He examines my eyes, not giving me an answer.
“You did,” I say, disappointed.
“No, I didn’t,” he says curtly.
“Were you in her bungalow?”
“Yes, I was. She wanted me to fuck her and even offered me money.”
“Did she know you were hired?”
“No. She had no idea. She was all messed up because some jerk had broken up with her. She drank a lot, got fixated on me, and also got something mixed with the alcohol she had ingested. I went to check on her and ensure she was fine when I found her face down on the floor. I woke her up and helped her to throw up. It took an hour before she was able to go back to sleep. I didn’t plan to leave you on that bed for that long. And I wasn’t at her place to fuck her.”
I look at him, shaking my head.
“Where do you find these train wrecks?” I ask.
“Some of them, um... at Jill’s,” he says, winking at me.
“It’s not funny...”
He studies me in silence.
“Are we good?” he asks.
I shift in my seat.
“Yes, we’re good. The man we meet... What’s his name?”
“Kane.”
“What did you tell him about me?”
“That you’re my future wife.”
His words still echo in the air as he breaks his eyes away from mine and exits his car.
Mouth agape, I watch him walk around the car.
He opens the door on the passenger side and offers me his hand. I rise, my legs soft like butter.
He gives me a quick once-over.
“We can cancel everything,” he says seriously this time.
“No, I’m fine,” I say, spinning and heading to the door.
* * *
We’re early.
The corner booth offers a panoramic view of the city and the room. Private and cozy, it seems like the perfect romantic spot.
We get our drinks and the evening unfolds as if he hasn’t dropped that word on me.
He’s been guarded since he said it to me. I wonder if he did, in fact, say it to Kane, or he was just testing me.
His phone screen lights up with a message, and something flutters in my chest.