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humble person I know.”
    “I disagree,” he said. “You’re the hottest chick I’ve ever seen but you don’t act like it.”
    I blushed at his comment. I wasn’t expecting that. “I don’t know about that…”
    “When I saw you in that bar, I was immediately smitten. And when I saw Scott talking to you, I knew I was in. I just swooped.”
    I looked at my menu because I didn’t know what else to do.
    “I’m sorry if my bluntness offended you.”
    “It didn’t,” I said quietly.
    The waiter took our orders then walked away. Tony ordered a bottle of wine for us and we drank it together. It was red wine with an equal amount of sweetness and tartness.
    “So, are you equally fond of Beatriz?” I asked. “Because I want to punch her in the face most of the time.”
    Tony laughed loudly. “That deserves another high-five.” He clapped my hand loudly. “I was never close with her like I was with Janet, but I still love her unconditionally. I’m glad she worked things out with Hank, especially for my nephew.”
    “Do you like being an uncle?”
    “I love it,” he said. “I want more so I can have my own baseball team.”
    I laughed. “Janet and Scott need to get started then.”
    He grimaced.
    “Sorry, I guess that was a bad mental picture.”
    “It’s okay,” he said. “Can I ask you something personal?”
    My heart raced. “I guess.”
    “You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”
    “Okay.”
    “You said you were in a relationship that ended like two years ago. Do you still talk to him?”
    “No.”
    He nodded. “Was he cheating on you the entire time?”
    “I never asked. At that point, it didn’t matter.”
    Tony stared at me. “Have you been in a relationship since then?”
    “No.”
    “Have you dated?”
    “Yeah,” I said. “But they were all losers and never went anywhere.”
    He gripped his knife and held it in his hand.
    “Those weren’t that personal.”
    “Well, the last one is the most personal. I feel bad for even asking.”
    “What is it?” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
    “Have you…had sex since then?”
    My cheeks blushed. “No…”
    Tony nodded.
    “Why do you ask?”
    “You just seem…”
    “Charged?” I asked with a laugh.
    He smiled. “Yeah. When I kissed you, I never felt that much passion from someone else.”
    “Well, you are a really good kisser. And I do like you.”
    Tony’s eyes shined brighter. He leaned closer to me, clearly pleased with that response. “I’m glad to hear that.”
    “I’m assuming you have sex on a regular basis?”
    “Uh, not necessarily.”
    “Have you been in a serious relationship recently?”
    “No. It’s been a long time.”
    “So you just date people?”
    “On and off,” he said.
    I wanted to ask him if it was because he was rich but I decided not to. He clearly didn’t like discussing that. I could understand why. When it came to money, people were weird. And I’m sure he had girls date him just to get a chance at his money. It was difficult to tell if people really liked him for who he was. I didn’t care about his money. I was falling for him because he was a great guy, the first great guy I met in years.
    The waiter brought our food and we ate quietly. Tony had perfect table manners. That didn’t surprise me at all. He ate his pizza with a knife and a fork rather than holding it by the slice. When we were done, the waiter brought the tab.
    “Let me get it this time,” I said. “You paid for all that junk food the other night.”
    He stared at me like I just burped out a frog. “What?”
    “Let’s trade off.”
    “That’s the first time I’ve been out with a girl who’s ever offered to pay.”
    “Oh,” I said. “Well, I think that’s fair. I guess I’m a feminist.”
    He stared at me for a long time before he threw the cash in. “My dates don’t pay for their meals.”
    “Can I get the tip?”
    “No,” he snapped.
    I backed down.
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I