“So this is what we’re going to do,” Annie whispered, “we’ll go out first, Crystal. Wait a few minutes and then go into the living room. We think he’s here now. As soon as you come out, we’ll call you over and introduce you to him.”
I was too old to listen to a play-by-play for a blind date. “Can we please be a bit more casual about this, ladies?”
Julianna nudged me with her elbow. “You should chill every once in a while, sweetie.”
I watched them leave the kitchen and thought about how my mother used to say the same thing to me. If she were here right now, I know she’d want me to meet Gavin and encourage me to just have a good time.
I paced back and forth in the kitchen for several minutes as my anxiety was eating me alive. If only they hadn’t given a play-by-play of how the whole meet and greet would go down, I would be more relaxed about this whole thing.
After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, I realized how ridiculous I was being and left the kitchen. I kept my head down, though, and walked straight to the food table, pretending to fix everything up.
It wasn’t long before Annie called my name. “Crystal, come on over!”
I let out a long breath to compose myself, counted to ten, and looked over to see the back of a man’s head standing next to Annie. As I walked over to him, I kept my eyes down and focused on the floor. By the time I got there, he had turned around and was looking in my direction.
I lifted my eyes and stared directly at that same bearded asshole who had hit my car.
Gavin smiled at me, and even though he was handsome as hell, it made me hate him even more. “Oh, wow, it’s you!”
I glared over at Annie and Julianna, then tilted my head suggestively so they would leave. “I’m Crystal, the person whose car you wrecked earlier.”
Gavin’s smile only got wider. “Are you still upset about that little fender-bender? Besides, I told you that I’d buy you a new car.”
I made my way back to the food table, where I proceeded to chug some of the spiked punch, then turned around to see that he was standing right behind me. “Perhaps you call it a ‘little fender-bender’ because you have a BMW. Ordinary people like myself, with normal-paying jobs, don’t have luxury cars.”
The more he smiled at me, the angrier I became.
Gavin watched me pour myself another glass of spiked punch. “Please don’t think that I’m some type of asshole, Crystal. Yes, I make a lot of money, but I’m not a jerk. I was just in a rush to get to a business meeting.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. “Yeah, right. What made you hit my car in the first place? Were you checking out some sexy chic walking down Main Street?”
“First of all, I was looking at the quaint shops and cafes. It’s what I like about River Valley. I love the small-town vibe of it, how everybody pretty much knows everybody.”
I sighed, starting to feel like a real bitch. “You should still keep your eyes on the road,” I muttered.
“I can’t say that I’m sorry about hitting your car. That would be a lie.”
I wanted to throw my drink in his gorgeous face. “I bet you don’t. I bet this is how you get all of your girlfriends, huh? You don’t look where you’re going, bump into them or damage some of their property, then promise to make it all better just to get them into bed.”
One side of my brain was screaming at the other, and the bitchy one was winning out.
“I haven’t dated in years because of my schedule, and for some other reasons that I’ll keep to myself. I’d rather spend an evening alone than trying to sleep with some random woman.”
Gavin’s comments made me feel even worse. Maybe I was the one who was blowing this whole ‘rich thing’ with the Truman’s and their friends out of proportion. But all I could do at this point was to guzzle the spiked punch and pray that the hours would fly by so I could go home.
I tilted my head in wonder. “So why aren’t you sorry that you hit my car?”
“It’s going to sound corny as hell, but if I hadn’t hit your car, I would never have met you.”
“You’re right,” I said, feeling a bit tipsy. “That is corny as hell.”
Gavin took my hand, and we sat on the couch near the food table. “I figured it’s best if we sit down.” I noticed how he eyed my half-empty glass. “Plus, they are getting ready to pop the gender reveal balloons. You can see it all from right here.”
I elbowed him while continuing to drink my punch. “Well, that was very thoughtful of you. So, I heard you just got back from Spain. Did you hit any cars over there, too?”
“Nope,” he snickered, “but then again, I pretty much walked everywhere. It’s such a beautiful country just like here in River Valley, with independent shops and cafes lining the streets. You’d miss most of them if you drove.”
“It sounds like a romantic place.” I reached up and tried to pour myself some more spiked punch, but I ended up spilling some on the table.
