"A little birdie told me." He smirks, a mischievous twinkle shining in his blue eyes.
"What little birdie?" I quirk my eyebrow.
Did he go ask Grams?
"For me to know and you to find out. And no, it wasn't the gray-haired woman upstairs."
"Ugh. Don't read my mind." I laugh, but at the same time, I love how attuned we are.
"Shall we go? I'm itching to get out of this place."
“Are you sure? They’re serving meatloaf tonight.” I point to the corkboard and Leo’s face pales. “Alright, I take it you’re not a fan.”
He shakes his head. “No, not at all.” He holds out his hand, and I slip mine into it. "I figured we could take my car."
"That will be perfect. My car is a mess." I practically live in my Corolla, with my work clothes, a change of spare clothes, hairbrushes, and hygiene products all scattered in the backseat. Along with still a few boxes I haven't brought in from when I moved out of Tim's house because I don't have anywhere to put them where I live now.
We walk out of the hospital into the crisp fall evening. This is my favorite time of year, the air smells of comfort and familiarity. It makes me want to wrap myself in a blanket, sit in front of a fire and drink hot cocoa like I used to do as a kid.
"Here we are." He opens the passenger door to his Lexus and brushes his hand along my bare back sending a delicious electric charge through my skin that instantly warms me. I’m scared to admit how I enjoy his hands on me. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he whispers into my ear and his warm breath gives me goosebumps.
“Thank you.” I smile and slide into the car.
The short drive to the restaurant is quiet, but the silence isn't awkward. It's actually comfortable, and my heart that was beating erratically earlier with anxiety has calmed. This feels so normal, as if we’ve been doing this every night and not for the first time.
How is that?
I glance over at Leo, the streetlights reflecting off his handsome face. I study each line to the scruff on his chin, and I’m taken back to the last time we were together on his birthday. He stole me away to take shots, demanding I relax and let loose with him. After three shots, he hooked our arms together, pulling me into him. I was laughing so hard by the action, it had caused me to dribble a bunch of my shot down my chin as I took it. “You’ve made a mess.” I squirm in my seat, remembering the huskiness of his voice and how he’d cleaned my face with his thumb. It was like the world stopped. He was so close—and as I look back, it was a perfect moment just suspended in time…broken up by my angry ex.
"Are you staring at me?" he asks, quickly glancing over at me.
"I'm just taking in the sights."
“The sights, huh?”
My cheeks heat and I look back out the passenger window. “Yeah, you have to take in every moment, don't want to pass any of them by.”
"I've never heard a truer statement." I glance back over at him to see him peering over at me. His eyes draw down the side of my face before they quickly go back to the road.
“Thanks for inviting me out. Honestly, I needed the escape,” I admit. It’s nice to be out with someone that isn’t involved with all the stress.
“Anytime.”
We arrive at Marco's and are led to a little two-person table tucked in the corner. Leo pulls out my chair for me, and I thank him. As he sits down across from me and picks up the menu, I spot the waiter at the table beside us making fresh guacamole and my mouth waters. "I'm guessing we have to get some of that," Leo says with a light chuckle.
"We do. Have you never been here before?"
“No. I do a lot of take-out these days, and when I was with Izzy, she wasn’t big on eating things that weren’t vegetables or five-star cuisine," he says with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.
"I’m not sure of Marcos star ranking, but after you have this, you'll never go back." The waitress introduces herself, and I order the strawberry margarita and the Baja tacos, with extra rice and guacamole. He orders the steak tacos and a Corona.
"I like a girl that can eat."
“Well, I already had my rabbit food today,” I remind him. “Plus, with tacos, once I start, you’re going to have a hard time stopping me.”
He grins. “Far from me to be the one to stop you. As I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit in a restaurant and just enjoy a meal.”
“Happy to be at your service.”
A few moments later, our waitress is back with our drinks and places a large basket of chips and salsa in front of us.
“Have the phone calls stopped yet?” Leo asks as he pushes his lime into his Corona.
“They have slowed.” I take a long sip from my margarita. “I’m hoping by Monday there’ll be a new personal ad, and the desperate men will give up.”
“Who would have thought so many people read the newspaper personal ads.”
“Well, you did.”
“Busted.” He gives me a sly smile. “It was right next to the sports page. It had good placement.”
“I didn’t even notice that.” I groan. That sneaky, witty, old bird. “I only wish she didn’t put my picture with it.”
“It was smart,” he says, picking up a chip and dipping it into the spicy salsa.
“How so?”
“It’s why you're getting so many calls.”
“I’m actually confused about the number of calls and pictures I’m getting.”
How did such a small newspaper’s personal ad generate so many…hits from the crazy farm…then suddenly the calls have halted to almost nothing this evening.
“Why? You don’t think people want to date you?”
“Not so much that. It’s just more that I think of it, none of them felt legit. You’d think I would have had at least one sane person come through.”
“I think I’m pretty sane.” He grins, and his eyebrows lift to his hairline cockily.
“You know what I mean. Not all single guys can be creeps, but I found the jackpot today. Anyway, enough about that.” I go to pick up a chip and shove it into my mouth to shut it up.
Leo takes mercy on me and starts telling me about his day as we both chow down on the salty, crunchy snacks. I’m so lost in the antics of his day, between helping one of the kids play a practical joke on their parents, and one of the moms hitting on him that it doesn’t feel so long before the waitress places our tacos in front of us and my mouth waters instantly at the sight of them. I haven’t had these in forever. I pick up my fork and put together my taco, ready to dive in, though I can feel his eyes watching me from across the table.
“This is nice because the two years you dated my brother, we never really got to talk on our own.”
“Yeah, why is that?” I ask, but my question is left hanging as I’m distracted by the employees coming out clapping and singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs. A little girl stands on a chair, where they plop a sombrero on her head that’s too big for her. As the child is serenaded, I notice from the corner of my eye that Leo hasn’t stopped staring at me.
“I think we both know why,” he says after the excitement dies down and we both go to take a bite of our food. Mine turns to dust in my mouth at the thought of Tim. He did put up this weird barrier between us to keep us apart. “But I'm glad we are catching up now. You've always intrigued me, Claire.”
“Me?” I choke on my bite of taco.
“Yes, you. Every time I see you, there's always a smile on your face. You’re someone I want to be around because your personality is just so…” He trails off.
“Are you trying to call me perky?”
I hope not because I don't wanna be perky.
“No. Not perky.” He chuckles. “It’s positive. You light up the room when you walk into it. It’s Easy. Happy. Honestly, I don’t know how to put it all into words other than I know you’re the kind of girl I want to be around.”
“Don’t let it fool you, though. Sometimes it's easier to fake your a
ura and let people believe everything is alright, so they don’t ask questions about how you’re feeling.” I tell him and glance down at my plate, pushing my rice around.
Why did I say that?
A thank you would have worked just fine, Claire. Because damn if that wasn’t the sweetest thing anyone has told me in the longest time.
“Come on.” He reaches over and layers his hand with mine. “Why do you have to fake it?”
“I don't know.” I sigh. Great. I’ve opened the can of worms, and now I have to explain. “It’s just life keeps throwing these massive bricks and speed bumps at me. I once had my whole life planned out. I was going to finish college and become a graphic designer, then I almost lost my life, then I almost lost Grams. People are always asking if I’m okay, and I’ve found that if I always wear a smile, they’ll stop asking.” I brush my free hand on my napkin and wish I didn’t open this can of heavy, but when I glance at him, he’s staring at me with no judgment and only gentle care in his eyes. “It took a while, but then I remember too, I have to consider myself pretty lucky for all I have. I know once I stop staying positive everything around me will crumble. So as long as my moons and stuff keep aligning, I'll keep grinning." I place a large cheesy smile on my face and he laughs.
“And that’s what I’m talking about. Even if you have to fake it, you’re keeping your aura positive. Which makes me want to be around you and learn more about you. I always have, but Tim…he was very possessive of you.”
“I don’t know why.” I stab my glob of guacamole. "Not like he cared," I mumble more to myself.
“Do you believe in this horoscope stuff?”
“Huh?” My head pops up at his change of subject.
“All the moons and stars aligning stuff? And also, you being a stubborn Taurus?”
“Oh. Not really. I mean, Grams swears by it, and well, I trust the crazy hoot." I grin. "So, I guess I do to a point, but don't tell her. I don't need her to start sending my daily horoscope again."
She used to send them to me all the time when I was younger. I loved waking up to them and believed them to a point. That was till the last one she sent me, which said great things were coming my way, and my love life was about to blossom. I had no warning on what would become of Colt or what he would do to me. He wasn’t a bad guy. He was once the perfect guy, so sweet with a mild bad boy edge. He was a teenage dream at one point, and it’s why I believed my reading. I had only wished I saw how bad his steroid addiction had gotten because then my great thing turned into a nightmare with one simple trigger setting him into a rage that almost ended me.
"You and her are very close?"
"Yeah, as I’m sure you know, she raised me. She's my only blood family and she did everything she could for me with the little she had. And she managed to do it with a smile on her face. I guess that’s where I got that smiley gene from.”
“But are you a stubborn Taurus like it says?”
“Yes, and I’m also loyal and like the outdoors.”
“Then maybe I have found my match," he says with a low drawl, his eyes dancing playfully.
My mouth drops, and I fumble as I reach for my drink. His match? Leo sits smiling at me like he didn't just hit on me again.
“Can I get you a refill on your drink, ma'am?” the waitress interrupts us, and I nod.
More tequila would be great.
She grabs my empty margarita glass and asks Leo if he would like one too. He says no, and she walks off.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do about the wedding?”
“You mean about finding a date?”
“Yeah. Since none of the ad guys seem to be working out so far?”
“No. I have a headache thinking about it all honestly. I know if I show up alone looking “desolate” and lonely because I didn’t find a date, he would get a thrill out of it. And so would his date,” I growl. The flashback of the night when I caught the two in my bed flashes through my mind. The way Monica looked so damn proud of stealing my man and Tim quick to blame me about his dick in the wrong hole.
“You know.” He taps his chin, and a grin curves on his lips. “I happen to know someone that would be willing to go with you.”
“Oh yeah?” I quirk an eyebrow, and his smile grows bigger. “No. No,” I mumble as I realize the idea bubbling in his mind.
“Why not? I’m already going and you’re already going. I happen to think I’m a lot of fun to hang out with.” He shrugs. “I mean, would you rather go with the fat guy in a g-string?” He points at my phone, refreshing the picture in my mind from earlier and I almost gag. “Or me?”
“But I want Tim to believe I’ve moved on. He wouldn’t believe me and you are a couple.”
“We could make him believe.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
My fork clamors to the table. “Make him? How would we do that?”
“How good are your acting skills?” He chuckles with a devilish gleam in his eyes, but he's serious, very serious.
Holy, fucking hell. Where is this all coming from?
“Wait, back up. Why would you do this? This is all so out of left field.”
“I’m not gaining anything. I want to take you.” I squint my eyes, and he sighs. “Okay, Tim hurt you, and it’s also no secret that me and Tim don’t get along.” He waves his fork in the air. “If that isn’t enough, how about what better way to stick it to him than for you to date his brother.”
True.
“And can't a friend help a friend?"
"I guess...but…" I mutter, my head still spinning.
“But what? Why should you go alone when you can go with me? Why should I have to go alone when I can go with you? Izabelle was supposed to be my plus one, and as you know now, that isn’t happening.”
I stab my fork back into my taco. It would be easier than finding someone else I barely know, and I already like Leo. “Are we going to tell people we’re dating or just Tim?
He drums his fingers on the table and his eyes search around the restaurant before settling back on me. “I think we’d have to tell everyone we’re dating, don’t you? People talk, and you don’t want it to get back to him. Plus, you want to make it look real, right?”
Make it look real?
I gulp. “Then what? Break up after the wedding?”
All the drama and having to explain to people isn’t my cuppa tea.
His lips twist and he shrugs. “Or whenever.”
I blow out a deep breath at his words. Or whenever? What does that mean? I shake it off and examine my taco I’ve hardly touched. My appetite has vanished due to the twisted knot now taking up the space in my stomach.
“I’m not sure I could lie to everyone.”
“Like a certain grandmother that doesn’t want you dating Leos?"
“That woman can see right through me no matter what I do.”
“Do you think she would go along with it if you tell her the truth?”
My shoulders lift. “I don’t know. She might be worried. She had some crazy vision that Leos were bad for me.”
“Ahh. I got it.” He glances down at his food, almost dejected.
“But,” I hold the word, and he pops his head up to me, “she does hate Tim.”
A wide grin spreads across his face. “I knew I liked her,” he says and we both laugh. “Just think about it.” He goes on after our laughter has ceased, and he reaches over to take my hand. “Do you really have anything to lose if you go with me? We’d have fun and you wouldn’t be alone. I’ll be by your side every second, so you won’t have to deal with my ox of a brother.”
Do I have anything to lose? It wouldn’t really hurt anybody. And it would drive Tim insane seeing me with his brother. Nice little revenge.
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I can ask for.” His fingers brush down mine. “Even if we don’t go together, promise you’ll save me a dance.”
“I promise.” I lace my fingers with his and smile at him. I
feel the air shift in the room, and I suddenly feel…different with him. I don’t know if it’s the tequila starting to swim through my veins, or him, or the fact he’s helping me in the bind, but I’m finding the longer the night goes on with Leo, I’m wondering why Grams wanted me away from him.
And I know there’s no way I’m going to stay away now.
Chapter Five
By the time Leo drops me back off at the hospital after dinner, the air that surrounds us has become undoubtedly electrifying. This isn’t a date, but I’m finding myself almost begging for a goodnight kiss. He smells so good, his lips look so inviting, and my recently abused heart starts palpitating. I'm sure it has to do with my libido that has been lying dormant for months now, matched with the static energy charging through the air, that has me all in a tizzy. But when his wet lips land on my cheek, I’m disappointed because I want so much more.
I am in trouble if this is only going to be fake dating.
If I agree to this plan.
I peek in on Grams and find her asleep for the night. I leave her a note to tell her I love her and I will see her tomorrow. Now I’m cuddled on my bed in my favorite fuzzy pajamas with my Facebook App open. I really shouldn’t be searching through it since it’s nothing but a cesspool of drama, but I find myself going on it to get my daily dose anyway.
As I start to scroll through my feed, I see that Allison has posted a baby Yoda meme and her weekly selfie. I love both and comment with heart faces cause I’m a slacker and keep going. Then I come to Sonya North, Leo’s mom’s page. She’s been tagged in the post by Tim. I knew I should’ve unfollowed her, but it’s hard to do because I adore the woman.
I’m sure the dickhead tagged her on purpose, so I would see this photo of him with his new girlfriend. Monica has her arms around his neck kissing his cheek sitting out on some beach. The caption is: “The girl of my dreams.”
Once upon a time, that’s who I was to him, but he never labeled me like that on social media.
Price Of Love (Written In the Stars Book 4) Page 4
