Page 31 of Homebody
She certainly was an interesting character. Unlike any woman he’d ever known before. And since his track record with women of late hadn’t been stellar, that had to be a good thing.
“So I thought maybe we’d eat at the Otesaga in Cooperstown, if that’s all right with you,” he said and glanced at her for a reaction.
He didn’t get much of one as she said, “Sounds good.”
All righty. It seemed she really did mean it when she told him to choose. He wasn’t used to that. Juniper had rarely meant what she’d said.
So far, Tessa was nothing like Juniper. He had to think that was a very good thing, even if she was still a mystery to him in so many ways.
The Hawkeye Bar and Restaurant located inside the historic Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown was a nice place. As inreallynice. Even Tessa stumbled to a stop when she saw the amazing view of the lake from their table when the hostess seated them.
She might have seemed unimpressed when he’d told her his choice of restaurants, but she was clearly impressed now. That gave him a warm feeling—pride maybe—in the vicinity of his chest.
Maybe he had been trying to impress her by choosing this for their date, as wrong as that was. They were only fake dating, right? Just going out to keep his match-making mother off his back and his ex at bay. Dean had a feeling that wasn’t completely true anymore.
No matter what his motivation, dinner in Cooperstown with Tessa had been interesting… and Dean wasn’t just thinking about the food when that thought crossed his mind.
Yes, the menu could be considered interesting. Intriguing even. A mix of classic meals and modern innovations. He’d dared to order the Thai spring roll appetizer before his usualmain course of the steakhouse burger. And then he’d tried mango creme brûlée with house-made coconut ice cream for the first time in his life when he and Tessa had shared dessert.
But it was not the meal they shared but rather the woman herself that intrigued him.
How she’d pause before speaking, as if she were weighing every word first before voicing it aloud. How so often she looked as if she wanted to say one thing then changed her mind and said something else.
How she nursed one glass of wine throughout the whole meal when, after seeing her guzzle down that margarita at the Muddy River Inn he’d expected her to be a bigger drinker.
She was an enigma. A puzzle he wouldn’t mind solving. And not one of those mundane jigsaw puzzles featuring some landscape that his parents liked. More like one of those Chinese—or was it Japanese—puzzle boxes. The kind you had to solve before it opened so you could see what was inside. Because he had no doubt there was more inside Tessa than met the eye.
Now, in the passenger seat with the bag of leftovers sitting on her thighs, she didn’t seem as on edge as she had in the restaurant while they’d been talking. Maybe that was because she just wasn’t talking. She sat silently, watching the scenery pass, very possibly counting the minutes until this date was over.
But she’d seemed like she had a good time at the restaurant. Hadn’t she?
Dammit. This was why he didn’t date women who were too deep. They made him have to think too hard. Shallow was the way to go. Women who dated him just for the uniform. Or for the sex. Or because he’d bought them a drink.
Lara wouldn’t have him second guessing this date, the way he was now with Tessa. And hell, he could have taken Juniper out for a twenty-dollar meal at the Mudville Diner and she’d have been all over him in the car on the short drive home after it.There’d be no need to guess what she was thinking. Or second-guess himself.
He’d wined and dined Tessa at one of the best restaurants in the county, held up his portion of the conversation, and was the perfect gentleman. Yet here he was wondering if he’d even see Tessa again. Or if she was just waiting to get out of the car so she could ghost him.
He drew in a breath. She was either into him or she wasn’t. He might as well find out now.
Glancing in her direction, he asked, “Did you have a good time?”
Her eyes widened and this time she didn’t pause as she said, “Yes. Everything was amazing. The view. The food. Thank you so much for dinner. I feel bad. You didn’t have to pay. We should have split the bill?—”
He laughed. “No. Not gonna happen. I invited you out, remember? That means I pay. And I was happy to do it.”
That was no lie. Watching her enjoyment of the restaurant and of her meal was worth every penny. The woman savored every bite with an appreciation that made it seem as if she’d never had a really good meal before.
“Well, thank you again. Maybe I can buy you a beer as a thank you,” she offered shyly.
“Tonight?” In town. Where Juniper and who knew who else would be there watching. Where he’d have to share Tessa’s attention with the circus of the MRI surrounding them instead of having it focused solely on him.
Tessa must have seen his reaction. She looked horrified as she rushed to say, “Never mind. Maybe some other time. I know it’s getting late.”
She’d misunderstood his reaction. It was definitely not her he wanted to get away from. It was everyone else in town.
“It’s not that. Believe me. I’d be happy to spend more time with you. It’s just the bar is going to be so loud and crowded this time of night. We wouldn’t be able to hear ourselves think. Forget about trying to talk to each other.”
“Mmm. You are right about that. I love me some good old school head-banging rock and roll, but my ears were still ringing from the loud music when I got home last night.”
