She stopped midlecture. Arms braced against the counter. Cheeks glowing with indignation. Mouth open. She swallowed. “Sister?”
“Yes. Sister. What did you think—” Oh. Oh. He snorted. “You thought . . .”
She dropped her head to rest on her elbows, hiding her face. “I can’t believe I assumed she was your girlfriend.”
He tried to remember all of his references to Melissa during his interactions with Charlotte. He couldn’t grasp details to give merit to the confusion, but clearly he’d never specified who his sister was.
But that still left one question. “Now that you know I’m not a total sleazebag and hitting on you while I have a girlfriend . . . will you let me take you to dinner?”
Charlotte snorted back a laugh, her head still buried. “I can’t even look at you right now. I’m going to burst into flames I’m so embarrassed.”
He wanted to see that. He gently prodded her bent arm. “Waiting on an answer here.” Third time was the charm. “Charlotte? Will you go on a date with me?”
Zoe suddenly barreled back through the kitchen door. “Mom! Say yes. Please!”
Julie popped her head around the frame. “We really need better soundproofing back here.”
Charlotte lifted her head, cheeks red, eyes closed. Hope built in Will’s chest. She was caving. Slowly.
“Mom, if you say yes, I won’t eat sweets for an entire day.” Zoe’s wide-eyed, solemn promise couldn’t have been more perfect if Will had planned it. He held his breath.
Charlotte looked at her daughter, then at Will. Then at Julie, who gave a thumbs-up, then back at Will, and released a sigh. “Make it two days.”
“Two?” Indignation filled the little girl’s voice.
Will raised his eyebrows at her. Mouthed the word please. She frowned, twisted her braid, and then nodded. “Okay. It’s a deal, Mommy.”
Charlotte met Will’s eyes and offered a timid smile. “It’s a deal.”
“I can’t believe you thought I was dating my sister.”
“Will!” Charlotte kicked him under the table, stifling a laugh. Talk about poor timing for their waiter. He delivered a fresh basket of chips and fled the scene.
When he was gone, she leaned forward across the white tablecloth and lowered her voice. At this point in the evening, they’d probably annoyed their table-neighbors enough with all their laughter. “I didn’t think you were dating your sister. I didn’t know she was your sister. Big difference there.”
Once again, those hazel eyes kept drawing her in. All of her doubts and fears about this date had dissipated halfway into their appetizer of queso and tortilla chips.
Earlier Zoe had caught her double-checking her reflection in the mirror. “Don’t worry, Mommy,” she said. “You look like a princess.”
Now she was beginning to feel like one.
And it was about time she’d found someone remotely prince-like.
Will leaned back in his chair, one arm slung along the back. “Eh, details.” He winked.
She shook her head. “You’re incorrigible.”
He snagged a chip from the basket and popped it in his mouth. “I was once. Not anymore.”
“Because of the military?”
He shrugged. “Partly. You get used to being corrected pretty quickly in basic training.” He picked up another chip, but didn’t eat it. Just turned it end over end in his hand, as if he’d gotten lost in thought. Or in the past.
She could relate to that. She sensed he wanted to say more, but couldn’t. Wouldn’t? Maybe it was her turn. After all, he’d taken the first step in asking her out. Now that Melissa wasn’t an issue between them—obviously—Charlotte had no reason not to see what could develop.
That didn’t make her feel any less terrified, but at least it offered possibilities.
“Do you regret leaving the military?” The words slipped out before she could fully weigh them. If that was the reason for his hesitations in their conversation, then her bringing it up could backfire. She held her breath.
“No, I’m happy in the reserves.” The chip turned faster in his hands. “There were some family issues that needed to be taken care of a few years ago, and well—I didn’t have much choice.”
Family issues. She was a single mom. Say no more.
“I’m still trying to figure out what to do next. I don’t want to be a trainer all my life, though the time in the gym has been productive.”
She definitely concurred with that, but didn’t have the nerve to say so. “Okay, so no full-time military, and no permanent training plans in the cards for you. What else do you like to do?”
He studied the chip in his hand as if it held the secret to some long-buried question. “I used to cook a lot, actually.”
“Really?” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you thinking about giving me competition?”
He shot her a glance. “Cook. Not bake.”
“Lucky for you.”
He grinned at her tease. “Maybe it’s lucky for you.”