Like him, she was talking on her phone—her free hand moving wildly. She would stick it straight out in front of her, then prop it on her hip, then run it through her hair.
She had to be discussing the date, just as he had been. Dominick's curiosity burned. He would have given anything to know what she was saying, and who she was talking to. Had Morgan called her back?
There were no delusions on his part. Dominick knew Harmony was unhappy with the evening so far. He only wanted to know if their date could be salvaged—and how.
Harmony’s eyes darted to him as he stepped out of the car.
"Igottagobye." The words came out so quickly she could only have been talking about him. And by the way she rushed to get off the phone, Dominick guessed she wasn't saying anything good.
Confidence.
That was Conrad's solution for fixing the date. Dominick straightened his shoulders, put the same smile on his face that he'd been forcing all night, and walked toward Harmony.
She played with the phone in her hands, and glanced through the windows of the building. "It looks like the class already started. We should probably go inside."
Dominick nodded and opened the door. Harmony hesitated for the briefest moment before walking inside. She was right, the class had started. The two of them grabbed their seats as quickly as possible and listened as the instructor began speaking.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin." The woman, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, looked at Dominick. Her thick glasses only enhanced the irritation in her dark eyes. “My name is Janice, and I’m your teacher for this evening.”
Janice started going through the "rules" of the class. Everyone's attention was on the different brushes the instructor held up as she gave them all names like “the tall, skinny brush” or “the big balooza.”
Dominick couldn't decide if he was grateful that Janice’s stern instructions let him off the hook of saying something clever, or if he was irritated with the woman for droning on endlessly about brushes during precious minutes he could be using to rectify things between them.
After explaining the basics of the class, Janice added, "And if you brought beer or wine, feel free to sit back, start drinking, and enjoy the class."
Harmony's gaze shifted from the woman in front of the room to Dominick. Her brows lifted. "Did you bring anything?"
He thought of the bottle he grabbed on the way to the restaurant earlier that evening. "I have a bottle of merlot in the car."
Her face scrunched up. "I almost brought a couple of bottles of coffee stout. Oh well…"
Dominick just barely contained the sigh that wanted to escape his lips. He tipped his head toward the parking lot and asked, "Should I grab it?"
Harmony did sigh. "I'm good, but I don't care if you want to get it for yourself."
"I got it for you." Dominick had begged Conrad to help him pick something out for the evening. He didn't know the difference between merlot, cabernet, or any other kind of wine. He only wanted to get a bottle for Harmony. Had he realized she liked beer, he
might have been more comfortable. After all, Dominick did enjoy a pale ale every once in a while.
Harmony eyed him for what felt like an eternity. Dominick swore he could feel the weight of her gaze on his face. Finally, she opened her mouth. "Fine. Let's live it up. Let's open that bottle."
Dominick raced out to his car to grab the bottle, wine opener, and plastic glasses. He brought everything in and started pouring glasses for both Harmony and himself. Dominick might not know anything about wine, but he felt so anxious over this evening, a slight buzz would be a welcome distraction.
"I thought you said you got it for me," Harmony said as he poured a generous glass for himself and took a sip.
He shrugged. "When in Rome, right?"
Harmony smiled in response, but it didn't reach her eyes. Thankfully, the instructor was talking again and drawing their attention back to the front of the room. "The very first thing we're going to do is paint the top of the canvas blue. Please take your large paintbrush and follow me."
Janice started painting the top of her canvas, just as she said. Everyone in the class followed along. Dominick dipped his own brush in the blob of blue paint that had been provided for him and got to work.
Dominick couldn't remember the last time he painted. Was it in elementary school? Maybe middle school? He could draw a decent stick figure on his best days, a lumpy looking circle on his worst. But putting blue paint on the top part of a canvas? That was easy.
He glided the paintbrush against the canvas, careful to watch what the teacher was doing. He did his best to stay within the parameters given and was strangely proud of himself when he looked around the room and saw that his painting looked exactly like everyone else's. It was only the first step, but he hadn't blown it yet.
Small victories.
Harmony took a sip of her wine and smiled at Dominick.
"Okay, everyone. Now I want you to dip that same brush into the white paint and start painting over the bottom of the blue down to about two-thirds of the canvas." Dominick put his brush into the water cup provided to clean the blue paint off of it.
Meet Your Match (Disastrous Dates Book 1) Page 3
