Fate's Return (Twisted Fate, Book 2)

Chapter Seventeen

"I'm not sure." Again, I wasn't lying. He had said he'd pick me up for supper and I had no idea what that meant to him. Five? Seven? Who knew? "He'll text before he comes to get me."

"Kay. Promise to tell me everything after we check out of our room on Sunday?"

She was going to kill me tomorrow when she realized he was picking me up for tonight. "I promise to tell you all about it afterward."

"Kay. Gotta go. Dad just jumped in the shower and I need to find the PIN. Chow!"

I lowered my phone and stared at the display for a fraction of a second before clicking out of the call. Such simple problems. I envied her. With every minute detail reminding me of something bigger, I would never be as carefree as my ex-bestie-turned-enemy-turned-bestie again.

Ugh. I pushed all thought from my mind and concentrated on getting ready. Maybe Brenan would help me think more like Suzie. He probably could, if I let him.

***

The doorbell rang just after six. I rushed off my perch on the couch and ran to beat my dad to answer the door, pausing to straighten my sweater. I ran my tongue over my front upper teeth and took a deep breath.

"Hi." I smiled like an idiot when I opened the door to see Brenan standing there in jeans and a black leather jacket.

His eyes roved over me, taking in every inch clad in the outfit Suzie had suggested. When he tilted his head slightly to the right and smiled, I was happy I'd taken her advice. Seriously. It was the kind of moment I would never forget, the one where my body responded to the boy I'd almost refused to get to know.

Damn Suzie for being right.

"Are you ready to go?"

I nodded and grabbed my purse and jacket from where I'd placed them on the small table with a single drawer beside the door. I didn't have to look behind me to know my parents were watching, but, to my relief, my mother was successful at keeping my father from imposing. I put my hand on Brenan's upper arm and pushed him out the door before that changed.

"Where are we going?" I asked as the front door shut behind us, separating our presence from my father's scrutiny.

"Chef Dino's."

"What?" I almost tripped. Chef Dino's was 'the' restaurant in Hidden Springs, and the only one that required a reservation to get in. I had only eaten there once, and every single bite had been worth the bill, which I'd peeked at before my father had handed over his credit card.

"I'm not dressed for Chef Dino's," I said, looking down and slowing my pace. Stupid Suzie, I thought, hating her advice.

"You look great, Alyssa."

"But... How did you get us a reservation?"

"I don't need one." He laughed as he opened the passenger door and then darted around to his side.

Oh, God. He better not expect to get us inside with just his looks. "Everyone needs a reservation."

"Chef Dino is my Uncle Dino."

"Really?" My hand paused while I pulled the seatbelt over my chest, and then I hurried to buckle in and look forward, not wanting Brenan to see my surprise.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool." He shoulder-checked and pulled into his lane as we headed downtown. Shifting in his seat, he repositioned his hands on the steering wheel and cast a quick smile at me before focusing back on the road. "You'll see when you meet him."

"You want me to meet your Uncle?" I swallowed. Did I really want to meet his family when I wasn't sure if I was ready to date? It wasn't his parents, but still.

"It's kind of hard to not meet him if we're eating at his restaurant."

Good point. "We could always just hit up Mc. D's?"

"Relax," he said in a soft voice, reaching over to squeeze my hand for a second before returning it to the steering wheel. "Dino isn't my Uncle by blood. He and my mom have just been friends for a really long time."

I nodded and stared out the window as houses turned to businesses, not at all reassured. Uncle, friend, whatever. Dino was still in the position to report back to Brenan's parents about the girl their son had taken out for supper, and if I decided to care about Brenan, I would worry what his parents might think of me.

He pulled into the angular street parking and smiled at me as he shut the engine off. "Ready?"

I nodded and unclicked my seat belt without taking my eyes off the building. It was homey and at odds in the middle of a downtown block of businesses full of lawyers and bankers and pencil-pushing government types. It was odd that it wasn't open for lunch with how much business it could gain, but it didn't open until four. It also didn't have tables set up outside like most downtown cafes, and parking was sparse. So really, all it had going for it was great food and word of mouth—a business disaster unless the mouths of the people you feed are as big as their wallets.

Which was exactly how Dino's had built its stellar popularity.

Inside was dark, the wall sconces set on low to bring out the romance of the candles lit on each table. If the fact that the room was arranged to fit a hundred people despite its limit for seventy-five didn't bother you, it was perfect, just not for a first date. Way too romantic. Coming to Chef Dino's was what you did for special occasions when you had something to celebrate or wanted to propose to the person you love.

"Brenan!"

I froze, and my breath caught. After a moment, I turned to find the voice, grateful not to have to face Dino when a boy our age appeared on our right. He wore a crisp white shirt and black pants, his dark blonde hair fastened in a ponytail at his nape. Brother? No, Brenan didn't have a brother.

"Hey." Brenan reached out and slapped the other boy's hand just before they folded into a one-armed hug. He stepped back and placed his hand on the small of my back, nudging me forward another inch. "Jeff, this..." He looked down and smiled. "Is Alyssa."

I barely managed a wince of a smile under their scrutiny, but nodded acknowledgement.

"It's nice to meet you, Alyssa," Jeff said and smiled.

My insides felt cold and I was grateful for the darkness that hid my reaction.

"You're moving up, I see." Jeff looked back to Brenan. "Rebecca was never good enough, I always said."

"Right." Brenan's gaze hardened and the muscle in his jaw began to tick. He darted his gaze around the room, and by the time he looked back at Jeff, seemed to have curbed his annoyance. "Is our table ready?"

"Oh, yeah!" He laughed, waving his hands for us to follow.

Jeff led us away from the entryway with enough grace to stop talking. Brenan looked at me with an apology in his eyes and I shrugged it away as if to say, "Don't worry about it." But what I let him think didn't reflect my own thoughts.

A step up? Sure, that was a compliment, but only in the way that reminded me of who the step down had been. That there was a before I would constantly be compared to. I wasn't vain enough to think myself perfect, but until Jeff had said those words, I had forgotten about Rebecca and her history with Brenan. No matter how happy he was to be out of the relationship, they had been together for a long time, and that didn't just turn off because he wanted to move on.

Perhaps being dressed incorrectly wasn't the only thing I had been wrong about.

Why had I said yes?