There was a gaping hole in my story, and I prayed she wouldn't try and dig deeper. It was just the easiest answer to give without going into extensive details about my private life. That could come later if things went the way I hoped.
Maria frowned and opened her mouth to respond but thankfully, I was saved.
"Sorry for the wait." A waitress set my burger in front of me, along with a basket of fries. "And here you go," she panted as she set down my cold glass of coke. She blew her bangs out of her eyes as she tucked the tray under her arm. "Can I get you anything else?" She eyed Maria's empty coffee mug.
"I'm good," Maria handed her mug to the waitress. "Thanks."
I pushed my basket of fries towards her, hoping to tempt her to stay longer. "Help yourself," I offered.
She inclined her head in acknowledgment before lifting a curly fry and taking a bite. Her eyes lit up in pleasure, and my bodyexploded in lust. I downed a big gulp of my cold soda, hoping to kill the throb of arousal at her simple act.
"So what do you do?" I took a big bite of my burger, the juicy meat oozing onto my tongue, satisfying my earlier hunger. My gaze never left her face as I wiped my lips with a napkin. Maria covered her mouth with her hand as she chewed, the gesture amusing me at her dainty manners.
"I own a hair salon."
I leaned forward in my seat; my gaze lit with admiration. "Wow. That's awesome."
Beautiful and smart. I covertly eyed her slim fingers. Rings on a few but none on the one that mattered. Of course, that didn't mean that she wasn't taken. I wasn't one to poach another man's woman, but I was ashamed at how quickly I was willing to drop that rule when it came to Maria. "What's it called?"
She sent me a shy smile as she plucked another fry. I loved that she'd taken over my basket of food without apology. "M&M Hair Design."
"M&M Hair Design," I mused. The name sounded familiar until it dawned on me where I’d seen it. "That's next door." No wonder she looked immaculate.
"Yes."
"Wow. Your studio's beautiful. Do you do men's hair?"
Her gaze roamed over my head of hair, feeling like a soft caress. "We do all genders."
I ran a hand through my strands. It was starting to get long. "Maybe you can do mine sometime? I usually go to a barber."
A soft smile played on her lips. "Sure." She gave me a wink as she stole another fry. "I'll even give you a discount."
The more she talked, the more she revealed pieces of her real personality. She had a sassy confidence and honesty that I admired. Not to mention a slight cheeky flirtation.
A warm heat lingered in my stomach as our eyes clashed and held. A pink flush coated her smooth cheeks, and I itched to cup it to test its softness beneath my palm. Maria cleared her throat, breaking eye contact as she picked up her phone and pressed the home button to glance at the time.
"Do you have to go?" I leaned forward. "I'm enjoying talking to you, but I understand if you need to get back to the salon."
She hesitated before glancing out the window. The rain had eased up a little, and a steady drizzle softly fell on the streets. Maria turned back to me before dipping down to grab another fry. "I guess I can stay a little longer," she slowly agreed.
I smiled as I pushed my fries closer to her. "Have them. This burger's filling me up." It wasn't, but I'd do anything, including giving up my curly fries, to get her to stay. And I fucking loved curly fries.
Without hesitation, she slid the basket flush against her. "You don't have to tell me twice," she mumbled around a mouthful.
My mouth tipped up as our eyes met and lingered again. The air sizzled with electric attraction.
Over the next thirty minutes, we chatted about life in New Haven and New York. She had grown up here but curiously had no family left. She didn't seem to want to divulge any further information, so I swiftly shared with her that my parents had passed. Our eyes held again in deep understanding. Only a few people knew what it felt like to lose both parents, to have no family, essentially. That was why Sarah and Diane were so important to me. They were the only family I had and were the reason I stayed near them instead of returning to where I was most happy. I didn't want to lose that connection with them and to Hannah.
But sitting across from this dark-haired temptress, there was another reason why I was glad that I stayed. Since I started to consider dipping my toe back into the dating pool, I still hadn'tfound anyone I wanted to date seriously. Admittedly, I was half-assing it, still in two minds about taking that next scary step. I wasn't sure my heart could love two people in one lifetime. It wasn't something I even wanted to entertain; but lately, my heart was slowly opening up to the possibility of taking things slow but serious with someone.
"Listen," Maria said as she scrunched up her napkin. "I gotta head off. I've been away long enough." I could see the slow reluctance on her face and knew this was my cue to grab her number.
"Yeah, I gotta start making my way to Plaza Street for my meeting."
I yanked my wallet out of my back pocket, ready to pay for our meals. But before I could open my mouth, my cell phone rang. I threw my open wallet on the table and flashed her an apologetic look. "Sorry, this is my next appointment. I'll be quick. Please don't leave yet."
A warm blush stole her cheeks again, and my heart flew into a quick pattern at how much I wanted this woman.
