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DINNER WITH MATT that first night was a surprisingly easy affair. He had a refreshingly honest perspective that Penny could appreciate. Matt didn’t know how to be anything other than Matt. When he gave his opinion on something, she knew it was the unvarnished truth, free of guile or agenda.

He met her after work again Monday night and they went to a local pizza place that Penny had been addicted to ever since she’d found it. They’d talked and laughed over huge slices of pizza dripping with cheese. Just a few weeks prior, she wouldn’t have believed she could be so comfortable with him, but the entire night she hadn’t felt self-conscious about how much she was eating or worried whether she had food on her face. Unbelievably, he was keeping to his “just friends” promise. He hadn’t done anything or said anything suggestive. Well, not too suggestive anyway.

It was still Matt, after all.

Tuesday evening when his truck pulled into the lot of the center, she was already waiting outside. She skipped over to his truck and climbed up to the passenger side.

“Am I late?” Matt regarded her with amusement as she dropped her bag on the floor and buckled her seatbelt.

“No, I was just ready. So, where are we going?”

“I heard about this great seafood restaurant that’s near my buddy’s house. Are you up for trying a new place?”

“Yeah. Sounds like fun.” Penny rubbed her hands together and they pulled out of the lot.

The radio blared a country song Penny didn’t recognize. She glanced at his profile as he drove. Everything about him fascinated her. He was so rough around the edges but had so many moments of unexpected sweetness. Such as his fondness for sad country songs and his devotion to his family and friends. He’d told her about his friend Nick who was expecting his first child with his wife. She could hear his excitement and happiness on their behalf. It was an unexpected thing to see this side of him.

Part of her had to wonder if he was just doing all this to impress her. Pretending to want to be her friend as a way to soften her up. It was hard to gauge what was sincere and what was flattery.

They pulled up in front of a small building with a painted sign out front that read “Selma’s Crab Shack.” Penny followed Matt to the front door and a bell tinkled merrily overhead as they entered.

“I heard about this place from my buddy, the one who’s letting me crash at his place. He said it’s small but the food is great.”

Penny looked around, already enchanted by the atmosphere. It was a small, cramped space with walls painted lobster red. Each table was covered in old-fashioned brown paper and the chairs looked like they’d been salvaged from a junkyard. Scott wouldn’t have been caught dead in a place like this.

She instantly loved it.

“I bet it is. I can’t wait.”

He looked at her in disbelief. Then a smile broke out on his face. “Good, I’m glad. It’s a little rustic, so I wasn’t sure if you’d be up for it.”

They followed their waitress, a petite redhead who looked like a teenager. Penny picked up the menu. It was only one page.

“It looks like we have a choice of fish, shrimp, or scallops. All fried.” Matt put the menu down. “Well, that was easy.”

Penny shook her head. “I’m definitely going to have to make up for this later, but I don’t even care. I have a feeling this place will be worth it.”

She put her menu down and noticed Matt was still watching her. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m having a good time.” He sat back in his chair and regarded her openly. The blatantly appraising look in his eyes gave her a thrill.

“We aren’t even doing anything yet.” Penny fidgeted with her menu. It was hard to sit still when he was staring at her like he was trying to see through her clothes.

“I know. I’m still having a good time.”

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, hating how self-conscious she felt under the weight of his sexually charged stare. He’d kept to their bargain and hadn’t made any moves on her but man, those eyes. It was almost like being touched when he looked at her like that.

“So, tell me more about you.” Matt sat forward, fixing his entire attention on her. “Who do you normally hang out with when you aren’t tempting me?”

She laughed at his insinuation that she was tempting him. If anything, he was the one causing her to experience severe lust overload.

“I don’t really hang out with anyone. I’m too busy with work. Georgia has been trying to get me to do happy hour for ages. I won’t be trusting her to set up happy hours for me again anytime soon.”

Matt’s deep laugh echoed throughout the restaurant. “Oh yes, I still need to thank her for that. I’m surprised you don’t go out. I still remember how tight you were with that dark-haired skinny girl that summer. You two were always together. Whatever happened to her, I wonder?”

Penny fought to keep the smile on her face. “Rachel Addams. Yeah, we were best friends. I haven’t seen her in years.” She threw a napkin across the table at him. “What about you? What would you be doing on a Wednesday evening normally?”

“I’d be out with my friend Nick, hanging with Trent and Mara, or we’d all be over at our friend Jackson’s house. We’re a pretty tight group. Since our parents live in Florida and Trent’s folks live in the Midwest, when we got homesick freshman year of college there was nowhere for us to go. Luckily, Trent and I lived across the hall from Jackson. Nick was two years older, but he was always in Jackson’s dorm room. They used to go home every weekend so they could sweet talk their mom into doing their laundry. They’d invite us all to come along and hang out. Nick and Jackson’s parents sort of adopted Trent, Mara, and me after that.”