Page 7 of The Problem with Dating
Now, call me a chauvinist all you want, but women shouldn’t wait on men. Unless there was some unforeseen accident or whatever, if a man had a time date with a woman, he should always be the one who was early, waiting for her. Not the other way around.
So, being the caveman that I was, my already sour mood at being set up by Mom again had taken an even worse turn when I spotted the blue blouse sitting near a cozy corner.
Goddamn it, Mom.
The hostess greeted me, and ignoring her obvious appreciation, I jerked my head towards the woman in blue, and informed her I was meeting someone here. She gave me a tight smile and the go ahead to seat myself.
I made my way through the scattered tables and chairs, and I inwardly curse when Echo stood up and stuck her hand out to shake mine.
She was every-fucking-thing that was my type.
The woman only came up to my shoulders, and she had dark red/brown hair that hung around her shoulders and big chocolate-colored eyes. Her face looked like a fucking doll’s and her smile showed off a set of white, straight teeth.
But her body?
Fuck.
Me.
She was a petite thing, and it’d be nothing to haul her around in one arm. She was small up top, but her waist curved inward, then flared out into a nice set of hips. I liked my life understated, so that tight, little, compact body of hers was causing some serious discomfort downstairs.
I took her outstretched hand in mine, and her small hand was completely engulfed in mine. “Ms. Woodward?”
Her smile dipped a bit, but then she quickly recovered. “Mr. Hayes, it’s nice to meet you.” She pulled her hand from mine and sat back down.
I pulled out the chair across from her and sat down as well. My ass hadn’t even had a chance to get comfortable before a waiter was at our table. He smiled at us both. “Can I get you anything to drink as you scan the menu?” he asked, placing a menu in front of each of us, and the date vibe was starting to irritate me.
I looked up at him. “Nothing for me, thanks.”
Echo looked up at him and asked for a tea. “Unsweetened tea, please.”
He smiled down at her. “Certainly,” he replied before heading off to get her tea.
Turning back to face me, she put on her brightest smile again. “I want to thank you for meeting me, Mr. Hayes. Your mothe-”
I stopped her.
I couldn’t do this.
“You can stop with the act, Ms. Woodward,” I said, cutting her off. “This whole ‘I need a contractor’ charade isn’t necessary. And, quite frankly, all it’s going to do is aggravate me more than I already am and humiliate you more than you already should be feeling.”
She leaned back in her chair, her eyes wide. “Excuse me?”
I leaned forward, placing my arms on the table. “Look, I don’t know your story, but letting a meddling mother set you up on a blind date? Really? Are you telling me, between all the millions of dating app out there, you still can’t get your own dates?”
Okay.
That was a bit harsh, but the longer I sat here, the more resentful I became. Sure, this was all my mother’s fault, but Echo’s the one who agreed to it, so she was partly to blame for this uncomfortable mess.
That chocolate gaze just stared at me, but before she could comment, the waiter appeared with her tea. “Have you decided on-”
“The tea is fine, sir,” she replied, blinking up at him. “Uh, nothing more.” He smiled down at her and turned my way, but before he could ask me if I’d like anything, she cut him off. “Nothing more for either of us.” He turned back towards her, and in a softer voice, she added, “Thank you, though.”
He gave her a tight nod. “Very well, ma’am. But should you change your mind, just flag me down.”
She smiled at him again. “Thank you.”
When the waiter was out of earshot, I said, “Look, Ms. Woodward, I’m not trying to be a dick-”
