sure would have come with me but that only brings additional complications.” I sipped my wine, hoping that didn’t come across as hurtful.
“And, with me, it’s simple.”
It wasn’t a question she threw out there. More of a statement.
She continued. “I do this. You pay me. You don’t have to see me at work. No romantic entanglements. I get it.”
My mind lingered on the ‘no romantic entanglements’ comment. The more I got to know her the more I wasn’t sure what I wanted from her.
“I mean, it’s not like we are going to run into each other at the neighborhood block party,” she giggled.
“Yes, that’s unlikely.” I grinned.
Placing her hand over her tummy again, she whispered, “I can’t eat another bite.”
Without thinking, I stood, walked over to the wait staff, put in an order, requested a box and then returned to Phoebe.
I handed her the pictures I’d printed off, almost with regret. Talking to her about her was more interesting than flipping through flash cards of the crew, but we needed to do it.
“You can look over them on your own. Basically, it just puts a face with a name.” I shrugged. The only picture I didn’t include was Emma’s. I was going to have to face the music eventually when she saw Emma. I’d wait.
“Sure you don’t want to go through these now? I don’t mind doing it with you. I know that’s why you brought me to dinner.”
I nodded because I felt like I should. Truth was, I enjoyed spending time with her. It was fun to expose her to a world she wasn’t familiar with. I hadn’t spoiled someone in a while—I needed this. Maybe she did too.
“All right. Let’s flip through them while we’re here and then you can take them.” I unwound the rubber band.
“It’s important to you that I know them all?”
My cheeks heated. “I think it’s important that they think I’ve talked about them to the girl I’m supposedly dating.” My lips pulled into an embarrassed grin.
Her jade eyes latched onto mine, and I forced myself to uncomfortably glance away. I picked up my wine glass and finished what was left.
“Why don’t you want to date anyone?”
Tapping my fingers on the white tablecloth, I weighed her question. “I don’t necessarily think that I don’t want to date anyone. After the break-up, I knew that I needed time before jumping into something. I work a lot of hours, and an office romance is off the table, so work kind of left me not being super social.”
“No Bumble. Tinder. Match.com?” she scrunched up her nose again. God that was adorable.
“Just swipe left?” I joked. “The You’ve got Mail of the millennials.”
“You’ve seen that movie?”
“Your grandmother is not the only grandmother that watched movies.” I winked at her. “And, no. I’ve never been on a dating site or app or whatever they are.” But I sure as hell suddenly wanted to know if she had. “You?”
“No,” she laughed. “I date four kids at home. That’s pretty much it and pretty much all I can handle. Plus, my iPhone 6 barely functions.” She glanced at her phone. “It’s getting late Austin,” she whispered.
I glanced at my iPhone XI instead of the Rolex on my wrist and hated myself more as the seconds ticked by. What the living hell would she ever see in me? A pretentious ass.
“It’s 7:30. But, I’ll take you home if you’d like.”
She shook her head indicative of a no response, but I had a feeling her mouth would say something different.
“Mr. Falsone. Here are the to-go orders.”
Fran set the sack near my feet and boxed up Phoebe’s lasagna.
“Thank you,” she said softly when Fran set it next to Phoebe and then cleared our plates.
“Would you care for dessert?” Fran asked.
With a simple nod, I deflected the question toward Phoebe. Her lashes fluttered before her eyes shot wide. “I’m so full…but.”
“Fran, would you mind boxing up a couple to go, please.”
“Of course.”
I supposed it might come across to Phoebe as showing off in front of her. But damn, I’d known this girl such a short time and I wanted her to experience the luxuries of life that I simply took for granted. I understood the whole money can’t buy happiness thing, but it sure didn’t hurt. This girl hadn’t been dealt the best of hands, yet she had more grace than anyone I’d ever met. She had every right to be angry at the world, but she seemed to take the hits as they came