The Stubborn Suitor, Book 2 (The Stubborn Suitor #2)(7)

She wasn’t dressed poorly, she just hadn’t gotten all made up. She wore a pair of nice jeans and a blouse, with her hair back in a ponytail, and very little makeup on. She still looked pretty, she thought—just not like she was trying too hard.

She’d had to deal with a fussy Madison all evening. Plus, she didn’t want to give Drew the wrong impression. She was definitely not going to sleep with him tonight. If he couldn’t deal with her in her natural state, the relationship didn’t need to go forward. Tonight was a test in so many ways.

“I just think that there are better options. You know that dresses better flatter your figure, since you won’t lose weight. Those jeans just accentuate your hips and butt, you know.”

“I love my hips and butt,” Cami replied angrily.

She didn’t add that Drew had already seen her body completely naked and also seemed to love her curves. Instead, she turned and marched towards the door.

“I won’t be back late,” she promised as she shut the door behind her, not giving her mother a chance to reply.

She really did love her body, but that didn’t make her mother’s words sting any less, and she was in a bad mood by the time she made it to the restaurant, which happened to be much fancier than she was expecting, and she began questioning her casual appearance.

Drew didn’t seem to mind, smiling warmly at her as he met her in the lobby of the restaurant.

“You look lovely,” he whispered into her ear as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Our table isn’t ready yet,” he said a little louder, glaring at the hostess, who was within hearing distance.

“That’s fine,” Cami replied, both to Drew and the hostess. She was trying her best not to start the date off in a bad mood.

“Your table will be ready in just a moment,” the hostess replied with a polite smile.

“I had reserved a specific table,” Drew told Cami, still loud enough to be heard. “But due to some slight incompetence—” he emphasized the word with a glare towards the hostess stand—“it was given to someone else. They are taking forever to get another one ready.”

Cami, who had waited tables in college and understood what it was like, cringed. She offered the hostess an apologetic smile and didn’t reply to Drew’s biting words. It wasn’t the poor girl’s fault, after all, and Drew taking it out on her was embarrassing—and slightly out of character for him. She’d never seen him be outright rude to anyone.

But, she reminded herself, she had seen him laugh at the elitist jokes she’d overheard at the Emerson’s beach party. She had never heard him say anything condescending or rude himself, but the comments and jokes of others hadn’t seemed to offend him either. She’d thought he was a stuck-up snob at the time. Perhaps her first impression had been correct. He obviously thought he was better than the poor girl working at the restaurant. Maybe she should have just stayed home with Madison.

Before she had the opportunity to turn and flee, however, the hostess was approaching them.

“Your table is ready,” the girl said with a smile, leading them towards the back of the restaurant.

“I asked for a table by the window,” Drew growled as the hostess stopped at a table in a corner.

“I’m sorry, sir. This is what we have available.”

Drew opened his mouth to argue, but Cami stepped in front of him and smiled at the girl.

“This will be fine,” she said. “Perfect, in fact. Very private and romantic; right, Drew?” She turned towards Drew with her eyebrow raised.

“If you like it, that’s all that matters,” he replied, pulling out a seat for her.

Cami sat in silence for a while, staring at the wine list.

“See anything you like?” Drew asked in a more gentle tone.

“I’m not really much of a wine connoisseur,” Cami replied curtly.

“How about I just order a bottle for both of us?”

“Fine, whatever,” Cami answered.

She knew she should try a little harder to be polite or the entire date was going to be miserable, but she just couldn’t help herself. She was too upset over the way he’d treated the hostess. In that moment, he’d reminded her a lot of Ken—just another spoiled rich guy who thought he was so much better than the working class.

Cami buried her head in the menu and barely paid attention as Drew ordered their wine from the server. She did note, however, that he was much more polite to the server than he had been to the hostess. He’d probably picked up on her distaste and was trying to get back into her good graces. But she didn’t want him to treat people well just because of her…she wanted him to do it because it was the right thing to do.

If this date really was a test, he’d already failed.

The waiter brought the wine, and Cami had to fight the urge to chug the glass in front of her. She and Drew sat in tense, awkward silence for a few minutes, each sipping their wine. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and it was quickly going to her head. When the waiter returned a few minutes later to take her order, she had finished her first glass and was halfway through her second.

“Ready to order?” the man asked with a smile.

“Give us a minute,” Cami replied, feeling bold. Once the server had left, she leaned forward and continued speaking to Drew. “Listen—maybe we should just leave. I can pay for the wine and have the rest corked to go. We can just call it a night and go our separate ways.”