She smiled and lifted a hand to hide her mouth. "Me, too."
The rest of the meal went easily between them.
The food on their plates disappeared as they talked and laughed and soon, they were sharing an order of tiramisu, their seats moved beside each other.
Nick couldn't imagine a better way to get to know her as she fed him bites from one fork that their waiter had brought them.
Yeah.
It wasn't just a good date.
It was the best.
He just hated to see it all end.
When they stepped outside of the restaurant, Nick's phone chimed in his pocket.
Ruth looked up at him with a slight lift of her chin. "Sounds like a text from Katie."
He agreed and took his phone out of his pocket.
The text alert was on the screen, and he tapped it with his fingertip.
KATIE: Dad! Hope you two are having the best time EVER! Dana's mom says I can stay over and yes... I planned on this. No rush to get home and no one to worry about. Enjoy!
His shoulders shook with laughter and felt Ruth's hand settle on his shoulder.
"I can tell that nothing's wrong."
He looked at her. "Nothing wrong. Katie's staying at her friend's house tonight."
A breath caught in her throat, and he saw a rise in the color of her cheeks.
"You want to come over to my house for a drink?"
He knew he might be pushing his luck with that invite, but knew he'd kick himself if he didn't at least make the offer.
Ruth looked back at him, her gaze traveling over him and when he put his hands on his waist, her gaze slowed over his forearms which he shamelessly flexed, earning a secretive smile from her.
When her gaze met his again, she nodded. "A drink."
"At least?" Yeah, he might be pushing it.
"At least." She agreed and took his arm when he walked up beside her.
At the very least, he felt his heart pound in his chest.
CHAPTER SEVEN
RUTH
When Nick opened the door, Ruth wished that he'd walk in first, but Nick was a gentleman and waved her through first.
She took a few steps inside hoping that she wasn't wobbling on her heels.
Her legs from the knees down were aching.
Sitting down at the restaurant she was fine. Especially when they were eating. Focused on the food, she didn't have to move around.
