What Lovers Do(43)

It takes Shep a few seconds to adjust to my rapid change in subject. When his smile comes back to life, the tension melts from his shoulders and that deep line along the bridge of his nose disappears. “I bet you were really appreciative of it. Not irrationally mad or anything like that.”

I spin one-eighty and take off toward the dogs and the little pond, an extra bounce in each of my steps. “I would never act irrationally.”

“I have a new friend too.”

“Oh yeah?” I grin, but he can’t see it because I stay several steps in front of him.

“Yeah. I’m thinking of inviting her to have dinner with me and my parents this Friday. What do you think she’ll say?”

“She’ll say no. Want to know why? Because your friend isn’t real.”

“She feels real. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She’s funny and really imaginative. She’s quite possibly the best golfer I’ve ever met. And she indulges me in random conversation at odd hours of the day and night.”

“She sounds amazing.” I toss him a flirty glance over my shoulder.

“She’s … something. That’s for sure.”

I turn and he stops, eyeing me with curiosity. “You weren’t sure you wanted your parents to know about our trip to Sedona, but now you want me to meet them?”

He shrugs. “Just testing the waters.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I can’t meet your parents,” I say with as much regret to my voice as I can possibly infuse. Right guy. Wrong time.

“Because I can’t really be in your life?”

Scrunching my nose, I nod.

“Just give me this much honesty. Are you married with kids? Is it a bad marriage? Am I an escape from a bad marriage?”

“No. I’ve told you that.” I give him a sincere smile. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Have you escaped from prison?”

With my lips pressed together, I give him a slow nod. “Nailed it. You always nail the obvious. Am I that transparent?”

He shakes his head, fighting a grin. “What about this … what if I want my parents to know that I’m not sulking after a bad divorce? What if I want them to see that I’m meeting people, even if the people I’m meeting are just new friends?”

My eyes narrow a fraction. “I’m listening.”

“The story is that we are friends. That doesn’t change. I go to dinner with my parents and you’re there. Total happenstance.”

“My date for the night stands me up, and you insist I eat with you and your parents?”

He nods. “Sure. Have you been stood up a lot?”

Shep earns a firm scowl from me. “No. I’m just putting together a scenario for why I would be at a restaurant by myself.”

“And you’re not worried that my parents’ first impression of you will be you getting stood up?”

I tilt my head and narrow my eyes, trying to read him. “Are you worried about that being their first impression of me? Would that embarrass you?”

“I’m not the one getting stood up. Why would I be embarrassed?”

“I’m not actually going to get stood up, jackass. It’s just an excuse.”

“Why not just say that you’re eating alone, and then I invite you to eat with us?”

“Because eating alone at a restaurant on a Friday night makes me look like a loser.”

He laughs … a little too much. “But being stood up doesn’t?”

“Fine. My date had to cancel because he’s a pediatric cardiologist who gets called into work because a heart just became available for one of his patients. A two-year-old. It’s heartbreaking yet a miracle because her family has been waiting, slowly losing hope for months. He’s a lifesaver. I’m so lucky to be his girlfriend. And although he has to cancel our date, he insists I go to his penthouse and make myself at home until he gets there to have mind-blowing sex with me. And it’s going to be the best sex of my life because the whole time I’ll be thinking … he just saved a little girl by giving her a new heart with his talented hands and brilliant mind.” I release a dreamy sigh.

The expression on Shep’s face morphs into something sour. “You’re right. Go with the scenario where you get stood up.”

“Why? Because you don’t want Dr. Amazing to overshadow you in your parents’ eyes? In my eyes?”

“What? No. Christ. He’s a fictional dude you just made up on a whim.”

“I’ll think it over.” I bite my thumbnail as if the thinking has already begun. “And I’ll make a split-second decision that night. Just go with my lead.” I resume my trek toward the pond, retrieving a rope ball attached to my treat bag strap. “Cersei!” I throw the ball and all three dogs chase after it.

Shep clears his throat. “I once carried a girl three blocks to her house after she fell off her bike and cut her knee. And I was only twelve. But my hands felt talented, and I was a solid student in school, so you could say I had a brilliant mind.”

I giggle. And giggle. He’s jealous of my made-up boyfriend. The flowers are no longer the highlight of my week. This is it. This crazy conversation with Shep. “You should add that to your profile on your dating apps. I’d be all over that.”