it. “True, but I know all of those. I just wanted to see what you would say to having the nicest car around here.”
“It might have worked if it’d been the truth.” I waited for her to get in, then closed her door before she could reach for it.
Her answering laughter filtered out of the car. Hearing it made me smile as I climbed in behind the steering wheel. “Why did you want to know how I would react?”
She shrugged. “Because I’m still trying to figure you out, Doctor Matthews.”
I gave her a meaningful look before turning over the engine. “Well, maybe tonight will help with that.”
“Here’s hoping.” The response was so soft that I almost didn’t hear it. It was more like she had said it to herself and I just happened to overhear her.
It hit me, not for the first time, that the baggage she had mentioned was weighing her down more than I’d have thought possible. Every time I got a glimmer of insight into who she really was, it became more and more clear.
I gripped the wheel tighter as I backed out of my space. Getting this woman to trust me enough to lower her guard and actually let me in wasn’t going to be easy. It’s a good thing I like a challenge.
Determined to make her relax at least a little, I made small talk with her and Adi on the way to the takeout place I had chosen for our pizzas. She was laughing along with us by the time we got there.
We ordered our food and decided to walk to the park. It was a private space that required a key, but I had a handful of friends in high places, and one of them had been able to hook me up.
He’d also arranged for the twinkling lights in the trees to be lit before we arrived, and I’d come by earlier to set out a blanket with some drinks.
Adi spun in a circle with her good arm out to the side. “This is awesome!”
April bumped her hip into mine, smiling as she looked at me. “Well played, sir.”
“Thanks.” I grinned and walked over to the blanket, setting our food down before having a seat. “You guys coming?”
“It’s like a fairy garden,” Adi said as she came to join me. I handed over her pizza and earned myself a wide smile when she opened the box. “It smells great. Thank you.”
“You’re absolutely welcome.”
April sashayed her way closer to us, sitting down with her legs crossed before taking her pepperoni. “This is pretty impressive, but pray tell, do you often flex your bank account’s muscles on dates?”
“Nope.” I picked up my first slice and bit into the cheesy goodness. The combination of sweet and savory hit my tongue, and I chewed happily while she watched me like I was a puzzle with a few pieces missing.
Once I’d swallowed, I cracked open a bottle of water and took a long sip before arching a brow at her. “What?”
“I’m just confused. You claim you’re not this nice to everybody, but you do all this for us. Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I like you guys. I wanted to take you out for dinner. How about you stop questioning my motives and tell me about you instead?”
“What do you want to know?” she asked. “You already know the highlights.”
“I don’t know your favorite kind of music.” It was a mundane question, just personal enough to tell me something real about her but not personal enough to set off any of her alarms.
She dipped her head back as she thought. “I think it has to be country. Yours?”
“Rock.”
“Go figure.” She laughed.
“Why’s that? I can’t like rock?”
“It’s just…” She trailed off, the corners of eyes crinkling on a smile. “It’s exactly what I would’ve expected from a guy like you. It’s nice that one thing I expected about you turned out to be right.”
“What about you?” I asked Adi. “What kind of music do you like?”
She looked up in the middle of devouring her pizza. “I like country, too. But I also like some boy bands and other pop.”
“Of course.” I smiled at her as I picked up another slice. “Do you want to know a secret?”
She nodded enthusiastically, but her attempt at an answer was muffled by the food in her mouth. April reminded her not to speak with her mouth full, then turned to me. “What was the secret?”