His smile faltered. “I should have saved some for you. I can get more.”
She shook her head and picked up the mallet, getting a good grip on it. “I had more fun watching you with the kids.”
“Whose head are you planning to whack?”
She drained the last of her beer and handed him the empty cup before placing her token in the machine and picking up the club. A mole popped up, and she smashed its head. “That’s Neil.” Another mole’s head rose, and she hit that one too. “Robert Sisco Sr.” And another. “Rob Sisco Jr.” She hit the empty hole even harder. “Jack-wipe.”
She continued to beat the moles, naming them all before she slew them. She named the last one Garrett.
“I guess I deserve that,” he murmured.
She put another coin in the machine and played another round, drawing a crowd of kids as she smashed the heads with more enthusiasm than in the first round. She clipped one on the side, and the mole’s head dented on the lip of the hole.
“Oops.”
Two of the other heads stopped popping up, presumably broken, and the game finally ended when the mallet shattered into three pieces. When she looked up, panting, he was staring at her, and it was enough to make her lose her breath all over again. He leaned against the machine, his beer in his hand and his eyes on her. A wave of heat washed through her, and she knew she wanted him. God help her if he tossed her away again, but she wanted him for as long as she could have him.
He grinned and stalked toward her, pushing through her fan club of admiring eight-year-old boys and lifted her hand into the air. “And there you have it, kids. The mole champion!”
The kids cheered as he led her to the table, hand in hand. Tingles raced along her skin where it was joined with his.
“I think I probably owe Chuck E. Cheese about two grand, but I guess you’ll have to cover that too. I’m probably the most expensive date in history.” She gave him a mischievous grin.
His eyes were hungry when they met hers. “Worth every damn penny.”
They sat across from each other and ate for a few minutes in silence before Blair said, “I never heard from my mom. And I don’t have my phone.”
“Do you want to call her?”
“I need to tell her what happened.”
“What did happen, Blair?”
She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I don’t think I’m getting married anymore.”
Relief swept across his face as he handed her his phone.
She punched in her mother’s number and typed in a quick text message telling her that she was fine and would call her later and explain, then she handed the phone back to Garrett. “Thanks.”
He took the phone and slid it back into his pocket. “Finish up. It’s almost time for our next stop.”
She fake groaned. “Dear God, please tell me we’re not going to the park for the softball game.”
He laughed, his eyes lighting up. “I’m not a masochist. I have something else in mind.”
She picked up another slice of pizza. “Should I be scared?”
“Terrified.”
She laughed again and took a bite, wondering how she could feel this content after all the ugliness of the day and her run-ins with Neil and his mother. For once, she decided not to question it.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Garrett couldn’t remember being this nervous on a date since high school. He wasn’t sure Blair really meant it when she’d called it a date, but he was going to pull out all the stops to prove to her that he still loved her and was worth the risk.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked as he led her out to the car.
“Nope. It’s a surprise.” He was surprised when she didn’t push him for an answer. She hated surprises.
After spontaneously asking her out on a date the other night, he’d done some research about where he wanted to take her if he managed to convince her to give him a chance. Now he was glad he’d done his homework.
He drove down to Brookside and parked his car, then walked around the car quick enough to help Blair out of it. He held her hand after shutting the passenger door, and his pulse picked up when her fingers curled gently around his. She looked up at him with parted lips and soft eyes. Some of her hard exterior seemed to have flaked away, which he found surprising after the scene at the church. This was his Blair, the Blair he’d uncovered years ago after months of patience. And here she was, the woman he’d longed for since that stupid night five years ago, and he cursed his impetuous announcement earlier that he wouldn’t touch her tonight. He wanted her to see that she was so much more to him than a roll in bed, although he desperately wanted that too. So he held onto her hand as he led her down the sidewalk to their next destination.
That afternoon he’d constructed a plan to convince Neil to break off the engagement. The legal papers were in the works, waiting for the final details. He figured he’d eliminate the Neil problem and then concentrate on winning Blair back. He knew it was a lot of money, but he didn’t care. He’d gladly give it up for her. Never in a million years had he expected he’d be spending the evening with her. He wasn’t about to screw it up.
He stopped outside the building’s entrance and looked into her eyes, seeking permission as the music streamed through the door.
“So we really are going to a piano bar?” she asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.
“I promised, didn’t I?”
They entered the dark bar that consisted of a baby grand piano in the back corner and about twenty tables spread throughout the room. It was still early on a Friday night, but the place was half full, and he had to lean into her ear so she could hear him. “Let’s go in the back.”
She nodded, and he moved his hand to the small of her back, amazed by how natural it felt, as if they hadn’t been apart for five years or even for five days. She sat on the bench seat along the wall, and Garrett had a moment of indecision as to whether he should sit by her or in the seat across from her. But she looked up at him expectantly and patted the seat beside her, making the decision for him. He slid in, grateful to be close to her, even if it made it a thousand times more difficult for him to keep his promise.
A man sat at the piano playing a Barry Manilow song. Blair looked up at Garrett and laughed. “I want to hear Billy Joel.” She gave his arm a shove. “Go request it.”
“I see some things never change. You’re as bossy as ever.”
“And you used to love it, if I recall.” A teasing glint filled her eyes.
Desire shot straight to his crotch. Damn. He knew what she was talking about and it wasn’t requesting songs in a piano bar.
Her eyelids lowered, and her grin turned sexy, but her voice still held a teasing tone when she said, “Now go request a Billy Joel song.”
He wasn’t going to be able to get up from the table if she kept this up. He forced himself to be playful. “Only if you promise to sing.”
“Ha! My singing hasn’t gotten any better since we were together.”
“Neither has mine. We can sing it together.”
“Then I’m going to need a drink first.”