Page 78 of Can't Win 'Em All
“The grandest gesture I’ve ever seen that doesn’t involve a flash mob,” Cherise replied. “You’d better say yes to the poor boy. He has it bad.”
“I don’t…” Ruby was about to say that she didn’t understand, but then her eyes flicked to me. “Really?” She sounded exasperated as she took in the flowers and balloons. “This is so over the top.”
I emerged from behind the giant ice cream cone. “I think it’s just enough.”
She blinked, then pressed her lips together, her frozen yogurt forgotten. “Rex, are you sure?”
“Yup. I just need you to be sure.”
She looked at the roses to buy herself time. “Why did you pick these colors?”
I ran down the meanings for her. When I got to the part about fertility, she laughed and looked up at the stork balloon. “I’m not sure I’m going to be a very good date,” she hedged. “I mean … I’m two months away from giving birth. I can’t drink. I have zero energy.”
“None of that makes you a good or bad date, Ruby. I don’t need any of that. I just want you to be open to the process.”
She tilted her head as she regarded me. “And what process is that?”
“I’m wooing you.” I was guileless when announcing it.
Her eyes practically bulged out of her head. “You’re wooing me?”
“That’s what I said. I’m wooing you.”
“Nice,” Cherise said on a head bob. She hadn’t left yet, which was weird because I’d already tipped her for the delivery. Perhaps she was invested in the process.
“I just … I’m afraid we’re going to ruin what we have going,” she said. “What if we utterly screw things up?” She looked so vulnerable, my heart went out to her.
“And what if we make things even better?” I walked closer. “What if I promise that, no matter what, we’ll always be friends? If this doesn’t work, we can go right back where we are now.”
“You can’t promise that. We both know that.”
“I can promise it. I’ll always want to be your friend. I want to be more, though, too.”
She pursed her lips and sighed. She was resigned for what was to come. I wanted her to be excited, but I would take resignation. I could work on the excitement factor. “Fine. You can woo me.”
Everybody in the ice cream shop burst into applause at her reaction, making me realize that everybody—guests and workers alike—had been watching us. Apparently, we were the most exciting thing in Vegas right now. I believed it. I hadn’t ever been this excited in my life.
“So, you’ll let me take you to dinner?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m talking about a real date. This isn’t friends getting a meal. This is me picking you up at a specific time and going all out for food.”
“I agree to your terms … as long as there’s steak wherever we go. I’m craving red meat like you wouldn’t believe.”
The old Rex would’ve made a joke about her craving meat. The new Rex wasn’t interested in sex. Or, well, just sex. He wanted the whole package.
“I can make that happen.”
“Fine.” Ruby let loose an airy sigh and leaned in to sniff the roses. “When did you want to have this date?”
“Tonight.” I wasn’t letting her wiggle out of it. “I already have a reservation at the Eiffel Tower.”
“Seriously?” She burst out laughing. “You’re taking me to the Eiffel Tower?”
“Yup.”
“Well, I guess I can’t say no to that.”
