Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Audrey
Over Rhett’s shoulder, a couple takes their seats directly behind us, and immediately I recognize their faces.
The guy is Jackson’s best friend, Dale, and his girlfriend, whose name was escaping me in my bout of anxiety.
I’d spent so much time with them. They've been to our apartment, we’ve been on group vacations, and they’ve been at every company outing the Tippins Group has put on in the last two years.
It’s been crickets from them since the breakup though, which wasn’t surprising.
Jackson Tippins was born with the scale tipped in his favor.
His friends would automatically take his side, supporting him, without so much as a second thought to me. I was just a casualty in the war. It would only be a matter of time before his friend saw me here with Rhett, though. This was a small, intimate setting, after all.
I shouldn’t care if they see me out to dinner with a new friend two weeks after my breakup. But that doesn’t stop the nerves from bubbling in my stomach.
Just in time, the waitress reappears, blocking their view of me, and sets down our food. When I glance up at Rhett, his blue eyes are studying me.
“You okay? Is the food not what you wanted?” he asks, and I swallow the lump in my throat at his kindness.
I so badly wanted this dinner to be a good idea.
We can’t get up and switch tables now. Hell, I can't even go to the bathroom without risking being seen. I hate that it even matters to me, but the thought of Jackson finding out I was already out to dinner with someone new makes my stomach twist. Not because I care what he thinks—I absolutely don’t.
But I know how quickly things like this make their way back to my parents, and that’s the last thing I need.
I’m still trying to piece together this new life of mine, and the idea of them weighing in, or shaming me before I’ve figured it out is something I want to avoid at all costs.
All I know is when I focus on Rhett, I feel calm. And I’m not ready for this night to end.
“This is one of my favorite meals actually,” I assure him, but my chopsticks still hover in the air over the sushi roll as Rhett leans on the table and grins that half-smile that makes me blush.
“How can I make this better?” he asks, and it’s enough to bring tears to my eyes.
Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe I wasn’t emotionally ready to go out to dinner with a new friend.
“Everything is fine, seriously. It’s not you, I just...” I dial down the volume down of my voice, but it proves too late. Dale’s head snaps up at the sound and we catch each other’s gaze.
Luckily, Rhett doesn’t follow my gaze as he leans back in his chair.
“I want to be with you this evening...I want this...but I don’t want to be here.” My words fade out and I feel awful, tucking my head down.
I purposefully avoid looking over his shoulder again, keeping my attention on the man at the table with me.
The only one who deserves my attention.
To my surprise, Rhett doesn’t look disappointed or anything remotely close. His shoulders relax and he places his napkin next to his untouched entree.
I let out my breath. I was waiting for him to snap at me, to say something to make me feel small or ungrateful, like Jackson would’ve said. But he’s not him.
“You want to get out of here?” A twinkle sets in his blue eyes.
I toss my napkin on the table, too, even though I'm ravenously hungry, and nod my head.
“Yes…would that be okay?”
Before he answers me, Rhett motions for the waitress.
“Could we have some boxes to-go, ma’am? I’m not feeling too well.” He puts the charm on and the waitress takes our food away to pack it up.
“I have an idea. It’s maybe a bit random, but it doesn’t involve other people at all...” He scrubs his jaw with his hand, his knee bouncing up and down. I have to admit, he’s kind of enchanting.
“I’m intrigued,” I offer, and he chuckles. Honestly, I’d go anywhere to get out of this suffocating restaurant.
Rhett paid the bill quickly, and went to get his truck, telling me he’d be back in a moment to pick me up. I insisted I could walk, but he was even more insistent on being a gentleman.
As I rise and smooth my skirt, deliberately turning away from Dale, a spark of excitement flutters through me.
I don’t know what the night holds, but anything is better than going back to an empty apartment.
With anticipation bubbling in my chest, I stride toward the door—only to feel the thrill evaporate, replaced by a sinking dread, when Dale calls out my name.
I close my eyes and spin slowly on my heel, plastering a fake smile on my lips.
“See babe, I told you it was her.” His girlfriend turns in her chair, looking up at me with a smug smirk.
“What a coincidence!” I offer politely, gripping my purse tightly at my side.
“How are you?” Dale asks, a wicked gaze in his eyes, and my mouth hangs open for longer than intended.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about everything,” his perky girlfriend chimes in, not sounding apologetic at all. I’m sure my breakup to the Jackson Tippins provided all the gossip she needed for a year.
An ill-timed laugh, which is way too loud for this restaurant, escapes me as I wave my hand dismissively at them both.
“Please, don’t apologize. I’m doing good, but I do need to run, so good to see you both.”
They look stunned, as I kiss my fingertips and wave. A rumbling engine draws my attention outside, where Rhett’s white truck idles.
I push the awkward interaction from my mind as soon as I step onto the sidewalk, where a man with rough hands and a beautiful smile holds the truck door open for me.
“Darlin’.” Rhett’s hand stretches out, and my palm fits perfectly in it as he helps me into the passenger side.
We drive out of the city, away from the mess and into the unknown.