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“So,” she says after a lot of processing, “it turns out you’re not an asshole after all.”
I laugh. I couldn’t stop it even if I wanted to. Amelia unfiltered is fucking disarming. “That’s the second compliment you’ve given me. I thought the first one was an outlier and there would be no more.”
“Well, you just gave me some, so I thought I’d return the favor.”
“By my calculations, I’m still due a few if you’re returning the favor.”
She lifts her brows. “Did I, or did I not, tell you that your ass is hot when you first got here? I think that makes us even.”
Christ, I could do this with her all day.
“No, my ass wasn’t mentioned. But I’ve just made a mental update to your list.”
Her own enjoyment of this conversation is written across her face and I fucking like seeing that in her.
“Honestly, I don’t think you need me to help you out with compliments. I’m pretty sure you’ve got a long line of women ready to throw them at you.”
“Yours are the only ones I’m interested in hearing, Amelia.”
That causes heat in her eyes again. Then, a long stare before she stands abruptly. “I need to use the bathroom,” she announces. “And you need to stop saying things like that.” She grabs her heels from under the table. “When I get back, we should have our science fair planning meeting.”
She’s slipping her shoes on when the server approaches to ask if we’d like food or drinks.
“Sure,” Amelia says. “I’ll have another cocktail. An Everything All At Once, please.”
“Jesus,” I say. “What’s in that?” It sounds like something I would have chosen in my early twenties. Something to really fuck me up.
She shrugs. “I can’t remember, but it’s good.” She looks at the server. “Do you know?”
He nods and rattles off the list of ingredients. “Whisky, rum, pear spice, and walnut liqueur.”
Fuck. That’s not a drink. That’s trauma waiting to happen.
“And you, Sir?” he asks.
“I’ll take a bourbon. Neat. Someone here has to remember their name tomorrow.”
He gives me a quick grin before leaving.
“How many have you had?” I ask Amelia who’s now hunting around in her purse for something.
“Three. I think.” She locates what she’s looking for and then glances at me. “I’m going to the bathroom now. Don’t steal my drink if it arrives before I come back.”
She says that like it’s a real possibility, which I find highly amusing. My amusement vanishes the second she heads for the bathroom and I see what those three drinks have done to her.
I should have discouraged another drink. She’s walking like the floor’s shifting beneath her.
I signal for the check and push my chair back, ready to get us out of here. By the time Amelia returns, the bill has been settled, and the drinks returned.
She gives me a questioning look. “Are you leaving?”
I button my jacket. “No,we’releaving.”
Her expression shifts into a frown. “I thought we were going to do some science fair planning over drinks.”
“Amelia, I’ll never tell you what to do, but from where I’m standing, you’re looking at a bad headache in the morning if westay for drinks. If you really want to have another one, just say the word and I’ll make it happen, but I’d rather take you home and help prevent a hangover.”
She’s silent for a long beat and I can’t tell which way she’ll go. Finally, she says, “God. You really are a whole-ass situation, even when you’re not wearing a tuxedo.”