“I have energy,” I replied.
“I have never known you to be bubbly. Ever. Not even when you are drunk.”
“I do not claim to be bubbly. She’s bubbly. I just kind of effervesce in her presence.”
He laughed harder. “Stop. You’re going to make me choke.”
“We walked up to a spot on a hill and just sat there. Well, she talked, but we sat.”
“Tell me more about your lady.”
“She is not my lady,” I shot back.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. We talked a little about her job. We talked about my love of ships. Normal stuff.”
“Wow. I’m impressed. Now that you have her number, you have to make a move.”
I shrugged. “Why?”
“Sometimes, I want to slap the shit out of you,” he mumbled.
“Why?”
He sighed, making a big show of wiping his hands. “Because you have no clue. Zero clue. How long have you been single?”
I thought about it. “I don’t know. Forever.”
He nodded. “How many dates have you been on in let’s say the last three months?”
I shrugged. “A couple.”
He groaned, sounding pained. “I go on a couple of dates a week. You sit at home. You aren’t getting any younger. You need to enjoy your youth. You need to date and have some fun.”
“You always say that.”
“I’m serious. You are in the prime of your life right now. You’ve got beauty, brains, and money.”
I wasn’t sure how to handle that statement. “Thanks. I think. You are not hitting on me, I hope.”
“I don’t want you, thanks. I’m saying, you have plenty of women that are more than happy to date you.”
“They want to date my checkbook.”
“I don’t believe that’s true for all of them,” he insisted.
“Not for Evie,” I said, her name rolling off my tongue.
“Evie,” he repeated her name. “You like her.”
“I don’t dislike her.”
“That’s high praise coming from you.”
I laughed. “She’s not bad. And do you know what the best part is?”
“What?”
“She didn’t know me. She thought I was one of the employees that worked on the ships.”
He raised his brows. “Are you sure? You don’t think it could be a trick to make you think she didn’t know you.”
“No, I don’t think so. I only gave her my full name after we met at the park.”
“Really? That’s weird.”
It was weird. “I guess it just didn’t come up. You know me. I’m not really very good at the people thing. She seemed to get it and didn’t pressure me.”
“Hell, this one is a keeper,” he joked.
“I think I’m going to offer to take her out on the boat,” I said.
He stopped chewing, his eyes going wide. “No shit?”
“Why not?”
“Take her.”
I studied him. “Why?” I asked, knowing he was up to no good. He had a plan.
He grinned. “Because no woman can resist a nice ride on a boat. You can offer her some of your fancy wine. Serve her expensive cheese. She’ll crawl into bed with you so fast, you won’t know what to do.”
“I’ll know what to do,” I growled. “I’m not that out of practice.”
“Then act fast. I saw her. She’s gorgeous. Those curves. Another rich man is going to take advantage of that woman if you don’t get in there.”
“She’s not a prized horse to win at an auction,” I retorted.
“I don’t know what you saw, but I saw a nice prize standing two feet in front of you. If it had been me, she would have been in my bed before the night was over.”
I couldn’t explain why, but hearing him say that pissed me off. It made me jealous. “You won’t fucking look at her.”
He grinned, his eyes sparkling. “Oh, touched a nerve. Look at you. You are already smitten.”
“I am not,” I argued.
“Don’t wait too long,” he warned. “I’m serious. She seemed to be a rare one.”
I slowly nodded. “She is. I will.”
“Good,” he said, wiping his hands on a napkin before tossing it in the bag. “Now, I’ve got to get back to work. Call her. Don’t fuck this up.”
“I will.” I nodded. “I will.”
He got up from the table, grabbing his trash. “I’ll call you later. Thanks for lunch.”
I walked back to my car. For once in my life, I was going to take some advice. I pulled my phone out and quickly found her name in my contact list. This was where things got tricky. Did I call or text? I was really bad at the dating thing. I held the phone in my hand, staring at her name.
I was going to text.
Still want to go out on the boat?
It wasn’t exactly smooth. I wasn’t a smooth talker. It just didn’t come naturally to me. Maybe I was a product of my upbringing. I didn’t know how to be any other way. My father was a drill sergeant—literally. Well, we never dared call him that. He was Navy. He was an RDC and never let any of us forget it. He was a hard man. He didn’t offer colorful words or soften his opinion. When he was pissed, he was pissed and didn’t hide it.
She replied. I would love to. When?
My schedule was wide open. I didn’t want to sound too eager and decided to play it cool. Thursday?
Perfect. Afternoon? Evening?
I would love to show her the sunset, but that would be very late. I decided late afternoon was best. If it turned into a long night out on the boat, so be it. I sure as hell wouldn’t mind. I would love to spend the evening with her.
She agreed to call me on Thursday morning to establish a time. In the meantime, I would secure a couple bottles of the best wine and cheese. I didn’t often flaunt my wealth, but I wanted to show her a good time. If I had the means, I may as well use them to my advantage. God knew I needed all the help I could get.
I wondered if I should text her again tonight. I was so bad at this. I should have gotten more tips from Charlie. No, that would be a mistake. Charlie was kind of a one-track man. I wasn’t interested in fucking a woman just to fuck her. I tended to be a little more careful when it came to things like that. Sex could be just sex, but to me, it was an invitation into my life.
I liked to keep my life locked down. Very few people were allowed into my inner circle. I wasn’t a saint by any means, but a hookup with a woman in a back alley or at her place was not the same as spending time with her, talking with her, and talking about myself.
Taking Evie out on my boat was a big step. Charlie was the only other person in the world that had been on my boat. Not even my brother had stepped foot on it. Granted, he wasn’t in the country, but still. It was sacred ground. I was suddenly having second thoughts about taking such a big step. I wasn’t sure I wanted her in my personal space.
I started the car and headed for my offices. Maybe I did want her in my personal space. I did want to let her in, just a little. It was a trip out on the boat. It wasn’t a fucking wedding. I really needed to get over my knee-jerk response to the very idea of a relationship.