Page 29 of Protecting Bianca

It was two days away, but if the date went well, I could play it off as a night of free food and booze. Most guys would jump at that, right?

The knots tightened in my stomach. I knew it would be a longshot, but I had to try something. I heard of people falling in love at first sight. Maybe tonight was the night it would happen for me.

I parked a couple of blocks from the restaurant in an open lot. I didn’t park underground after the last time I thought someone was following me.

My boots clicked on the sidewalk as I walked up to the front door. It was a solid oak door with a glass window and a brass knob.

I was greeted with loud music and the waft of fried food. The place wasn’t very big or perhaps there were just a lot of peoplebecause I couldn’t see the end of the pub, only a sea full of heads and shoulders.

“Excuse me, is John Jensen here yet?” I asked the hostess at the front.

She looked down at a page in front of her. “Yes, he arrived just a few minutes ago. He’s seated at the bar.”

“Thanks.” I smiled and looked over at the bar. At least thirty men were sitting or standing near there. Oh boy.

I pulled out my phone and studied his picture. He had light brown hair with a slight wave to it. His description said he was six feet, so he should be easier to spot, but when I stood on my tiptoes and looked for John, I couldn’t find him.

Taking a few steps closer to the bar, I thought I’d check near the washrooms, in case he’d gone in there.

“Excuse me,” I said as I pushed past the tight bodies. Two men in suits swiveled to look at me and smiled. One nodded, but I ignored him, still looking for my date.

I’d just made it to the other end of the bar when someone gently tapped my shoulder. “Bianca?”

A man in a navy-blue sweater with a white-collared shirt underneath smiled back at me.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hello,” I responded, looking over his shoulder still searching for John.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I turned to look back at him. “I’m sorry, yes, but I’m meeting someone here tonight and I can’t seem to find him.”

The man smiled. “You did.”

Someone pushed me from behind, and I nearly toppled into the man’s arms. “Sorry. It’s just so crowded in here.”

“It’s all right. I have a table near the back.”

“That’s good, but I need to find my date.”

The man touched my arm. “Bianca, it’s me. John.”

“John?”

I stepped back as though I needed to take in all of him, hoping the bigger picture made this scenario clearer. But it didn’t help. His light brown hair was gray and his muscular arms were thinner than they were in the photo and his belly much larger. He had the same smile but there were crow's feet around his eyes.

“Yeah, it’s me. I know the picture on my profile is a few years old, but I’m still the same guy.”

“Oh…Yeah…okay.”

I was stunned. A part of me wanted to turn around and walk out the door but I shouldn’t let something like age and ego stand in my way. Besides, I was already here and needed a date for Saturday. “Did you say you had a table?”

He smiled. “Yeah, it’s at the back. Follow me.”

He grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd. His palm was sweaty and plump. I tried to twist around the crowd, but it wasn’t as easy for me as it was for him, and he ended up yanking my arm a couple of times. When we finally got to his table, he let go of my hand. “There. That wasn’t too bad.”

I rubbed the inside of my elbow. “It was a little painful.” He looked down at my hand.

---