His facial expression remains the same. “Your date’s name wasChad?”
“Jay!”That’swhat he got from all of that?
“Okay, okay.” His lips tilt up at the corners. “You sure know how to pick ’em, Princess.”
“It’s not me, remember?” I mumble, my face heating. I’m three for three right now for bad dates, and the common denominator in those is me. AmIthe problem?
“Well,” Jay starts, buttoning up his jacket, “I’d love to help, but you said earlier you didn’t need my help, so . . . bye.”
My jaw drops as he turns and walks away, but I can’t even be mad since Ididsay I wouldn’t need his help. As I stare at him walking away, it feels like my last hope is slipping through my fingers, but my pride won’t let me call out to him, apologize, and beg for his help.
Right when I’m about to crack and crawl on my knees, Jay pauses mid-step, his tense back noticeable even through his jacket. It looks like he sighs, then he turns around and marches back to my table.
“How much do you owe again? Two hundred and eighty?”
I’m so shocked I take a few seconds to process his question. “Two hundred eighty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents, plus tip.”
He picks up the black book and flips it open as Nina returns with the Visa machine.
“Hey, Nina, don’t worry about her, she’s with me,” Jay says since Nina keeps eyeing me suspiciously. Jay reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet, flipping it open and pulling out a card. He takes the machine from the waitress as I sit here, stupidly staring at him. I wanted his help, yes, but I didn’t expect him to justpayfor it. I don’t know what I was logically expecting, but not this.
“Jay . . .” I start, but he cuts me off with a look.
“It’s fine.” He punches in some numbers on the machine and hands it back to Nina. She pulls his card out and hands it back to him with a smile.
“Thanks, Jay, enjoy your night,” she says, ripping the receipt and giving it to him before turning and leaving with the machine.
I’m left at the table with Jay, where we stare at each other like we’ve never met before. I’m so shocked by what just happened I can’t form proper thoughts, never mind actual words. Jay paid $282.59 plus tip for a dinner he didn’t even eat.
Jay’s jaw works. “Thank you?”
It’s a question, and I can’t make sense of it. He’s thanking me for paying $282.59 plus tip?
He releases a breath and shakes his head. “You are incapable of saying those words, aren’t you?”
His meaning dawns on me, and I’m shaken out of my stupor, hopping out of my seat. “No, no. I appreciate what you just did. Thank you, really, truly, thank you, Jay.”
He looks skeptical. “Well, you’re paying me back.”
I nod. “Yes, of course. Thanks for not letting me go to jail, or worse, call my parents.”
His exterior melts a bit, and he cracks a small smile. “Right. Come on.”
Grabbing my purse, I scramble after him to keep up. His friends have disappeared, and I ask him where they went.
“I told them to leave without me,” Jay says, holding the door open for me to exit. The security guards from before eye me the entire time, and I wave innocently.
“So, I guess this date was another fail?” Jay asks, even though the answer is obvious.
The night’s cool air hits me, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself. I need to start remembering my jacket.
“You could say that, I guess.”
“Was it fine until the whole skipping out on the bill thing?”
I laugh. “No, it was a fail before that, too. He spent the entire time talking about himself and telling me how much money he makes dealing drugs, which is ironic considering the whole dine-and-dash situation. And the only true things I told him about myself were that I wanted to see a sold-out art exhibit that ends today and that I didn’t want to buy cocaine.” I shake my head. If Kalani thinks I’m better off with one of these guys than single, then my fifth wheeling must be a bigger problem than I thought. “This is the third Friday in a row that I’ve wasted on a pointless date—no offense—and I could’ve gone to the art exhibit. Now I’ll never see it.”
“None taken,” he says. “Why didn’t you tell him he was rude and to shut up? You would’ve told me.”