Page 26 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

Laney snorted, unsure if he was kidding her or not.

“She’s into scrapbooking and does it pretty much every weekend. Tonight, all these women came over with stamps and construction paper and…” Hank blew a raspberry.

“So, now we get him,” Dean said, gesturing to Laney as she zipped up her booties. “You look nice.”

She tugged on the long-sleeved wrap dress. “I have a date.”

He picked up his phone when it buzzed, typing as he asked, “Where’re you going?”

“To that new Mediterranean place.”

“Are you driving?”

When she didn’t answer, Dean lifted his attention to her, shooting her a stare. “Text me if you aren’t coming home.”

“Yes, Dad.”

His annoyed glare faded into a reluctant smile. “Don’t be dumb.”

Sliding her arms into her brown pea coat, she walked to the door, and Hank clapped a few times. “Go get ’em, killer.”

Behind her, Dean told Hank, “Ethan says he’ll be here in ten. He’s picking up the food.”

Laney blew out a breath that fogged in the cold air and closed the door on that particular piece of information. She hadn’t seen Ethan since their conversation last week, and after that kiss—that tease of a kiss—she definitely didn’t want to think about it before her date with another man.

But since it was in her head now, it was all she could think of. The warmth of his hands, the press of his lips against hers, his stupid, perfect smile. And she shoved it all in a box in the back of her mind as she parked her car.

Walking into the restaurant, she spotted George at the bar, sipping a dark drink, dressed in a striped shirt, perfectly fitted pants, and sports coat. When she tapped him on the shoulder, he twisted toward her, smiling. “Hello, Delaney.”

She placed her clutch on the bar. “Hi, how are you?”

“I’m fantastic. Would you care for a drink? It’ll be a few more minutes for our table.”

She put on a smile, concentrating on unclenching her jaw and relaxing her shoulders, which he seemed to notice.

“Maybe a shot of ouzo?”

“No, no.” She laughed, relieved that he was, like Bronte said, a very nice guy to dip her toe back into the dating pool with. “I’ll take a glass of red wine, please.”

When the bartender slid her the glass of wine, George raised his own drink. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she echoed, clinking his glass. She didn’t shy away from his eye contact. They were so dark, almost black, yet the dark honey color of Ethan’s steady gaze invaded her mind. She blinked away to the mural on the wall.

George called her attention back to him. “I have to tell you, Delaney, I’m really glad we’re finally doing this.”

She touched her collarbone, genuinely heartened. “Yeah?”

“You know you’re kind of famous around the office.” He chuckled, and she covered her frown with a sip of her drink, those genuine feelings depleting faster than her wine.

Laney had worn braces as a kid and, of course, got the best of care because it was her own father doing the work. So, when those suckers were finally popped off, she was left with a perfect smile. A few professional photos later, and she was the face of Hargrove and Associates Orthodontics and their regionalSmile with us!campaign. A huge poster of her face still hung behind the check-in desk.

“Your smile is beautiful,” he said.

“Ah, well,” she started, aiming for a playfulness she didn’t feel. “You should’ve seen me before. Like Bugs Bunny.”

“I highly doubt that,” he said, and she refused to look away from him, desperately struggling to keep the image of Ethan out of her head. But then the hostess appeared, and George stood up to escort her with a hand on her back. The small touch was enough to anchor her to the moment, and she hoped the bumpy start was only nerves.

Once seated, they exchanged small talk while looking over the menu. After they put in their orders, they got into their histories with the usualwhere’d you go to school?andtell me what you do for funstuff. It was all rather boring, and Laney was glad to move on when the waitress arrived with the hummus platter.

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