The Dating Dare. Barbara DunlopЧитать онлайн книгу.
outfit—a pair of gray slacks and a monochrome animal print blouse. The blouse was V-necked, with long sleeves, and the rayon fabric was loose and comfortable. I liked the way it draped over my hips, asymmetrical from front to back.
I put my hair into a loose braid with a long tassel. My hair grew fast, and it had been a while since my last trim. If I left it completely loose, it felt wayward and messy, making it hard to relax while I ate. This way, it was up out of the way but still wispy around my face, so I didn’t look too severe.
I wore a little more makeup than usual—though it was always disappointing when the carefully applied mascara got lost behind my glasses. I put in some dangling gold earrings Layla had given me for my last birthday, and went with a pair of medium heel, charcoal boots.
I threw a sweater over my arm since September weather was unpredictable, and I hooked my trusty brown leather tote over my shoulder. It was heavy. I often thought I should streamline the contents. But the truth was I liked to be prepared—wallet, keys, sunglasses, comb, lotion, tissues and wipes, hair elastics in case of unexpected wind, a couple of coins in each denomination, enough hidden cash for a taxi home within a twenty-five-mile radius, credit cards, my phone, a flash drive—because, well, these days you never knew when you might need to unexpectedly download data—and self-defense spray because, well, these days you just never knew.
When I met Sophie at the street entrance, I rethought my look. Then again, I usually rethought my look as soon as I saw how Sophie had dressed.
She was wearing a short black scooped-neck A-line dress with just enough swish to make it fun. Over top, she’d put a faded jean jacket with a few scattered rhinestones on the collar and shoulders. The sparkling gems echoed her choker and earrings. She carried a little clutch purse, and wore strappy black platform sandals.
Her highlighted light brown hair was thick and lustrous, framing her dark brown eyes and full lips.
“Hi, Nat,” she said. “You look terrific.”
I didn’t feel terrific. Then again, I hadn’t been going for terrific. So, there was that.
“You look fantastic,” I said.
She linked her arm with mine. “Bryce is a super good guy. He got us a sedan instead of a taxi. Classy or what?”
“Classy,” I said. “Where are we going?”
“Russo’s on the waterfront.”
“Nice,” I said. Russo’s was a very trendy Italian restaurant. “Do we have reservations?” Saturday nights were crowded everywhere downtown.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Bryce can worry about that.”
“So, you don’t know if he made them or not.” I wasn’t being obsessive, merely practical.
“We’re on a date, Nat. Let the guys do the planning.”
“Okay.” I was still curious, but I wasn’t going to belabor the point.
Two men were standing in front of a black sedan parked at the curb.
“This is Bryce,” Sophie said of the taller one.
Bryce was easily over six feet. His hair was thick and near jet-black. He had a classically handsome face with brown eyes and a nice smile. His shoulders were square beneath a sport jacket and a white shirt.
“Bryce is head chef at The Blue Fern,” Sophie said.
“I didn’t know you worked together,” I said to Sophie.
She supervised food and beverage service at the local high-end restaurant. I’d had the impression Bryce was a customer she’d met while working.
“I’m sure I told you,” Sophie said.
She hadn’t. But I decided disputing her memory was pointless.
“Nice to meet you,” I said to Bryce, offering to shake hands.
His grip was gentle, his hand broad. “Sophie talks a lot about you to me, but obviously not the other way around.”
I couldn’t tell if he was offended or not. I decided to take countermeasures just in case. “Our jobs are so different we really don’t talk about work very much.”
“Nice save,” Bryce said, telling me he’d been at least slightly offended.
Sophie and I really didn’t talk much about our work. But belaboring the point would only make things worse. I stopped talking.
“And this is Ethan,” Sophie said, gesturing to the other man.
If she noticed she’d offended Bryce, she didn’t seem particularly worried about it.
Ethan was shorter than Bryce, about Sophie’s height in her high-heeled shoes—still a good bit taller than me.
His hair was a sandy blond with a copper hue. His face was on the round side, his eyes a pale blue.
“Nice to meet you too, Ethan,” I said, giving him my best smile, since he was my date, and since a woman never knew when she might meet “the one.” I tried to imagine Ethan as “the one.” I wasn’t quite seeing it, but the evening was young.
“Hi, Nat.” His grip was firmer than Bryce’s.
His mouth was shaped in a smile, but his eyes didn’t quite seem to meet mine—odd. It looked like he was focused on my eyebrows.
It made me wonder when I’d last plucked them. Did they look messy? Bushy? I sure hoped those little blond hairs hadn’t grown out in between them. That would be embarrassing.
“Do you work at The Blue Fern, too?” I asked him.
“Ethan is a computer engineer,” Sophie said. “He has his own business.”
“That’s impressive,” I said.
I’d never been strong in science and technology. Layla had always been the brainy one of the group.
“Our focus is robotics,” Ethan said.
“He’s a genius,” Sophie said.
Ethan gave Sophie a warm smile at the compliment. “The team turns big ideas into reality. And Bryce and Sophie have presented some very exciting concepts.”
I didn’t understand, so I looked to Sophie for an explanation.
“We’re technologically revolutionizing the food service industry,” she said with a wide grin.
The way she said it sounded like she was joking, though I didn’t completely get what was funny about a technological revolution of the food industry. In my mind I pictured robotic salad tossing.
The image was a little bit funny, so I smiled back at her. “You’re turning The Blue Fern into The Jetsons? Jet packs and robot waiters?”
Their silence told me I’d got it wrong.
“You’re mocking her?” Ethan asked.
I sobered. “No. I didn’t... I mean...”
“It’s a brave new world,” Sophie said, clearly disappointed by my reaction. “You have to progress with the times.”
I felt terrible.
“We should get going,” Ethan said, his expression telling me I hadn’t made a good first impression. So much for judging him. He was judging me.
If Sophie was serious about orchestrating a technological revolution, you’d think she might have mentioned it to her best friend.
Ethan took the front passenger seat while Sophie climbed into the back and pushed to the middle. Bryce made to climb in behind her, so I went around to the opposite door, feeling awkward and self-conscious.
“Bryce and Ethan went to high school together,” Sophie said to me while I wrangled my seat belt into the clasp.