“That’s what he said,” I responded reluctantly.
“Well, then all you have to do is be a crappy date! You know, like what’s-her-face in How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days!”
I leaned away from her, pondering her suggestion while I dropped the brush and picked up my mascara.
“Oh my God! You little slut! You want to have a good date with him. You love him and want to have ten thousand of his little baseball babies! Cassie!!!”
“Where do you come up with this stuff?” I asked through my laughter.
“Movies. They have the best lines.” Melissa’s eyes twinkled, matching the huge grin on her face.
The doorbell rang and my laughter caught in my throat. Shit. I wasn’t ready for this. My deer-in-the-headlights look grabbed Melissa’s attention. “I’ll go let him in and keep him occupied until you’re ready.”
I sighed. “Thank you.”
I could hear the sound of our front door creaking open as his friendly voice reverberated down the hall and into my room, causing me to shake nervously. Gripping the fine liner brush tightly with a trembling hand, I finished lining my lips and brushed a soft seashell-colored gloss on top. I smacked my lips together once, then puckered to make sure the gloss was evenly spread.
Before I left my room, I did a quick squat in front of the mirror. I watched as my low-rise jeans went even lower, revealing far too much of my pink underwear. I pulled my black tank top down around my waist and bent over again. My jeans still pulled low in the back, but my top stayed firm.
I rounded the corner and heard Jack’s voice stop abruptly when he caught sight of me. “You look adorable, Kitten.” His voice practically purred.
“That’s it, I’m not going.” I threw my hands up in the air and turned back toward the hall.
He stopped me with his laughing response. “I’m sorry, Cass. I won’t call you that anymore.”
“I’m not sure you can help it.” I eyed him narrowly.
“I might slip up a time or two, but can you really blame me?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his black and white shorts and then batted his thick eyelashes at me.
“Yes. Don’t call me Kitten. It’s annoying and it makes me hate you.”
“Is she always this argumentative?” he asked Melissa through a one-dimpled smirk.
She smiled coyly at him. “Not usually. You must be special.”
Oh my God! She turned into complete mush in two seconds! Traitor!
I shot Melissa a shocked and horrified glare and turned to see Jack smiling as if he had won the top prize at the fair.
“Don’t give me that look,” I threatened through gritted teeth.
“What?” He shrugged his strong, broad shoulders. “You think I’m special. It’s cool.”
I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes at him. “The only type of special I think you are is e-specially irritating. Like a rash.”
He let out a quick huff. “Come on, Kit…er, Cassie. Let’s go. It was nice to meet you, Melissa.” He grabbed her little five-foot-two-inch frame and squeezed until she giggled wildly.
Traitorous bitch.
“See you later, Meli.” I shook my head and mouthed, “I can’t believe you!” at her. She waved me away and blew me a kiss.
Jack led me in the direction of his car. Since I had no idea which one was his, I followed blindly one step behind. He walked over to the passenger side of a vintage white Ford Bronco covered with dents, scratches, and chipped paint.
“Are you sure this thing’s legal on the streets?” I asked, eyeing the giant, oversized tires and lack of a roof.
His eyebrows pinched together. “You scared?”
“Are you high?” I squinted toward him. “No, really, do you do drugs ’cause I don’t date guys who do drugs.”
He turned the key and the door unlatched with a pop and squeaked open. Then he took me by the hand and gently helped me up into the seat, placing his hand firmly on my rear.
“Hands off the ass, Carter,” I snapped.
“I was just helping you up. Honest.” He feigned innocence as he closed the door behind me. “You sure you’re not scared?”
“I’m not scared. This car just looks like something that belongs on a sand dune or in a monster truck rally or a repair shop.” I glanced down, noticing the silver-dollar-sized hole in the floor.
“Is it the tires?” he asked sincerely.
“They are massive.”
“Just like my—”
“I swear to God,” I quickly interrupted and turned away.
“What?” He laughed. “I was going to say heart. The tires are as big as my heart.” He patted his chest for emphasis.
“You mean as big as the hole in your chest where your heart’s supposed to be?” The verbal jab dropped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Ouch. Can we at least wait until dinner before you decide I’m heartless?”
“If you insist.”
“I do.” His brown eyes softened and he grabbed the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and turned. The engine rumbled to life and my seat vibrated under me. I strapped the old seatbelt around my body and gave Jack a wary glance.
“You are scared,” he said with concern.
I shook my head defiantly. “I’m fine, just go.” I gestured toward the road.
He removed his hand from the stick shift and placed it on my leg. I winced in response.
“What did I tell you about the touching?” I asked, giving him a sideways glance.
“Fifty cents. Don’t worry, I got it covered.” One dimple greeted me before quickly disappearing. “You sure you’re okay?”
I nodded as he put the car in drive and it rocked forward as he gassed it.
“Shit.” He muttered under his breath.
“What is it?” Suddenly I was concerned for our well-being. We were going to tip over from the massive tires and die.
“I meant to ask you this before we left, but I got distracted. You’re so feisty all the time, you make me forget things.” His left arm rested on top of his door panel and he leaned his head into his hand. I watched as his fingers made their way through his hair, grabbing fistfuls as he eyed the road ahead.
“So are you going to ask me, or are you going to make me guess?” I tried to hide the snark in my voice, but failed.
Jack turned to look at me briefly before returning his gaze forward. “I meant to ask you if you eat meat or not?”
I felt my face contort into a look of confusion and surprise. “So you want to know if I’m a vegetarian?”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to buy you a cow. Why do you think?” He tried to keep calm, but his cheeks were slowly turning a nice shade of red.
“I don’t know. Where are you taking me?”
“I’m taking you to the best burger joint in town and they don’t have a menu for vegetarians.”
“Really? They don’t serve salads?” I asked incredulously.
“No. They don’t.” His tone turned serious as he glanced in my direction again.
I couldn’t stifle my laughter as I almost choked on my words. “I eat meat.”
He raised an eyebrow and eyed me tentatively before I smacked the shoulder nearest me with the back of my hand. “Not that kind of meat!” I huffed before looking away. “I’m not a vegetarian! You’re so irritating.”
“You keep saying that, yet here you are.”
“I didn’t realize I had a choice.” I rolled my eyes so he’d notice.
“What did I tell you about that, Kitten?”
“How many times do we have to go over this whole ‘Kitten’ thing?”
“How many times do we have to go over the eye roll thing? It’s bad for you and I’d hate to see anything happen to those gorgeous green eyes of yours.”
I struggled to formulate a comeback as his compliment floated in the air. My breath faltered and my mind stopped focusing on anything but the sound of his voice and the look on his stupid, beautiful face.
“Cat got your tongue, Kitten?”
“The next red light you come to, I swear to God, I’m jumping out of this death trap and walking home.”
He chuckled, clearly amused. “Alright, I’ll stop.”
I narrowed my eyes, refusing to believe his words. When we arrived at the restaurant, I hopped out of the car quicker than he could turn off the ignition. The place was a converted old ice cream shop. The few items they offered were written in chalk on the wall when you first walked in. An old cash register sported a handwritten note that read Cash Only, and when I got a look at the number of diners packing the room, my brain quickly went from wondering how they stayed in business to how they kept all their customers happy.
“Is it always like this?” I asked Jack, shocked at the massive crowd.
“Hey, Jack.” A gorgeous brunette rushed passed us, reaching out to touch his arm.
“Hey, Sarah. Busy tonight, eh?” he shouted, trying to be heard over the hum of the crowd.
“Always!” she answered with a smile and a wink.
It figures. “Come here often?” I asked, annoyed already.
“I told you, it’s the best burger place in town.”
Sarah reappeared and rested an arm on Jack’s shoulders. “Sit anywhere you want, sweetie. You want your usual?”
He glanced at me before answering her. “Cass, you like bacon? Fries?”
I nodded my head. “Mm-hmm.”
“Make it two, please. Thanks, Sarah.”
She looked at me briefly before turning her attention back to my date. “I get off at midnight,” she whispered in his ear loud enough for me to hear.
“I’m on a date,” he said harshly.
“Oh, of course you are. Later then.” She scurried away, her face flushed from embarrassment.
“Sorry about that.” Jack put his hand lightly at the small of my back, leading us to a small booth in the far end of the room. “Oh, I almost forgot! I’ll be right back.”
Before I could argue, he hopped from the booth and ran out the front door. I watched through the restaurant’s large plate-glass window as he opened the passenger side of his death trap and reached into the glove compartment. I fiddled with strands of my hair, tucking pieces behind my ear as I watched Jack’s every move. Two water glasses appeared in front of me and I turned to greet Sarah with a smile. She didn’t return the gesture as Jack reappeared and slid into his side of the booth.
“First things first,” he said, pulling a paper bag from his jacket pocket. I heard the sound of metal clanking against fiberglass as he poured the entire contents of the bag onto our table.
Quarters spilled out in every direction. Several rolled off the table, spilling onto the floor and into my lap, the rest covering portions of the tabletop. “What the hell?”
“Fifty cents a touch, right? This oughta cover me for a while.” He grinned, obviously proud of himself, as he folded his arms behind his head and leaned into them.