Page 21 of Resolving Rumors

“I-” She choked back whatever she’d been about to say as her eyes grew wide. I turned my head just enough to see Justice slip her forkful of food into Devin’s mouth. He smiled around the fork so sweetly at her that if I didn’t know the whole story, I would think they were a loved up newlywed couple expectantly awaiting the birth of their…” Nope. Couldn’t go there.

“Shit, we should leave,” Jordan offered again. I was about to agree with her when the server came over.

“Ma’am, there are two men at the hostess station who say they’re here for you,” the hostess stated.

“Me?” I questioned.

“Crap, I forgot about them. Please, don’t be mad, but I wanted to make Austin jealous.”

I glanced over at the hostess station where two men stood eyeing up our table. TWO MEN. “Are they both your dates?” I asked in a tone that begged her to say they were.

Jordan shook her head. “I heard Dallas mention that Devin and his wife would be here.”

“You knew and brought me here anyway?” I wanted to shout at her, but managed to ask the question through clenched teeth instead.

“Please, just let’s make the most of it. Look,” Jordan pointed toward the table where Dev sat with his wife. He leaned over a bit and used his thumb to swipe away whatever food had gathered on her lips. He stared at her mouth as if he wanted to devour it and that was when I made up my mind.

The last time he even thought I would go out on a date with someone else, he got drunk and slept with that bitch, which was why they were married now. I wanted him to have to see me on a date with another man while he was acting all lovey-dovey with the bitch who came between us. Their dinner was supposed to be a breakup scene, not honeymoon bliss.

I nodded my head to Jordan and the nervous hostess went back to grab our dates and escort them to us. “Just so you know, Mark knows what’s going on tonight. I told him the gist of the issues with Devin and he agreed to be your date and cause drama, but he knows it won’t go anywhere.”

I nodded my head, even though I was once again angry with Jordan because she took it upon herself to tell a complete stranger about my embarrassing situation. She must have caught the anger simmering beneath the surface of my fake calm, because she apologized.

“Sorry, I thought it would be better than leading him on and you having to fend off grabby hands and expectations.”

“We’ll talk about it later, Jordan. I’m not a fan of being blindsided and I thought you wanted to talk about the mess with Austin, since you somehow managed to anger my whole family while I’m in the dark about it.”

She had the sense to look chagrined as the men approached the table. My date for the night held his hand out to me. “Hi, I’m Mark.”

“Victoria,” I answered back as he took the seat next to me. I hadn’t bothered to shake his hand and instead picked up my wine glass to take a fortifying drink for my jangled nerves.

“Jordan explained the situation, but I have to say, I’m disappointed that this isn’t a real date. She didn’t do your beauty justice when she described you.

I know he was talking “figure of speech” stuff, but the word Justice rubbed me wrong and sent my eyes trailing across the restaurant to see the bitch whose name he’d unknowingly invoked staring daggers in my direction. I couldn’t bring myself to look at Devin though. He could eat his heart out. I was tired of being the one who had to watch as his time with her played out like a beautiful relationship while I was relegated to the shadows - even if I’d put my own damn self there.

“Thank you. I honestly don’t know why you signed yourself up for this.”

He chuckled. “Truthfully, I was trying to be a good wingman. My friend has had a thing for Jordan for a while now, but she’s been too hung up on Austin to care.”

“You know my brother?” I asked.

He cocked his head to the side and then smiled. “Ah, I see it now. I didn’t realize the woman I would have to help out tonight was Austin’s little sister.”

I shook my head and laughed. “Not the little sister. That’s Katy. I’m the oldest Mercer sibling.”

“No fucking way.” He shook his head adamantly. “I just turned thirty and there is no way you’re older than Houston.”

“So, you know all my brothers then?” I asked.

“Yeah, I do. Houston and I were on the same community league baseball team before his bar renovations started to take up all his time.”

“Oh.”

“Why didn’t I ever see you at the games?”

“I don’t know. I guess there were other things taking all of my attention.”

“Other things like the angry guy across the room who can’t take his eyes off you?”

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