Chapter 5
Talia does come through for me, sending a text to tell me a few minutes before I get a text from my date asking if he can pick me up or if we should meet at the restaurant.
Austin is a bit of a player, so don’t let yourself get interested. But he’s hot and funny, so he should fit the bill for tonight.
Sounds perfect. I knew you wouldn’t let me down!
Austin definitely checks the most important boxes for tonight’s “date”: he’s gorgeous, athletic, and successful.
At least, he looks like he is based on his Instagram pictures—many of which include him on exotic vacations in swimsuits showcasing his washboard abs or wearing designer suits at business dinners.
With a different girl in almost every post.
But that doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for anything with Austin, except for him to sit next to me at dinner to prove to Hunter that I’m not a loser.
I beat both Lou and Hunter home from work and relish the time to take a shower and curl my hair into loose, beachy waves without anyone else needing the bathroom.
But I hear them downstairs by the time I’m zipping up the little black dress I choose to wear.
It hits mid-thigh and hugs the few curves I have; it’s one of the most flattering dresses I own.
My go-to when I need to feel confident. And the boat neckline is high enough to cover my scar—except for when I bend toward the mirror to finish applying my makeup.
When I do, the dress gapes a bit with a straight shot to my scarred sternum.
As long as I don’t bend over for any reason, I should be able to avoid any questions or weird looks from Austin.
“Livvy?” Lou’s voice echoes from downstairs.
I glance over my reflection once more. The entire time I’ve been getting ready, I’ve been fueled by a strangely fierce need to look amazing for my date with Austin .
. . to make sure Hunter knows I’m not as lame as Lou was prepared to make me look when I got “stood up.” But for the first time, my rage-confidence is besieged by a flutter of nervousness erupting in my belly.
My blonde highlights shine brightly in the loose waves that cascade over my shoulders, I’ve done a smoky eye, enhancing how blue they are, and I’m even wearing lipstick—which I almost never do.
Hunter won’t know that I rarely ever put this much effort into a weeknight date, but Lou will.
I can only pray she’ll keep her infamously big mouth shut this time and not rat me out.
“Livvy!”
I grab my clutch and step out into the hallway. “Yeah, I’m ready!” I call down to her. “Austin is picking me up though. I can meet you guys there.”
I start down the stairs and nearly stumble when I see Hunter standing by the front door, wearing a dark Henley and even darker jeans, looking ridiculously handsome—on the unscarred half of his face—and irritated as he glares at his phone.
When he hears my heels on the stairs, he glances up and then does a double-take, his eyes widening. His head doesn’t move, but I don’t miss the way his gaze travels over my dress, all the way down my legs to my heels and back up again.
“I guess I clean up okay, huh, Barrett?” I say.
He goes back to looking at his phone. “You’re well aware of how you clean up. You don’t need a confirmation from me.”
A swell of hot anger fills my chest. “I know they can manipulate statistics, but I did read somewhere that it won’t actually kill you to be nice.”
His eyes fly up to meet mine, but I spin on my heel and storm into the kitchen before he can respond.
Lou is grabbing her keys off the counter; when she turns around and sees me, she wolf whistles.
“Whoa! Did I not get the memo to make this a fancy night?” She’s in jeans and a blouse with some sort of designer booties.
Still plenty stylish, but definitely not LBD worthy.
“Well, I have a date.” I arch my eyebrows. “I didn’t want to disappoint. You always say first impressions are everything.”
Lou gives me another once-over. “He must be really hot if you went to this much effort for a first impression.”
“He might be.” I smirk.
“Okay, well . . . I guess Hunter and I can head over to the restaurant, and you can meet us there?”
Before I can answer, there’s a knock at the front door.
“Or maybe we can all ride together!” Lou hurries out of the kitchen, much faster in her booties than I am in my heels.
“Like we’re high schoolers? I don’t think so!” I call, trying to catch her before she can answer the door.
“It’s fiscally and environmentally responsible—saves gas and emissions.”
But we both forgot about Hunter skulking by the front door. I hear him say, “Who are you?” as we round the corner to the foyer. Hunter is holding the door open, not even attempting to conceal the contempt on his face as my date walks in.
“I’m Austin, Olivia’s date. Who are you?
” Austin is really tall; he’s even got Hunter by an inch or two.
His medium--length brown hair is swept back in an artfully tousled way, and he’s wearing fitted black slacks, shoes that may or may not be made of alligator skin, and a dark-purple button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows that emphasizes his pecs and biceps to prime advantage.
He’s gorgeous . . . if a bit over the top.
Lou’s eyes are as wide as I’m afraid mine might be.
“Hunter,” is all my surly neighbor says, shutting the door.
Austin’s gaze lingers momentarily on Hunter’s scarred face but, thankfully, without comment, moves on to me and Lou.
“Austin!” I burst out, stepping toward him before anyone says something that might humiliate me. “Thanks for coming to pick me up.”
His smile reveals perfectly straight, white teeth.
“Of course. You look great, Olivia.” He smoothly wraps one arm around my waist and pulls me into his body.
Okay, we’re hugging hello. I’m not complaining though—especially when I’m acutely aware of Hunter and Lou watching us.
Plus, it gives me the chance to feel all those muscles.
And nothing can stop me from inhaling the deliciously spicy scent of his cologne.
“Oh, this old thing?” I smile, teasing, as he releases me. At least he appreciates my dress and the effort I put into my makeup.
“If that’s old, I’d hate to see you in something new. I might not have been able to restrain myself to just a hug.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Hunter says loudly, yanking the door open again. “I’ll drive.”
I scowl at his brusqueness.
“Thanks for the offer, but I was planning on driving my date to dinner.” Austin’s tone is somehow simultaneously kind and slightly mocking.
Hunter pauses on the cement stairs, his shoulders tense, and Lou’s mouth opens.
I blurt, “We’ll see you guys there,” before either of them can try to force us to all ride together. I would appreciate the time to talk to Austin without them around, especially since I don’t really know what Talia told him about why I needed a date so last minute.
Lou rolls her eyes but nods. “Fine. See you there.” She hurries after Hunter, who continues to his car without comment.
I shut the door behind me and Austin and then follow him to a sleek, silver Porsche parked behind my Volvo. I let out a low whistle. “Wow. Nice Taycan.”
“You know cars?” Austin opens my door for me—a surprising but welcome gesture.
“A bit.” I smile as I carefully sit down.
Before my dad died, I used to snuggle up next to him on the couch at night while he looked at Auto Trader.
He loved looking at all the different cars, dreaming out loud of what he would get.
He would tell me all about his favorite ones, their engines and acceleration speeds, and show me different body styles, wheels, and paint jobs. It was his version of bedtime stories.
Once Austin is settled in the driver’s seat and the engine starts with a low growl, he says, “What kind of car do you have?”
“I said I know a bit about cars. That doesn’t mean I own anything special.
” I laugh. “I work in a bakery. I can barely afford gas, let alone the vehicle that uses it.” Cars are cool and all but not worth the drudgery of a corporate job—in my -humble, flour--dusted opinion.
Plus, my beat-up Volvo has a special spot in my heart.
“Ah.”
We fall silent as he merges into traffic, his GPS guiding us to The White Chocolate Grill.
“Look, not to be intrusive, but I feel like I need to understand the situation I’m in here.
Talia told me you needed a date last second and that he needed to be impressive, so I’m assuming there’s some sort of payback or something going on?
” Austin shoots a glance my way as he accelerates onto the freeway, the Taycan purring happily as it surges past sixty in mere seconds.
I scrunch my nose. “Yeah, I don’t usually ask to be set up on last-second dates. But you may have noticed my neighbor is kind of . . .”
“Angry? Antisocial? Abysmal at basic social skills?”
I barely hold back a laugh. “Something like that.”
“So, this is about your neighbor. Did you guys date or some-thing?”
We have only four minutes until we arrive at the restaurant, and I have no idea how to summarize why I begged Talia to get me a date in that much time, much less without making myself look like the total loser I actually am.
But I’m also terrible at coming up with stories on the spot.
So, the very quick truth it is. “No. We’ve never dated.
I actually only met him this week. But my roommate—his cousin—asked me to go out to dinner with her tonight, and then, after I agreed, said, ‘Oh, by the way, Hunter is coming too’—and then admitted she told him I had a date and was planning on saying my date bailed on me last second to explain why I was at dinner alone. ”
Austin chokes on a laugh, then nods. “All right. This picture is becoming a bit clearer. I’m the date your cousin made up and then was going to have ditch you. And after seeing what a jerk that guy was being, I can understand why you didn’t want him to think your fake date ghosted you. Enter me.”
“Enter you,” I agree with a smile. “Thanks for being willing to show up and save my pride from a potentially mortal wound.”
“Happy to help. It’s no skin off my back to take a pretty girl to dinner.” He flashes me a killer smile.
Player, I remind myself, but I smile back anyway.
“Speaking of skin . . . what happened to his face? I don’t want to make him uncomfortable by asking, but you can’t help noticing burns like that.”
I pluck at the collar of my dress. An unexpected surge of protectiveness makes my neck flush. “I actually don’t know all the details, only that he was in a car accident like five or six years ago.”
“No wonder he’s so on edge. That must really suck.
” Austin maneuvers his car into a parking space and shuts it off.
“Well, should we get this show on the road?” He gets out and comes to open my door before I can climb out, holding out a hand to me and saying, “I promise to make both of them regret ever putting you in such an awkward situation.” His mouth twitches with amusement.
I shake off my lingering discomfort on Hunter’s behalf. Austin wasn’t being rude, only curious, and he had the presence of mind not to say something to Hunter himself. I take his hand, let him pull me to my feet, and smile back. “Let’s do this.”