Page 30 of The Hometown Dilemma
“Which do you prefer?” I gestured in her direction with my chin.
She laughed. “Pizza, actually. Probably one of the reasons why I never got together with those guys.”
I wondered how many guys there had been. A handful? More than I could count? Either way, that tightening in my chest returned.
Shit. I had to get this under control.
ChapterThirteen
Jaime
“Who areyou going out with tonight?” Cami entered my bedroom without knocking and threw herself onto my bed, reading something on her phone.
“Come in,” I said, my tone laden with heavy sarcasm. “I thoughtyouwere going out.”
“Braden canceled on me. I thought we could do something, but I can see you’re getting yourself all dolled up for someone. Who is he?”
“Austen Jenkins.”
Cami’s head snapped up. “Really? Wade’s best friend? When did that happen?”
As if she didn’t know who he was. It wasn’t as if she’d been in a relationship with Wade and hung around with him at the same time.
“He asked me out yesterday as I was starting at Dempsey’s.” A small part of me thought the invite might have been out of pity after Moira Channing turned me down. And even as I was getting ready for the date, I didn’t have the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach like I’d had the previous day before going to work with Wade. I should be more excited by a handsome, eligible bachelor asking me out on a date. But I wasn’t. Instead, just thinking about my next shift in the bar had me bubbling with anticipation.
Or was that more about the thought of working with Wade again?
I couldn’t say anything to Cami about it because Wade was still her ex. And although I knew she’d moved on with her young college boyfriend, I didn’t want to make things awkward between us.
“Where are you going? You look awfully dressed up for a date in town.”
Austen had messaged me last night, saying he’d booked a table at The Fall Line Restaurant and Vineyard, the place Brandi Armstrong from book club’s other half Riddick Kruger owned. It was pretty fancy, so I’d chosen one of my New York dresses, a cute lacy bodycon number in pale blue, teamed with a pair of nude heels. My hair hung loose around my shoulders, and I’d attempted a wave with a styling wand. As I glimpsed my reflection in the mirror, I knew I looked good.
Almost too good for Austen. Wade, on the other hand…
I stopped my mind from going there, instead trying to focus on this evening and the date Iwasgoing on.
“Now that is fancy! I expect you to have the most expensive dish on the menu and make him work hard for his kiss at the end of the night.” Cami laughed as her phone beeped with a message. “It’s Braden. He wants me to call him.” She leaped up from the bed and gave me a swift hug on her way out of the door. “Have a good one, sis. I expect all the gossip when you get home.”
A message lit up the screen on my own phone.
Austen:Hey, babe, running late. Be about fifteen minutes x
My heart should have sunk, I should have been more disappointed by the delay to the start of our night out. But I wasn’t.
Jaime:No worries. See you when you get here.
I took my time finishing my make-up, keeping it simple and matching my lip gloss with my dress. Looking into the mirror, I saw the polished New York version of me staring back. It was almost as if I saw this date with Austen as something akin to a business meeting. If we worked together, I could get some clients for my own interior design business, and I wouldn’t have to work at Dempsey’s for any longer than necessary.
So why did that thought upset me so much?
Austen still hadn’t turned up ten minutes after his supposed fifteen-minute delay. I passed the time looking at my social media and having a quick check on theInterior Nirvanawebsite in case anything had changed. It hadn’t.
I headed downstairs to wait, steeling myself for another confrontation with my mother. Perhaps I could tentatively approach the subject of when she was going back home.
Sylvie and Jerry sat on the sofa, flicking through Netflix looking for a movie to watch, a bowl of popcorn nestled between them. Even though we didn’t always get on as well as we could, their picture of domestic bliss warmed my heart. Although I still couldn’t wait for them to leave.
“You look nice, Jaime.” Mom’s gaze scanned me from head to toe. “Who’s taking you out tonight?”
