“I was just about to come look for you,” Tim says when I return. “Is everything okay?”
I sit down and drink some of my wine. “I’m so sorry. My daughter was having some drama that I had to straighten out.”
“I think your food is cold. Do you want me to flag the waitress and get it warmed up?”
I shake my head and pick up my fork. “No, it’s totally fine. I’m so sorry I was gone for so long.”
He smiles across the table. “You can make it up to me.”
My insides cringe. There are not enough ‘nos’ to describe how much that will not be happening.
I force myself to eat. Time drags as we order coffee and dessert, while Tim tells me about his new flat screen television, which he seems way too excited about.
Just as our dessert comes, I look across the room toward the bar to see Lukas saying good-bye to his friends. He looks back at me, does his little wave, and then leaves. Alone.
“You seem distracted,” Tim says.
“No, it’s just a little noisy here. It’s hard to focus,” I reply, but I’m pretty sure he’s noticed me looking over at Lukas several times. Did he really tell me that he thinks about me all the time, or did my crazy brain dream that up?
When we leave the restaurant, Tim asks me if I want to go back to his place, which I wasn’t expecting at all and definitely have no interest in doing.
“No, thank you. I really should get home.”
He looks at me across the dimly lit car like I’m crazy. “It’s not even ten yet. Why do you have to go home?”
“My daughter is home alone. I don’t like to leave her alone at night.”
“She’s seventeen. I think she can manage for a few more hours. Or until the morning.”
“Tim . . . I don’t think I can do that. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t think I’d be taking you out to dinner and then taking you home right after.”
“Really?” I say, annoyed. “How many times have I said over the past few weeks that I wasn’t interested in dating yet? I’m sorry, but I’m just not ready for anything more. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
He takes his eyes off the road long enough to frown at me. “I figured when you finally said yes that it meant you changed your mind.” He reaches across the car and puts his hand on my leg. On my thigh!
I want to jump out of the car and just get away from him. “No, Tim, I’m sorry. I was just trying to be nice. I thought we could have dinner as friends.”