Page 83 of The One I Want
“Agree,” Wes says, digging into my bananas foster. “I forgot how much I loved dessert.”
“How do you forget that you love dessert?”
He gives me a look that clearly states “Do you want me to answer that?” Which is code for Cara.
“Noted,” I say. “Thank you again for tonight.”
Wes takes back my hand, rubbing my knuckle with his thumb. “You’ve thanked me six times. And I haven’t even got to the good part yet.”
“There’s a good part?”
He lifts up my hand and places a kiss on it. “Just wait until we get back to the room.”
This whole night has been perfect; I can’t imagine what he has in store for when we get back. When I arrived at the hotel, I was ushered to the suite he rented for the night. He was still at practice but left me a note that instructed me to take a hot bath and to pour myself a glass of champagne, knowing I had a rough day. When he finally arrived in the room, I was in the midst of getting ready. I knew we had to be going somewhere expensive, judging by the tight black dress Whitley packed for me. It’s one of my favorites and considering I had to make sure Wes didn’t rip it off me before we left, it’s now one of his favorites, too.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I swallow my bite of the bananas foster. “I mean, it is our first date. I feel like questions go with the territory.”
He laughs. “You’re right. When I first offered you the job to watch the kids, you made a joke about having multiple jobs and none of them working. Then I once heard you making that same joke with my mom. How many jobs have you had?”
I set down my fork and dab my mouth with my napkin. “Do you really want to know? How about asking me about men I’ve dated? That’s an easier conversation.”
“Sorry. This is the question. Inquiring minds want to know.”
I do a quick mental count in my head. “Counting this job, and the one I had with Whitley, I’ve had roughly thirty-three jobs since I graduated from college.”
Wes’s wide eyes, that haven’t blinked in a few seconds, is all the reaction I need from him. “Thirty-three?”
“Well,” I say, doing the mental math. “Let’s call it thirty-two. I only worked for my dad’s firm for a day. I don’t even know if they processed my paperwork.”
Wes takes a big gulp of his water, clearly trying to figure out how to react that isn’t wide-eyed horror.
“Say whatever it is you want. I’ve heard it all,” I say.
“I’m just…I don’t know whether to be impressed or not?”
“That’s a fair reaction.”
“None of them worked out?”
I shake my head. “Not really. There was one I liked, but unfortunately it didn't work.”
“What was that?”
I let out a breath. “Promise not to laugh?”
He crosses his heart. “I would never laugh.”
“Okay, well, you know how Jake is a star on that app,ForU?”
“I’ve heard that but I’ve never watched his videos,” Wes says. “I just can’t make myself watch Amelia’s little brother dancing half-naked in front of a camera.”
The thought of that makes me laugh. “Yes, that would be weird. But anyway, I thought about making some sort of video content. I really liked the idea of doing something creative that I could have fun with.”
“Then why didn’t you do it?”
Here comes the embarrassing part. “Because I didn’t know what to do.”
