“I’ll definitely have to give you front row tickets to my next show,” Ty said, reaching for Dr. Scotty’s hand and giving it a shake.
“Hey, I have an idea,” my ever-friendly date said. “Why don’t you two join us? There’s plenty of room at our table.”
No. No. No. No.
“I’d hate to impose,” Ty said.
“Are you kidding? It would be such a treat,” Dr. Scotty, who had just taken first place as the worst date ever, said.
“Well, thank you, Scotty.” Ty wriggled his brows at me and Jett groaned. My date moved to pull out Ty’s chair. The man hadn’t pulled out my chair, but here he was catering to Ty freaking Greene.
“His name is Dr. Scotty,” I hissed, and Jett barked out a laugh as our server set down our waters and my date let the waiter know that they were joining us. I took a long sip of water to try to calm my anger.
“Actually, Ive. It’s Dr. Scotty Pepper. He just likes going by Dr. Scotty better than being called Dr. Pepper,” Ty said with a straight face, and I spewed water all over the table.
Jett and Ty both fell forward in hysterical laughter and Dr. Pepper just stared at me like I had committed a crime. Because I’m the oddball here? Not the man who asked me to dinner and then invited my ex-boyfriend and his friend to join us?
“Sorry about that. I was caught off guard,” I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin. Ty used his napkin and tried to dab at my face, and I slapped his hand away.
“You know, Ivy. That’s the reason I go by Dr. Scotty, as not to get teased about being Dr. Pepper,” he said, and he didn’t look pleased.
“He is right, Ive. It’s not very nice of you to spit your water all over the table,” Ty said with his favorite stupid smirk painted on his face.
“I don’t think she was laughing at you, Dr. Pepper,” Jett said, and I could tell he was trying real hard not to laugh as he shot a warning look at Ty. “I think you just caught her off guard.”
Thankfully our server walked up and took our orders. I ordered a glass of Chardonnay while Ty and Jett and Dr. Pepper ordered gin and tonics. I asked if we could place our dinner order as well, which also didn’t earn me any points with my date, but at this point, I didn’t really care. I wanted to get this over with.
“I don’t normally drink the hard stuff, because well,” Dr. Pepper said as he leaned into the table like it was a secret. News flash, buddy. We’re the only ones here. “I tend to get a little wild when I drink hard liquor.”
“Then why did you order it?” I hissed.
“Because it isn’t very often that I get to have dinner with my icon.”
“I assume you’re talking about him, not me?” I asked with a chuckle. Ty and Jett both barked out a laugh, but Dr. Pepper did not find me funny.
“You know, Ivy, considering the fact that you don’t listen to Ty’s music means that you and I probably don’t have much in common, as I have followed this man religiously since his first album released,” he said.
That was the deal killer? Not the fact that he had invited my ex-boyfriend to join us for dinner? Or the fact that I sputtered water all over the table because I will never not find the name Dr. Pepper funny? It was my taste in music that offended him?
I started to laugh and couldn’t stop. Ty was watching me with a big smile on his face, and Jett had his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. When the server set down our drinks, Dr. Pepper ordered another round. I put my hand up and said I was done. One drink was all I could handle when in the presence of Ty Greene. His nearness was making me all hot and bothered, and I needed to stay in control.
Dr. Pepper downed his drink before the waiter even walked away. The next hour was very educational. Dr. Scotty Pepper informed us that he left his last residence where he was engaged to be married but got so intoxicated at his bachelor party that he accidentally set his house on fire because he thought it was a good idea to blow fire out of his mouth.
His fiancée found out he had been to a strip club. She called off the wedding because she couldn’t forgive him.
Not the blowing fire or for burning the house down but for going to a strip club.
So he came to Willow Springs for a fresh start.
He’d also managed to drink four cocktails in a short period of time.
My ex-boyfriend was enjoying this far too much. Every time I looked up, I caught Ty staring at me.
“You’ve barely taken a sip,” my now completely inebriated date shouted at Ty before reaching across the table and grabbing his gin and tonic and downing it in one long sip.
“Yeah. I promised Sebastian I’d take him to football practice tomorrow,” Ty said. “So I don’t want to go too crazy tonight.”
“Your little brother? You met him?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. I saw him around town with his nanny quite a bit and Sebastian was such a cute kid. But I knew it was a very sensitive subject for Ty. That’s why he’d stayed away for so long.
“Yeah. I met him last night and went to his game today. He’s a badass little dude.”
I nodded. “He looks just like you too.”
“You remember what I looked like in kindergarten, Ive?” he asked, and my stomach flipped by the way he was looking at me. I took another bite of my pasta and took my time chewing.
“Of course I do. I have a photographic mind.” I shrugged and Ty and Jett both chuckled.
“You always were the smartest girl I knew,” he said.
“Ah, man. I feel like I blew it with you tonight, Ivy. This has probably not been the best date,” my date slurred and nearly fell out of his chair when he jerked his body in my direction. “How about we give it another try tomorrow?”
“I think we should remain friends, Dr. Pepper. I don’t see this going anywhere.” I felt no guilt saying this after the way he’d behaved. Hells to the no on a second date.
“So then, who pays for dinner? I mean, if it’s not going to work out,” he said over a manic case of hiccups that had him gasping in between.
Ty shot him a dirty look and I could swear I heard him growl. I reached for my wallet because this date was beyond over, and I didn’t need him ringing up more of a tab that he wouldn’t want to pay for. I waved my hand in the air for the server. Ty wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled my arm down.
“I’ve got this, Ive. I feel a bit responsible for things going south,” he said, but he didn’t hide the smile on his face.
“You don’t say? Well, thanks for dinner.” I rolled my eyes. “Dr. Pepper, I wish I could say it had been a pleasure, but it has not.”