Park Avenue Player(59)

“I had no air conditioning in mine, and a giant hole in the passenger floor,” Benito said and shook his head. “The hole was perfectly round and looked like the previous owner had cut it out with a circular saw or something. I had the biggest crush on this girl named Angie my senior year. A few days after I got my car, I pulled into the gas station to fill it up, and there was Angie with a car full of her friends. I tried to play it cool, but it was the first time I’d actually pumped gas. Angie came over to talk to me, and I got completely distracted and forgot to take the nozzle out of the gas tank when I was done.”

I covered my mouth and laughed. “Oh no. And you pulled away with it like that?”

Benito nodded. “I did. It had a quick release on top of the handle, so it didn’t make too much of a mess, but the tug of the hose line set off some kind of alarm. The entire gas station, inside and out, flashed lights and a high-pitched siren blared.”

“Was Angie still there?”

“Oh yeah. Laughing her ass off with her friends. The following day in school I admitted to her that I’d been trying to act cool and hadn’t known what the hell I was doing.”

“What did she say?”

“Crazy enough, she agreed to go out with me. It was a good lesson. I learned honesty gets you much farther with women.”

“You learned that pretty early compared to a lot of men. How long did things last with Angie?”

Benito pulled off the highway at my exit. “One date. It was pouring the night I took her out. I drove over a big puddle, not thinking about the hole I had in the floor on her side, and a giant spray of dirty water came through the bottom of my car.” He laughed. “She was soaked. The thing was like a geyser, I swear. I learned a second lesson that night. Women will only put up with you being an idiot once.”

We laughed, and Benito navigated through the side streets on the way to my house. I’d really relaxed. It was too bad it hadn’t happened on the way to our date, because he was good company. We made the last left, turning onto my block, and my heart skipped a beat.

Hollis’s Mercedes was parked outside my house again. When we pulled closer, I saw that he wasn’t waiting inside it. His imposing frame sat on the steps of my front porch. He stood when we slowed, and my date noticed him for the first time.

“Is that…”

I nodded. “My boss.”

Benito pulled to the curb and put the car in park. We looked over at the porch once again. I was relieved Hollis had waited there and didn’t come over to us.

“Do you want me to tell him to take a hike?”

Yes.

No.

Maybe?

I shook my head. That would most definitely not be a good idea. “No, I’m fine.”

Benito’s brows drew down. “Is he…more than your boss?”

I sighed. “It’s…sort of…complicated.”

He frowned. “Okay.”

“I’m really sorry about tonight. You are such a nice guy, and I didn’t mean to ruin our date.”

“It’s fine. Another night, maybe?”

He’d said it to be polite. In that moment, both of us knew there wouldn’t be any other nights. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Sure. Thank you so much for dinner, Benito.”

He nodded. “I’m going to stay until you go inside.”

“Thank you.”

Butterflies swarmed in my belly as I strode up the walkway. I freaking hated what this man did to me. He made me feel inside-out.

“Are you happy?” I said quietly as I approached. “You ruined my date with a perfectly nice guy. Probably the first one of the species I’ve met in years.”

Hollis looked down. “I’m sorry.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, you’re not.”

Digging my keys from my purse, I unlocked the front door. Hollis waited as I walked inside. “Benito is a gentleman. He’s going to sit there and make sure everything is okay. So you need to come in.”

He nodded and followed me inside. I waved to Benito before shutting the door.

“I’m going to need wine for this.” I walked to the refrigerator. “Would you like a glass?”

“No, thank you.”

I poured almost to the brim and took the seat on the chair across from the couch, not wanting to sit too close to Hollis. He sat across from me and watched as I sucked half the glass down in one big gulp.

“Go ahead.” I shrugged. “Say whatever it is you need to say. It’s been a long evening, and I’m tired.”

I waited forever for him to pull his thoughts together—at least it seemed like a long time.

Hollis dragged a hand through his hair, which looked like he’d been doing that a lot tonight. A five o’clock shadow peppered his sharp jaw, and it pissed me off that I sat there thinking how good messy looked on him.

“I’m not the right man for you, Elodie.”

I set my wine down on the coffee table and stood. “I don’t need a gentle letdown, Hollis. You wasted a trip to Connecticut.”

“Sit,” he barked.

I folded my arms across my chest. “No.”

“God damn it, Elodie. I don’t want to have a battle of wills with you. We both know you’ll win. Can you just sit the hell down and give me five minutes?”