Page 12 of Game Over

Spencer: I hate to text like a needy person already but I had a question.

Spencer: Any preferences for dinner tonight? Allergies or anything?

Allie: Nope! You’re all good to pick wherever :)

Me: Sounds good I’ll see you tonight then gorgeous

CHAPTER 6

The Bar Is in Hell

I stared at my phone while I sat in my towel on the bed. I couldn’t believe that I actually ran into Spencer again, and that he asked me out too. The logical side of my brain knew I probably should’ve said no or at least waited till I knew we could do this with no repercussions from work, but the other side threw all caution to the wind and said why the hell not. Besides, we were getting dinner as friends. New friends who had just met each other. Friends get dinner all the time, so it was totally acceptable.

Right?

Shaking my head to expel some of the anxious energy, I headed into my closet to throw on a comfy lounge set. Excitement and nerves flooded my system as I thought about all my possible outfit options and how tonight would go.

I hadn’t been on a date where I was this excited in a long time. Even in my previous relationship, the dates were never anything I truly wanted to do or enjoyed. It was always places he wanted to go to and activities he wanted to do. I wouldn’t have even cared to do those things, but he made it so miserable the entire time. Cameron would argue if I suggested anything he wouldn’t like to do. He’d pout and make comments about how bored he was or how bad the food was. Anything he could bitch about, he did. Eventually, I gave up making suggestions and sucked it up and shoved my frustrations deep down.

Spencer seemed different and like he genuinely cared and wanted to try. Even if I told him this was strictly platonic. He was already doing more by simply asking me if I had preferences. It only took a few seconds to send someone a text asking such a simple question, but by him doing so, it felt monumental to me.

“Sheesh, the bar for men is basically in hell, isn’t it, Dolly?” She cocked her head at me like she’s known this and I’m the one now figuring it out. My stomach was in knots and probably would remain that way until tonight. It was still pretty early in the day, so I made myself some lunch and curled up on the couch with Dolly. Deciding to turn on some HGTV reruns and scroll my phone to kill the time and relax.

Once four o’clock came around, I decided to crawl out of the hole on my couch and start getting ready. Even though I knew it wouldn’t stay for long because of the ever-so-lovely humidity, I added a few loose curls to my hair and started working on my makeup. I decided to go with a lighter smoky eye with a little winged liner and a mauve lip. With one final glance in the mirror, I got up, headed into my walk-in closet, and started to sort through all my clothes. I needed to pick something that I wouldn’t sweat everywhere, but still felt comfortable and confident in too.

“Hmm, let's see what we have,” I said to myself as I thumbed through everything and pulled pieces out to see if anything sparked my interest. The pile of clothes accumulating on my floor from all the discarded options was concerning and probably a sign that I should go through things to donate.

I finally landed on a black skirt that hit mid-thigh with this lace tank top tucked into it, and a pair of strappy sandals. Grabbing my favorite coconut lotion, I applied another layer and then topped it with the matching spray. It smelled like summer in a bottle.

Looking through my jewelry, I landed on some cute gold hoops, the beautiful tennis bracelet my mama got me when I graduated, and lastly, the delicate gold chain necklace with a small pearl pendant my granny left me when she passed.

“Damn, I look fine as hell right now.” I giggled as I snapped a couple of pictures to send to Emma for her approval too. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t too overdressed. She quickly texted me back, letting me know that I was hot as sin and that I had the best boobs she’s ever seen. This outfit showed off some of my tattoos and allowed some others to peek through too.

I checked my phone for the time—six forty-five p.m., so I still had a few minutes to kill. I touched up a couple of curls that had already fallen and then let Dolly out. While waiting for her to get done, I heard a knock at the door.

“Huh? It’s only six fifty, is he here already?” Pulling up my front door camera, I checked it was him before opening the door. Although my neighborhood was safe, I took every precaution a woman should when living on her own, like having a camera and a baseball bat tucked near the door. “Oh, he is. One second!” I hollered while I tried to get Dolly back inside, but of course, now was the time she wanted to not listen and get the zoomies.

Cursing to myself, I left the back door open and went to let Spencer in. When I opened the door, he was facing away from me, looking over the front yard. He had on a long-sleeved black shirt with a crisp, folded collar stretched tightly against his back and broad shoulders, and pants that clung to his legs. I’d never checked a man's ass out before, but I couldn’t help it. He had a really fucking nice bubble butt.

“Hi,” I said sheepishly. He turned around, and my knees threatened to buckle. His deep chocolate brown hair was still slightly damp on top, causing his curls to hang down slightly above his glasses. Slowly drinking him in from head to toe, my heart skipped a few beats while I did. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, showing off his muscular forearms, revealing the sleeves taut against his biceps.

“Hi there. These are for you.” Smiling as he handed me the beautiful bouquet of daisies in his hands, and those panty-dropping dimples on full display.

“Wow, they're gorgeous, thank you so much. Here, why don’t you come in? I’ll go ahead and put them in a vase. I have to get Dolly in. She’s being incredibly stubborn right now.”

“Thank you, who’s Dolly?” he asked at the same time Dolly came barreling through the back door and barking as loud as she could.

“That little raptor right there would be Dolly. I’m so sorry, she’s hesitant with new people being in her home. Come on, girl, please stop.” I pleaded with her.

“It’s her home, and she just wants to protect it,” he said as he slowly dropped into a crouch. “Isn’t that right, pretty girl? You want to keep your mama here safe, huh?” He slowly stuck his hand out and kept as still as possible, waiting for her to come to him. He wasn’t phased in the slightest by her barking while I was on fire from embarrassment.

Having a reactive dog was frustrating on so many levels at times. One, because it made me feel like I did something wrong, and two, because I felt bad for her. I wanted her to have a fulfilled life, and it felt like I failed her at times when she couldn’t do things other dogs did. Dolly slowly crept toward him and started sniffing his hand, then his shoes and legs. She seemed satisfied with her explorations because she launched herself at him full speed. Clearly, she trusted him because she was trying to give him kisses and get pets from him too.

We’ll take that as the first green flag.

“There’s a good girl,” he said while he scratched behind her ear. Hearing him say good girl did something to my insides, and I don’t think I was prepared to explore that yet.

“Well, she certainly does like you. She’s never warmed up to someone that quickly.” I laughed as he stood back up and walked over to me. I couldn’t help but breathe in the cologne he was wearing. It smelled clean but had a masculine scent—something citrusy, and woodsy, maybe? I’m not a lumberjack, so I wasn’t sure, but either way, he smelled delicious.