“It probably took you a little bit to get from the window to the door.” He raised an eyebrow at me.Damn. I got caught.I gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged. What could I say? Evan’s eyes scanned my body before he looked away. Yes, this was the perfect blouse for tonight.
“You look . . . beautiful. As usual.” Evan smiled as he handed me the bouquet.
“Wow, flowers? You’re spoiling me.”
“I know it’s a little cheesy, but like I said, I’ve waited a long time for tonight so I wanted to do things right.” They were daisies; I was never going to shake that nickname.
“Daisies? The flower that makes everything beautiful just by being in the room?” A slow smile spread across Evan’s face.
“Just like another Daisy I know.” I opened the door to invite Evan in, and my cheeks got a little hot. I hoped I wasn’t blushing. It was as if I was sixteen and this was the first guy who had ever taken me out. Everything felt new and exciting, but still a little scary given my less than stellar relationship history.
“Let me just put these in water and we’ll get going. Thank you so much.” I pressed a light kiss on his cheek, and the air got thin for a moment. My heart skipped a beat as I waited for Evan to kiss me. He wrapped his arm around my waist, but only kissed my forehead.
“You’re very welcome.” I smiled into his neck and pulled him into a hug. Being in his arms felt amazing—thrilling but somehow familiar at the same time. We hadn’t even left my apartment and this was already the best date I’d ever had.
* * *
“So this placemust be awesome if we’re driving over two bridges to get there.” I teased Evan as he drove.
“It’s really good, and Williamsburg is a cool place. I thought it would be nice to get out of the neighborhood and go somewhere new. Not worry about running into anyone we know.”
“Evan Jacobs, are you ashamed to be seen with me?” I clutched my chest in mock horror.
He shook his head. “No way. I just want you to myself tonight.” He reached over the console and laced our fingers together.
I let out a long sigh. Evan was too much. If I didn’t know him already, I would swear he was too good to be true. He was always so kind and sincere; I used to wonder why he was best friends with my smartass cousin.
The drive was over an hour long, but it seemed to go by quickly. Evan spent time around my family quite a bit, even sharing some holidays with us, but we’d never gone anywhere alone together. I was surprised to discover how little we really knew about each other.
“I can’t believe you’re a Beatles fan. How did I not know this?” I flipped through the playlists on his iPod as we got to know each other better. He had every single Beatles song and a few awesome covers.
“My mom was a Beatles freak. That’s how I got my middle name.”
“What’s your middle name?”
“Jude. She wanted that as my first name, but my dad said absolutely not.”
“That...is adorable. Evan Jude Jacobs.” Evan chuckled as he shook his head.
“And if I was a girl, I would’ve been Lucy.”
“ForLucy in the Sky with Diamonds. That’s awesome. I like your mom. She sounds cool.”
The smile left Evan’s face as he nodded. “She was very cool. The best.”
I couldn’t imagine how terrible it would be to lose your mother at fifteen. After his mother died, Evan’s father had a breakdown. My heart broke for what Evan went through at such a young age, all by himself.
“I’m sorry you lost your mom.” I had the sudden urge to jump over the console and hug him. How long had he been taking care of everyone except himself?
Evan shrugged. “Thank you. My dad is another reason why I came back to the Bronx. He’s in an assisted living facility in Yonkers, so he’s not all by himself, but I never liked only being able to see him a couple of times a month.”
After years of drinking, Evan’s father had had a stroke that he never fully recovered from. From what Jack had told me, all Evan’s father did was yell and scream at him every time Evan went to visit him, but he still went to make sure his father had all he needed.
“Hey, we’re here.” Evan pulled up outside what looked to be a cross between a restaurant and a café. He put the car in park and jetted over to my side to open my door. He was so sweet I was starting to get a little bit of a toothache. I was lucky if Chris waited for me to get out of his car before he started walking away.
“Thank you, kind sir.” I gave him a wink as he took my hand to help me out of his truck.
“Pleasure is all mine.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the top of my wrist. I giggled as he led me by the hand to the hostess, who quickly sat us at a table outside. After we sat down, I perused the menu and laughed.
