Tempt Me Twice

Tempt Me Twice- Chapter Seven

The restaurant Nick had chosen was a small Italian one called Due, which was Italian for Two. It was a newer edition to our small college town, and was so far out of my price range that I’d never even entertained a thought about going there.

It was also unquestionably romantic, making me wonder at Nick’s motives all over again. Man, I was giving myself whiplash today, my mood all over the place.

Regardless, as the hostess showed us to our table, which was tucked into a cozy corner, it was pretty clear to see that this was a date… of sorts. The cute little redheaded waitress seemed to think so too, and she clearly didn’t approve.

I’d noticed her checking out Nick’s ass when we’d first come in. I was used to this—girls always looked at him. He was hot.

I could have lived without the snooty look she gave me, though—I already felt ridiculously uncomfortable. I’d never been as well put together as Nick, but I’d always tried. Since Kevin the Asshat had dumped my clothes on the lawn, however, I hadn’t had a chance to change, and so I was wearing the old, faded sweater and jeans that were worn from age, not fashion that I’d pulled on at six that morning.

I felt like a hobo from the bayou, not the girl who had once been on Nick’s arm. And I was pissed at myself for feeling that way.

My mother was the kind of woman who needed to have a man around or she felt lost. Since it was hard finding one willing to take on as many kids as she had, Jo Ellen Connor brought home whoever looked at her twice.

I’d never wanted to be like her. Someone had to set an example for my sisters. This was why I’d picked up and walked away from Nick, no matter how much it had killed me. I wouldn’t be with someone who didn’t treat me right.

Never mind how hard it was not to grab hold of his hand again, just because it had felt so damn good.

This, I thought grumpily as I sat in the chair that Nick pulled out for me. This was what my family did to me. They were like a slow burning acid, eating away at everything I’d built since I’d left Louisiana—since I’d left them.

If I let them continue, I would be nothing but a skeleton, a pile of bones for the more voracious of them to nibble on.

“When you asked me to grab a bite tonight, this isn’t quite what I expected,” I commented warily as the hostess filled our water glasses. She sniffed as the clear liquid streamed into my glass, and with the vibes she was throwing off, I was surprised that she didn’t ‘accidentally’ spill the drink right in my lap.

The barest hint of a flush spread over Nick’s sharp cheekbones. I lifted my glass to hide my own uncertainty.

Holy shit, surely he wasn’t doing all this to ask me what I thought he was going to ask me.

“No reason we have to eat at Applebee’s while we talk,” he deflected, his fingers toying with the edge of the wine list. “Unless you want to.”

He smirked at me then. I loved Applebee’s. Nick couldn’t stand it.

“No, after the day I’ve had, I don’t mind being pampered a little bit.” I smiled back cautiously, the familiarity of being around someone I knew well breaking through the thin sheet of icy agitation that had been covering me since I’d found my underpants in Kevin’s slimy fingers.

If anyone else had tried to take me to a place so obviously out of my price range I would have squirmed uncomfortably the entire time. But I knew that Nick probably wouldn’t even look at the total on the bill.

We ordered after perusing the menus. Since they were in Italian, I latched onto one of the few words I recognized and ordered ravioli, though I wasn’t sure what kind. As I stumbled over the pronunciation I saw Nick trying to supress a smile and raised an eyebrow at him, but had to give him points for keeping his mouth shut.