London's Most Eligible Doctor by Annie O'Neil

Author:Annie O'Neil
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

“WHERE’S IGOR?”

“I thought he looked a bit tired—it’s just me, I’m afraid.”

“Oh.”

Cole replayed the opening moments of their “date, not date” on a loop as he watched Lina disappear into the ladies’ room. Talk about an unmitigated disaster. This was worse than he could’ve imagined. A cotillion filled to the brim with women of his mother’s choosing would have been better than this! Seriously better. And that was saying a lot.

Lina’s expression had been unreadable when he’d broken the news he was there on his own. Just a neutral expression, eyes refusing to make contact with his, the menu providing the only distraction.

Just dandy! She’d shown up to see the dog. And there was him thinking she’d agreed because she’d wanted to go out with him. Have “grown-up time” away from the dog, the clinic. This was the first date in years he’d gone out with expectation, with hope. And it was gnawing him apart. He began to rearrange all the condiments on the table to occupy his jangling nerves.

He’d never cared before what the women he’d gone out with had thought of him because he’d known he’d never tell them. Never let them know the real Cole. The guy who’d tried to please his parents by marrying the right girl and having it go about as wrong as it possible could. But Lina deserved more. Deserved to know the truth. But the truth would most likely destroy what had been growing between them, the growing flirtation... No. It was more than that. More than a flirtation. He had feelings for Lina, but with that came respect. Honesty.

Ha! Showed him. She’d probably agreed to come out tonight because he was the boss. He’d kept her late at work countless times before... For the love of Pete! Had he really misread the “ice-cream overtimes”’ as romantic rather than what they most likely had been: plain old politeness? Years of practice at his parents’ country club had obviously dulled his people-reading skills. Then again, he’d just presumed everyone there had been faking perfect lives. It’s what everyone did. Right?

He looked up to the ceiling and offered it a silent howl. He should’ve just bailed there and then. Why had he left the dog at home?

“Could I please have some more water?” Cole signaled to the waiter. He’d already had several refills, but the glasses here were so dinky. Or were they? Was it more the case that he was feeling like the world’s largest oaf and everything was out of perspective? He tried to size up his water glass. Properly. Objectively. Like he normally sized things up. Scientifically.

Hmm. Okay, fine. It wasn’t really that small.

He was nervous, all right? He hadn’t been out on a proper date in who knew how long. Not that this was a date. Lina had clearly met up with him to see Igor. Igor, the blameless, adorable, lovable puppy.

Talk about showing up with your heart on your sleeve. Maybe his parents had been right. He’d never learn to truly play his cards close to his chest.

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