Chapter 26

Jasina smiled softly while sipping her wine, silently thinking the same thing that dating did suck. This definitely wasn't the blind date Jasina hoped for, wondering what she honestly expected given she'd never even met this man. Sighing, Jasina leaning back against her chair and tried nursing her wine, not wanting to be plastered by the time her date finally decided to rear his head.

"Watch him stand me up." She muttered loud enough for Mark to hear, shaking her head. "I can't believe I let Trish talk me into this..."

Personally, he found it amusing that Jasina let Trish talk her into something like this. Then again...Trish had probably batted her brown doe eyes in that way she did when she really wanted something and the person not giving it was being stubborn. Trish got her way ninety nine percent of the time, Mark wasn't giving her one hundred percent credit because there were rare times that she didn't get what she wanted.

"Someone from work?" He asked conversationally, not too keen on telling her about Steve hooking him up with someone because he was pretty sure Arielle had told her about the elderly woman and he did not need to be laughed at before his date arrived.

"One of Steve's friends..." Her eyes suddenly turned to look at Mark, having had them on her wine to keep from devouring her ex-husband whole visually. "You might know him in fact. You and Steve are best friends after all." Why hadn't she thought of that sooner? If Mark could give her some insight on this guy, Jasina could leave before he even arrived, suddenly turning in her chair to fully face him. "His name is Terry. I don't know his last name, Trish said he was a nice guy and nothing more."

Mark arched an eyebrow, busy taking a drink of his Jack and Coke, slowly setting it down on the napkin the waiter had placed on the table for the sweating glass. "Terry?" He repeated, grunting when she nodded and wondered just how many coincidences it took to reach the non-coincidence stage. "I don't know any Terry." He said slowly, stretching out one leg beneath the table. "Steve set me up with one of Trish's friends, her name is...Terri, maybe you know her?" It was mostly rhetorical.

Jasina raised a slow eyebrow when she heard that, paying attention to the part where Steve was involved, clearing her throat. "No, I don't know any Terri. He didn't give you a last name?" When Mark shook his head, Jasina was starting to wonder if maybe these people even existed and drained the rest of her glass of wine. "How very...coincidental..." She practically spat that last word out and ordered another glass of wine, tapping her freshly French manicured nails against the table.

At that, Mark snorted, beginning to get the feeling they were being played with and his eyes narrowed, wondering how opposed Jasina would be to him taking a page out Arielle's book and locking Trish and Steve in a room together. Naked. And tied up in chairs away from each other where they couldn't find an escape and drugged with sex pills.

"They got some nerve..." Mark said gruffly, draining the rest of his drink and signaled for another. "Get her a fresh glass too." He ordered when the waiter came over. "So, Terri and Terry, huh? That's just cute."

"You thinking what I'm thinking? You think they set us up?" Jasina demanded, trying to keep the malice out of her voice, but it wasn't happening.

Jasina moved to sit across from Mark at his table, pissed beyond belief, not believing their friends would do this to them. It explained why Trish and Arielle hadn't mentioned hide nor hair of Mark lately. They had this planned all along!

"You know what? They should be forced to pay for this blind date since they were so hell bent on us eating together." She growled, their drinks arriving and Jasina asked for a bottle, knowing tonight definitely called for it.

"They're going to pay alright..." Mark said, having intention of hanging Trish and Steve by their ankles and fleecing them both on a payday. He leaned back in his chair, nudging a menu towards her. "Order somethin', we might as well eat." He then arched an eyebrow, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, flipping through it. Smirking, he slid a credit card towards her. "Company card and the company is now Steve's." Though the card would still work since Steve had insisted he keep it just in case. "Bill's on Steve."

"You gave up the shop?" Jasina felt her jaw drop when Mark nodded, teal eyes widening, not expecting Mark to ever do something. "You loved that shop, why would you give it up?" She couldn't help asking, taking the credit card and decided she was ordering everything on the menu and would bring leftovers home. They would split them evenly and then Steve would have one huge dinner bill to pay for...along with a lot of alcohol included. "The chef is going to hate us when we're outta here."

"Hell no he won't, I plan on giving these people the largest tip they have EVER had." Mark reassured her, knowing that by the end of the night, they were going to have one hell of a bill to send to Steve. While Steve and Trish weren't hurting financially by any means, he had every intention of running up a bill so large that even they were forced to take a second look at the numbers to make sure it was right. "You know, we could also pay for everyone else who is in here..." He stroked his goatee thoughtfully, purposefully ignoring her question for the moment. When she repeated it, damn stubborn woman, Mark looked across the table at her. "I wanted a change, needed to do somethin' different', darlin'."

Of all people, Jasina would be the one to understand that.

Jasina did probably more than anyone, not able to help a smile from crossing her face. "You do what you want, not my tab it's going on." Lobster and steak was definitely in order, Trish and Steve set them up at one of the most expensive restaurants in town, though it was still semi-casual dress and it was their mistake that they would definitely regret once this blind date was over with. "I'm sorry about your shop, mind me asking what you're doing now?" It was a simple question and Mark didn't have to answer it if he didn't want to as Jasina drained her second glass of wine and then decided on ordering a bottle of their finest and most expensive champagne. "This calls for a toast, screwing our devious friends over and all..."

"That is a rather...pricey vintage..." The waiter said hesitantly when Jasina placed her order. Only a few customers ever ordered it and that was generally for weddings, anniversaries, things of that nature. He arched an eyebrow when she repeated the order, bobbing his head. "Of course ma'am-"

"Hell, bring a bottle for everyone here." Mark said with a grin, his eyes twinkling wickedly.

"I, um, am going to have to run your card..." His eyes widened when he seen the credit card held up. "I will be right back sir."

When bottles of that champagne were carted out, Mark began laughing. Trish and Steve would NEVER play them again, that was for damn sure. "I'm sittin' at home, debatin' on if I want to start a new business or just retire." He said finally, after he had laughed himself near silly, startling a few patrons because of his deep baritone voice.

His deep baritone voice was doing things to her body Jasina tried desperately ignoring, laughing right along with him, knowing people probably thought they were nuts. "Oh and everyone's tab will be paid on that card tonight as well!" Jasina added with an evil grin of her own, sipping the delicious champagne while Mark filled her wine glass again. "I'm definitely ordering at least one of every dessert they have here, including the tiramisu." This was simply too cruel and Jasina loved it, holding her glass of wine up while Mark held his beer. "I think we've finally arrived on the same page, Calaway." It felt good to be able to actually get along with her ex-husband for once, feeling horrible for all the times she supposedly cut him down.

"Darlin', I think I'll order everything you have and double it, I am a big man after all." Mark toasted her with his glass, actually changing from the Jack and coke to the champagne. This was a special occasion after all. Too bad it totally backfired on their meddling friends. "Let me see...he won't get this bill until next month's cycle...so...until then, whenever they ask about this date, I think we should just play along with their 'Terri and Terry' thing, try not to give any of it away." That would drive the meddlers insane with curiosity until that bill arrived and then the fun would really begin.

"I'm simply going to tell Trish that 'Terry' never showed up, so I went home completely rejected crying my eyes out." A little guilt trip wouldn't hurt after what her evil wench of a friend did with her equally evil husband, teal eyes sparkling. "And I think you should do the same thing with Steve. Tell him 'Terri' never showed up either and you ended up drinking yourself into near oblivion. They will feel so shitty, they'll have to come clean on their own and by then, the bill will arrive and they will know what it feels like to be played like a fiddle." They clinked glasses and drank. This was honestly the best blind date Jasina ever had and how messed up was it that her company was her ex-husband. "And I think you should get into real estate, do something with that stretch of land you showed me when we first began dating again."

"I'm going to do something with it, I'm goin' to build on it." Mark said after a moment, having been running the idea around his head for some time now. "Darlin', the ranch is just too big for me these days. I'm not used to it bein' empty and, to be honest, I don't need something that big anyway. I was thinkin' about giving it to Arielle and Gary as a weddin' present, whenever they do decide to get hitched." Which he was expecting them to announce the engagement any day now. "I got enough money stashed to sit comfortably for some time and buildin' a new house, myself no contractors, will keep me busy for awhile."

"You're going to build a house by yourself?"

How the hell was he supposed to manage that? It took months for a whole crew to build a house and Mark was actually going to build one himself with absolutely no help? That would keep him busy for at least a few years, depending on how big he was going to make it.

"I never thought you'd want to leave the ranch because of all the memories you have there..." Both with her and Arielle, the guilt suddenly eating her alive. "Look Mark, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you. There's no excuse for cutting you down the way I have and you didn't deserve any of it. I hope you can forgive me, but I'll understand if you don't." Her eyes lowered to the table just as their huge spread arrived, still hungry for lobster since she felt better now that she finally got to apologize.

"Jasina, we've both hurt each other, a lot over these past few years. I'm sorry for what I've done to you, the things I've said and done, and if you'll forgive me then I'll say we're even."

He could smell the food and it smelled delicious, but his eyes were fastened on the woman across from him. His blind date, his ex-wife, how messed up this situation was. At the same time, the night was actually turning out better than he had anticipated.

"I'm not sayin' we have to be best friends darlin', I know you've moved on with your life. I'm just tired of us fightin' and cuttin' each other down. It wasn't just on your end, I did it to you too. I still and will always care about you and I'm ready to put all that hurt where it belongs, behind us."

Doing something she thought she'd never do, Jasina stood up from the table and moved to sit right beside Mark, glad he scooted over giving her enough room. His heartfelt words and sincerity warmed her heart because everything he said was the truth. They had hurt each other a lot and it was time to put the past behind them. Steve JR's words suddenly replayed in her mind, which hadn't happened in awhile, and Jasina wondered if what the little boy said was the truth.

Steve had asked her did it matter if Mark was still in love with her and Jasina had answered no. But staring into her ex-husband's eyes, Jasina couldn't help the old feelings and love that came rushing back for Mark. Huge tears slid down her face and Jasina didn't pull away when Mark caught a few on his fingers, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore." Her voice cracked, Jasina sniffled and felt his arms wrap around her slightly trembling body, not wanting to let him go as her eyes squeezed shut.

Ignoring everyone else in the room, Mark simply pulled Jasina until she was sitting on his lap, her legs hanging off the chair and his thigh while she leaned into him, keeping his arms wrapped around her while he rested his head on top of hers. "I don't want to hurt you anymore either, darlin'." He murmured, moving one hand up to gently rub slow, soothing circles against her back.

"I'm sorry, I'm making such a scene here." Jasina murmured, pulling back to wipe her tears away and looked into his eyes, smiling when he tapped her nose with his finger. "I'm not really hungry anymore." She admitted softly, everyone having a much better time now that their dinners were taken care of for the evening along with their drinks. "Are you?" Jasina just wanted to leave with Mark and go somewhere more private so they could really talk, without any distractions or waiters coming up asking how their food was every ten minutes.

"No, not anymore."

Not that he wouldn't take it to go, Mark signaled for the waiter to come over, asking for...bags because there was no way a little white box was going to carry even a fraction of the amount of food on their table. Eventually, she would be hungry again and so would he, he was thinking a sort of picnic on the floor of wherever they went to. Standing, Mark gently set Jasina on her feet, keeping one hand on the small of her back to steady her.

"Want to go somewhere?" When she nodded, Mark smiled, reaching down to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Where to, darlin'?"

"I have an idea." Jasina knew he would appreciate where she wanted to go, helping him pack up their slew of food and even had the restaurant add a bottle of wine to go. They would need it. "Follow me in my car." When Mark raised an eyebrow, Jasina couldn't help giggling at his apprehensiveness. "Trust me, you'll enjoy it."

They both headed down the sidewalk together, leaving the card behind and made sure that it would be cut up after the tab was tallied. Since both were pretty sure it would be maxed out before the night was over with. Mark even gave them his cell and house phone in case the card declined, which it wouldn't because he never used it until tonight.

"We both had the same idea for the blind date I take it?"

Mark instantly understood what she meant when they began walking down the street, smirking slightly and gestured down further towards where he had parked his truck. "A 'just in case my date doesn't work out and might be psychotic?' scenario? Yeah, I was thinkin' the same thing." Mostly, he was also seeing dentures and blue hair memorizing his truck hunting him down. Shivering, Mark shifted the bags of food to his other hand, reaching for his keys with the other. "I'll follow." He said, a bit curious about where she was about to lead him but also trusted her to not send him into a ditch.

"See you there, blind date."

Jasina winked over her shoulder before heading to her own car, carrying half the bags of food and slipped behind the wheel. What Trish and Steve did was uncalled for, sneaky and under-handed...and she owed them everything for doing it. Of course, she would never admit that to them, especially since they had charged well over ten grand in food and drinks since the restaurant was pretty full, being it a Saturday night and all.

Giggling, Jasina pulled on the road and headed toward the destination she had in mind, knowing Mark would fully appreciate it. And it would give them the privacy they desperately needed. Jasina looked in her rearview mirror and smiled when the huge Chevy Silverado began following her, knowing the realization would soon hit Mark once they were on the outskirts of Houston.