Page 11 of The Sweetest Mistake

Studying her for a few seconds, he changed tack. “Okay. Look. I made a mistake. How about if we start over?” And then, without waiting for a response, he said, “Hey, Julia. Would you like to go out and have a drink with me tonight?”

She debated it for what felt like a long time before answering, “Okay.”

“Cool,” he said, and they both started walking toward the driveway. Connor had purposely blocked in her Mini Cooper with his Jeep, but she took out her keys anyway. Confused, he said, “That’s okay. I’ll drive.”

Tossing her purse into the passenger seat, she leaned against the door frame and scowled at him. “You’re right. You’ll drive your Jeep, and I’ll follow you in my car.”

He was about to protest, but then he just flung out his arms and said, “Okay. Fine. I’ll meet you there.” And then he turned and started to walk away.

Julia cleared her throat loudly until he turned back around.

“Now what?” he asked, exasperated.

“Where is there?”

“If you’re following me, then you’ll find out when we get there.”

Eyes locked, they held a silent standoff until Julia finally gave in. “Fine, but it better not be your place, because we never agreed to that!”

“You wish,” he said and then hopped into the Jeep before she could say another word.

He drove to O’Malley’s Bar and Grill, a small mom-and-pop establishment that everyone who lived in the area was familiar with. Having grown up in Brandon, Connor embraced the small-town vibe. And when he got restless, it was a relatively short drive to get to the busier communities of metro Detroit.

When they arrived at the restaurant, he noticed she parked a few spaces away from him, probably thinking it would give her a buffer zone when they left later. Silly woman. By the time she’d retrieved her purse from the passenger seat and was about to exit the car, he was already opening her door. See that? He could be a gentleman when he wanted to be.

Looking surprised, she said, “Thank you.”

“Welcome. See how easy it is to be nice to each other?”

“The night is young,” she said with an eye roll.

Instead of retorting, he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her inside the restaurant. Somewhat surprised she hadn’t swatted his hand away, he soaked up the feeling of her warm skin through her top, wondering what it would feel like underneath. Inwardly cursing, he reminded himself to be good. Julia was obviously still wary of him, and he didn’t want to scare her away, especially on their first date.

His friend Matt was standing behind the check-in desk when they walked in. “Hey, Connor. Good to see you, buddy.”

“You too,” Connor replied, reaching around Julia to shake Matt’s hand.

“Would you like a table for you and your lovely date?”

Connor had just opened his mouth when Julia butted in. “We’re not dating. And we’ll just sit at the bar. Thanks.”

Wide-eyed, Matt said, “Whatever the lady wants.” And then he led them to the bar, where he set down two menus.

After he’d walked away, Connor turned toward her and said, “Are you going to loosen up or what?”

“Huh?”

“You practically bit the owner’s head off.”

Eyebrows raised, she stammered, “The…the…owner?”

“Yeah, and he was just trying to be friendly.”

Julia sighed. “Oh God. I sounded like a bitch, didn’t I?”

“Your words, not mine.”

Sighing, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”