Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
REX
Perry picked me up at my place with a bouquet of gerbera daisies.
He was sharply dressed in a pair of black slacks that hugged his ass and a blue sweater that looked like it was as soft as a cloud.
I invited him inside while I dealt with the flowers, and he met Donut.
And Cookie, one of my more recent additions to the house.
“They’ll get you covered in hair,” I protested as Cookie came slinking out, twining her body around Perry’s ankles.
“That’s fine. It’s just a bit of pet hair. I probably have Gumball’s hair all over me, but he’s black so it’s less noticeable.”
I bit back the urge to tell him how my ex, Bryson, had always kicked up a fuss about my animals. According to him, they took up too much of my time, and he couldn’t stand having Donut on the bed when he slept over. That should have been the first sign that I needed to break up with him.
By the time we left my house, Perry had made friends with Donut and Cookie.
“Does being a vet make it hard to not bring home a bunch of animals?”
I let out a rather inelegant snort. “I have recently fostered a hedgehog, a bird, and a pygmy goat.” Yet another habit that Bryson hated.
I wanted to kick myself for allowing him to intrude into my thoughts.
“I try to keep the zoo down to a manageable amount. Cookie and Crash are fine at home by themselves, and Donut comes to work with me. But sometimes it can’t be helped.
I’d rather look after an animal for a few weeks while I find it a home than put it down because people are irresponsible and—” I cut myself off abruptly, realizing that this wasn’t exactly great date conversation. “Sorry. I get stirred up sometimes.”
Perry stood on the edge of the lawn with his keys in his hand, and he’d opened the passenger door for me. “Don’t apologize for caring, Rex. Especially when people aren’t sorry for not caring at all.”
Before I could step into the car, Perry leaned closer and brushed a kiss against my cheek. “You’re one of the good ones.”
I held tight to Perry’s words and the fleeting feeling of that kiss, the pillowy softness of his lips dusting my cheek all the way to the restaurant.
I had no idea where we were going, but Perry had told me to dress nicely.
Not too nice, but nice dinner kind of nice, he’d said.
I picked up on the fact he hadn’t planned many dates because he was a little awkward when the hostess greeted him and asked for his reservation.
Playing the part of the gentleman, Perry pulled my chair out for me, and I smiled when he took his place across from me.
“I could get used to the princess treatment,” I said, unable to wipe the smile from my face.
“I know you planned better dates, but you can’t really go wrong with dinner, right?”
Perry shifted in his seat, and I gave in to the urge and reached across the table, grabbing his hand. His whole body went still, and he looked at me with wide eyes.
“Dinner is perfect,” I reassured him.
Perry’s shoulders dropped, and he took a deep breath. His smile was wider and more steady now. “But you’ll plan the next date, right?”
“I’ll plan them all if you prefer.”
“I wouldn’t hate that.”
Our server arrived and we ordered drinks. I got a glass of wine and when the server looked to Perry for his order, he glanced at me, alarm in his eyes.
“He’ll have the same,” I said and when the server was gone, I looked at Perry. “If you don’t like the wine, I’ll drink it for you.”
“Sorry, I panicked. Most of the places I eat at have fountain soda or beer on tap. When she asked if I wanted the wine list, I wasn’t quite prepared to answer that.”
“If you’re not comfortable here, we can go somewhere else.”
Perry shook his head. “I figured I should go to dinner at a place like this at least once. Maybe someday someone will want to bring me to a nice place, and then I’ll know what to do and how to act.”
“You’re doing fine so far,” I told him, even though there was a rock in my stomach. It had fallen there at the mention of someone else bringing him here and worrying about being awkward in front of them. “Besides, awkward isn’t a terrible thing to be. There are worse things.”
“Like?”
“Arrogant,” I said. “Dismissive.”
He leaned forward, and his eyes narrowed. “Are you talking about anyone specific? I feel like I should know some details about your sordid past.”
“I’d hardly call it sordid, but there was someone.
We broke up about a year ago. Bryson hated my job.
He said he liked animals, but he barely tolerated mine.
He was all about appearances. Expensive sheets just to say he had them.
A watch that was surely a counterfeit but looked convincing enough at a distance to fool people into thinking it was real.
I believe he thought dating me would add prestige to his life or something. ”
Perry frowned. “That’s a problem I’ll never have, not in my line of work.”
“There’s nothing wrong with what you do,” I said, meaning every word.
I hadn’t cared about what Blue did for a living, and I wasn’t about to care what Perry did.
Not when he wasn’t really mine. And even if he were.
The idea that he could go out there and have wild, crazy sex with someone, then come home to me after didn’t sound all that terrible.
It would be an ego boost to have this boyfriend who was gorgeous, and I assume dynamite in bed, and have other people thirst after him. Touch him. But have him look at me with the kind of soft-eyed expression I’d always dreamed of.
But if Perry really were mine, I wouldn’t be with him just for the ego boost. I’d be with him because he was sweet and kind and my dog liked him. Never again would I ignore Danish’s judgment of a person.
The conversation drifted away from exes, which I was all too glad for.
The server returned and Perry and I had just ordered our appetizers when I heard a familiar voice.
It had to be some kind of cosmic joke. Or maybe I’d somehow sensed that I’d run into him tonight and that’s why he’d popped into my head, but suddenly Bryson was standing over our table.
His date stood behind him, frowning down at both Perry and me.
“Rex, darling, it’s been forever.” His voice was syrupy sweet to cover the venomous barbs he’d no doubt prepared. “You look…” his voice trailed and his gaze slid over to Perry. “And who is this?”
“Perry, this is Bryson. Bryson was just leaving.”
Bryson’s date tried to urge him to walk away, but Bryson held firm. “So rude, Rex. I saw you sitting here when we came in, and I just had to say hello. We should join you.”
“You shouldn’t, actually,” Perry said, and his voice had an edge to it that made my dick twitch.
Bryson’s expression darkened and he glared at Perry. “And who’s going to stop me?”
Perry glanced over at Bryson’s date. “If I were you, man, I’d open my eyes to the fact that this guy is a walking red flag, and I’d jump ship before I got in too deep.”
Bryson gritted his teeth. “Now listen—”
“Maybe he has a point,” the mystery man said and suddenly he was heading toward the exit, leaving Bryson to have to make the split-second decision whether to follow him or to continue his harassment campaign.
Thankfully, Byron chose to shoot a parting glare at both Perry and me before he scurried after his date.
When they were gone, I slumped in my chair and let out a breath. My chest was too tight to let me draw in a full breath.
“Did you want to get out of here?” Perry asked. “We can get our appetizers to go and skip to the second part of our date.”
“You went to a lot of trouble to plan tonight. We shouldn’t let Bryson ruin it. He’s a petulant brat, and I’m ashamed that I was ever fooled by him.”
Perry leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Rex, I promise leaving now is perfectly fine. I think I’ve seen enough of this place to know that it’s not my style.”
“If you’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then take me somewhere that is your style,” I said, exhaling some of the tension that gripped my shoulders.
Perry’s style was a little bar called The Anchor.
The inside was dimly lit and decorated with wood and the odd bit of nautical decor.
It had a small dance floor that no one seemed to be using, a dartboard which was currently occupied, and a pool table that boasted a buck a game and all the profits went to local charities.
Once we were settled into a booth, a server came over and smiled brightly at Perry.
“Hey, long time no see. How’ve you been?” a man with Mickey scrawled onto his name tag asked.
“Good. Been keeping busy. What about you? Aren’t you usually behind the bar?”
“We’re down a couple of staff tonight,” Mickey explained. “Wedding planning is kicking my ass, but I’m good otherwise. What can I get you two?”
“Two of whatever’s local.”
Mickey nodded and handed us a couple of menus that he’d had tucked under his arm. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
“You know,” I said, popping the top button of my shirt open. “I think I like this place a lot better. You’re more comfortable here.” Before Perry could respond, I decided that I wanted to apologize again for Bryson. “I’m sorry about what happened back there.”
Perry shook his head. “It’s hardly your fault. I feel bad for his date. I’ve dealt with men like Bryson before. They don’t like to lose.”
Mickey returned with two bottles of a local IPA. “Shane’s newest acquisition.” Mickey set the drinks down in front of us. “Are you ready to order?”
Seeing Bryson had killed my appetite, but walking into The Anchor had reignited it. The scent of burgers and fries lingered in the space.
“Oh, we haven't had a chance to look at the menu yet,” Perry said.
“I’ll just take a burger. Whatever one you think is the best.”
Mickey smiled. “That’ll be the Cyrus special. Bacon cheeseburger with Monterey jack jalapeno on a toasted sesame bun. Fries, onion rings, or a salad on the side.”
“Fries, please.”
“I’ll have the same thing.”
When Mickey disappeared again and it was just Perry and me, I got to see how much more relaxed he was here.
I didn’t know if he’d been trying to impress me, or if he’d just wanted to experience that kind of place the way he’d said he did, but I knew that it wasn’t somewhere he was comfortable. But it made me wonder about him.
Perry seemed to enjoy the simpler things in life. He was far more at home in a quiet corner of The Anchor. He looked at ease instead of confused, the way he had when he’d first picked up his glass of wine.
“I’m sorry about my ex.” I repeated at some point after our food had arrived.
Perry attacked his burger, taking a massive bite before waving me off. “You didn’t know he’d be there. And even if you did, it’s not like you planned it. Though I do want to discuss your atrocious taste in men now. Has it always been that bad?”
“Nope.” I took a sip of my beer. “It used to be worse.”
Perry’s eyebrows shot up near his hairline. “Worse than Bryson?”
“Bryson wasn’t that bad. At least he didn’t glitter my apartment when we broke up.”
“Shut up.” Perry laughed. “Oh, that’s awful. Glitter never comes out.”
“I think that was the point.”
His eyes sparkled and it was getting harder to remember that this had started because I needed a fake boyfriend for my brother’s wedding.