Opposites Attract by Lacey Wolfe Page B

are listed in the back. A few items could be bought at several places, and I listed them and the place that was the cheapest.”
    Ben held his hand up. “I don’t care what it costs. You should know that by now.”
    “Jane is very lucky to have you.”
    “No, I’m lucky to have her.”
    It made her so happy to see these two so happy. She’d set them up, but hadn’t known at the time that she was making a match made in heaven. Jane was getting out of a bad relationship and wanted to retaliate against the creep, to make him seethe with jealousy, so Francesca had set her up with Ben as a fake relationship. Only, it was never fake. They were destined to be with one another.
    “Have you gotten Toby trained yet?” Francesca had met the yellow lab a few times. Energetic didn’t even begin to describe Jane’s dog.
    “We’re getting there.”
    Ben continued to tell her about getting the dog out of bed with him and Jane. And how the dog was still sneaking up in the middle of the night. Francesca had never owned a pet—she had severe allergies—however, she enjoyed hearing stories about other people’s pets.
    * * * *
    Pushing the chair in for Dana, Randy glanced around the restaurant. It was a very nice steakhouse. The lights were dimly lit and music played at a quiet but intimate level, making it perfect for a romantic evening. The tables all had a candle on them, white table clothes, and dark hardwood chairs.
    Randy took a seat across from Dana, and she smiled at him. She was impressed, and for that, he was glad. The girl deserved a nice evening out. And so did he.
    Almost immediately, a waitress appeared to get their drink orders. He ordered a soda for now. He wasn’t sure alcohol was such a good idea. Dana ordered a tea.
    “This is a very nice place,” she said. “Have you been here before?”
    “No, it’s my first time.”
    “Maybe this will be one of the many firsts we will have together.”
    He quickly grabbed the water that sat in front of him and took a sip. It was never good when a woman talked about a future right away. Or at least for him it wasn’t.
    “How was work today?” she asked.
    “Pretty slow.”
    “Things were slow at the flower shop as well.”
    He nodded. First dates were always awkward, he reminded himself. As Dana continued to talk about her day, he did his best to pay attention. He was thankful when the server returned with their drinks and to see what they wanted to order for dinner. He let Dana go first and then he ordered a steak, baked potato, and grilled vegetables. He couldn’t believe the prices. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it, but normally he’d never pay that much for dinner.
    As they waited on their food, he looked around. A woman a few tables over with shoulder length blonde hair laughed, catching his attention.
    Was that?
    No, it couldn’t be Francesca. There was no way they’d be at the same place. But he had to know.
    “I’ll be right back, I need to wash up.” He excused himself.
    As he got closer to the woman, she spoke and he recognized her voice. It was Francesca, and she looked to be having a fabulous time with an older man, one he assumed was rich. And to think, she’d just asked him to be her date at some wedding. And she wanted to see if there was anything between them. She was never going to change.
    He cleared his throat to get her attention. She spun around in her chair and looked back at him.
    “Randall. Wow, this is unexpected.”
    “It certainly is, isn’t it?” he said with irritation in his voice.
    “Randall, this is Ben. Ben, this is Randall.” She introduced them.
    “It’s Randy.”
    “Sorry, I keep forgetting.” Her smiled faded.
    “It’s nice to meet you.” Ben put his hand out to shake.
    Randy didn’t take the man’s hand. The older gentleman put his hand down and then excused himself to go to the restroom.
    Francesca nodded at Ben as he left, letting him know she was fine. Once he was out of sight, she glared at