To The Rude Guy in Apartment Five - J. S. Cooper Page 0,64
smile, hoping to win her over with kindness.
She did not smile back. “Do you have a reservation?” she asked.
I nodded, trying to remember my date’s name. Shit! I’d already forgotten. My memory wasn’t normally that bad. “Um, Piers?”
She just looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.
“Piers? P-i-e-r-s, like that horrible English journalist that was on The Apprentice?” The hostess just looked at me blankly. “Wait, was it Peter Something?”
“No one by that name here. Can you please step to the side?” She gave me a snooty, dismissive look, and I bit down on a catty remark about her cheap looking blonde extensions. Keep it classy, Emily!
“Okay …”
I looked around the bar and I spotted a man sitting at a table at the back in a dark suit looking around the restaurant. When he caught my eye, I pointed at myself with a questioning look. He grinned at me, and I relaxed.
“I think I see him,” I said as the man gave me a little wave. I guess Charlotte had shown him my photo. How unfair that he could know what I looked like, but I couldn’t know what he looked like.
The hostess’s eyes widened as she saw who I was pointing to. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” I said with a dismissive look of my own.
“Would you like me to walk you back?” the hostess asked, but I was already making my way past her.
“No.” I shook my head, trying to get a better look at my date. Right off, the bat I noticed that the man was gorgeous. He had a full head of dark hair and sparkling blue eyes, his suit was dark, and he had a serious expression on his face. I had no idea why Charlotte hadn’t wanted me to see his photo. But maybe she’d been trying to teach me some sort of lesson about not judging books by their non-existent covers.
“Hi, sorry I’m late,” I said as I stopped at the table and took a seat, smoothing my dress down as I sat. Now I wished I’d worn something a little sexier.
“Sorry, what?” He blinked at me.
I stared at his face, unabashedly taking in his stubble and jawline, then I leaned back and started laughing.
“Something funny?” he asked me, with a curious expression in his eyes, his lips a solid line as he took in my appearance.
“Sorry, I’m not laughing at you, but I was just thinking to myself that Charlotte could have shown me your photo—because let’s face it, you’re not ugly—but now I think I know why she didn’t.”
“Charlotte?” He raised an eyebrow. “Why would Charlotte be showing you my photo?”
I couldn’t help admiring his lips as he spoke. “I know some people don’t like to see photos before a blind date and all that, but let’s be real, there has to be attraction, right?” I paused as I continued to drink him in.
He was certainly attractive, that was for sure, but I could tell from the lines on his face and the specks of grey hair that he wasn’t exactly young. “It’s just that I know Charlotte told me to be open-minded, but boy, how old are you?” I said, forgetting my manners for a few moments. “Oops, sorry, I’m not trying to be rude, but you’re at least, what? Twenty years older than me?” I went to reach for my phone to text Charlotte but stopped myself. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re handsome and I’m sure you’re very successful, but I just don’t date older guys.”
I took another look at the flecks of gray in his beard and hair and shook my head. I mean, he was absolutely gorgeous, but he could be my dad. Well, maybe not my dad, but close enough.
“You don’t date older guys?” The right side of his lip twitched slightly as he looked me over once again. “You think I want to date you?”
“Well, I’m not saying that you want to date and then marry me, but you obviously agreed to this blind date based upon what I look like, and now I know why Charlotte didn’t want to show me your photo.” I bit down on my lip for a second. “Not trying to be rude, I do know you’re Max’s business partner, and I’m sure they thought we’d have some sort of connection.”
“Max ...” His voice trailed off and he raised an eyebrow. “Some sort of connection?”
“Don’t tell me you think this is a booty call? I mean, I know I