Say You'll Remember Me(47)

“I’m attending a veterinary conference in Long Beach,” he said. “I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner. As friends,” he added.

“A conference?”

“Yeah, it’s one of the big ones. Important for my continuing education requirement.”

“Huh.” I traced between two tiles with my finger. “Well, when are you here?”

“I’m here now actually.”

I blinked into the soap dish. “Now? Where?”

“I just checked into the hotel.”

“The hotel? The gross one?”

“Yes.”

A pause.

“Xavier, that hotel is nowhere near Long Beach. That’s an hour drive each way, easily.”

“I know. It’s just such a good deal. And I’m used to it already.”

I laughed dryly. “The horror house you know…”

Silence.

“Dinner?” he asked again.

I tipped my head back. “Xavier… I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because you know why.”

“Are you seeing someone or…”

I shook my head. “No.”

I don’t know why but I sensed relief on the other line.

“It’s just dinner,” he said. “I don’t know anyone here.”

I didn’t answer.

“Come on, Eileen…”

That’s it. He got me. I cracked a smile.

This was a terrible decision. I knew it was. But also, he was here, from two thousand miles away and he was alone, in a city he didn’t know. If I was in a city I didn’t know, I’d want a friend to come hang out with me. How was I going to say no to that?

I let out a breath. “Fine. But this is not a date.”

“Of course not,” he replied.

“I’m serious.”

“I believe you.”

I bit my lip. “What time?” I asked, looking at my watch. It was three.

“Five thirty?”

“Do you know where you want to go?” I asked. “I can find us a restaurant.”

“I’ll find a restaurant,” he said. “And I’ll pick you up. I rented a car.”

“Okay.”

“See you in a few hours,” he said.

“Yeah. See you in a few hours.”

I hung up.

When I turned around, my brother was standing there with his lips pursed. “He’s here for you. I hope you know that.”

I rolled my eyes. “No he’s not. There’s a veterinary thing.”

His face called bullshit.

“He is not here for me.”

His face bullshitted harder.

“Fine,” I said, pulling up Google. “Let’s see.” I searched veterinary conference and found the website immediately. It was a national annual event and a big one.

I’d be kidding myself if I said I wasn’t slightly disappointed.

I turned the screen to him. “See? Conference.”

“He’s lying.”

“He is not lying. Believe me. He hasn’t so much as texted me once since he left, he’s not fake-attending an entire conference in a different state just in the hopes I’ll have dinner with him.”

He looked me up and down. “Fine. But if I’m right you pay for my next tattoo.”

“Ha! No way.”

“Because you know I’m right.”

I pressed my lips into a line. “What do I get if you’re wrong?”

He stood there holding his elbow, deep in dramatic thought. “I’ll clean your little used tissue of a cat’s litter box for a month.”

“Okay, first of all my cat does not look like a used tissue.”

“That cat is barely alive. It would die if it ate a single Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.”

I almost choked on my laugh. I wrestled my face straight.

“You clean it every day,” I said. “And you have to wash it out once a week.”

“Fine.”

“And I’m not paying for some epic, whole leg tattoo thing,” I said. “Nothing bigger than an orange.”

“A grapefruit.”

“Agreed.”

I put my hand out to shake and he looked at it like I was handing him a mouse trap. “I’ll pass. Let’s go.”

I got home and got ready like I was going on the most important date of my life for my Not A Date dinner. I didn’t know why. I shouldn’t care how I look, but I absolutely did.

One meal.

I wasn’t doing anything else with Xavier. No lunch tomorrow, no drinks after the conference, I wasn’t getting roped in.

When he knocked on my door at exactly 5:30 he had flowers and a Porto’s box.

The rope lassoed me.

“Hi…” he said, giving me his warmest, barely there smile.

Good lord, he looked fantastic.

He wore a blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes. Is this how they dressed at those veterinary things? Because wow.

I nodded at the box. “What’s this?”

“I brought you the guava cheese strudels you like.”

I blinked at him. “You stopped at Porto’s because I mentioned guava strudels once?”