"There's a long holiday coming up in a couple of weeks. What are you doing then?" He sounded like he was offering up his free time to her. She had been planning to go on a trip with Ray and her friends, but that was out of the window. But spending time with Barry on those days would be a disaster.

  "I don't know yet. I am still planning," she lied. She would probably be moping at home. She must have sounded off because he quickly caught on.

  "Are you okay?" he asked. Kitty offered him a shallow smile, making him let the matter go.

  "The question just surprised me." His eyes were wary. They had already reached the restaurant and the valet had already taken over. He guided her over to the door and gave his name to the hostess. They were quickly led to a table by the windows.

  She looked out to the beautiful scenery outside. "This place has a wonderful view." He had been so thoughtful and booked this place with beautiful lighting, architecture and view, but there she was, feeling miserable.

  "Have you been here before?" he asked, placing the napkin on the other side of the table. She shook her head.

  "I've always wanted to but it never happened." At the time, Lily had a huge argument with her then boyfriend and they had just ended up ordering Chinese from the local restaurant.

  "I have been here a couple of times. It's a great place. Maybe we can come again," he offered.

  "It seems like a wonderful place." She had heard great things about it. And she was trying her best to muster up excitement for the good food.

  "What can I get you to drink?" The waitress asked. She was looking at Barry with interest and Kitty almost smiled. The waitress caught her expression and quickly fixed hers. Seemed like this man was sought after. Just that she was not particularly fascinated by him. She was sad to say that she didn't really care.

  "Just water for me, thank you," Katherine told the waitress.

  "You aren't getting wine?" Barry asked, surprised. She shook her head. "Then I will take water, as well."

  "What interests you from the menu?"

  "Do you like seafood?" he asked for her opinion. He had ordered a lot. She smiled and thought, this guy really must think I am a pig.

  He smiled at her brightly when the waitress walked away. "This place serves great lasagna. You should try it."

  "I definitely will." She had to try and enjoy this, and there was no way she was turning down food.

  "I like women who are not shy about how they eat," he said suddenly.

  "Ah, yes. I can stuff my mouth with a lot of food, I admit." She laughed nervously.

  "You really don't want to be here, do you?" The question startled her.

  "I don't understand?" she replied even though she did. She knew exactly what he meant.

  "You were in a relationship a couple of weeks ago and now you are not. There is something wrong and you look like you're being forced to stay with me."

  She sighed. "I'm terribly sorry. The things with the guy didn't work out and turned bitter. I called you even though I was not in a healthy mental space." She trailed off because she didn't know how to continue.

  She still loved Ray and she wanted to be with him even though she knew he had someone else. What did that make her? What type of a disgusting human was she?

  "You're not ready," he supplied helpfully. He closed the menu and leaned back into his chair. "You're trying to be someone else. And I have to say, I like the original Katherine more. Your personality attracted me."

  "I'm sorry. I can't go out on a date with a good guy without acting like a……"

  "I've been there!" he exclaimed, trying to make her feel better. He sipped on the water that the waitress had placed on their table a while back. "I dated this woman and wholeheartedly wanted a family with her. Things didn't end well. I tried very hard to get over her. I understand you and don't fault you for it one bit."

  "I'm sorry."

  "Don't apologize. I get it. You can always talk to me about it, you know?" What a nice guy… why can't I like him?

  "I don't think I am comfortable talking about it for now. It's too fresh," she admitted sheepishly.

  He waved it off. "It's no big deal. Don't force yourself. Why don't we treat this as a dinner between friends?"

  The food was delicious. But there were a lot of apologies exchanged.

  "I like you, Katherine," he suddenly said. "I really want to be with you and this isn't a terrible date. I know what you are thinking." He chuckled. "Maybe you're not involved with this guy, or maybe you are. It doesn't matter to me. I want you to be happy. We'll enjoy tonight and if you want to hand out again, call me. You don't need to feel sorry about it, okay?"

  She breathed heavily. "You're way too nice. How do you survive?"

  "Just fine. Now, tell me. What happened?"

  Tell him… she didn't know how. "We've never met."

  "Dating app?"

  "Something like that. He's fabulous but I think he is taken." She ate a shrimp. "There were a lot of angry words thrown around and I called him a cheater. It was bad."

  "Ah, so that's why you called. Well, I am flattered that I was the one you thought about!"

  "There is definitely something wrong with you," she laughed.

  "And you didn't talk to him since?" She shrugged. "You were angry, still are. Maybe you misunderstood things. A lot can happen. It's best if you listen to his side of the story. You have nothing to lose."

  "Other than my dignity," she added blandly.

  "Eh, what is dignity in front of something good?"

  "Everyone thinks I should talk it out."

  "So many people can't be wrong, right?" She shrugged. The idea of talking to him made her stomach clench. Could there be an alternate explanation. Would she be played again? There were so many questions that needed to be answered.