Lucy clears her throat, the permanent rose color across her cheeks intensifying. “Thanks, Finley. No, I have been on dates before. Plenty. My sister, Lorelei, has not. I was thinking of her, apparently, when I said that.”
That’s right. She has an identical twin. I met her at the wedding, too, except she was not as tolerable as Lucy was. I did spill a drink down the front of her dress, though, so I can be lenient when dissecting her personality and behavior. I’m sure she is just as peppy and joyful as Lucy is when her dress isn’t soaked through.
“Whew, pressure’s off, then.” I wink and take another sip of wine. It’s rich and sweet with hints of plum, cherry, and chocolate. It reminds me of the French imports we receive in Korsa. The silence stretches painfully for a few minutes.
I need to find a way to save this date. I trusted Hadley when she said that Lucy and I would be a great fit, and frankly, I liked what little I learned about Lucy at the wedding, though most of the conversationwasflirty banter. Let’s see…She said she was a writer!
“How is that book of yours coming along that you told me about at the wedding? Did you break through the block you were having?”
She freezes, her fingers pinching a piece of bread to the edge of her lips.
Stupid man, you should have asked her after she’d bitten and chewed the bread.
“I, uh…” She drops the bread on the appetizer plate. “I need to use the facilities.” Lucy scurries out of the room, purse in tow.
Odd.
While she’s gone, I think of ways to salvage this night. At the wedding, she told me she was a writer, she enjoyed swing dancing, she loved to read, though mainly romance, and…
There had to be more, right? Or was I simply into her because of the warm affection and attention she gave me? Did I enjoy her flirty banter and touches a little too much and it clouded my perception? My life three months ago is completely different from the life I’m attempting to build now. Three months ago, I wasn’t in a rush to…
“So sorry,” she says, sliding back into her chair with renowned ease and grace. That was quick. “Now, where were we? Oh, right. My book. Yes, it’s going well. I broke through my writer’s block and am currently drafting an urban romantasy about a merman prince and a female pirate. It’s enemies to lovers.”
“That sounds…”Weird.“Exciting.”
“Mhmm,” is her only reply.
Quiet ensues around us again. I almost wish I had social media so that I could find her profile to get an idea of what to talk about. She doesn’t seem to want to tell me more about her book, but she was quite animated when talking about the history of “cheers” earlier.
I take another shot at conversation. “Did you know that the word ‘cheers’ itself derives from the French loanwordchiere, which translates to ‘face.’ That’s how it came to mean ‘happiness’ in the eighteenth century.”
For the first time tonight, I watch Lucy Spence’s face light up like Christmas lights in the palace gardens. Her smile stretcheswider than the length of the Mississippi River. “Technically it came to symbolize one’s spirit, so you could cheer to sadness.”
“Nothing gets by you, does it?” I shake my head, bewildered by this woman.
She shrugs then lifts her glass to her lips. “Wow, this wine is excellent,” Lucy comments, staring into the glass like she has x-ray vision to see each individual particle.
“It’s French. Of course it’s excellent. Though, you should try wine from my home country. We don’t export it since we are small, but it is a delicacy within Korsa.”
“The first wine is thought to have come from Iran. The Middle East is known as the breadbasket, so it makes sense. Bread and wine.” She chuckles at herself, holding a buttered slice of bread in one hand and her glass in the other. I can’t possibly stop the grin overtaking my face. This brainiac version of Lucy is plain sexy. The animation in her eyes, the nervousness laced in her voice, the way she tucks her hair behind her ears like she’s not used to wearing it down. I’m entranced.
“Are you still uncomfortable with me?” I tease, and she covers her mouth momentarily with her hand again before dropping it.
“No, that one just slipped.” She laughs, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Speaking of, are her eyes brown or green or blue? Obviously it’s hazel, but they have shifted colors multiple times tonight depending on the lighting. I do remember a stark green present at Hadley’s wedding, but now they seem to linger on the bluish-brown side.
Either way, Lucy’s eyes are the eighth wonderof the world.
“Hey, Lucy?”
“Yes?”
I place my hand on the table, palm out. She stares at my open hand as if it might bite her, but after a moment, she places her dainty hand in mine. I give it a squeeze and look into her lovely eyes. “I like this side of you. Don’t ever apologize or hide it. I’m always in the market to learn, and it’s easy to learn if you are the one educating me.”
Something akin to bewilderment flits across her face, but then she rips her hand from mine and proclaims that she needs to use the facilities again.
Since I feel better about the direction of the date, I sneak a glance at my phone while she’s away. Thankfully, it was on Do Not Disturb mode, or else I would have thrown it at a wall. Five missed calls from my little sister, Astrid, pepper my screen. I send her a quick text.
What do you need? I’m on a date.
