18. Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“Hello,” I greeted the hostess at the restaurant where I was meeting Scott, Travis, Ana, and Mackenzie. “I believe my party is already here. I got caught in traffic.”
The woman, who was dressed in an elegant black dress, didn’t seem to appreciate my apologetic tone. Her eyes raked up and down me, and I suddenly felt underdressed in a blue and white floral sundress with my hair in two braids.
“Name,” she asked snootily.
“Fitz. Mallori Fitz,” I intoned in my best James Bond voice, but that didn’t seem to amuse her at all as she ran a perfect red-tipped nail down the screen of her iPad. “The reservation is probably under Ponder.”
“Yes, here it is. I’ll show you to your table.”
I followed the woman into the dining area, and if I hadn’t felt underdressed before, I certainly did now. This place was much swankier than I’d expected, not your typical hangout for graduate students.
Three huge chandeliers dotted the embossed, gold-tiled ceiling, the lighting dim despite their size. My white sandals seemed way too casual to be traipsing across the deep-red carpet that lined the floors, but I pushed that from my mind as I tried not to bump into anyone’s tables.
Seriously, why is it so goddamn dark in here?
“Here you are,” the hostess said, stopping beside a table and gesturing with one slim hand.
I murmured a thanks as Scott rose and reached for me. “Mallori, you look beautiful,” he said, attempting to kiss the back of my hand, but I slid it smoothly from his grasp and scooted around him and into the booth. As he sat, I placed my purse between us so he couldn’t edge too close.
“This is Mackenzie and Travis Martin,” he introduced. “Guys, this is Mallori.”
“Oh, are you married?” I asked the pretty redhead across from me, vaguely recognizing her face from the online orientation we’d had.
She held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers to show off her ring, a modest, round-cut solitaire on a gold band. “Four months now,” she reported, snuggling happily against her groom. Travis appeared to be of average height, with a round face and an easy smile.
“Nice to meet you, Mallori.”
“You as well.” I glanced around the table, which was obviously designed only for four people. “Where’s Ana?”
The married couple shared a confused look before Travis said, “Ana? I didn’t know—”
He was cut off by Scott, who cleared his throat and announced, “She couldn’t make it, but it’s okay. We’re all here, and we’re going to have a great time. This is one of the most expensive restaurants in Dallas. ”
My blood began a low simmer in my veins as I realized what was happening. Ana was never invited. Scott had designed this as a double date. A romantic one, if the candlelit tables and small rose bouquets were any indication.
Before I could say anything, a black-suited server appeared with menus before rattling off the specials. My gaze dropped to the menu and practically fell out of my head at the prices.
“Honey, I’m going to order some wine,” Scott said, and it took me a second to figure out that he was talking to me. “Is red okay?” He was tapping on the menu, his stubby finger pointing at a bottle that was priced over five hundred dollars.
“Do. Not. Call. Me. That,” I snapped, and he reared his head back before covering his shock with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah, bruh. I forgot.”
Bruh. I guessed it was better than honey .
Mackenzie’s eyes met mine, and we did that silent girl-communication thing, consisting of a lifted eyebrow here, and a head tilt there. Her lips pursed and she patted her husband’s arm.
“Sweetie, I think I’m going to powder my nose before we order. Mallori, why don’t you join me?”
“Certainly,” I said. “My nose could use a bit of powder just now.” And Scott’s nose could use a left jab.
As soon as we entered the opulent restroom, she whirled on me. “Okay, what the hell is going on? I’m getting a weird vibe here.”
“That,” I said, pointing a finger toward the dining room beyond the door, “is not my boyfriend.”
Her eyes rounded. “Oh hell. I suspected something like that from your reaction. ”
“This was supposed to be a fun night out with friends, not… whatever that is,” I griped, flailing my arms around wildly. “What exactly did he tell you?”
“Well, we met at the pool a couple weeks ago, and then last Sunday, we saw him out there again. He said he’d love to buy us dinner and have us meet his girlfriend.” She shrugged. “We agreed because he seemed like an okay guy. A bit of a braggart, but...”
“No shit,” I bit out, counting the days back in my head. “The little asshole. That was the day after he asked me to go, which, for the record, was the first night I met him in person. So he planned this entire thing afterward.”
“Sounds like it. Trav and I were just excited to come because we can’t afford fancy dinners like this on our budget. We’re newlyweds and both about to start grad school.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “We don’t even live at that fancy apartment complex. A guy Travis worked with gave us the code because the pool at our complex is always this weird shade of green.”
I gave her a kind smile. “I’ll never tell.”
Her eyes lit with a wicked glint. “You should totally order everything on the menu and rack Scott’s bill up.”
I giggled. “That would be funny, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of paying for my meal. I think I’ll just order the cheapest thing they have and pay for it myself.”
“He’s pretty annoying. He doesn’t stop talking about himself, and…” She paused and leaned closer to me. “Does he say bruh a lot?”
Holding my stomach, I laughed heartily. “Yes, and it drives me crazy. We should take a drink every time he says it, but then we’d probably end up with alcohol poisoning.” Mackenzie’s body shook with laughter. “Hawk calls him Scotty P.”
“Oh. My. God. The guy from that Jennifer Aniston movie?”
“Yes, We’re the Millers,” I told her, giggling at the memory of Hawk remarking about it when we watched the movie together this past week.
“He does remind me of him. If you replaced you know what I’m sayin’ with bruh , he could be a perfect match.”
“Don’t forget the No Ragrets tattoo.”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “I mean, he obviously comes from money. He was bragging about his dad being a federal judge and that he’d bought him a Porsche for his sixteenth birthday. So why does he talk like that?”
“I think he thinks it makes him sound cool. Hell, I don’t know.” I gestured toward one of the stall doors. “While we’re in here, I’m gonna…”
“Yeah, me too.”
When we were done and washing our hands, Mackenzie eyed me in the mirror. “Who is Hawk? Is he someone in our class? I swear, it’s going to take me months to learn everyone’s names and faces.”
“No, Hawk is my roommate.”
“Oh, are you two…” She bobbed her eyebrows suggestively up and down.
Something deep inside me clenched at that thought even as I shook my head. “No, just friends. He’s really hot though.”
Mackenzie snapped her fingers twice. “Pics, please.”
Pulling my phone from my purse, I found Hawk’s Instagram account. He’d never posted much on it, but I’d talked him into letting me take some pics and reels of him working out this week. With his huge, glistening muscles, he’d become a regular thirst trap for the ladies of Insta.
“Holy fucking hell! That dude is jacked!” Mackenzie exclaimed, gaping at the screen as she scrolled. “He looks like he could chew up Scotty P. and pick his teeth with the little weasel’s bones.”
“Yeah, he used to be a Navy SEAL with my cousin Cam. All his friends are built like warriors, though Hawk and Tank are by far the biggest.”
Mackenzie’s eyes met mine, and we shared another moment… one where a devious plan developed without us even speaking a word.
“Do it,” she demanded, handing my phone back to me.
As soon as we were seated again, Scott said, “Bruhh, I thought we were going to have to send in a search party for you girls.”
At the use of the “trigger word,” my new friend’s lips twitched before she lifted her glass of the very expensive wine to her mouth. It was all I could do not to burst into a fit of giggles.
She turned to her husband. “Babe, did you know Mallori’s boyfriend used to be a Navy SEAL?” When Travis looked confused as fuck and darted his eyes to Scott, Mac continued. “His name is Hawk.”
“Buh—buh—” Scotty P. seemed to be at a loss for words, his face turning a bright shade of red. It was fabulous.
“Show him that reel of Hawk bench pressing,” she urged.
When I did, Travis held my phone, his eyebrows shooting upward. “Wow. Dude looks like he could bench press a Chevy.” Scott was practically stretched out on top of the table as he leaned forward to watch. It was a very impressive reel .
“I bet he bench presses Mallori… in bed,” Mackenzie announced with a sly smile.
Scotty P. practically swallowed his tongue, but I simply uttered a demure, “Well, you know.”
“I’ve heard those SEAL guys are badasses,” Travis said, handing my phone back. “I wouldn’t want to mess with that guy.” He shot another look at Scott.
Pretending to be exasperated, I sighed. “Hawk is so stubborn. When he got shot, he refused to even go to the hospital. One of his teammates dug the bullet out with a knife and sewed him up in a speeding boat.”
Scotty P. was pretty quiet after that, not even protesting when I handed my card to the waiter to pay for my twenty-three dollar bowl of minestrone soup. Luckily it was hearty, so I didn’t leave hungry.
Our plans had been to go to a movie—as a group—after dinner, but when I informed them I was heading home early, Scott let out a resigned sigh and nodded.
I couldn’t wait to tell Hawk about my evening. I was pretty sure he’d get a kick out of the whole thing. Hopefully he wouldn’t be upset that I’d claimed him as my fake boyfriend in order to completely shut down Scotty P.
After all, it was for a good cause.
Entering the house, I locked the door behind me and went in search of my roommate.