Page 88 of The Fast Lane
“Sure didn’t.” She grinned and pointed with the tray in her hand right to Sexy Prof. “He did.”
“Oh, um.” My face heated. “I’m flattered.”
Theo slid across from me into the booth. “Did you order something already?”
“Not exactly.”
The server smirked. “The lady has an admirer. Maybe he didn’t see your boyfriend when you came in.”
“Okay. Wait.” I pointed at Theo. “He’s not…”
Theo crossed his arms and leaned back in the seat.
“I mean, we’re not…”
Smirking, he arched an eyebrow.
“I can’t accept this,” I blurted, pushing the drink toward the server. “Could you tell him thanks but no, thanks.”
“No problem.” She winked at us and whisked the drink away. “I’ll be back to get your orders in a few.”
Face burning, I couldn’t stop myself from mouthing I’m sorry to the guy at the bar.
Theo frowned. “You know, if you’re interested, you could go over there. Us, just being friends and all.” He glanced over at his shoulder. “I mean, he seems like the kind of guy you’d be into.”
“What does that mean?”
“Reminds me of Alec.”
“He does not.”
But my eyes swung back to the Sexy Prof who was now chatting it up with a tall blonde. He did have that slicked-back, put-together, finance bro feel. Less professor if I thought about it, more money talk. Which described Alec a lot. Not when we first started dating, but the longer he’d worked at that job in Dallas, the more he became the suit-and-tie, cocktail-party-attender schmoozer he was today.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a man in a suit. I was looking forward to seeing Theo in his groomsman get-up at the wedding. I liked dressing up for a cocktail party every now and then, not that Two Harts gave many opportunities for that. But all the time? It just wasn’t how I wanted to spend every Friday night.
“Fine.” I sighed. “Maybe he does.”
The server returned. I ordered an apple pie sangria and Theo went with a chocolate cream pie made with vodka, Rum Chata, chocolate liquor, and chocolate syrup. After some deliberation, we decided to split a piece of key lime pie.
“Can I ask you something?” Theo asked after the server left.
“Sure.”
He tilted his head, his eyes fixed on my face. “What did you see in Alec? I never got it, the two of you.”
“Oh.” I swallowed. It was on the tip of my tongue to give a flippant answer about how handsome he was, or how he treated me well, or any number of things. I could admit, at least to myself, that Alec hadn’t been all bad. Sure, he’d broken up with me in an epic asshat move but we’d had good times too.
But I went with the truth instead. “He was safe.”
Theo stayed quiet, waiting me out. Damn him.
“There wasn’t any real chance of us working out. I think some part of me knew that. His life is in Dallas, mine is in Two Harts. Neither one of us wanted to compromise on that. But it was easy too. We liked each other as people. We got along. Relationships have been built on less, you know.” I traced the edge of the table with my thumbnail. “But I guess the real reason he was safe is because I wasn’t ever in any danger of falling in love with him. Not the way a person should love their partner.”
“Why?” Theo’s voice was low, deep, and it rumbled across my skin.
“Mainly because my heart wasn’t mine to begin with.” I raised my head and looked him in the eye. “It’s always belonged to someone else, I guess.”
“Who?” he asked, his eyes soft.