Blind Date Gone Wrong? “I’m Not the Girl You Were Supposed to Meet”—She Said, But the CEO Smiled…
The Wrong Reservation
Caroline Mitchell adjusted her daughter’s hair bow for the third time, her hands trembling slightly. At 32, she’d thought her days of blind dates were long behind her, especially now as a single mother to four-year-old Lily.
She worked double shifts as a waitress just to make rent each month. But her best friend Jessica had been so insistent, so certain that this would be different.
“He’s a good man, Caroline,” Jessica had said, “trust me on this one.” Now sitting in the elegant restaurant downtown, Caroline felt completely out of place.
Her simple beige blouse with its delicate lace trim and her worn denim skirt seemed shabby compared to the polished diners around her. She’d braided her blonde hair to one side, hoping it looked intentional rather than hurried, which it was.
Lily sat beside her in a cream-colored dress that Caroline had found at a thrift store. The little girl’s brown curls falling softly around her face as she colored quietly in her activity book.
Caroline checked her phone again. The reservation was under the name Thomas Whitmore.
Jessica’s cousin had arranged everything, or so she’d been told. But something felt wrong.
This restaurant was too upscale, too refined. Jessica knew Caroline’s situation.
Why would she set her up at a place where a single appetizer cost more than Caroline spent on groceries for a week? A man approached their table and Caroline’s breath caught.
He was striking, probably in his mid-30s, with dark hair styled with care and strong handsome features. His charcoal suit fit him perfectly, the kind of tailoring that spoke of serious money.
He moved with quiet confidence, the way people do when they’re accustomed to being in charge. “Caroline?” he asked, his voice warm but slightly uncertain.
She stood quickly, almost knocking over her water glass. “I um yes, but I think there’s been a mistake.”
He smiled and something in that smile made her heart skip. It wasn’t just that he was handsome; there was kindness there, a gentleness that seemed at odds with his polished appearance.
