with him. She mentally kicked herself. The more she liked him, the more insecure she felt.
After they finished eating, Nick snatched up the bill and quickly dropped in his credit card. Micky frowned. "I thought I was paying you back for your help the other night."
"That was just an excuse to see you. I can't let you pay for my dinner," Nick said, shaking his head.
"Why not?"
"I asked you to dinner."
"Because I owed you. Or is this a date? Seems like maybe I should pay just so you can avoid trouble with whatever other women you have in your life," Micky said. Maybe she'd had one too many martinis.
"Other women?" Nick narrowed his eyes at her.
Micky shrugged. "Something is going on with you. I can't figure it out. And anyway, it doesn't matter. I owe you, and I'm a woman who pays her debts." She reached across the table and took the vinyl sleeve with the bill from Nick's fingers.
"I can see that. You handle your business."
"I do." She handed him back his card and slipped hers into the bill instead. "You probably don't have much practice, but this is where you smile, look pretty, and say thank you."
Nick tilted his head back and laughed aloud, holding his hands up in surrender. "Fine."
Micky squelched her disappointment. He said he was single, but doubt ate at her. She didn't need to see him again. She handed the bill back to the waiter with an emphatic snap of her wrist. Her head swam, and she pulled her phone out to order an Uber ride home. What started as a fun evening out had taken a turn for the worse. Micky thought about apologizing for being short with him, but then decided she was better off if he didn't like her. The last thing she needed was another complex situation with a guy hiding something.
Chapter Seven
T aryn stormed into Micky's office promptly at 8:00 a.m., closing the door behind her and making herself at home in the chair across from Micky. "I know you want to go over the opening day agenda for the conference, but I can't possibly pay attention to that until you tell me about your date."
"It wasn't a date," Micky replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and avoiding eye contact.
"I can't believe you're sticking with that load of bull. I saw your face yesterday when you got that phone call. That was a date."
"It might have been a date except he's got some complication going with an ex-fiancée—or supposedly ex—I'm not entirely sure." Micky twisted her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Did you ask?"
"Yeah," Micky sighed. "I asked. He said he had been engaged, but that she'd broken things off with him."
"So, then he's single?" Taryn raised her eyebrows, and a sly smile spread across her face.
"There's some story there. Something he clearly didn't want to discuss. Sore subject, I guess."
"Maybe you can make him feel better?" Taryn waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Easing Nick's pain was a tantalizing thought, but Micky resisted. "No. My gut is telling me to steer clear. He was evasive."
"Did he look like he was lying? Maybe he just had a rough break up. So did you. It could be that you both need to climb back up on that horse. Together," Taryn said, grinning.
"Your Baptist mother would be shocked to hear you suggesting that I have a meaningless fling," Micky replied, feigning astonishment.
"I did no such thing. It wouldn't have to be meaningless. How would you know if you don't give it a chance?"
"I'm still licking my wounds from my last disaster. I do better when I listen to my gut and my head."
"Your gut and your head won't lead you to love, sweetie," Taryn argued.
Her heart had led her to Eric, the cheating liar. Micky needed time to recalibrate her heart's compass. Plus, the main part of her drawn to Nick wasn't her heart, her head, or her gut. That part sat lower, and it certainly couldn't be trusted.
"I don't think he'd be interested anyway. I was a little rude to him."
"What? Why?"
"He just seemed," Micky paused, "blasé about women."
"Self-sabotage, my friend."
"I'm not
After they finished eating, Nick snatched up the bill and quickly dropped in his credit card. Micky frowned. "I thought I was paying you back for your help the other night."
"That was just an excuse to see you. I can't let you pay for my dinner," Nick said, shaking his head.
"Why not?"
"I asked you to dinner."
"Because I owed you. Or is this a date? Seems like maybe I should pay just so you can avoid trouble with whatever other women you have in your life," Micky said. Maybe she'd had one too many martinis.
"Other women?" Nick narrowed his eyes at her.
Micky shrugged. "Something is going on with you. I can't figure it out. And anyway, it doesn't matter. I owe you, and I'm a woman who pays her debts." She reached across the table and took the vinyl sleeve with the bill from Nick's fingers.
"I can see that. You handle your business."
"I do." She handed him back his card and slipped hers into the bill instead. "You probably don't have much practice, but this is where you smile, look pretty, and say thank you."
Nick tilted his head back and laughed aloud, holding his hands up in surrender. "Fine."
Micky squelched her disappointment. He said he was single, but doubt ate at her. She didn't need to see him again. She handed the bill back to the waiter with an emphatic snap of her wrist. Her head swam, and she pulled her phone out to order an Uber ride home. What started as a fun evening out had taken a turn for the worse. Micky thought about apologizing for being short with him, but then decided she was better off if he didn't like her. The last thing she needed was another complex situation with a guy hiding something.
Chapter Seven
T aryn stormed into Micky's office promptly at 8:00 a.m., closing the door behind her and making herself at home in the chair across from Micky. "I know you want to go over the opening day agenda for the conference, but I can't possibly pay attention to that until you tell me about your date."
"It wasn't a date," Micky replied, tucking her hair behind her ear and avoiding eye contact.
"I can't believe you're sticking with that load of bull. I saw your face yesterday when you got that phone call. That was a date."
"It might have been a date except he's got some complication going with an ex-fiancée—or supposedly ex—I'm not entirely sure." Micky twisted her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Did you ask?"
"Yeah," Micky sighed. "I asked. He said he had been engaged, but that she'd broken things off with him."
"So, then he's single?" Taryn raised her eyebrows, and a sly smile spread across her face.
"There's some story there. Something he clearly didn't want to discuss. Sore subject, I guess."
"Maybe you can make him feel better?" Taryn waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Easing Nick's pain was a tantalizing thought, but Micky resisted. "No. My gut is telling me to steer clear. He was evasive."
"Did he look like he was lying? Maybe he just had a rough break up. So did you. It could be that you both need to climb back up on that horse. Together," Taryn said, grinning.
"Your Baptist mother would be shocked to hear you suggesting that I have a meaningless fling," Micky replied, feigning astonishment.
"I did no such thing. It wouldn't have to be meaningless. How would you know if you don't give it a chance?"
"I'm still licking my wounds from my last disaster. I do better when I listen to my gut and my head."
"Your gut and your head won't lead you to love, sweetie," Taryn argued.
Her heart had led her to Eric, the cheating liar. Micky needed time to recalibrate her heart's compass. Plus, the main part of her drawn to Nick wasn't her heart, her head, or her gut. That part sat lower, and it certainly couldn't be trusted.
"I don't think he'd be interested anyway. I was a little rude to him."
"What? Why?"
"He just seemed," Micky paused, "blasé about women."
"Self-sabotage, my friend."
"I'm not
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