Page 54 of Marrying Off My Husband

“But I’ll have one.” I offered him a coy grin. “And once the babies come, well…you won’t leave your children, will you?”

Our meals were delivered, and he yanked his hand away from mine.

My plan was working. All I needed to do was be a little more over-the-top, and I should send him scrambling away from this date before dessert.

I proceeded to ask him about names for children and more clingy, uncomfortable topics. By the time the waiter stopped by to ask about coffee and dessert, he shook his head, asking immediately for the check.

“Aw, what a gentleman you are. Now, I assume you’re skipping dessert so we can get right down to business?”

“I’m skipping dessert because you are certifiable,” he answered as he grabbed the credit card back from the waiter. “Don’t call or text me again.”

He stormed from the restaurant, leaving the stunned waiter behind next to me.

“Wow, sorry about that,” the waiter said as he stacked our plates. “You seem like a real catch to me.”

“Thanks, sugar. But that date was bad on all sides. I’m glad he’s gone.”

I grabbed the wine bottle before the waiter removed it and poured myself another glass, leaning back in my seat as I sipped it. “One down,” I murmured to myself. “Let’s see your next try, Spencer.”

It didn’t matter how many times I had to do this, as long as Spencer fell in love with Eve. I wondered how his date was going. I hoped it was going better than mine.

CHAPTER 14

SPENCER

Louise pranced to her car in what looked to be a brand-new dress and set of heels. My stomach fluttered as I wondered how she’d make out on her date.

Probably better than I ever would, given that she wasn’t awkward at all. The only problem Louise seemed to have with people was them rejecting her for being “too much.”

I understood the sentiment. Louise could be overbearing, but only in the nicest of ways. If you truly understood that she always worked from a place of kindness, it made it easier to accept.

But plenty of people ran screaming from Louise’s more meddling nature.

I locked the house behind me and crossed to my car, climbing behind the wheel and aiming for Eve’s apartment.

That may have been one of the things that impressed me with Eve. She hadn’t fled into the night, yet. In fact, she had taken Louise’s somewhat bossy nature in stride.

That made it all that much harder for me to stop feeling guilty using her the way I was. With a shake of my head, I shoved my emotions aside.

Growing up with parents who constantly remarked about my awkwardness, I learned early to compartmentalize my feelings. Now as I drove to Eve’s, I pushed aside the guilt and focused on the task at hand. It was a necessary skill, one that had both protected and isolated me over the years.

I slid my car next to the curb and left it behind, crossing the sidewalk to knock at Eve’s door.

She pulled it open immediately, dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt. “If Louise asks, I was wearing a polka dot dress. Big dots, not small. Pink.”

I creased my forehead at the words.

She spotted my confusion, explaining further as she pulled her door shut and locked it. “She insisted on buying me another dress for tonight’s date. I just went along with it. I’ll return it tomorrow.”

“Well, maybe you’ll need it,” I said with a shrug. “This is only Louise’s first date. We’ll probably have to go on a few more ourselves to keep her dating.”

“Right. Although, then I’d have to tell her I was going to repeat a dress which I feel like is a cardinal sin in Louise’s book.”

“Oh, right,” I answered as I opened the car door for her. “Yes, you’ll never get away with that.”

“I’ll figure it out,” she answered as I slid behind the wheel and clicked my seat belt on before I fired the engine.

“Oh, maybe I could wear it in Savannah. Although, I have a pretty full wardrobe for that. Do you think fifteen dresses is too much to pack for a weekend? I thought it seemed to be overkill.”

---