Page 30 of Irresistible

“That’s fair. I guess I’m just not as cultured as you,” Scarlet said playfully.

“I mean, I didn’t really know all of that stuff until a few years ago. It’s all about experience.”

Scarlet nodded and flipped through her menu. It actually didn’t look as disgusting as she expected. A lot of her female friends had told her to order something light if she went on a date with a potential lover. But that was one sacrifice she would never make. She craved fried foods, and she figured that any man worth dating would understand that.

"Anything look good?" Richard asked, still perusing the menu himself.

"It all actually looks really good. I love diner food, but I can never bring myself to try places like this. I guess I should be more like you."

Richard smiled and continued to look through the menu. While Scarlet tried to eat salads wherever possible for the sake of her health, she knew that a salad would likely spell doom in this restaurant. At least, that was the excuse she was using to justify eating fatty, fried foods in this dingy establishment. She never needed a good reason. She just needed a reason.

"I think I have to go with the bacon cheeseburger," she said, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"That actually sounds really good. I think I'll have to do the same thing."

"With your physique, I'm surprised you've ever eaten a cheeseburger. You seem incredibly fit," Scarlet said, easing into flirtation for the evening.

"I could say the same about you. I guess it's okay to indulge yourself every once in a while."

"No pun intended, right?" Scarlet said playfully.

"It was kind of intended," Richard replied, donning a playful grin that drove Scarlet wild.

She brushed her hair back and tried in vain to hide her blushing face. This was going exactly the way she wanted it to go. She wanted to stay on this path and reach its natural conclusion. But the urge to rush things once again welled up in her chest. She knew she had to tame herself. There was nothing worse than someone who played all of their cards too quickly. The night was young, and she had to make sure there was enough in the tank to last.

"Do you want to split an order of fried pickles?" Scarlet asked. "In for a penny, in for...I guess several pounds of belly fat, right?"

"I can honestly say that I've never had a fried pickle. But I'm always interested in new things. Let's do it."

The short, old man came back around and the two placed their orders. He muttered something about bringing their drinks and retreated into the kitchen. From the glimpse that Scarlet saw through the swinging steel door, the kitchen looked like a mess. If the state had ever inspected this place, it was surely a long time ago. But neither of them cared about that in the moment. All they cared about was deepening their connection and seeing where the night took them. Dirty kitchen aside, things were going great.

"I didn't really ask you about your past. I figured it was a little inappropriate, but now that we have a better understanding of each other, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you some of the same questions you asked me earlier," Richard declared.

He was right. It was only fair.

"Have at it. I definitely feel comfortable with you. There's really nothing you can say or ask that would offend me," she started. "But...use common sense," she said, remembering her quick temper.

"Well, I can say that I didn't look you up on the internet. But you mentioned that you grew up in Mainsport and you talked about your parents a little bit. Do you have a good relationship with them? What was your childhood like?"

"I have a good relationship with them, although admittedly I get along a little better with my mom than I do with my dad. I really shouldn't complain though. I'm very fortunate to have him in my life."

Scarlet could tell that she made a mistake. She kicked herself under the table for reminding Richard of his painful childhood. Reminding him that his father wasn't around when he was young made her feel that she was being condescending. In reality, she was trying to express gratitude and apologize for what seemed like a complaint about her relationship with her father. She noticeably tensed up as the words left her mouth. Richard noticed her hesitation and swooped in to set the record straight.

"You don't have to tense up when you talk about your father. I'm glad that you have a good relationship with your family, and you're always free to talk about the things in your life that you wish were better. I don't ever want you to feel uncomfortable around me, and if I make you uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. You can talk to me about anything and everything."

He took her hand and looked at her from across the sticky table. His sincere and loving eyes told her that he was the real deal. Scarlet wasn't just another fly-by-night love interest of a successful executive. This was authentic. She nodded and smiled up at him, meeting his gaze. Her discomfort and awkward feelings quickly dissipated, and she just wanted to share more with him, because she knew he wanted to know her on a deeper level. She had never felt wanted in this way. It became clear what was missing in her previous relationships.

"Go ahead. Finish your thought,” he said softly.

"I'm really lucky to have my dad in my life. But he's really old-school. He's not much for emotions or deep discussions. I guess I've been looking for someone to fill that void throughout most of my adulthood. He always put food on the table, and he worked incredibly hard to make sure that we had what we needed. His sacrifice put me through college and helped me put a down payment on my house. I honestly feel torn and a little bit guilty, because I want him to be so much more, but I owe everything I have to him and my mom. It's a weird state of mind to be in."

"I get what you're saying, at least as much as I can without being in your shoes."

"You do?"

"Sure," Richard said, getting a more serious look in his eye. "I held a lot against my mom for a long time."

"Did you? Really? When we were talking earlier, you had nothing but good things to say about her."