Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
SPENCER
L ouise pranced to her car in what looked to be a brand-new dress and set of heels. My stomach fluttered as I wondered how she’d make out on her date.
Probably better than I ever would, given that she wasn’t awkward at all. The only problem Louise seemed to have with people was them rejecting her for being “too much.”
I understood the sentiment. Louise could be overbearing, but only in the nicest of ways. If you truly understood that she always worked from a place of kindness, it made it easier to accept.
But plenty of people ran screaming from Louise’s more meddling nature.
I locked the house behind me and crossed to my car, climbing behind the wheel and aiming for Eve’s apartment.
That may have been one of the things that impressed me with Eve. She hadn’t fled into the night, yet. In fact, she had taken Louise’s somewhat bossy nature in stride.
That made it all that much harder for me to stop feeling guilty using her the way I was. With a shake of my head, I shoved my emotions aside.
Growing up with parents who constantly remarked about my awkwardness, I learned early to compartmentalize my feelings. Now as I drove to Eve’s, I pushed aside the guilt and focused on the task at hand. It was a necessary skill, one that had both protected and isolated me over the years.
I slid my car next to the curb and left it behind, crossing the sidewalk to knock at Eve’s door.
She pulled it open immediately, dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt. “If Louise asks, I was wearing a polka dot dress. Big dots, not small. Pink.”
I creased my forehead at the words.
She spotted my confusion, explaining further as she pulled her door shut and locked it. “She insisted on buying me another dress for tonight’s date. I just went along with it. I’ll return it tomorrow.”
“Well, maybe you’ll need it,” I said with a shrug. “This is only Louise’s first date. We’ll probably have to go on a few more ourselves to keep her dating.”
“Right. Although, then I’d have to tell her I was going to repeat a dress which I feel like is a cardinal sin in Louise’s book.”
“Oh, right,” I answered as I opened the car door for her. “Yes, you’ll never get away with that.”
“I’ll figure it out,” she answered as I slid behind the wheel and clicked my seat belt on before I fired the engine.
“Oh, maybe I could wear it in Savannah. Although, I have a pretty full wardrobe for that. Do you think fifteen dresses is too much to pack for a weekend? I thought it seemed to be overkill.”
“Well, Louise likely knows best,” I answered, wondering if my plane would get off the ground with both ladies’ luggage stowed.
“Right. Well, I don’t think she’ll take no for an answer, anyway. I’m just a little worried that she’s going overboard with these gifts.”
I glanced sideways at her as the scenery zipped by on our way to the restaurant. Her features, etched with concern, seemed to reflect her turmoil. Many people would have gladly accepted Louise’s generosity and probably bilked her for more.
Eve was concerned she’d already been given too much.
“Lou’s pretty generous. She likes spoiling her friends. And it’s been a while since she’s had a good friend.”
She snapped her gaze to me, pulling a lock of hair away that had blown across her face. “Really? She’s so outgoing, I expected she’d have dozens of friends.”
“Mmm, dozens who would love to use her for her money. Not many genuine ones.”
Eve bobbed her head as I whipped into the restaurant’s driveway. “Oh, that’s a shame. I suppose you’re in the same boat, aren’t you?”
The perception she had was impressive. As we climbed from the car and I offered her my arm, I corrected her. “Well, somewhat, although…I’m sort of awkward, so that’s why I don’t have many friends.”
She giggled, patting my arm. “Don’t say that. You’re not awkward.”
I let out a chuckle as we made our way down to the beach with a view of the outdoor seating area. “Tell that to all the other people who don’t want to hang out with me.”
She smiled warmly, meeting my eyes. “Well, it’s their loss.”
The words sent heat rushing through me, sending a fleeting smile across my face as I tried to come up with something witty to say, but failed. Which was why most people found me awkward.
We reached the beach, and I changed the subject. “We should be able to see Louise easily with the table I made sure they’d get.”
“Aw, that was sweet,” she said. “How did Louise take the match? Did she seem interested?”
“Well, she wasn’t thrilled with the choice, but she did say she’d go on the date.”
“There’s Lou.” I pointed up at the table overlooking the ocean, and we settled onto the sand to take in the show.
“What didn’t she like? Did she say? In case we have to revise for another date.”
“Uh, I don’t think she found him very attractive,” I answered. Neither was I by my standard, but I’d always hoped someone wouldn’t judge me by that only. Not many had.
“Oh,” she answered with a tilt of her head. “Well, she has a point, I guess.”
My heart sank as I realized that Henry, by my standards, had been what most women found handsome in a man. If Eve found him unattractive, I didn’t stand a chance. Good thing we were only fake dating. I was lucky she’d agreed to go out with me at all. “Not to sound weird, but…by conventional standards he’s…handsome, right?”
Eve narrowed her eyes at them from our hiding spot. I dug a pair of mini binoculars from my pocket and passed them over. “Here, give him a good look.”
She laughed as she tugged them from my hand and used them. “Like I said, he’s passable.”
“Passable?” I grimaced as I took the binoculars back and studied him through them. “He has a chisel jaw, perfectly styled hair, looks fit, perfect smile.”
“He’s too pretty,” she complained. “It looks like he spends more time on his hair than I do.”
“Oh,” I answered, still confused.
“Do you really think all women are attracted to the same look?”
“That seems to be consistently proven, yes.”
She giggled at me. “That’s ridiculous. I would honestly say most of us don’t have a type.”
“No,” I answered. “I can’t believe that. You love chiseled jaws and beefy muscles. A confident stride. Beard maybe?”
Her features pinched as she shook her head. “No.”
I squashed my eyebrows, sending her a questioning glance.
“He looks like he stepped straight out of a men’s magazine. It’s too perfect. I prefer someone a little more…real. Some character. Quirkiness. Someone who’s not afraid to be themselves.”
My breath caught in my throat at her description, my heart skipping a beat until I shook loose the stupidity from my brain. She’s not coming on to you, Spencer. Get a hold of yourself.
Certain color was rising in my cheeks, I glanced down at the binoculars in my hand before I snapped my gaze up to the tables. “Oh, we’re missing the date.”
“How does it look?” She leaned closer to me, her breath tickling my cheek. I shifted uncomfortably as I thrust the binoculars toward her again, nearly smacking her in the face.
Get a hold of yourself, Spencer . “Oops, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said as she peered through the binoculars again. “Oh, are they…holding hands?”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah, I think so.”
“Wow, things must be going really well,” she said with a grin, still peering through the binoculars. “You chose well for her.”
She lowered them and glanced at me. “Soon, you won’t need me at all.”
The words stung me, but I decided it was likely for the best. She probably couldn’t wait to get away from me. I offered her a tentative grin. “Well, uh, at least you’ll be off the hook.”
She gave me a wistful smile before she glanced over the ocean. “I should have brought dinner. I never thought of it.”
“Oh,” I said with a wave of my finger, “actually, I ordered something from the restaurant to be delivered in just a few minutes. I wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get settled, so I made it for a little after Lou’s date.”
“Wow, you planned for everything. Thanks.”
We shared a smile and waited for our light meal to arrive, sharing it as we continued to monitor the interaction between Louise and Henry. As with our previous two dates, our conversation flowed fairly effortlessly.
“Okay,” she said as she bit into a strawberry, “so, if all women have the same type, is that true for all men?”
“Uhhh…”
“I feel like it could be.”
“I think that’s a gross exaggeration,” I answered, pouring more wine for both of us.
She shifted from her side to her stomach. “Really?”
“Yes, really. I mean…what is our standard type?”
“Umm, curvy, sultry, seductive.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Not even close.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Really?”
“Nope,” I said with a shake of my head before I gulped down a sip of wine.
“Okay,” she said, her voice a little teasing, “so what is your type?”
I took another sip of wine, lifting a shoulder. “Sweet, genuine, simple beauty...like a girl who is beautiful, but she doesn’t act like she knows it.”
She bobbed her head. “Fair enough. So, we’ve both learned something then.”
“Do you really think men only fall for seductive women?”
She crinkled her brow. “What was it you said before? That seems to be consistently proven?”
I laughed as she recounted my exact words. “That’s what I said, yes. But we’ve unproven it.”
“So we have,” she said, a little wistful. “Sorry, I’m…my perception’s a little colored by my past.”
“Oh?” I asked, prying a little bit. I wondered if she’d be upset by that.
She dusted her hands off and pushed up to sit. “Yeah. My sister is…the seductive, sultry type. My last boyfriend actually dumped me for her.”
My features twisted at the story as she gave me a smile filled with sadness.
“I told you I’m not that lucky in love.” She glanced up at Louise’s table. “Oh…something’s happening up there.”
I grabbed my binoculars and peered up at the table. Henry rose and sliced a hand through the air, leaving Louise behind at the table. “Uh-oh.”
“That doesn’t look good.”
“She’s drinking wine alone. Maybe he’s coming back.”
We waited a few moments as the sun continued to set, the lights of the restaurant glittering off the darkening water.
Henry never came back, and, after finishing her wine, Louise rose and left the table behind. Looks like her first date was a bust.
“Well, that doesn’t seem good. We may be back to the drawing board.”
Eve nodded as she polished off her wine. “Well, I guess we’ll try a new one after the trip to Savannah. Oh, maybe it would be helpful if I vetted some since you only pick male models.”
I offered her a wry glance. “Very funny, Eve.”
We climbed to our feet, dusting the sand from us.
“Well, I guess–”
Another voice interrupted my words.
“Eve?” a female called. It wasn’t Louise.
I flicked my gaze in its direction, spotting a woman who resembled Eve but with a lot more makeup and an extremely low-cut top.
The woman grinned at us as she closed the distance. Eve seemed to stiffen as she spotted her. “Audrey.”
Audrey? Wasn’t that her sister’s name?
The brunette ran a hand through her hair as she giggled. “Hi. Imagine running into you here. Who’s this?”
She slid her eyes to me, and I spotted exactly what Eve meant by sultry and why Louise didn’t like her.
“Uh,” Eve said, shifting her weight as she shoved a lock of hair behind her ear, shooting me a panicked glance.
“I’m Spencer,” I said, thrusting my hand forward as I stepped slightly in front of Eve, my protective instincts kicking in, “Eve’s boyfriend.”
My voice carried a hint of defiance, bolstered by the strange urge to shield her from any discomfort her sister might cause.
The way Eve’s eyes went wide, I wondered if she was mad about what I’d said, but it had escaped before I could stop it. Louise’s dislike added to her seductive stares and compounded by what Eve had just confessed snapped me into protective mode.
“Boyfriend?” Audrey answered, her voice husky. “I thought this was only your second date.”
“Actually, it’s our third,” I answered, surprised by my own forcefulness, “and…maybe Eve would disagree, but I sure hope she’d say boyfriend. She is out of my league though.”
Audrey chuckled a little, her features pinching as she tried to assess my tone. I hoped it came across as serious. I could see why Louise didn’t like this woman.
“Uh, I wouldn’t say that,” Eve answered with a nervous laugh.
“Neither would I,” her sister added.
“Well, I sure feel lucky,” I answered. “And, uh, I hate to be rude, but Eve and I were about to head out.”
“Right, of course. Well, umm, Spencer, was it?” Audrey asked, wrapping a lock of hair around her finger before she tossed it over her shoulder, a slight smirk on her face. “Gosh, I really hope I can see more of you.”
I offered her a silent smile in response, hoping I’d never see her again.
“Uh, good night,” Eve called over her shoulder as I grabbed her hand and tugged her away.
I hoped she didn’t realize how sweaty my palm was after all of that, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Eve had helped me out enormously, putting her life on hold to help me fool Louise.
I put her into the passenger’s seat before I raced around and slid behind the wheel. “Hey, umm, really sorry if I overstepped there with your sister. Umm…”
“Oh, it’s okay,” she said as I fired the engine and pulled away from the restaurant. “Actually, I enjoyed the look on her face. Although, it’ll probably just mean she’ll try to impress you even harder.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I answered easily.
It wouldn’t. Audrey was of zero interest to me. I could see right through that fake facade. She’d be the type to drain my bank accounts and leave me for another man.
A sideways glance showed me that Eve offered a fleeting smile before she sent her gaze forward again.
A few minutes later, I slid my car next to the curb outside of her apartment. She popped the door open before I could even slide the shifter into park.
“You don’t have to walk me in,” she said as she hopped out, slamming my door shut. “Good night, Spencer.”
“Oh, uh…” I stammered around, wondering if I’d done something wrong. “Good night,” I finally called after her.
She waved from the door with another fleeting smile before she disappeared inside.
My stomach twisted into a knot as I sat in the still-running car, staring blankly at her door. She’s seemed…colder than normal.
I immediately wondered if my performance with her sister had been unwelcome.
“You’re an idiot, Spencer,” I murmured to myself as I shifted into gear and pulled away. “Of course, it was unwelcome. If she wanted a fake boyfriend to make her sister jealous, it wouldn’t be you.”
My heart sank a little as I reminded myself that I wasn’t exactly the most eligible bachelor. I was awkward, dorky, and not handsome by any stretch.
And I’d probably just ruined my plan to fake date Eve. But what I couldn’t quite pinpoint was why it made my heart ache so much.