Chapter 15

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Rose

“BROCK?” I CAUTIOUSLY APPROACHEd the somewhat stranger as I entered the dimly lit SoHo bar. I was happy he showed, and even happier I was actually able to locate him, sitting at the bar that seemed to go on for miles.

“Hey, you came.” An adorable smile stretched across his face.

“Why wouldn’t I have? We did agree to meet, did we not?” I gave him the once-over and made a mental note that if and when we started to become more comfortable with one another, a shopping trip would be in order. He seemed to dress too average for someone with his type of money. Not that he looked bad, sporting a pair of khaki shorts and a black polo shirt, but I knew I could definitely add more style to that look.

I eyed up some of the other patrons sitting around the bar and then looked down at the floral sundress I was wearing. “Did I overdress?”

“No, you look…perfect.” That smile of his made me lose all sense of reality. The skunky scent of stale beer wasn’t ascending into my nostrils. I wasn’t standing in a dive bar where I was afraid of catching some disease from sitting on the seat. I wasn’t getting an instant headache from the multiple conversations going on, each group trying to over talk the other as well as the baseball game blaring from multiple televisions. Nope. Instead, I was lost in the handsome man staring up at me through his deep brown eyes and long lashes like I was the only woman who ever existed.

“Have a seat.” He stood up and pulled out the empty barstool next to him.

“Oh…okay,” I replied, giving the seat the once-over for bodily fluids. Still not satisfied it was safe, I grabbed a napkin from the bar, opened it up, and spread it across the barstool, creating a barrier between me and whatever germs were more than likely lurking on the surface. “Sorry, I’m a bit of a germophobe.”

“I can see that.” Brock flashed me a dimple and took a chug of his beer.

“So, do you come to this place often?” I asked, looking around in disgust. This wasn’t exactly the type of place you’d take a girl you were trying to impress, especially if you had the kind of money he did. Then it dawned on me like a lightbulb instantly clicking on. He was testing me to see if I was only after one thing…the same thing his ex was after. I’d play the game for as long as it took to assure him I could slum it if needed.

“Sometimes, it’s nice to escape and be around normal everyday people who live paycheck to paycheck and worry about how their bills are going to get paid.”

I shrugged. I never thought much about it. Whatever bills I had were taken care of by my father’s checkbook. “I guess.” I was hesitant with my reply.

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

“Oh, umm…I’ll have a Pinot Grigio.”

“You got it.” He flagged down the bartender and gave my order.

“With a straw, please,” I added to the bartender. “Germophobe, remember?” I replied to Brock’s raised eyebrow.

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” He chuckled.

“So, Rose, since I blabbed incessantly about me the other night…what about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s your story?”

I twisted my mouth in confusion. “I really don’t have a story.”

“Come on…everyone has a story.”

The bartender placed my wine in front of me and I wasted no time sucking down a sip from the straw. I hadn’t thought much of what my story was going to be to him. I certainly couldn’t tell him where I worked, but if things were going to progress, I was going to have to eventually. There was no room for lies in a relationship. But for right now, I’d just divulge a little about myself and see if that would suffice. “There’s really not much to tell. I lived in California my whole life, and I’m staying with my aunt here in New York City for a while.”

“What part of California?”

“Oh, it’s a town called Atherton. It’s about thirty miles or so south of San Francisco.”

He nodded and took another swig of beer. “I’ve been to San Francisco before…great town.”

“Yeah, it is.” I smiled, battling with a temporary bout of homesickness.

“I spend a lot of time in the San Diego area.”

“Oh, for business?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” I caught a hint of a smirk as he lifted his beer bottle up to his mouth again. “So, what brings you to New York?”

“Umm, well…I just needed a change of scenery.”

“A change of scenery is always good.” He placed his elbow on the bar and rested his hand in the palm of his hand, studying me in a way that would normally be awkward. But his strong gaze seemed to have the opposite effect on me…he made me feel beautiful.

After a few more glasses of wine, I was totally loosened up. I wasn’t analyzing every word that came out of my mouth and his, and I removed the napkin from the chair and the straw from my wine glass. My stomach hurt from laughing and the muscles in my face were strained from smiling. “We should get going. I have an early meeting tomorrow,” Brock said, looking down at his watch.

“On a Sunday?” I asked.

“My work doesn’t recognize any days of the week.” He stood up and I followed suit, getting my heel stuck in the bottom rung of the barstool and falling to the ground. Humiliated didn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling.

“Are you okay?” he asked as I swiftly lifted myself up from the dirty floor.

“Yeah, I’m…good.” I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded and wasted no time making my exit.

“Your knee is all scraped up and bleeding,” Brock remarked when we stepped outside.

“It’s fine.”

“Wait one second,” he requested as he ran back inside the bar.

You are such a klutz. I can’t believe you had to go and embarrass yourself like that! My inner-voice silenced when Brock reappeared with some napkins and a bottle of water. He poured some water on the napkin and bent down, blotting my knee and applying some pressure as he looked it over.

“All better.” He stood up and smiled. My head was woozy, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the wine or him as I watched him walk over to the trash can a few feet from where we were standing and throw away the napkin.

“I’m so stupid. I can’t believe I did that.” My face burned with embarrassment once again just thinking about it.

“It happens…a little bit of wine, some high heels, and the next thing you know, you’re on the floor.”

We both busted out with laughter and suddenly I wasn’t feeling so embarrassed anymore. “I had a lot of fun tonight,” I said.

“Me too. So, I was wondering, do you like baseball?”

“Not particularly. Why do you ask?”

“I have tickets to a Yankees game tomorrow night, and since my buddy backed out on me, I was hoping you’d go with me.”

“Hmm…I suppose I can survive a couple quarters in exchange for your company.”

“Actually, it’s innings in baseball.” He chuckled.

“Oh…whatever it is, I’d love to go.”

“Okay…I’ll pick you up at six?”

“Sure.” My mind was going at warped speed. I had fallen on my ass and made a total fool of myself and he was still asking me out on a second date.

“Hello, earth to Rose.” He waved his hand in front of my face.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“Where should I pick you up?”

I gave him the address to my aunt’s place and we were now at the dreaded or most anticipated part of every date—the goodbye.

“So, I’ll see ya tomorrow?”

I nodded up at him as his lips came closer to mine before gently touching, leaving me wanting so much more.

“Thanks again for a great night.” I couldn’t resist stretching my neck and placing a kiss on his dimpled cheek after he flagged down a cab for me and opened the door.

“Sweet dreams.” He winked at me just before shutting the door and stepping back onto the sidewalk.

I was unable to control my smile as the cab pulled away. My dad had sent me to New York to learn the value of working for a living. Little did he know, he was leading me right into the arms of my Prince Charming.