Someone waved a hand to get her attention. She stepped away to quickly fill a beer before handing it off and coming back to me. “I watched a movie once,” she said. “Or maybe it was a television show. Anyway, the vampire could read minds, but when he met his soulmate, he couldn’t read her mind. That’s how he knew she was his soulmate.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you calling me a vampire or him? I’m confused.”
“Neither of you are vampires, but in my hypothetical situation, you would be the vampire.”
I grinned. “I think I could be a vampire when it comes to him.”
“Dirty, dirty,” she chided.
“You saw his picture,” I said, feeling a little warm. “It’s hard to resist.”
“I think it’s cute,” she said. “I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t be too happy,” I warned. “I don’t think this is anything to write home about.”
“I don’t know. I’d be willing to place bets on it.”
“Stop,” I said, not wanting to entertain the idea. I needed to keep my expectations in check. If I let myself get caught up in the idea that there was a chance at happiness with him, it would be hard to let it go. I couldn’t even begin to entertain such thoughts.
My phone vibrated again. It was a phone call. My immediate reaction was it had to be him. “Oh, it’s my dad,” I said when I saw his number. I slid off the stool and headed toward the back corner of the bar near the restrooms to hear better.
“Hey, Dad,” I answered.
“Evie? Is that you?”
“Yes, Dad, who else would have my phone?”
“I hear a lot of noise. Are you working?”
I looked around the bar. “No, I’m at the bar.”
“Oh, visiting Nelle,” he surmised. It was only a little embarrassing that my father knew how straitlaced I was and knew I wouldn’t be hanging out at a bar on a Friday night. I never did get that rebellious streak. I sometimes wondered if I missed out on something good.
“Yes, I am visiting Nelle,” I answered. It was sad I wanted to lie and tell him I was there drinking and hanging all over men. I was not normal.
“Do you have anything going on tomorrow night?” he asked.
I bit my lip. I was hoping to spend some time with Xander, but we had made no firm plans. My dad was my number one priority in my life, which meant I needed to be there when he asked me to. “Nope. I have no events tomorrow.”
“Can I take you to dinner?” he asked.
Again, how could I say no to my dad? Xander and I weren’t a thing. We had no official plans. I could always go see Xander after dinner. Yes, that was what was known as a booty call, but it was what it was. “I would love to!” I said with excitement. “I’ve missed you. You are supposed to be taking the summer off, not working harder.”
His gentle laugh warmed my heart. “I will see you tomorrow. Our usual place. Let’s say six?”
“I will be there. I’ll talk to you later. Get some sleep, and if you are eating Chinese for dinner tonight, I will know, and I will lecture you.”
“I’m not having Chinese,” he said.
“Oh no, pizza?” I groaned.
His laugh told me I guessed right. “There are vegetables on the pizza. That is healthy.”
“Not when you dump cheese and greasy meat on the damn thing.”
“I worked hard this week. I deserved a pizza.”
“Fine, but tomorrow, I am making sure whatever meat you eat is steamed.”
“Don’t threaten me with that or I won’t show up at all.”
I laughed. We both knew he would show up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night. Tell Nelle I said hi, and if you drink, you call a ride.”
I nodded as he spoke. It was the same old lecture. “I know, Dad. I know.”
I hung up and took my seat at the bar again. Nelle was busy pouring drinks for a new crowd of young men that had come in. I drank the rest of my wine and waited for her to get done with her job. She was only going to get busier. I could stay and watch her swat away the flirts and propositions all night while dodging a few myself, or I could go home and crawl into my jammies.
I knew what appealed to me more. I was already thinking about what I would eat when I got home. I had some gourmet cheese I picked up yesterday from a place I was going to use for appetizers for an upcoming event. They had given me some samples and I couldn’t leave without buying some for myself.
I had a fresh bottle of merlot and there was a new episode of Grey’s Anatomy I could watch. The more I thought about it, the more anxious I got to get home. I waited until Nelle was finished and made her way back to me. “I know that look,” she said.
“What look?”
“That look that says you are going home and curling up on your couch with the remote in your hand.”
I grinned. “You know me so well.”
“Yes, I do. What did your dad want?”
“He wants to get dinner tomorrow.”
“Uh oh,” she said.
I frowned. “Why uh oh?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be meeting up with Xander?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t say anything definite. You know I can’t turn my dad down.”
“Why not take Xander with you?”
“I can’t.”
“Uh, yes, you can,” she insisted. “You’ll get to see Xander and your dad will get to meet him. You’ll find out what he thinks, and you can go from there.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” I said as I mulled it over.
“It’s a great idea. Then when you realize you and Xander are actually a couple, you won’t have to worry about whether or not your dad will like him. You will already know.”
“It’s scary,” I groaned. “You know my dad. He can be so critical. I don’t want to scare Xander off before we have even got started. I don’t think it’s the right time.”
“It’s dinner. It’s better to have the meeting go down in public. That way, your dad has to be on his best behavior.”
I rolled my eyes. “My dad does not give a shit if we are in public. If he doesn’t like someone, he doesn’t exactly hide it. He does not have a poker face.”
She burst into laughter. “He didn’t like me at first, but he came around. It might be like that with Xander.”
“And it might not be. I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it and then I’ll have to ask Xander. I don’t want him to think I’m taking him home to meet the parents after one night of great sex.”
“Ah, but we both know it is so much more than that.”
“No, it isn’t,” I protested, even though it was weak and without conviction.
I left the bar and headed home. It would be the perfect opportunity. Now, I just had to figure out how to broach the subject with Xander.
Chapter 21
Xander
After a false start home yesterday due to some stupid storm, I was finally home. The pilot had called me bright and early in the morning. He informed we had a small window to take off. I packed my shit and made it to the small airport by five. In California time, that was two. My body was screwed up. I hoped to go back to sleep but it was impossible.