I laughed despite myself. It was nice to see him in such a good mood again, and I could see now that he was proud of me again. I would have to forget about Xavier if I wanted to continue seeing a smile from my father.
“I’m impressed, Dad. You did a good job. This dress is amazing.”
Ryan was over fifteen minutes late, which normally would send my father into a small panic. There were a lot of things that annoyed him in life, but being late was one of the big ones. He said it was disrespectful and unnecessary to keep someone waiting. But he barely flinched as the time went by and told me that he was sure Ryan had a good reason.
Ryan didn’t apologize, and when he opened the door, he took one look at me and whistled.
“Hot,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this date, Holly. I’m Ryan. Oh, hi, Rick,” he said when he saw my father. “Your daughter looks great.”
A strange look crossed my father’s face, and I saw him struggle to smile. Then he shook his head, as if deciding that everything was fine, and reached out to shake Ryan’s hand.
“She’s a beautiful girl. Have a great time, you two.”
Ryan was a good-looking guy, but not in the same way that Xavier was good looking. Ryan was extremely polished, as if he spent hours getting ready each morning. There wasn’t a crease on his shirt or a hair out of place. And while he might look good on paper, he wasn’t the sort of guy I found attractive. I liked a guy that was a bit more real and natural. I suddenly became very aware of my own imperfections.
“What do you think of my car?” he said as we walked outside.
“Oh, it’s great,” I said with forced enthusiasm.
We stepped inside, and he continued to tell me all about his car, which he’d apparently had his eye on for the past year. It was nice, but I had never been someone particularly interested in cars, and after about five minutes I started to zone out. I found myself wondering what Xavier was doing and whether or not he missed me. By the time we reached the restaurant, I realized I hadn’t listened to a thing that Ryan had said. I also realized that Ryan hadn’t even noticed.
“I thought I’d take you to Kansas Café tonight. They do a mean chicken pie.”
I smiled. “Sounds great,” I said and got out the car. Obviously, Ryan didn’t open the door for me, but I hadn’t expected him too. I didn’t normally care for things like that, but it was a first date so you’d think he’d make a bit more of an effort.
Kansas Café was a popular café in town and one that I had been to many times before. It was a casual place and not really the type of place you’d take a girl on a first date. But I didn’t mind. The last thing I wanted was to sit with him in a quiet and romantic setting. I just wanted something nice to eat, and then I wanted to go home and never see him again. It didn’t take me long for me to know that there wouldn’t be a second date. We made our way to our table, and Ryan immediately ordered us both a glass of white wine. I didn’t even like white wine all that much, but the waiter had gone before I had the chance to change the change the order. There was nothing I hated more than someone who just assumed I would like something just because they did. Ryan seemed to think that everything he did was perfect.
“So, what do you do, Ryan?” I asked.
He smiled at me, and I noticed his teeth looked a little too white. Nobody had teeth that color. It was a little unnerving. I looked up at his hair and felt an urge to reach up and mess it up. It took me less than half an hour to get ready for this date. I wondered how long it had taken him.
“Oh, I’m a software developer,” he said. “I’m very good at my job,” he added.
“That sounds interesting,” I said, and I was genuinely interested in finding out more about it. I had always had a fascination with what jobs people did, and I loved to know how they spent their days. “Tell me more about it,” I said.
I immediately regretted asking him for more details as he launched into a story that seemed to take forever. Just like me, he had moved away for a while for work, although he’d gone overseas instead of just moving to another town in America. Usually, something like that would’ve been fascinating to me, but I lost interest in his story almost from the very beginning. Everything he said was about him, and him alone. It didn’t help that his voice was a slow drone without much change in elevation. He only paused so that we could order our food or to take a sip of wine. He ordered a chicken pie for me with a side salad, and I didn’t bother to say anything. I just wanted the night to be over. Maybe it was a good thing that he talked so much because I didn’t have to do much else but nod or smile at the right places. By the time finished telling me about his work, which, as it turned out, was not nearly as interesting as I thought it was going to be, he launched into his side project. Modeling.
“I got into it a few years ago. An agent saw me at a café and came up to give me her card. Isn’t that amazing? It’s like you only really think things like that happen in the movies, but it happened to me. I called her up and told her that I couldn’t do anything full time because I had a job already. So she offered me some smaller modeling roles. I’d say that’s how I managed to pay for my car. It’s kind of an exhausting job. You’d think that modeling was all caviar and champagne, but it’s really hard work.”
I smiled politely. “Sounds great. So, what sort of modeling do you do?”
Why was I asking more questions? It was just more of an excuse for him to talk about himself. I’d never met anyone who liked the sound of their own voice as much as he did. By the time we finished with my meal, I realized that he hadn’t asked me once about what I did for a living. In fact, he hadn’t directed the conversation my way at all. He was still talking about himself, and he seemed convinced that he was the most interesting man in the world.
“Do you want dessert?” he asked. “They do great milkshakes here. I’m very lucky when it comes to food. You’d think that someone like me has to watch what they eat, but I obviously have a very fast metabolism. I’m definitely going to get a milkshake. How about you? Do you need to watch what you eat?”
If he was going to get a milkshake, then I was definitely going to get one. With all the extra cream and chocolate that could fit inside. I felt outraged that we were even having this conversation.
“I don’t need to watch what I eat. I’d love a milkshake.”
“Two vanilla milkshakes please,” he said to the waiter as he walked past.
“I’d like a chocolate brownie milkshake,, please,” I said.
“Are you sure? That’s a lot of calories. At least with the vanilla one you’re having a treat without being too greedy.”
The waiter frowned and looked at me as if to say he couldn’t believe I was on a date with a guy like this.
“I’ll definitely take the chocolate brownie one,” I said.
The waiter smiled. “Excellent choice.”
I was actually full from dinner, but I was going to make a point of finishing that milkshake in front of Ryan no matter what it took. I sat back and just let Ryan continue with his talking while I waited for the milkshakes to arrive. When they did, I was glad to at least have something to distract me from his annoying voice. No matter how happy my father was that I was on a date with him, I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting through another date with this guy.
We were halfway through our milkshakes when the door opened, and a group of firemen walked through the door. My heart immediately began pounding in my chest as I watched them. I prayed that Xavier wouldn’t be there too, and my heart dropped when I saw that he was the last to walk in. He spotted me right away, and I saw how hurt he looked to see me sitting there with Ryan. I wanted to explain to him that it wasn’t a date and that I was only trying to placate my father, but I couldn’t say anything with everyone around me. I saw him walk to his table and then change his mind as he walked right up to me. I could hear my heart beating it was so loud.
“Oh, hi, Holly. Hi, Ryan. I didn’t know the two of
you were dating,” he said and looked at the two of us with a big fake smile on his face.”
“Xavier, good to see you man,” Ryan said. “Oh, Holly and I are on a date. Our first one, and it’s going so well.”
My eyes widened at that. Did Ryan really think that this date was going well? Actually, I wasn’t surprised. Of course he thought that. I didn’t know what to say. I just sat there looking at them both in shock. Words had failed me.
“Oh, I’m sure it is. You look great together. Well, sis, it’s good to see you again,” Xavier said, and I cringed at the term ‘sis.’ He had placed extra emphasis on it to make sure that I heard it correctly. “Make sure this guy treats you well.”
He walked off before I had the chance to say anything. Ryan looked at me and smiled.
“Nice guy that. Anyway, what were we talking about? Oh yes, I wanted to tell you about this modeling gig I have coming up.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Xavier
Ryan? She was on a date with Ryan? Ryan, of all guys. If she really didn’t want to be with me, that was fine. But to choose someone like him over me made my blood boil. I couldn’t stand that guy. I didn’t know him well, but the little I did know was enough. I’d never met a guy that loved his own company as much as he did. He was not Holly’s type at all, although perhaps I just didn’t know her nearly as well as I thought I did.
Holly looked beautiful tonight. She was wearing a pale blue dress I had never seen before, and it showed off a lot of skin. It was the sort of dress her father would probably hate to see her in, which surprised me. Holly was usually so worried about what her father thought, so to see her in a dress like that made me wonder why she’d made such an effort for this guy. She obviously wanted the date to lead to something more. I’d spent the last two weeks thinking about her and hoping that she would call me. She’d assured me that she just needed some time to figure things out. I had no idea that ‘figuring things out’ meant going on a date with another guy. I felt like such a fool.
“Is that Holly?” Kenny asked as I sat back down with the guys.
I nodded. “Yep. She’s on a date with Ryan. Do you know him?”
Kenny pulled a face. “I can’t stand that guy. Why would she be on a date with him?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? I guess we don’t know Holly nearly as well as we thought we did.”
Kenny looked at me strangely. He clearly wanted to know more, but he knew better than to ask me in front of all the other guys.
“Her loss,” he said. “If she likes a guy like him then I’m not sure she’s the sort of girl I’d want to hang around with.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” I said. “Oh well. Moving onwards and upwards,” I said and forced myself to smile.
“Beer?” Kenny asked.
“Absolutely.”
I turned my attention back to the guys in the group. One of the guys was telling a joke, and the moment everyone laughed, I laughed with them even though I had no idea what the joke had been about. My beer arrived, and I took a few grateful sips. The cool liquid moved down my throat, and I wondered if I should just get drunk and organize a cab for the rest of the night. I was in the mood to just forget about everything that had happened, and being the only sober one in the group did not appeal to me.
Suddenly one of the guys stood up and looked around the group.
“Today was a tough day. But we all did well. Especially Xavier, who saved a little dog called Pumpkin. A dog with a name like that deserves to be saved. To Xavier and Pumpkin!” he yelled and held up his glass.
I laughed as all the men held up their own glasses. “To Xavier and Pumpkin.”
We sat telling stories for a while. It started with the current fire and moved on to stories from the past that we had all been involved in. We didn’t often go out in a group, and it was nice to have something to take my mind off what was happening just a few tables away from me. I forced myself not to look in their direction, but it wasn’t easy. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Holly and Ryan walking towards the door to leave, and I felt sick to my stomach. Were they going to go back to his place? Were they going to kiss? I wanted to go and ask her. I stood up and then sat back down again. What was wrong with me? If she didn’t want to be with me, I shouldn’t have to force her. She had the right to be with whoever she wanted to be with, and she was making it perfectly clear that this was not what she wanted.
“You okay?” Kenny asked.
I shook my head. “I’m not feeling too good. Must be all that smoke I inhaled today. I think I might just go home for a bit. I’ll meet you at the club a little later, though.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I think I just need a Tylenol and a bit of a rest.”
I stood up and shouted my goodbyes to everyone. I promised them that I would see them later even though I was sure that I wouldn’t. I wanted nothing more than to just go home and climb into bed. I had lost all desire to go out and party even though that was probably exactly what I should be doing. I was sure that Kenny could see straight through my lies about feeling ill, but he had the grace not to say anything.
“You really should come out later though,” he said to me.
“I’m sure I’ll be there,” I lied.
I walked out and made my way to my bike when I saw Holly and Ryan standing by his car. As fate would have it, I had parked my bike right next to his car without even realizing it. The parking lot hadn’t even been full when I arrived, and yet that was the car I had chosen. I shook my head and considered walking back inside until they had left. The last thing that I needed to see was the two of them having a little romantic moment together. But then I noticed that Holly looked uncomfortable, so I walked a bit closer to see what was happening. Ryan was pushing Holly against the car and was leaning forward to kiss her. I felt sick to my stomach and angry at her for doing this to me until I saw that she was pushing him away. I heard her tell Ryan that she wasn’t interested.
“Sorry, Ryan, I just want to go home,” she said.
“Oh come on, I know you want to,” he said and leaned in again. He was stronger than her, and she couldn’t seem to get away from his grip. I knew he wasn’t a nice guy, but I had no idea just how horrible he was until that moment. He couldn’t get a girl, so he had to force himself on them.
My anger at her soon turned to anger at him, and I ran up towards them and pushed him away from her. I hit him in the face and watched as he stumbled back in surprise. My knuckles burned, but the feeling was good.
“What the hell, man? What’s wrong with you? You got my freaking nose.”
I grabbed him by the shirt. He might be a big guy, but I was bigger.
“You deserve more than that, you idiot! What do you think you were doing there? You can’t force a girl to kiss you. You don’t have the right to do that. She told you that she wasn’t interested.”
“What does that have to do with you? Anyway, she’s just shy, that’s all. You don’t have to interfere.”
“She’s just shy? No, she’s not. You’re just forceful. If a lady says no, then you listen to her.”
“Dude, back off, man. This has nothing to do with you. You do realize that she’s not even your sister, don’t you? You don’t need to protect her all the time. She can look after herself. Calm the hell down.”
“Calm down? You want me to calm down? I will not calm down. What are you going to do now? Are you going to try and kiss her again the moment I walk away?”
“She’s a big girl. She can do what she wants. I was just trying to show her a good time, that’s all.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I released him and then punched him one more time in the face.
“I hope your nose is broken,” I said. I turned to Holly. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but I could see she was trembling.
“Come on, Holly. There is no way this guy is taking you home.”
I got onto the bike and told her to get on with me. She wrap
ped her arms around me and leaned her head on my back as I drove off. I didn’t take her home. Instead, I took her back to my place. I needed to talk to her. We didn’t say a word while we made our way inside, but the moment we got inside, I turned to look at her.
“How could you do this to me?” I said.
“Do what? I didn’t kiss him,” she said. “You were there. You saw that I didn’t kiss him.”
“You still went on a date with him.”
She sighed. “I know. But I was just trying to do the right thing. That’s all. I didn’t know you would be there tonight.”
“Do you like the guy or something?”
She laughed. “Are you kidding me? He’s the worst human being I’ve ever met.”
I was relieved to hear that but still confused that she had chosen to go out with someone she didn’t even like.
“So why did you go out with him then? It was a date, he said so himself.”
“First, I had no idea he was this bad. Second, I only did it to get my dad off my case. He’s been acting really strange lately, and he’s barely mentioned you. He knows something is up; I can just feel it.”
“So, you weren’t going out with Ryan because you wanted to?”
“I may have briefly considered marrying him and having his kids. I mean, he’s very good looking. He’s the sort of man you definitely want to have a child with.”
“Are you serious?” I said and felt the anger return.
She laughed. “Of course I’m not serious. Xavier, I didn’t want to go out with him. I shouldn’t have done it. I was just trying to do the right thing. But I’m starting to realize that I have no idea what the right thing is anymore.”
“You look so beautiful tonight,” I said as I looked at her dress. “I felt sad that you dressed that way for him.”
“My dad chose this dress,” she said bitterly.
“What? Are you serious? Wow, your dad must’ve really wanted you to meet someone else.”
“Yeah. Now do you see why I’m so confused?”
I nodded. “I’m sorry, Holly.”
Dirty Stepbrother - A Firefighter Romance (The Maxwell Family) Page 16