Page 9 of On Her Team
I thought Gage was a big guy. But he appears tiny next to his teammates. The five of them need two four-seater tables to fit their bodies around.
They chuckle as they tell me what they want. I hurry to the kitchen to place their order. When I turn around to return to the restaurant, I nearly run into Gage again.
“We need to stop meetingthis way.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you following me?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Whether following you is good or bad. I vote for romantic.”
I scowl. “Did your mom not teach you it’s not romantic to follow a woman?”
“Nope. She didn’t teach me anything.”
I sense there’s a story, but I don’t ask. I’ve barely known him for a minute; I don’t have the right to his story. But I am curious. More curious than I should be.
“Moving on. Why are you following me?”
“To ask you out.”
“To ask me out?”
“On a date.
“A date?”
“You know. Dinner, dancing.”
For a moment, I allow myself to imagine how it would feel to go on a date with Gage. To be wined and dined by him. For his attention to be focused on me and me alone.
But it’s not to be. No dating for me. “Sorry. I can’t.”
“Are you involved with someone? Lucky bastard.”
My chest warms at him, thinking any man of mine would be lucky. “No.”
“Why did you say no if you don’t have a boyfriend?” He appears genuinely confused.
“Not used to hearing the word no?”
“Nothing you say or do is what I expect.”
“Glad I can amuse you.”
“You fascinate me.”
I flick my hair. “Because I’m fascinating.”
“You’re joking. But I’m serious. You’re fascinating.”
I giggle. “I’m not fascinating. I’m boring.”
I don’t have fancy nails, get a pedicure every week, wear brand-name clothes, or go on exotic vacations. I don’t have time for any of those things.
“You’re not boring. Go out on a date with me and I’ll prove it.”
