“You know his name?”
I shook my head.“Not yet.”
“Oh my God, I’m obsessed already.”
Twenty minutes before closing, my phone buzzed.
Last First Date:I’m so sorry.Got caught at work.Can you meet me there?I’ll make it up to you.
Disappointment bloomed in my chest.I wanted Abby to meet him.To see if she or Reggie knew him.They seemed to know everyone around here, and he must work or live close by with how often he had stopped by in the past few days.
But I brushed the disappointment off.
This kind of stuff happened.
Right.
Real life got in the way.
At least he texted.
I texted backOkay,closed up the shop, grabbed my bag, and drove myself to the address he sent.
The restaurant was small.Cozy.The kind of place with exposed brick, cloth tablecloths and candlelight that felt like a secret waiting to be kept.
He was already seated when I arrived, still, in work clothes, button-up shirt rolled at the sleeves, tie loose.He stood as I approached, that smile returning like a reward.
“You came,” he said.
“You invited me.”
He pulled out my chair, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like a woman in a romance novel.
Dinner was… perfect.
The conversation was easy, and the laughter came honestly.
My cheeks actually hurt from how hard I was smiling and laughing.
He asked questions and listened.
Told me stories about working in construction management.About how he used to think he’d be an architect.
Said he wasn’t married to the job; he wanted a life that felt good, not just one that looked good on paper.
We didn’t talk about anything too personal.
But we talked abouteverything else.
Books.Music.Travel.Where we’d go if money weren’t an issue.What kind of life would we build if we could?
At the end of the night, he walked me to my car.
The air was cold, and our breath was visible in the space between us.
He stood close, close enough that my heart started to race.
I thought he was going to kiss me.My body was buzzing with an intoxicating energy.I wanted that kiss.
