Page 77 of Square Deal

I had learned that he went Ivy League for college, while I went Ivy of the South.

Isaac actually earned his MBA rather than accepting the honorary doctorate he was offered.

He had told me about how he and Luca had become friends. Back in the day, Luca started bartending Isaac’s college parties to make some quick cash. The two hit it off and had been friends ever since.

“Tell me about the last guy you dated,” Isaac said with brows furrowed as he signaled to the waiter that we were finished.

I looked between the two of them.Are we going Dutch?Not that I had a problem with that, I just didn’t want to awkwardly ask if we were splitting the bill.

I reached for my clutch and pulled out my debit card. Isaac chuckled and shook his head.

“It’s taken care of, Princess,” he said, scooting back from the table and offering me his arm.

I smoothed out my dress and followed him out of the restaurant to the curb where Alice was waiting with the car. “I was worried that we were dining and dashing.”

He chuckled and waited patiently as I slid into the backseat of the car. Alice shut the door behind Isaac. He shrugged. “It works like a bar tab. I have an accountant that squares up with the restaurant.”

“You eat here a lot?”

“When I’m in town,” he said casually. “Don’t think you’re getting out of the question, Han. Tell me about him. How long ago was it? Why did it end?”

I watched as the nightlife of Manhattan flew past us as we cruised—albeit slowly—through the city. When I turned my head back to look at him, he was staring at me.

I swallowed thickly. “It’s been a while.”

“How long?” he asked, draping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. I liked how warm he felt. How comfortable I felt with him. The rich musk of his cologne was intoxicating.

I sighed. “Four years.”

It was cringe worthy. I was thirty. I hadn’t really dated since I was twenty-six.

Fuck. When had I turned into such a pathetic mess?

I was supposed to be in the prime of my life, but all I wanted to do was go home at the end of the day and watch reruns ofThe Office.

I had been so busy at the Taylor Creek Inn that I hadn’t even really given the dating apps on my phone much thought as of late. Well, that, and the fact that Isaac kept me busy. I swear the man was trying to work his way through theKama Sutrawith me.

“You broke up with him four years ago?” he said in disbelief. The puzzle pieces clicked in his brain. “And you haven’t dated anyone seriously since?”

I shook my head.

“So you haven’t slept with someone else in?—”

“Four years,” I confirmed. I opened my clutch and pulled out the pocket mirror I kept stashed away for makeup touch-ups. I reapplied the red on my lips. The motion was soothing. “I’ve gone out on dates, but I haven’t gotten serious enough with anyone to… You know...”

“Have sex.”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” he asked. “And don’t give me that bullshit line about wanting your forever person. Everyone wants forever, but not everyone puts their own needs on hold for a hypothetical soulmate.”

I raised an eyebrow as I tucked the lipstick tube back inside my clutch. “You don’t want forever.”

“I’m not everyone,” he countered.

I couldn’t argue with him there.

“My mother would have had me crucified for doing anything that would have remotely sullied our family name. Appearancesare the most important thing to her. It doesn’t matter if things are falling apart; what matters is how we’re perceived in the community.” I sighed. “A daughter having one-night stands and going to crazy college parties was not an option, and they made sure I knew it.”

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