By the time I glanced back, Tucker was staring down at his nearly empty plate with a scowl as if the food had injured him somehow. Our server was also gone. I wish I knew whether he was waiting on his dessert or if I could finally get out of this place. As beautiful as it may have been, it had long ago started to feel like more of a prison than a gorgeous restaurant I had once placed on my must-try list.

“We should go,” Tucker mentioned as he glanced toward the door. I did then too, wondering if our picture would end up joining the ranks of all the other women he brought here. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

“I don’t suppose there’s a back door?”

He seemed taken aback by my question. “Now, you’re embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“I just don’t want to be one of the many women,” I whispered, while trying not to cause a scene.

“The many women?” He asked as his brows arched down toward his nose. He was clearly confused by my admission. In an effort to get my point across without having to say it all out loud, I pulled my phone back out where the search results still existed and hit the “image” button so that it only showed the collection of photos.

It was a veritable collage of Tucker and a ridiculous number of women leaving this very establishment together. Sometimes, they were laughing, others they appeared more somber, in a few they were sexy shots as eyes smoldered and you could just see what was about to happen once they left. There were even a couple where he was lip-locked with the women. After glancing down once more, I turned the phone in his direction, and let him get the visual representation of why I had not been happy to be here.

His eyes widened momentarily before he threw his napkin down on his plate and stood abruptly. He glanced down at me before he ordered, “Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

So, I waited and sipped on what was left of my water as he went to do whatever it was he went to do. I knew that all those women were in the past and wished I could just get over it. The fact remained he had brought me here, to the same place where he had brought all the rest. For a moment, I wondered if he had left me there to pay the bill and find my own way home. That would serve me right for being so sensitive about things. When a few more moments passed, I figured that was exactly what had happened, and I pulled my phone out to call Bea to come rescue me. I had enough in my clutch to cover the meal, but not enough to cover the expense of having to get a ride all the way back home. Just as my finger hovered over her name, Tucker arrived at the table again.