25. Chapter 25

"Thanks again for seeing me home," I said. The man was gorgeous, I'd have to give Jen that much. She hadn't been trying to set me up with the bottom of the barrel dates. Nope. She'd gone for the top shelf potentials, I guessed, because she thought they had to be equal caliber to her boyfriend.

Mark was tall, though I didn't think he quite reached six feet. Still, pretty much anything over five, five was tall to me. He had a broad chest, sturdy shoulders, and toned arms that did more than hint at the fact that he liked to stay fit. His dark eyes were that type that made you feel warm, especially when he smiled, and they crinkled just the slightest bit around the corners. His smile was bright and wide, with straight teeth that spoke of serious orthodontia.

"I really hope you don't hold tonight, or Jen's involvement, against me. Despite everything else that happened, I was the one that asked about you. Whether Jen had other plans with her setup or not, I wasn't involved in that. I'll understand if you never want to see my face again, though."

I grinned and then hung my head sheepishly. When was the last time a man had truly been interested in me? There was the jerk that stole my virginity and bailed out like it was a prize he needed to win and then nothing else mattered. There was… Well, I wasn't going to mention him because it hadn't worked out, so there was no point.

Truthfully, I was tired of waiting to get my happily ever after with a man who had made his life too complicated to make it a reality. Seeing him looking all chummy with his son's mother, while she wore an engagement ring on her finger was the push I needed to really and truly let him go. I kept telling myself I did that when I stopped reading his letters, but there was still hope that one day, he'd come home and tell me that he couldn't live without me.

That was never going to happen, for so many reasons. "You know what?" I asked Mark. "I think maybe since you rescued me from that awful situation, I owe you a clean slate and a real date."

I could see the tension leave his shoulders as his smile widened. "You just made my night, sweetheart." Before I could even comprehend what he was up to, Mark leaned in and planted a sweet kiss on my cheek, just close enough to the corner of my mouth that I could almost taste the mint of his gum on the air between us.

"Do you think you'd be up to dinner tomorrow night?"

I hedged because I was supposed to have a family birthday tomorrow evening with Jack and his family, since none of the older Carters wanted to come out to the bar to celebrate with us tonight. "I was supposed to have plans, but I don't think they'd mind me canceling considering how badly tonight went."

"If not, we can do it another time," Mark offered.

"No, really. It's my birthday, and about time I started to put myself first anyway."

"Good, then you should know, I plan to put you first all night. If you hate something, it's your job to tell me, so I can make it right. Any foods you aren't fond of?"

"Nah, I will pretty much eat anything, except cake. Let's avoid that, and we're good."

He cocked a brow at me in question. "What does the birthday girl have against cake?"

I laughed. "My mom was a baker," I started to explain.

"Enough said. Too much time around the stuff, I get it."

I smiled and nodded my head as we both stood there staring at one another. It was only slightly awkward before he popped another beautiful smile and then took a quick step back.

"I'm gonna head out," he suggested as he tossed a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the direction he was headed. "If I don't leave now, I'll be tempted to stay and see you through the night. I'd rather have that clean slate we were talking about though, and I don't think that will happen if I'm here trying to make you feel better after the night you just had."

"I think you're right about that. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and made it all the way to his car before I remembered my manners. "Thanks again for saving me back there."

"It was my pleasure, Posie."