Chapter 10

AN: I am behind on answering reviews; I promise to get to answering reviews when I get some time. I have to head back to work tonight...Thanks so much for the reviews, I really appreciate your input!

When she walked into Tia's, alone, Derek was sitting, waiting for her, in a similar state. He was in the same chair at the same table he had used since they started this endeavor, with that same hopeful smile on his face. Her heart panged in her chest when she saw that. He really was trying very hard.

He signaled his "hello" with a wave in her direction. As she headed closer to him, he rose to give her a hug.

"Where's Lynch?" he asked, obviously curious.

"He's not coming," she blurted quickly, noticing as his eyebrows shot up, along with the corners of his mouth. She grinned at him. "Are you going to miss him?"

"Oh, you know it, sugar. A meal is just not complete without watching Lynch sprinkle Parmesan cheese on his tiramisu," Derek answered, eyes twinkling.

"Be nice."

He shrugged, ignoring her last comment. "Seems I might be in the same boat…Sweetpea34 isn't here yet, either. Might just be us two."

She paused, looking at him, her eyes wide.

Giving her a smirk, he questioned, "Mind having a good supper, courtesy of your best friend?"

"I can think of nothing better," she replied honestly, taking the seat he pulled out for her. "However, I think you are maybe jumping the gun, honey. Very few women would ever be foolish enough to stand you up."

"Actually, I've had my share in my time," he said, sitting back down.

"Really?"

"Lots of women have turned me down for some reason or another," he said. A moment later, he leered at her, and added, "Scores more have said yes, mind you…"

She slapped his arm playfully. "You're awful."

He simply arched a brow, and then shook out his napkin, putting it on his lap. They chatted until the waiter came and took their orders. Shortly after, he returned and brought spinach artichoke dip—one of their favorites—and fried ravioli to snack on.

She was quiet for a moment, watching him while he looked at the menu, her elbow on the table and her chin rested in her hand. She thought it was so different, not having Kevin or some woman there to lose focus on. Just the two of them; it was such a good feeling.

"What are you looking at?" he asked with a teasing grin. "Do I have spinach in my teeth?"

"No, you're good," she teased back, not quite answering the first question. She took a sip of her wine, and then said, "So, what is it you like about Sweetpea34?"

"Beyond the fact that she's gorgeous?"

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. "I thought you said she hadn't sent you a picture yet, so how do you know?"

"Personality, sweetheart," he said with a smile. "She has a gorgeous personality, which matters more than anything to me."

"She may look like my Uncle Phil."

"I wouldn't care," he said.

"Oh, believe me. You'd care," she commented teasingly.

"I guess I'd have to deal, then," he said softly, a faint smile still gracing his lips.

She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling thick, full. "What else attracted you to her?" she croaked out hoarsely.

"She seemed very caring, sweet, genuine," he said. "Oh, and she's supportive."

She frowned. "How is she supportive?"

"She taught me how to do the chat thing on the computer," he said. "She was patient with me, very gentle."

"Anyone would do that, D," she replied, looking at him, her cheeks flushed.

"Anyone could, but she went out of her way," he said. "She'd make a good mother. She's not like anyone else."

"How do you know?" she asked.

He reached across the table and held her hand. "Just trust me. I know."

A warm shiver clamored up her spine, and an alarm bell went off. She gave him a wary look. "Derek…"

"Anyway," he said, removing his hand with a shake of his head. "It doesn't really matter, since she stood me up. I'd really hoped she was the right one. She was smart, warm, funny, and sexy in her conversations with me." He looked back at her, narrowing his eyes just a touch. "It's so strange she stood me up; she sounded like she really cared."

"Derek, she does care," she murmured.

He gave her a sidelong glance. "What was that? I didn't catch that. Too many gun shots without ear protection..."

She smiled, despite feeling nervous. "Yes, I can s-see that."

He put a hand on top of hers. His hand felt warm and dry, so different than hers. Her hands were cold, clammy, and were shaking like a leaf on a tree.

"Baby, you're shaking," he said softly. "What's the matter? You know you can tell me anything…"

"I broke up with Kevin," she began, but stopped quickly.

"Aw, sugar," he said, squeezing that same hand. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to be here for this, if that's bother—"

"No," she interrupted quickly. "I do…I have to."

He narrowed his eyes at her, his brow furrowing. "Baby—"

She took a deep breath, as if she were fortifying herself. She looked up at him, squeezed his hand back, and said, "Hi, HotStuff123; I'm Sweetpea34. Pleased to meet you."

Penelope watched as his frown deepened for just a moment. His expression wasn't at all what she expected. She thought he'd look surprised, shocked. He looked like she'd just said, "Derek, My eyes are brown." Not exactly front page news.

It wasn't exactly condemnation, like she'd expected, either. She'd thought he would be mad as hell for lying, for doing this pretense and not just saying, "I like you, and I could be in love with you," but he didn't look that upset, either.

He released her hand and sat back. "Okay, Penelope."

"Okay?"

"I am running on two things here—two things that are keeping me sane and in this seat, still," he said, his voice calm, controlled. "One, I had a damned good suspicion it was you."

Her eyes widened. "You d-d-did?"

"Woman, I know you. The way you talk, the way you tease...you called me handsome when you chatted with me," he said, arching a brow at her. "So either you have a really spooky doppelganger out there, or it was you."

She hung her head, feeling somewhat foolish. He'd known all along...

"We have a long friendship, one that I know you cherish as much as I do. I don't believe you would hurt me for the world, at least not on purpose." He paused and leaned forward. "So I only have one question for you: why'd you do it?"

Penelope felt her heart catch in her throat. When she'd gone through this in her mind, she'd been so much more suave. She was able to pour her heart out, tell him exactly what she'd come to discover about her own feelings. Now, she was confronted with those compassionate chocolate eyes, ones that were trying to understand why she'd lied to him, why she'd done such a stupid ruse. Ones that knew she lied—and played along with it.

And she couldn't say a word.

She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. No words would escape her suddenly parched throat. She reached for her wine glass, downed the contents, and stared at him.

"D," she croaked, and then shook her head.

"Go on, sweetheart," he said, squeezing her hand, looking at her with encouragement.

She needed to apologize. She needed to make this better, and treat him with the respect he'd always deserved.

"Derek…I'm…I'm…I'm s-s-sorry," she managed finally to pathetically squeak out.

She watched as all the warmth drained from Derek's eyes and his smile faded. He'd never had a frosty moment with her before, even when he'd been extremely mad at her in the past. She'd prefer for him to be angry with her, compared to this. He looked like she disappointed the hell out of him.

"D?" she questioned, starting to worry.

He removed his hand from hers, and she immediately missed the heat that it gave her. "I see," he said coolly. "That wasn't what I thought you'd say. I guess I was mistaken."

Mistaken? she thought, curious. What was he talking about?

She didn't get to question him. He stood, fished his wallet out, and threw a hundred dollar bill on the table. "That should cover dinner. I'm—"

"Derek, please," she interrupted, reaching for his hand. Her eyes widened, and her heart started to pound in panic. This wasn't good! "We can—"

He shook his head and took a step away from her. "Oh, hell, no. Never again."

"Derek, wait—"

Laughing bitterly, he said, "Wait? I'm done waiting on you. I'm someone for you to toy with, someone to tease, and now, apparently...Someone to treat like a fool."

Without another word, he turned and left the restaurant, never looking back to see her tears.