***SJ***
Barrett’seyesmoveddownmy body with an intensity I’d never seen from him before. It’d been a long time since I’d seen him, but I would’ve remembered a look like the one he was giving me. I knew I looked good in my dress, which is why it was my best and favorite, but the look he was giving me made me want to frame the damn thing and maybe say a prayer to it once or twice a year. A big part of me wanted to high-five my younger self. We’d impressed Barrett! The rest of me wondered if he recognized me. That look didn’t say daughter’s best friend.
I stopped next to their table and smiled. “Hey, neighbors. Funny that I’ve lived down the street from you all for a couple of weeks and haven’t seen you once, but I go out on one bad date and the entire neighborhood is here to see it.”
Holden sat forward in his chair and rested his chin on his hand. His eyes were an especially pale green against his olive skin. The silver at his temples somehow just highlighted his sharp cheekbones. “Neighbor?”
I bit my lip and nodded. They didn’t recognize me. It was a compliment, since I’d always been an awkward kid. When a waiter came by with a tray of drinks, I had to step closer to their table and I accidentally brushed against Dominic’s wide shoulder. “Maybe you’d recognize me if I put my hair in pigtails and started screaming the top forties from a decade ago? And if Samantha was glued to my side?”
Barrett’s hazel eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open for a split second before he regained control and stood up. “Sugar! Holy hell. I never would’ve recognized you!”
Before I could do or say anything else, he had me in his arms, hugging me tight. The entire back of my dress was nonexistent and the feeling of his warm skin on mine sent a hot sensation rushing through me. When his hand stayed on the bare skin of my back after he pulled away, I realized again why the dress was my favorite.
“I mostly go by SJ these days. It’s a little hard to be taken seriously in college with the name Sugar.” I looked up at him through my lashes and then realized I was being too flirty. I cleared my throat and stepped away from him. “Unfortunately, I have to get back to my terrible date. The one who just suggested I come try on a bikini from his personal collection.”
Barrett scowled and looked over my head in the direction I’d come from. “Do you need help getting rid of him?”
Dominic finally focused his intense deep blue eyes on me, and it was almost like he could tell the ground shifted a bit under my feet when he did. The way his mouth lifted lightly on one side made me feel like he was amused by it. “Always happy to help, Sugar.”
I smiled and then bit my lip again to try to contain it. I didn’t want to look like a dumb kid to them. I also had no business liking the way he said my name so much. “If you see a flare, know it’s me.”
Barrett touched my wrist and nodded. “Good to see you, Sugar.”
I strode toward the bathroom feeling like I was floating. One interaction with them and I was like a giddy kid with a crush all over again. It was ridiculous. I moved around a few women who were leaving and went straight to the mirror. The woman looking back at me was flushed and had eyes that nearly sparkled with mischief. It was a far cry from the one who’d been looking back at me as I got ready for my date.
I washed my hands and took a moment to gather myself for rejoining Barry. Barry, who was waiting on me. Barry, who was a little boy compared to the men I’d just spoken with. It hadn’t taken long for that much to be obvious.
Feeling like I was walking back toward a cruel punishment, I straightened my dress and then went back out. I saw Dominic watching me as I moved back to my table and winked at him before losing my nerve. It was a bit of fun in the middle of a miserable date. No harm in that.
I sat back down across from Barry and forced a smile. “Sorry about that.”
“Who were those old guys you were talking to?” Barry seemed annoyed, which made me annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter. I think we both can agree that there’s not a connection here between us, right? I don’t want to waste your time. Maybe we should get the check?”
“What?” He sat up even straighter and scowled. “I thought we were getting along just fine. I told you all about my show idea.”
“I’m sorry, Barry. I’m just not feeling anything more here.”
His cheeks went red first and then his neck. “Wow. Do you just do this kind of shit to get free meals? Well, news flash, I’m not paying for your meal if this isn’t going anywhere.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, ready to melt him into a puddle of jerk if I needed to. “You know that I’m not a sex worker, right? Did you expect me to put out if you paid for my ten-dollar burger special and five-dollar bottle of wine? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a sex worker, but I’d like to think I’d be worth more than fifteen dollars.”
“Women are all the same.” He threw his napkin on the table, the napkin he’d used to protect his special t-shirt, and snarled at me. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch, baby.”
Things had taken a turn for the worst so fast. I was ready to rip his head off. “First. Don’t call me baby. Second. You’re an ass. And third. I was always planning to pay for my own food. This is just ridiculous, though.”
“I’man ass?” Barry scoffed like he was trying to hack up a hair ball. “You’re the one who didn’t even care about my bikini offer. I don’t just offer that up for anyone.”
“I’m absolutely sure that’s true, Barry.” I took one last sip of my wine and caught the eye of the waiter. With one look, the younger man seemed to get the hint.
“And now you’re being sarcastic? That’s the lowest form of humor, you know?” He leaned into my space, his lips curled downward. “I have a feeling you get that a lot, though.”
The waiter cleared his throat as he stopped at our table. “How was everything? I’ll clear these plates if you’re finished.”
“It was great, thank you. Could we go ahead and get the check? Split it, if that’s not too much trouble. Please.”
Barry held his shit together until the waiter left and then he reached across the table to grab my hand. “Let’s just forget you were rude and go back to moving this night along. We don’t have to like each other to fuc—”