Page 17 of Perfect Imperfections

At the chipper call of the hostess of tonight’s event, Sullivan turned back to her with a smile.

“Five more minutes of what?” He took Louis’s recently vacated seat across from her. “What is this?”

She groaned, dropping her head to the table. “Speed dating.”

He laughed. “What?”

Reigning in her embarrassment, she huffed and lifted her head. “Speed dating. My friend Cam, you remember her from the zoo?” He nodded, so she continued. “It was her idea, and she dragged me along and here I am.”

“Here you are.”

“And here you are, too. You’re not…” she trailed off, not sure if the prospect of Sullivan looking for his boom made her excited or nervous.

“Ah, no. Not really my style.”

Of course not. He had a daughter at home. He probably logged on to some single parents dating service. If he was single. She still didn’t know his relationship status. Charlotte said she didn’t have a mommy, but that didn’t mean her daddy didn’t have a “special friend.” And why the hell did Ellie care again? She didn’t. Right. Not at all.

“I’m here to pick up dinner because this place makes Charlotte’s favorite spaghetti and meatballs. She suckered me into promising it for dinner after she gets back from the movies with my brother, who she also suckered into taking her to the new superhero kid movie.”

Ellie laughed. “She’s milking the zoo thing for all it’s worth, then?”

“And how.” He shook his head. “Honestly, it’s not like I say no to her that much, anyway.”

“She’s a good kid. She deserves to be a little spoiled.”

Green eyes flared with pride and something else…heat? No, couldn’t be. That was just her imagination running away with her. Call it the ridiculous speed dating in the air. Whatever it had been, it disappeared in an instant. Sullivan smiled wide, revealing a small dent—not quite a dimple, but almost—in his right cheek.

“Yeah. She’s pretty great.”

“And you’re a great dad, too.”

Aw, crap. Why had she said that? It was true, but now he was staring at her like she was a weirdo. No, not a weirdo, but…something. She couldn’t decipher any of this man’s looks. Heat crawling up her cheeks, she took a sip of her drink, tapping the straw three times and then three times again until her nerves were back under control. Sullivan glanced at her drink but said nothing. Most people didn’t even notice her compulsions, but those who did almost always commented on them. Asked why she did that “weird tapping” thing. She tried to explain most times, but how did you tell someone you had to perform repetitive motions to get your mind to leave you alone? It sounded crazy.

Crazy is a word people use when they fear something that they don’t understand. You’re not crazy. Your brain is just wired differently.

Her therapist’s words rang in her head, reassuring her.

“Thanks. I try to do my best, but sometimes being a single parent is tough.”

She had no idea, but she imagined it was.

“Sullivan Green? Order for Sullivan Green!”

His gaze turned to the host stand where a man dressed in black pants and a shirt with the restaurant’s logo on it held a large brown paper-bag that looked very full.

“That’s me. I better…” He rose from the chair, mouth open, but whatever he was about to say got interrupted by the ding of the bell.

“Your ten minutes is up. Gentlemen, move on to the next lady.”

“Oh boy,” she muttered, wondering if she could fake sick and grab a cab home.

Sullivan chuckled. “Need me to call you in five minutes with a fake emergency?”

What she wouldn’t give for that. But no, Cam would have her ass if she ducked out on this. In fact, her friend was staring at her from across the room now. Mouth widely forming the question is that Sullivan Green? She shook her head, trying to inform her friend with a look that they’d talk later. Cam just smiled and gave her two thumbs up.

“No. Thank you, Sullivan, but there’s only half an hour left. I think I can suffer through it.”

“All right.” He started to leave, but then turned back.

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