I couldn’t remember the last time an anonymous fuck had left such an impression on me, and I had to laugh at how ironic it was that the man I knew the absolute least about was the one I was most obsessed over. That had to be it. That had to be the reason I was so intrigued. Maybe if I’d had the usual small-talk bullshit with him, he’d have come off as a normal guy rather than this exotic kind of mystery man.
Even when I flew into Chicago again, I refused to look NurseTee—or anyone else—up on the app. I didn’t do repeats for several reasons, the biggest of which was the fear of expectations or accidentally starting any kind of relationship. Besides, the large cities I flew through were big enough to provide me with hookup opportunities without revisiting the same man twice. And if not, it was a reminder that I could stand to spend more time alone. It wasn’t like I looked for a man to sleep with every night. I didn’t.
“Yoo-hoo,” Millie said, waving a hand in front of my face. “You with us, big guy?”
I blinked and looked around at the crowded waiting area of the Italian restaurant closest to their house. “Yeah. I’m here. Why’d you tell them there were four of us? Please tell me you didn’t invite Ty.”
“Not Ty,” she said.
Millie’s husband got a maniacal look on his face.
“Shit,” I muttered. “Please, no.”
“You’re going to love him,” Kirk promised. “He’d the coolest guy ever, and he knows someone who manages corporate jets out of Midway. It’s not South Bend or La Porte, but at least it’s closer than Newark. And I’ll stop pressuring you to come work for me at the skydiving center.”
“Humans weren’t made to jump out of perfectly good planes, Kirk,” I said for the millionth time. There weren’t many things I was scared of, but skydiving was at the top of the list. But then I realized that he might have been asking me for a different reason. Kirk and Millie’s business partner had turned out to be worthless. He’d done jack-all to help the company and then had bailed the minute Kirk had confronted him about it.
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you struggling? Do you need me to come—”
“No. Hell no. Don’t say another word,” Kirk said, still smiling despite the lines of stress I could see on his face. “Things are a little tight right now, but that’s why we’re letting you pick up dinner.”
I nodded but shot him a suspicious look. “Dinner for four…”
Kirk’s face lit up, erasing the lines and returning his grin to normal. “I invited a great guy. You’re going to love him.”
Millie winced and shot me an apologetic look. “I couldn’t say no. Look how excited he is,” she whispered. “Do me a solid here.”
I glared at her. “You owe me big-time.”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Agreed.”
Just then, a tall good-looking man made his way through the crowd by the door to shake hands with Kirk. “Sorry I’m late. My mom called with an urgent Google problem.” His wide grin was easy, and his blue eyes flashed with humor. “She kept entering search terms, but none of them worked. We finally figured out her internet was down. God knows how long she tried searching before calling me.”
He turned to me with a friendly smile. “Jeff Plenty. You must be Millie’s brother, Jack.”
I shook his hand and returned the smile. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”
As soon as the hostess called for our table, Millie and Kirk strode ahead while Jeff held me back and leaned in to speak softly. “Sorry if this wasn’t your idea. I adore your sister and was anxious to meet you, but I don’t want you to think I have any expectations.”
In addition to being handsome and fit, he was kind and thoughtful. It was no wonder Millie and Kirk wanted me to meet him.
I put my hand on his lower back to urge him forward so we didn’t lose track of Millie in the crowded restaurant. “I’m always happy to meet a friend of my sister’s.”
We had a great meal with engaging conversation and lots of laughter, but for some reason that was the extent of it. Here was a man who ticked all my damned boxes, but I still wasn’t in the mood to take him back to my hotel room.
After saying goodbye to Millie and Kirk in the parking lot, I turned to Jeff and held out my hand. His face dropped a little, but he shook my hand with a smile.
“Can I get your number?” I asked. “I had a really nice time tonight, but I’ve been working my ass off lately and could use some sleep.”
It was all true. I’d enjoyed his company at dinner and could imagine future nights out with the four of us. Surely next time, I’d want to take him back to my room and find out how good that fit body looked naked.