18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sean

Throughout the week, I've tried not to dwell on the fact that I asked Jessica on a date. The suggestion had just popped out of my mouth, and I quickly had to chalk it up to a "test run" when it was anything but. I wasn't trying to test out anything, and I know for a fact Jessica would be able to flirt with and have an easy time making conversation with Rick if she wants to. Come on, it's Jessica Stewart. She's a brilliant girl.

The truth is, I want to go on a date with her. I've been trying to hold back my attraction to her, but it's not working. A part of me really wants to go on that date and treat her like a queen, but I know it's one of the worst ideas I've had. If I plan to stay away from her and let her date Rick, I should not be going on a date with her, regardless of whether it's for practice or not. What I should be doing is putting a distance the size of the Grand Canyon between us, not fake dating her. But I'm stupid, and today is The Date.

I had sent her a text earlier in the day to be ready by seven p.m., and I sent her a dress and shoes to wear. I thought it would add more to the illusion of this being fake if I sent her what to wear. But Jessica is stubborn, so I'm not sure if she'll wear them. I really hope she wears them. It's six now, and I keep delaying getting ready. If I don't start now, I'll be late.

Since this is a "test run", I have to do everything right to show her what a good date looks like. A small part of me hopes it'll be so good that she'll see how no one, not even Rick, can compare. To start, her date should never be late picking her up. That shows he doesn't value her time, which is a huge red flag. With a sigh, I leave the couch and jog up the stairs to my room. My suit is hanging in the closet. I take it out, admiring the material. It's a new suit. It's not like I bought it specifically for the date; I'll probably need one for press events when I eventually go back to my life. Okay, maybe I bought it specifically for the date. But it doesn't mean anything.

I want it to be special because today is my first actual date with Jessica, but she doesn't have to know that. I'm content with letting her think it's just practice. Her thinking that is for the best. I already showered a few minutes ago, so the only thing to do is put on my suit and check myself out in the mirror.

I'm Sean O'Connell. The Sean O'Connell. But right now, I don't feel like it. I'm nervous, and my heart is beating a little too fast. I feel like I'm the one about to be tested and not the grump next door. With a sigh, I turn away from the mirror and grab my shoes before returning to the living room. When it's a few minutes to seven, I get up and walk to the door. By this time, my heart is almost in my throat.

I'm taking Jessica out on a date! What?

I take my time, walking to Jess's house and force myself to stay calm. When I reach her door, I take one deep breath and knock. Seconds later, I hear approaching footsteps and arrange my face into a smile. But when the door swings open, my smile falls away. Jessica is wearing the dress I bought her, and she looks utterly breathtaking. For a moment, my brain refuses to function.

Jessica scoffs, bringing me back to reality. "What?" She asks, annoyed. "Do I look bad?"

Wordlessly, I hand her a bouquet of flowers. "You look very beautiful."

"Thank you." She gives me a look like she's questioning my sanity. "Let me just put these flowers in water and grab my bag." I stand there and wipe my hands on my pants as I wait for her to come back out. "I'm ready."

She reappears in another moment and shuts the door before following me to my car.

"Hold on." I grab her arm when she tries to open the passenger door. "I've got to open the door for you."

"Oh, okay."

"I always open the car door for you, don't I?" I smirk as I open the door.

After a moment of silence, she nods and slips into the passenger seat. "You're right, you do. Sorry."

I walk to the driver's side and climb in, my gaze on her. "If your date doesn't open the door for you, he's not a gentleman."

"Roger that."

Chuckling, I start the car and pull out of my driveway. There's no rush so I'm driving slowly, savoring my time with her.

"Aren't you going to start a conversation?"

"What?" She looks at me like I've asked her to eat a toad.

"If it was Rick in the car, you'd want to start a conversation and not let the silence drag on for too long."

"Why doesn't he start the conversation then?" She asks stubbornly.

"Jessica!"

"Okay. Fine." She turns to face me. "Umm–nice weather, huh?"

I burst into a laugh that has my stomach hurting. "Weather! Really, Jessica?"

Jessica laughs with me. "What? It's not my fault. I couldn't just think up something. I'm not ready for a date, am I?"

"Nope." I pop the "p". "But by the end of the night, you will be."

"You really pride yourself in this, don't you?"

I can't tell if she's being sarcastic, so I keep the teasing tone in my voice. "Yes. It's one of the many things I pride myself in."

She rolls her eyes, but there's still excitement in them, and it tears down my defense. "I believe you, actually. How many dates have you been on this year?"

I glance at her, my brows arched up to my hairline. "Are you serious? Is this what you're going to ask Rick? That's too much too soon."

She laughs again and nudges me. "Be serious, Sean. I'm asking you. Not Rick."

"I see." I grip the steering hard and pretend to think. "Hmm…let's see. I've been on zero dates this year."

"What?" Jessica stares at me with her mouth open and then shakes her head. "That's a lie."

"You know I wouldn't lie to you," I tell her. "I'm serious."

"Really?" She looks me up and down, disbelief still in her eyes. "That's hard to believe, somehow."

"No worries. I get that all the time. People just see me and think, ‘Oh, playboy'. It's a stereotype I've had to deal with."

"Nah." Jessica shakes her head. "I'd never stereotyped you to be a playboy."

"Really?" I glance at her again. "Why's that?"

"Because I like to think that I know you," she answers. "You were never that type of person. You wouldn't string a girl along like that."

She's right. I've never been the one to string women along to feel good about myself and have an ego trip, but people hardly believe that.

"But I see why people would think that," Jessica continues. "They think all handsome men act that way."

"Oh, yeah?" My lips lift in a smirk. "You think I'm handsome?"

"Stop!"

"Wow. Someone needs to call Hell; I'm sure it's frozen over by now."

Jessica shakes her head at me. "You're being dramatic. You said I should give genuine compliments when on a date, and that's what I'm doing."

"Well, thank you."

"So no dates this year?" She asks. "Haven't met anyone you're interested in getting to know better?"

I repress a smile. It's been years since I've had any genuine desire to date, until now. I get a lot of female attention, and although I love it, I've never thought to pursue any of them.

"You can say that," I tell Jessica. "I've not had any reason to. It just wasn't in my plans."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing," she says. "It's a pity that your first date of the year is a fake one."

"Don't sweat it." She has no idea that this is what I really want. I don't see this as a fake anything; I'm getting to know Jessica on a deeper level, and that's all that matters.

We arrive at the restaurant in another few minutes. Jessica gasps as we pull over to the curb, and a valet approaches us. It's a five-star restaurant in the heart of town. I made reservations as soon as Jessica agreed to go on this date with me.

"Sean!" Jessica grabs my arm. "This place will cost a fortune. Since it's a fake date, we could have gone somewhere less expensive!"

Her eyes are expressive and wide with concern, and I find my gaze being drawn to her lips. Before I do anything stupid, I get out of the car and hand the keys over to the valet.

"Welcome to Blossom, sir. I hope you have a wonderful night," the uniformed man says.

"Thank you," I say.

We exit the car and I hold out my arm. "Shall we?"

Jessica looks at my arm and hesitates before she entwines her arm with mine. "Let's go."

The ambiance and aesthetic of Blossom match any five-star restaurant in the city, and as we walk inside, I'm impressed. A hostess in a prim uniform approaches us, a polite smile on her face.

"Hello. Welcome to Blossom."

"Hi. We have reservations," I say. "Under the name J.S. Ethan."

She goes through the pad in her hands and then looks up at us with a smile. "Come with me."

We follow her as she weaves through tables and quiet chatter until she stops at our table. There's already a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice waiting.

"Please, sir," the hostess says. "Someone will come get your order."

I hold the chair out for Jessica and help her into her seat before taking mine. The hostess leaves after a final nod in our direction.

"I can't believe you used my pen name to make this reservation," Jessica says animatedly. "Sean O'Connell, you are full of surprises."

I laugh. "That's another genuine compliment. You're doing well." I pick up the menu and hand it to her. "Don't hesitate to order whatever you'd like."

Jessica smiles as she takes the menu from me. As she scans it, I watch her, in awe at the fact that she's sitting here with me on a date.

"You're so beautiful, Jessica. It's dreamlike."

Her mouth falls open, and I watch with fascination as a blush creeps up her neck and stains her cheeks. She touches a hand to her chin and pouts.

"What was that for?"

"Oh, gracious heavens. You've just failed that test."

"What?" Jessica cries.

"When you're complimented on a date, you should just say ‘thank you'."

She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to the menu.

"Fine, I got it. I was just caught off guard."

It was a genuine compliment. She looks beautiful, but I'd rather not say that. She should think we're playing a game.

"How about this for starters?" She taps an item on the menu and shows it to me. It's a shrimp cocktail, and at that moment my stomach grumbles. I look at Jessica and see her hiding a smile. As if sensing my hunger, our waiter materializes.

"Hi there. I'm Matt and I'll be your waiter for the evening. Have you decided on any appetizers?"

"Can we have the shrimp cocktail, please?" I request.

"Coming right up."

I uncork the wine and fill our glasses before handing one to Jessica. She gratefully takes it from me and sips.

"This is luxury," she coos. "It's so smooth it seems to melt on my tongue."

I agree. The wine tastes good. The waiter arrives with our dish, and Jessica's face lights up with joy. "Let's eat."

The food tastes fantastic, and as we switch from starters to the main course, I still have no complaints. After we finish some time between dinner and a bit of conversation, Jessica and I are ready for dessert. I love that she has a healthy appetite. I've been on dates with women who refused to eat any more than two spoons out of a meal that cost hundreds of dollars because they didn't want to "eat too much". While I understand that, I also love a woman that loves to eat.

By the time we're done, it's almost ten. I know it's time to go, but I don't want this night to end. Jessica is relaxed in a way that I've only seen her with Evie or Jamie. I'm enjoying this side of her, and truth be told I could stay with her like this all night long.

"Your date should always make sure you're home around ten pm," I tell Jessica. "Unless there's a previous discussion as to why you'll both stay out late or if you both choose to stay longer. Ideally, you should be home by ten."

Jessica relaxes against the seat and sighs deeply. "I don't want to go home. I'm having such a great time."

Somehow, her words comfort me, and I chuckle, signaling the waiter to come with the check. Shortly after the check is settled, Jessica and I leave the restaurant and head home. The ride home is filled with a comfortable silence, with only a few remarks here and there.

"Home sweet home," Jessica says as I pull into my driveway.

"Yeah." I kill the engine and get out of the car to open the door for Jessica. She steps out gracefully, taking the arm I'm holding out for her. I walk her to the door, stopping as she unlocks it and then turns back to me.

"Thank you for tonight, Sean. It was such a great time."

"Rick," I correct. "Not Sean." There's a smile on my face, but it doesn't go past the surface. Suddenly, a daring thought comes to mind, and before I can repress it, it's out of my lips. "Rick might want a kiss," I whisper. "What would you do?"

Jessica's gaze falls to my lips and I take a step toward her, wanting desperately to grab her face and kiss her until we both can't breathe anymore. We're now standing so close, with no space between us. A car whips past, startling us both, and we jump away from each other in shock. What was I doing? I almost kissed Jessica! My best friend's sister!

"That was just practice," I say, regaining my composure. "When he comes close like that, you know he would love a kiss."

"What if I want to kiss him?" Jessica asks, holding my gaze.

"Uh–," her gaze is warm and open, but I know it's all in my head. Maybe I drank too much wine. "You lean into him. If you don't want to kiss, you step back."

"Got it."

"Good night, Jessica. I'll see you tomorrow." I turn and walk away briskly before I do anything I'll regret. I'm almost at my fence when I steal another glance at her, only for our gazes to clash again. This time, I wonder, is it really my imagination? Or is she staring at me like she wants to kiss me? After a final glance and wave at her, I look away and continue to my door before I do something I can't take back.