Page 34 of Vacation Friends

Cecilia quickly shook her head, trying not to let the seed of hope grow inside her. “I couldn’t let you do that.”

“It wouldn’t be me doing a favor for you. You would be doing the favor for me. It’s pretty awful having to sit through these events by myself.”

She tilted her head. “And you’re telling me that you don’t have anyone else to go with?”

Garrick slowly shook his head back and forth. “I mean, I suppose I could find another date. But none of them interest me. Not like you.” He paused and tilted his head. “Is that too forward?”

The truth was, Cecilia loved how he didn’t hold back.

But something inside her still made her hesitate. “I don’t know . . .”

“What’s stopping you?”

What was stopping her? It was a great question. Cecilia wasn’t sure about the answer, other than the fact that this man was completely out of her league. She wouldn’t even know how to handle herself around the people she would need to rub elbows with.

“I just feel like I would embarrass myself,” she admitted, deciding to be honest. “My idea of a dressy event is buying a secondhand dress to wear to a backyard wedding.”

He chuckled, the sound deep and heartwarming. “I like that. And I don’t particularly like hanging out with highbrow people either. I actually grew up dirt poor.”

Her eyebrows flew up. “You’re joking?”

“I’m not.”

“So if I were to go with you and if I were to say something uncouth in front of these very important people, you wouldn’t be humiliated?”

“You could never humiliate me.” His gaze caught hers. There wasn’t even a hint of doubt in his voice.

Cecilia’s cheeks flushed again. This man knew exactly what to say, didn’t he?

She swallowed hard. “You said the event is tonight?”

“Yes, seven o’clock. Would you have time to get a dress before then?”

“I suppose I could look after work to see what I could find.”

His eyes glimmered with delight. “Yes. Do that. Put it on my tab.”

Her eyebrows flew up this time. “Your tab?”

“That’s right. I’ll let the manager know you have my permission so everything is on the up and up.”

She opened her mouth, but her argument wouldn’t leave her lips.

“Where should I pick you up?” Garrick continued.

Cecilia swallowed hard, momentarily wanting to forget her rule of having people not pick her up on the first date. It would be so much easier if Garrick simply swung by her place.

He must have seen her hesitation. “Cecilia, you can trust me.”

Her heart pounded faster as he said those words.

She believed him.

She rattled off her address. However, when he saw where she lived, he was going to change his mind about her. Her apartment was in a bad area of town, but it was all she could afford.

Drug dealers liked to hang out on street corners, as well as prostitutes. Graffiti marked one side of her building, and the train rattled overhead, sometimes waking her at night.

“Perfect.” He flashed another movie-star grin. “I will see you at seven.”

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