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He was nice to servers too? That was always something I looked for on dates. Being rude to a waitress was a major red flag. But my stomach sank, because I wasn’t getting the feeling like there was enough chemistry here to warrant me staying.
Hiding my disappointment, I took a sip of my shake, and Bennett asked, “How is it?”
“Good,” I said. “Yours?”
“The best.” He took a fry from the basket and dragged it through his shake, bringing it to his lips.
And that gave me an idea. Maybe what I needed to get that feeling, that spark, from Bennett was as simple as a kiss.
I promised myself that if he didn’t make a move when he dropped me off tonight, I would.
20
HAYES
I drove back to the garage, unable to pry my mind away from Della. She looked ridiculous, covering her curves and her pretty red hair in all black. But that frumpy outfit did nothing to dampen my attraction to her.
If anything, her playfulness made me that much more interested.
Fuck boring women who acted like fun was beneath them.
I wanted a woman who could play with me. Challenge me. Tease me.
It was a miracle I managed to hold back when she lifted her chin like that to kiss me. Her lips had been so close to mine. I’d been so close to giving in.
But Dad was right about growing into the man she deserved. Sex had always been one of my favorite activities. But the thought of Della considering me a one-night stand was enough to make my stomach turn. And the version of me that would be more to her? I had no idea what the fuck he would do. And that was the problem. This was all new to me, and I was liable to fuck things up with the only woman I’d ever really cared about.
With that lovely fucking thought stabbing at my brain folds, I reached the garage, where all the guys were sitting around one of the waiting room tables playing Texas Hold’em. My dad, Fletcher, and Knox were there, along with Rhett and Tyler Griffen—two guys who had grown up on the farm next to ours.
As I walked in, I could feel all their eyes on me, hopefully just because I brought refreshments. I set a few six-packs on one of the side tables for them, then grabbed a bottle and took my seat at the table. “Deal me in.”
Fletcher bridged the cards easily, eyeing me. “What’s wrong with you? You haven’t made one joke about my shirt yet.”
I glanced at his t-shirt that said, Hi Hungry, I’m Dad.
“Hi Dad, I’m hungry.”
He studied me, waiting for my answer to his initial question.
Damn him for being so perceptive. “Can we just pretend it’s nothing?”
Dad chuckled before taking a swig of his beer and tossing a couple chips into the middle pile. We both knew that Fletcher, with his need to solve every problem we had, would never let it drop.
Rhett gave me a skeptical look under the brim of his black cowboy hat. “It’s gotta be a woman.”
I gritted my teeth. Of course he would recognize the signs when he went through his own playboy phase before settling down with his wife, Maggie.
Knox teased, “Is she inflatable?”
I glared at him while all the other guys whooped with laughter.
Then Knox’s eyes widened with surprise at my expression. “Woah now, are you dating someone?”
Tyler looked just as shocked. “I don’t know that I’ve seen you in a relationship since you were sixteen!”
Rhett dipped his head, his cowboy hat catching shadows as he did. “And that one only lasted a week if I remember right.”
I wasn’t the kind to get embarrassed, but all the attention was making my cheeks feel hot. I muttered, “And now I’m regretting saying anything.”