I rotated my body so I could only see my left side in the mirror and then turned again to look at my right, comparing which shoe I should wear on my date. The black pump or the over the knee suede boots. Maybe I should’ve scrapped both options and gone for flats. Being five-foot-ten made wearing heels on a date a risk. Some guys got intimidated by my height.

But I felt confident with heels, so if the guy was that easy to scare off, then fuck him. I settled on the boots. I liked the way they matched my sweater. Sitting on my bed, I pulled the other boot on when I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand. I picked it up and opened the message, immediately regretting it.

Mom: Hey sweetie. Just checking in. How are you?

Mom: We miss you.

Mom: I was talking to a lady at the country club today and she said there was a volunteer position opening up at the hospital near home. That way you could still work in your science-y stuff and be close to us.

Mom: Hudson came by today. I think he really misses you.

My science-y stuff? I took deep breaths trying to calm my frustration. My mom didn’t fully understand what my degree was in, but it had nothing to do with volunteering at a hospital. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but when you slave over a degree for as long as I had, you wanted to use it to its full potential. It was a slap in the face for her to assume I’d give up what I had here just to go home.

And as though he knew my mom had just mentioned him, a text from Hudson came through.

Hudson: Your mom told me she offered you money for a better car and you turned it down. We get it Juliana, you’re an independent adult. But you don’t have to be dumb about it.

My face heated as I stared at his message. Dumb? Dumb? I had to toss the phone aside to prevent myself from sending back a scathing response. Hudson had hidden his hope for me to be his trophy wife better than my parents had, but it was still obvious he hoped I’d fall in line like the other women we’d grown up with. What he so conveniently ignored, was that money from my parents came with a string that tugged me away from the life I was building here.

I stomped across the hall to the bathroom like a petulant child and put the final touches on my makeup. After my last dating fiasco, I said I wouldn’t do it again, but I was at a coffee shop when he approached me. He’d been so freaking handsome, my heart had skipped in excitement. He’d sat across from me and been so humble and kind that when he asked if we could meet for drinks tonight, I couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to.

I put the mascara away and stared at my reflection. Maybe it would work out, and I could bring him to the next family brunch, maybe even make Shane jealous. My plum-colored lips tipped up at the idea. He would be so jealous that he’d missed out. He’d rage when he saw my hand in my new boyfriend’s. He’d corner me in the back hall and tell me what a mistake he’d made and set about convincing me with his hands and mouth.

Wait.

No.

Not that.

Shaking my head, I collected my phone and ordered an Uber. We were meeting at a bar in Over the Rhine, and I didn’t want to worry about driving. Also, I wanted to impress him. As much as I loved Betsy, she wasn’t for everyone.

The Uber dropped me off at Sundry and Vice. I saw him leaning against the outside wall, his dark head bent over his phone.

“Jacob.” I called his name and he lifted his head before walking toward me. The looked he gave me warmed my core.

“Juliana. Wow.” Once he was closer, my heels brought us eye to eye and I was pleased to see that he didn’t seem to mind. He took my arm and led me into the crowded bar. It was small and reminded me of an old London pub, with a bar along the wall on one side and about five booths along the windows on the other side. Thankfully, we found one of the booths open and grabbed a seat.

“You look beautiful.” His green eyes twinkled at me and I giggled like a school girl.

This was it. This was going to be the date I’d been waiting for. Butterflies took flight in my stomach and we ordered our first drink. Jacob asked for top shelf bourbon in his Old Fashioned and it made me like him even more. He had such confidence and an inclination for the nicer things in life. I followed suit and didn’t hesitate when I ordered my drink, despite the price.

We fell into easy conversation about our lives. He worked in marketing and had always lived in Cincinnati. I told him about my job in research, and he seemed as if he was really trying to understand what I was explaining.

Thankfully, we got that out of the way earlier in the night, because as the night went on, his drink orders started coming faster and I struggled to keep up. When my face started to feel numb I asked for a water.

“Tell me about your family. You said you aren’t from around here, so where did you come from?” His deep voice washed over my tingling body and encouraged me to share.

And share I did. I told him about my family wanting me to come back home. I shared how they wanted to pay for my whole life as long as I remained the perfect Southern belle. I explained how I wanted to be an independent woman.

“Oh, so you’re rich,” Jacob said.

“Ummm,” I hesitated over my words because where I came from, money wasn’t really something we talked about specifically. “I guess my family is. But, like I said, I won’t take their money.”

“But you could. So technically, you’re just as well off.”

“I guess.” I shrugged off the statement, turning the conversation, asking about Cincinnati.

He began slurring through his words, but so did I. We were having fun. Laughing. Our hands touched in the middle of the table and it sent goose bumps up my arm. Maybe I’d take him home with me.

“Hey, I’m going to go to the bathroom. Be right back.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he walked through the door, I pulled out a compact and touched up my lipstick. I wanted to look my best when he came back. I was going to ask him to leave with me. It was just before twelve-thirty according to my phone and the night was coming to a close.

I waited, watching the door.

Then I waited some more.

I brought my phone to life and checked the time. Twelve-forty-two.

I was just about to get up and go check on him when a waitress stopped by me, sliding a piece of paper across the table. “The man in the back asked me to give this to you.”

She gave me a polite smile and walked away.

I opened the note and my heart sank to the floor.

Thanks babe! Had to go. I’m sure you can afford it anyways. XOXO

Son of a bitch. Hot tears burned the backs of my eyes, and I closed my fist around the piece of paper. I downed the rest of my drink and gathered myself. Deep breaths. I thought about running out after him and making him come back and pay. Groaning inwardly, I tried to calculate how bad this was going to be. Probably the equivalent to my half of the rent. Shit. I was going to have to dip into my savings.

Why did I order such fancy drinks? Why did I just assume he would’ve paid? At least my drinks weren’t as expensive as his, even if he did have twice as many as me. I snatched my purse off the seat and approached the bar, wiggling between the crowd in front of the register.

“Can I help you?” a bartender with a handlebar mustache asked.

“Yeah. Can I have the check for the table over there?” I pointed at the booth I’d vacated.

He cocked an eyebrow at me and asked, “All of it?”

“Yup. My date ditched me and left me with the bill.”

He pulled up the check and printed it off, slipping it inside an old book and sliding it over to me.

Slowly, I opened the pages, peaking inside like it was a snake about to bite me. Three-hundred and seventy-six dollars. I almost threw up the last drink I’d had. Fuck, this was painful.

“Looks like you found a winner, Mini MacCabe,” an all too familiar voice said next to me.

Nope. The bill was no longer the most painful thing. Having Shane there to witness my complete and utter humiliation was soul crushing. I looked to my right at the man who haunted both my dreams and my nightmares.

He met my glare with a smile before bringing a tumbler of amber liquid to his lips.

I growled and jabbed my hand into my purse, searching for my wallet. Before I could get my card out, a large hand with strong fingers held out a silver card to the bartender.

“I’ve got this, Andre.”

“No, Shane.” I didn’t need his help. I could face my mistakes without being saved. “I won’t take your money. I can pay for it myself.” I held my chin high, showing no weakness.

“I know you can. But you’re not. Consider it the city paying for the dick-holes on the street,” he said to me before addressing Andre. “Add another drink for her too.”

“What?” I turned my whole body to face him rather than just staring at him from the corner of my eyes. He looked delicious. Gray buttoned up shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his thick forearms. A tie hanging loosely around the collar. And a leather jacket draped across the back of his chair. “No, Shane.”

He completely ignored my demand as the bartender finished the transaction and handed him back his card. “Sit, Mini MacCabe. Relax.”

I begrudgingly sat and pulled my fresh drink close to me. “Seriously,” I muttered miserably. “You just had to be here. Shouldn’t you be in a hole by yourself?”

“Shouldn’t you be on a date?” Placing his elbow on the bar, he leaned his head on his fist and smirked at me. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

I took a drink avoiding his eyes, forming my defense. “I’m testing the waters. Being free of my parents and my ex and their expectations.” I copied his position and stared into his icy eyes, letting him know he didn’t scare me. “If I want to date them all, then I will.”

“Seems to be going great so far.” He smiled. “Can’t wait to see how it goes from here on out.”

The asshole was laughing at me.

“Oh, and you can do sooo much better. You have some wise wisdom to impart, Yoda?”

“Of course, I do. I’m much older than you. More experience and more wisdom.” The way he growled, it made me imagine he was frustrated with our age difference.

“Fine,” I said with a challenging smile.

I snatched his phone from where it was on the counter and pulled up the text messages. Surprisingly, he didn’t grab it back or say anything, instead just cocked an eyebrow. I entered my contact info and sent a message to myself.

“I’ll be sure to let you know how the next date goes and get your wisdom on the experience about what I can do better.”

“Juliana,” he said, a warning note in his voice.

“We’re friends now. You’re welcome.” I downed the rest of my drink and hopped off the stool. “Night, Shane.” With a finger wave, I held his eyes until I exited through the door, hoping that behind his frustration with me, there was the pulse of excitement too.