To The Single Dad in the Store by J.S. Cooper
Chapter Twenty-Two
“So,what do you want to do now?” Steele asked me, a light in his eyes that I recognized.
“What do you mean what do I want to do now? I don’t know.” I swallowed hard. That was a lie. I wanted to go back to his place and make out. Well, I wanted to make out, but I didn’t want to go back to his place just in case the kids caught us.
“I have an idea,” he whispered softly in my ear.
“Oh? What’s the idea? Should I be nervous?”
“I don’t know. Should you be nervous, Nellie?”
I giggled. “That’s what I’m asking you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“So what’s your idea, Steele?”
“Well, I was thinking …”
“Yeah?”
“Remember how today was meant to be our first date?”
“Yeah?”
“And remember how we switched it to tomorrow?”
“Come on, Steele. What are you trying to say?”
“I’m trying to say, what about if today is still our first date?”
“What, you mean this party?” I raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t particularly romantic.
“No, not this party, goofy.” He started laughing. “And you should see the look on your face. You look so disappointed.”
“Well, you’d be disappointed, too, if your first date was at a party where you have to flirt with a guy that your best friend likes and look like a fool and—”
“It’s okay.” He chuckled. “You’re a good friend.”
“I’m a good friend or I’m an idiot?”
“You’re a good friend. Shelby’s really lucky to have you,” he said softly. “I like that.”
“You like that I’ll make a fool of myself for my friends?”
“Yeah. That says something.”
“That I’m an idiot?”
“No, it says that you care enough about your friends to help them out, to do things that take you out of your comfort zone. I know what you did sucks and you feel embarrassed, but you shouldn’t. Your friend came up with this idea.” He paused. “I’m guessing she’s the one that came up with the idea.”
“Of course she’s the one that came up with the idea,” I growled. “I would never come up with such a stupid idea.”
“Yeah, but you thought it was stupid and you still went ahead with it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Because you’re a good friend.”
“I guess.”
“It’s not a bad thing, Nellie. It’s actually really admirable. A lot of people aren’t really there for their friends. It shows you’ve got character. It shows that you take your commitments seriously.”
“I guess so. So you’re not mad at me?”
“I mean, I was confused, but I wasn’t mad at you. I wasn’t sure if you’d been blowing me off. I wasn’t sure if you were here and were trying to get another guy. I wasn’t sure if …” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t matter now because I know the truth. And you could’ve told me.”
“I know I could’ve told you, but it just sounded stupid. ‘Oh, hey. Steele, I’m going to break our first date because I need to go and flirt with another guy at a party for my best friend.’ I mean, how would you have taken that?”
“Touché.” He laughed. “Yeah, I most probably wouldn’t have taken it well. But hey, I have a perfect first date.”
“But you said you had a date planned for us for tomorrow.”
“I do have a date plan for us for tomorrow, and we’ll roll into that one, too.”
“What do you mean we’ll roll into that one too?” I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I think that this date can last all night.”
I swallowed hard. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I don’t want you to go home tonight.”
My breath hitched. “What do you want?”
“I’d like to spend the night with you.” He pressed his lips gently to mine.
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Steele.”
“I think you know exactly what I’m saying, Nellie.”
“But what about the kids?”
“The kids are with my parents. They’ve got them for the next week. It’s a long story, but let’s just say my house is quiet tonight and tomorrow.”
“So, what’s the date?”
“Do you really want me to tell you, or would you rather have it be a surprise?”
“I guess I do like surprises. But I can’t go in a dress, can I?”
“You can. It will make it even more special.” He grabbed my hand. “If you’re ready, we can leave now.”
“But this is your work event. Won’t you get in trouble?”
“No. My boss—who is Sam,” he laughed, “has already seen me here. He’s not going to care if I ditch early.”
“I guess, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I wasn’t even going to come, remember?”
“I guess so. Well, let’s go.”
“Let’s do it,” he said. We started walking towards the exit and then he stopped. “I just want to tell you one thing, Nellie.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you’re absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I blushed. “I think you’re really handsome.”
“I know our meeting was …” he paused, “slightly different, but I’m glad you are a—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Don’t say what?”
“Don’t call me a Karen.”
“I wasn’t going to call you a Karen. But if the shoe fits …”
“Steele!”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” He chuckled. “I don’t even know why that got so popular.”
“I think because people who really are Karens are such bitches that they needed their own name.”
“But don’t you ever feel bad for the real Karens?”
“Yeah, I do. Could you imagine being called Karen in this day and age? I wonder if they have nicknames now.”
“Yeah, I wonder. But I digress. I digress,” he said quickly. “We do not need to start talking about Karens again.”
“No, we do not. How’s about we promise that neither one of us will say the name Karen ever again?”
“I can promise that.”
“Really?” I was surprised. “Not even to tease me?”
“I think the joke’s old. I don’t need to tease you about that anymore, Nellie. I have so many other things to tease you about, and I want to kiss you and—”
“You want to kiss me?”
“I want to do more than kiss you.”
“Well, thank you.”
“So let’s go,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you looked before we walked out.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, because I wanted to give you a chance to tell me off or say you don’t want to continue with the date.”
“Now, why would I do that?”
“I don’t know why you would do it, but women are strange creatures. I’ve learned that in all my years.”
“You’re funny, Steele.”
“You’re beautiful, Nellie.”
“So, Steele?”
“Yes, Nellie?”
“Do you think that Shelby has a shot with Sam or,” I chewed on my lower lip, “not at all?”
He took a deep breath and shrugged. “Honestly, just as women are strange creatures, men are strange creatures, too. Shelby’s a beautiful young lady, and I’m sure Sam will see that. Whether or not he’ll go for it, I don’t know.”
“Yeah, and the fact that Sam is best friends with her dad just seems like—”
“Oh wait, did I miss that part?” His eyes widened. “Sam is best friends with Shelby’s dad? Yeah, no, he is not going for her.”
“No?”
“He’s a partner at one of the top law firms in South Carolina. He’s not going to date his best friend’s daughter. That’s just not a good look. And I’m sure her dad would not be happy knowing that his daughter was dating him.”
“You never know.”
“Would you be happy knowing your daughter was dating your best friend?”
“What?”
“You know what I mean. Your husband’s best friend.”
“I’m not married.”
“Yet,” he said.
It wasn’t like he’d actually proposed to me, but the way my heart was reacting was like he had. I was completely and utterly in over my head and I loved it. I loved being with him. I love spending time with him. He was as kind and thoughtful and honest as he was handsome. He was absolutely everything I could look for in a man.
“Come on, Steele. Take me on this date. Ravish me.”
“Did you say, ravish me?” he said, his eyes wide and excited.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Now let’s go before I change my mind,” I giggled.
And before I knew what was happening, he swept me up into his arms and carried me the rest of the way out of the room. People stared, but I didn’t care. I loved it. I loved how carefree he was. I loved how manly he was. I felt like I was in a scene from a historical romance novel. I loved the fact that he was dashing and gentlemanly and masculine and alpha. I just wanted him to take me, take me far away, and ravish me like I’d never been ravished before. And I had a feeling he was about to do exactly that.