Slipping on the dress, she hurried into the bathroom and styled her hair into loose waves, securing one side behind her ear with a gold clip. She made quick work of her makeup—just some subtle eyeshadow and tinted lip gloss.
She turned from side to side in front of the mirror, inspecting her work. Looking good! Ready for dinner, her heart beat with excitement. Taking a deep breath, she had to remind herself this wasn’t arealdate. The only reason they were going to dinner was to fix her sneezing problem.
The doorbell rang, and she rushed to the living room and pressed the intercom. “Hello?”
“It’s me.” She’d know that deep, melt-your-bones voice anywhere.
“I’ll be down in a second.”
“No, buzz me up. We have to do this right.”
She giggled. “Okay.” And pressed the button to let him in.
During the few minutes it took for Theo to reach her door, she smoothed out the skirt of her dress, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and checked she didn’t have any lip gloss on her teeth in the mirror hung near the door.
Theo knocked, and her heart pounded. She took a deep breath and opened her door. The breath caught in her lungs. Oh sweet Jesus! She should be used to seeing Theo dressed immaculately and looking sexier than any man had the right to, but this somehow took the cake. Tonight, he’d dressed in a charcoal suit with a black shirt, filling it out to perfection. Her heart shouldn’t jackhammer behind her ribs at the sight. How could it not, though? It wasn’t every day the masculine ideal stood at her door.
“These are for you.” He held out a bunch of pink gerberas, her favorite flowers, as his gaze roamed over her body approvingly.
Warmth washed over her, and a little happy bubble formed in her chest. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to buy me flowers.”
“I told you we were doing this right. Gotta help you get married off.”
And her little happy bubble burst along with the heat in his gaze. Of course, this was all an act. Nothing more. She’d asked for his help, and he was giving it to her. Simple as that. She had to get her head out of the clouds and focus on what she needed to do to move forward—whether it be with Owen or someone else.
“I’ll put these in some water, then we can leave.” She hurried into the kitchen, found a vase, and filled it. Before going back to Theo, she put her hands on the counter and drew in several deep breaths to settle her racing heart. This was Theo, her childhood crush, looking sexier and hotter than she ever could have imagined him. These giddy emotions whenever she saw him would pass. She needed her pep talk to work— damn, she was screwed if it didn’t.
Back in the living room, she picked up her purse from the coffee table and smiled. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.” He held open the door.
Once in his Mercedes, he said, “I hope you like seafood.”
“Yes, I do.” Seafood was one of her favorite things to eat. First the flowers, now the cuisine. Had Theo called Ethan and asked him for a list of her favorite things? Surely not, because if he had, he’d have had to explain why he wanted that information. There was no way he’d tell her brother he was taking her on a date even if it was a pretend one. He really was giving her the first-date treatment.
At the restaurant, the valet greeted them and took the keys to Theo’s car. Inside they were greeted by the maître d’ who rushed to them and proudly showed them to the best table in the restaurant. Who the hell had Theodore Campbell become since leaving Australia? From the clothes he wore, the car he drove, and the club he owned, she’d say someone who’d made it big. Once seated at their table, the waiter gave them a few minutes to look over the menu.
“Are you taking notes?” Theo eyed her over the menu.
She looked up from where she was debating between the grouper and the lobster risotto. “Excuse me?”
“This date was so you could learn why you’re not nervous around me so you can apply it to your date with… Owen.” Did he just screw his face up when he said Owen’s name?
“Oh, right.” She’d forgotten the real reason for the dinner, being so caught up in the fantasy of actually dating Theo. “No sneeze yet. So whatever we’re doing is working.”
He gave her a crooked smile, and it was so damn sexy her thighs clenched.Stop it! Stop looking at Theo like some sex god. Or dating other men will never work.Pulling her attention away from his panty-melting smile, she focused on the menu and gave the waiter who’d returned her order of the lobster risotto.
“It looks like you’ve done well for yourself these past few years. How did you get to own a nightclub? I always thought you wanted to be a race car driver.”
He laughed. “I’ve replaced fast cars with owning clubs, it's become my new passion.”
“Clubs?” They paused in their conversation as the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine and poured it into their glasses. “You have more than one? Do you own the buildings they’re in too?” Chloe asked once they were left alone.
“We own six clubs all over the East Coast,” he answered, taking a sip of chardonnay, “and yes, we own the buildings. It’s not usual, but it makes things easier.” He didn’t elaborate.
Her chest filled with pride. “Wow, that’s amazing. You own them with Blake?”
“Yes, and with my father too. Although he’s retired and is more like a silent partner now.”