Forged in Stone - Alyssa Rose Ivy Page 0,23
on the counter.
“Who’s Dale?” Both guys asked.
“No one.” I grabbed my coffee and biscotti.
I took a seat at a table in the corner. Brad sat down next to me and scowled at James. “If you’ll excuse us.”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.” He sat down at the table right next to us.
“You can’t be serious.” Brad looked at me instead of James. “How is this a date if we’re being chaperoned?”
“I told him to come at ten.”
Brad’s mouth fell open. “At ten? You thought we’d hang out for an hour?”
“We’ve already hung out for an hour. It’s fine.”
“But you didn’t know that. You didn’t know I’d show up early.”
“It doesn’t matter. You wanted to see me, and you’re seeing me.”
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed James smiling.
“You know what. Forget this.” Brad stood up. “We’ll have to reschedule, Ainsley.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that.” James immediately took Brad’s seat. “Wonderful to meet you.”
“Fuck off.” Brad scowled.
In a blur James was in Brad’s face. “Did you use profanity in front of her?”
“What do you care?” Brad glared.
“Apologize to her. Now.”
“No.”
James took Brad’s arm and pulled it behind his back. “Apologize to Ainsley, now.”
Brad grimaced. “I’m sorry. “
James released his arm, and Brad pushed him.
James barely moved, and he smiled. “Thanks.” He walked right back to the table.
Brad shook his head. “I’ll call you, Ainsley.” He skulked out of the coffee house.
“What’s his problem?” James sipped his coffee.
It took me a moment to process what had happened. Normally I’d have been outraged at a guy acting like that, but it was different with James. It was chivalrous somehow. “I shouldn’t have agreed to see him. Grace pushed me, but I should have said no.” A tiny bit of guilt set in. At one time it would have been a lot, but I was beyond caring now.
“Remember that next time.”
“There won’t be a next time. You don’t get treated that way twice and come back for more.”
“He’ll be back.”
“Just because he said it doesn’t mean he will.”
“He’ll be back. He’ll just be more careful to make sure he gets your undivided attention.”
“He’s not going to.”
“You don’t like him?” James sipped his coffee again.
I took a bite of my biscotti. “He’s too pushy. He reminds me of my ex.”
“Dale?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sure there is a story there.”
I took a tentative sip of my coffee. It was still piping hot. “Isn’t there always a story?”
“Usually.”
James pushed his biscotti over to me.
“I have one.”
“You were eyeing mine.”
“I’m stressed.” Desserts were my weakness when I got stressed out. I tended to skip everything but the sweets.
“I know. That’s why we’re going for a drive.”
“How did the shopping go?”
“I have a phone.” He tapped his pocket. “And the refrigerator is stocked.”
“You went grocery shopping?” I put a hand on my chest.
“There was nothing there.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank me after you see what I bought.”
10
JAMES
I watched Ainsley carefully. By the expression on her face she was deep in thought, but I had no idea what she was thinking about. Hopefully she was not annoyed by what I did to Brad. I refused to allow anyone to treat her that way. She deserved respect.
She locked eyes with me. “So how about it?”
“How about what?” I took another sip of the surprisingly good coffee. Usually I couldn’t find anything that came close to the coffee back home.
“That ride in the country? You weren’t teasing me, were you?”
“You haven’t seen teasing yet.”
She shivered, and I hoped it was from my words. The store wasn’t cold. Once again it was being pumped full of heat. “Then can we do it? It’s been a long day. I wouldn’t mind the distraction.”
“You’re an interesting girl.”
“Interesting is good, isn’t it?” She seemed nervous as she waited for my answer.
“It’s very good. I’m just trying to understand who you are.”
“Same here.”
“We’re in the same boat then. Both trying to unravel the mystery of the other.”
“Instead of worrying about the mystery, let’s drive.”
I stood up. “As you wish.”
“I know you’re going to get sick of me quickly.”
“What makes you say that?”
“It’s what happens. I always interest people up front, but then they quickly get bored and move on.”
“Is that what happened with Dale?”
She grimaced. “Don’t make tonight any worse by bringing him up again.”
“I will find out about him eventually.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“I gathered that much.”
“Where did you park?” She took a long sip from her coffee and then opened the lid. She gazed into the now empty cup.
“Right out front. Want more coffee for the road?”
“No. I was