Page 4 of Her Intense Protector

“You’re twenty-six, huh? Kind of old to never have been married, don’t you think?”

Samantha smiled at the man who was sitting too close beside her, and said, “I guess so.” She picked up her wine glass, took a huge swallow, and glared at her friend Toni across the table.

“Do you have a drinking problem? Is that why?”

“No, she doesn’t have a drinking problem, Larry,” David chimed in.

Samantha really didn’t care that David was defending her. Larry was his golfing buddy, and she was mad at both of her friends for putting her in this situation.

“So, you think it’s successful of you to have been through a divorce?” Samantha asked sweetly.

“Now I do,” Larry responded. “Means I’ve learned some things, like how to look for red flags before I get into a relationship, so I don’t end up with another woman like Susan. She wanted everything, because I was her first husband. Just like you would, I guess. Tell me, are you one of those girls with a wedding file? Or worse yet, a couple of wedding gowns tucked away in her closet, waiting for a man to ask her to marry her?”

Samantha dropped the piece of bruschetta that she had just picked up from the starter platter.

“Don’t worry about the mess, it’s probably because of all the wine. The waiter will clean up after you,” Larry assured her.

Samantha shot Toni a death glare.

“Larry, besides your divorce, is there anything else I should know about you?” Samantha asked, desperate to turn the spotlight on him.

“Before I was married, I was a great golfer. But Susan nagged me so much that I hardly got out to play. She said it cost too much money, and she always had a goddamn honey-do list for me on the weekends. Can you believe that? She was a total bitch. Thank God I cut her loose. Of course, it cost me an arm and a leg. But at least I’m out on the links again. Isn’t that right, David?”

“I didn’t know about Susan, you only talked about your job,” David said weakly. Then Samantha watched as her friend’s husband took a healthy swallow of scotch. Would Larry accuse him of having a drinking problem?

“There was a lot about Larry you didn’t know, wasn’t there?” Toni shot her husband a dark look.

“David says you moved to Virginia five months ago from Idaho. That’s a big change.” Larry said as he shoved an entire piece of bruschetta into his mouth.

“It is,” Samantha smiled valiantly.

“Got tired of potato farming, huh?” He asked with his mouth full. Then he laughed at his own joke, and some of the bruschetta hit the plate in front of him.

She reached for her wine again.

“Whoa, you do really like the sauce, don’t you? Are you sure you don’t have a drinking problem?”

“Hello, here are your entrees.” The waitress began to set down the food. The entire time she placed the food on the table, Larry took the opportunity to slide even closer to Samantha on the booth, until she was shoved up against the restaurant wall.

Samantha longingly stared at the strawberries in Toni’s chicken basil dish and considered stealing one so she could eat it and have a severe allergic reaction. Anything to get herself out of this date from hell. She was going to kill Toni for setting her up like this. When she had agreed to go out to dinner with her and David, she had no idea they were going to spring Larry on her.

Before they started eating, Sam excused herself to go to the lady’s room. Toni sprang up to go with her. As they were weaving through tables, Toni was apologizing all over herself.

“Save it for later. Just let me get through this evening.” Sam said.

When they got to the powder room, Sam ran cold water over her wrists, trying to cool down. Toni looked on worriedly.

“I really am sorry. I just thought it would be good if you got back into dating. After that disaster with Kevin, I thought you deserved to meet a nice guy.”

She and Toni hadn’t spent much time together since they’d grown up in Boise and Toni had moved to Virginia seven years ago, but this wasn’t what Sam would have expected.

“And this is who you decided to set me up with?” It took everything Sam had to keep her voice at a normal decibel. “What’s more, you sprang this on me, you didn’t ask. So not cool.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Toni owned. “I’m going to make this up to you. Maybe I can sit next to him for the last half of the meal, then you get to sit next to David, what do you think?” Toni waggled her eyebrows.

Sam gave a reluctant smile. “The idea has some merit.” She took a deep breath. “Come on, time to go back.”

She dried her hands and they headed back to their booth. Larry was standing up by the time she got back. He had his hand out.