up to my cheeks.
The attention feels good, making my brain scramble, and I forget the line of questions about his family and his work. The waitress comes over and we order dinner.
As she leaves, Scott refocuses on me. “So, that was a lot about my family, more than I’d usually share on a first date, for damn sure. How about you? Any juicy family secrets you want to spill?” he says teasingly.
But he has shared a lot, and I think he’s telling the truth about not usually doing that . . . with anyone, much less on a first date. I feel like I need to give him a bit too, even the playing field. I take a deep breath. “Not too juicy, but I was raised by my aunt. My mom abandoned me when I was a baby, so Aunt May is the only mother I’ve ever known.”
“Oh,” Scott says, his voice dropping as he grabs my hand, holding it gently in his. He seems to be searching for the right words. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
I smile, feeling the heartache behind his words. He really is sad for me. Before tonight, I probably would’ve thought he’d had a perfect life, with perfect parents and a perfect future. But even with just the little tidbits he’s given me, I think maybe I’m the lucky one here. He has both parents and loads of money, both things I’ve never had, but I had Aunt May’s unconditional love.
“It’s okay,” I say quietly. “I’m sure it’s shaped me in some ways, but I got lucky.”
“How’s that?” he asks curiously.
“Well, I had Aunt May and she had me. Back when I was little, she wasn’t on the best path, and she says I saved her from that lifestyle. She was a great role model for me, raised me up right and helped me become the woman I am today. She was the best stand-in mother I could’ve ever wished for, and now I have Stella. She’s my boss, but she’s like a second mother to me too. And of course I have Tiffany. . . she’s my rock and always brightens my days. I might not have grown up with much, might not even have much now in terms of tangible things, but I do have three women who love me and have helped me through some shitty days. And that makes everything else less important somehow.”
“You might be right. You do sound lucky. Everyone should have someone who loves them like that,” Scott says, but the way he says it, I wonder if he’s got anyone like that. I don’t want to push anymore though. I can tell he’s sensitive about his family situation, and we just dropped some pretty major bombs considering we’ve barely started our first date.
I decide to redirect us to safer ground, something almost every man can talk about forever. “Okay, stupid question,” I say, grinning. “Your car . . . what’s the deal?”
Scott laughs. “It’s a limited edition and I loved it, so I bought it. I don’t drive it too often, but it seemed warranted tonight.”
I whistle. I don’t know a lot about cars, but I know it’s a big deal that he wanted to show off a bit for me. I would’ve been just as happy if he’d picked me up in an Uber, but I’ll admit, there’s something extra sexy about seeing him control all that car. “Well, it is gorgeous. Insurance must be a pain though.”
Scott laughs. “Yeah, I guess.” He gives me an odd look, and I’m wondering what he’s about to say, thinking it’ll be about his Lambo . . . because guys, cars, and hours of chatter are a sure thing. But he surprises me. “So, are you going to tell me? Why’d you freak out about my tattoo? I mean, things were going great, at least from my perspective, and you just flipped on a dime.”
I blush furiously, surprised he went there, but I do need to explain, so I guess sooner is better than later. Although never would’ve been the best choice. I shake my head, looking skyward for strength to say this with a straight face. “You’re not going to believe me.”
Scott leans back, giving me a sardonic look. “Try me.”
“Well, I had a pretty bad breakup a while back, and since then, I’ve been a bit gun-shy. So Tiff took me to a psychic . . .”
It doesn’t take long to tell him the story