Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words(41)

All my life coming to Lola’s Lakehouse, I would always look around at the couples who were here on a date and be insanely jealous of them. They were having a romantic evening, leaning across the table toward each other, staring into each other’s eyes with dreamy smiles on their faces, and I was stuck at a table with my parents while they talked in detail about my dad’s bunion.

“I just need to tell you—I can’t believe I’m at Lola’s Lakehouse, on a real date, and not like that time I came here on a date with someone my mom set me up with, as usual, and he left before we even ordered our entrees, and I made up a fake date when the waitress came back and found his seat empty, and I told her my life was in danger,” I tell Brent as I take a bite of my beer-battered walleye, no longer caring about trying to impress him by being someone I’m not. I’m kind of a dork. And dorky things seem to always happen when I’m involved. Might as well own it.

Brent pauses his fork halfway to his mouth, slowly dropping his hand back down to the table.

“Yep, gonna need you to elaborate on that.” He chuckles.

“My mom set me up on a date with the son of some woman she went to summer camp with once when they were eight,” I start explaining as I pop a french fry in my mouth. “They ran into each other last year at Nickel Dickel Days, realized they both had single kids, and decided to ruin both our lives. Anyway, Daniel was a real dud. He was strangely obsessed with birds and did nothing but show me bird pictures on his phone from the minute he sat down. He gasped when I told him I was thinking about ordering the chicken. Daniel excused himself to go to the bathroom after we got our drinks… and never came back. When the waitress came over for the fifth time to ask me if I needed anything, while blatantly glancing at the now empty place across from me, I embellished about my date a little bit. I told her his name was Nicholas Nightingale, and he owned his own private security business and was called away on an emergency for a high profile client. Told her my life had been threatened if Nicholas didn’t help out this client, and Nicholas loved me so much that he would risk his own life to save me. Our waitress was a true romantic at heart. I got two desserts out of that little lie to save face, and this place has a chocolate lava cake that is to die for. Plus, Nicholas Nightingale didn’t turn into a huge disappointment, like every other date I’ve been on.”

Man, way to be a Debbie Downer, Heidi.

“The only way this date is going to turn into a disappointment is if they’re out of that chocolate lava cake you just mentioned. I might flip a few tables.” He shrugs easily, digging back into his dinner.

I love you and I want to have all your babies.

The rest of dinner is easy-going and perfect. There’s never a lull in conversation, and both of us laugh so much that I’m sure my cheeks and stomach are going to ache tomorrow. After we both get the chocolate lava cake, Brent agrees that it is to die for, pays the check, and holds my hand as we’re walking back out through the restaurant. I don’t know what we should do next, but I know for sure I’m not ready for the night to end. I’m so ridiculously giddy I can’t even stand it.

“Brent, is that you?”

My head jerks up as we get to the front door and find Laura Newberg standing there. Laura Newberg wearing a teeny, tiny black dress she isn’t constantly fidgeting with, standing tall in black stilettos without a wobble in sight.

She struts confidently over to us, doing a double-take when she sees me, her mouth dropping open when she looks down and notices Brent and me holding hands.

I immediately yank my hand out of his, trying my hardest not to compare myself to the blonde bombshell standing in front of me, especially after what Brent said to me back at my house and what a great dinner we just had.

“Heidi! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Laura exclaims happily, quickly throwing her arms around me and giving me a big hug while I stand there stiffly with my arms down at my sides, in complete shock.

“I didn’t know you two were dating! You are just so adorable together. I can’t stand it! Brent, you treat this girl like a princess, you hear me? She is an absolute sweetheart!”

Oh, I am the worst human being in the world for thinking so badly of Laura when I saw her that night in Brent’s yard.

I thought for sure I was about to have my first chick fight, and now that I know my eyes aren’t about to be clawed out, and with a quick look at Brent to see that he’s staring right at me and not even glancing in Laura’s direction, my confidence quickly comes back.

Before I break down in tears like a big baby, I fling my arms around the woman and give her another hug, turning my head a little to whisper in her ear.

“Thank you for the blowjob thing. It’s all because of you that I freed the cock.”

I pull back with a huge smile on my face, while Laura stares at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Okay, well, you two have a good evening.”

As soon as she walks away, Brent grabs my hand again and laces his fingers through mine as we walk out the front door.

“I’m sorry, but was that weird? We only went on one date. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

“Nope, not weird at all,” I tell him, and I actually mean it.

He’s with me tonight, not Laura, or someone like Laura. He’s with me. Dorky, adorable, original Heidi. And he still wants to hold my hand. And he isn’t running away. And he’s smiling at me with that sexy dimpled smile, and he’s asking me what we should do next, and I’m back to being so giddy I can’t stand it.