“A date?”My eyebrows rose almost as high as my voice before it cracked.
“Yes.A date.”He cleared his throat and looked around for a few seconds before he looked at me.“I know that you have a lot going on right now, and I’m not trying to make anything harder for you.I promise.But I can’t lie and say that I haven’t developed feelings for you, Poppy.So, yes, I would like it if you’d allow me the honor of taking you on a date tonight.”
I licked my lips and shifted in my seat so I could see him better.He was so freaking handsome.
“I have feelings for you, too,” I admitted, noticing the way my heart raced when I said it.“A lot of feelings.”I giggled, the whole idea of us doing this reminding me of high school kids admitting they have a crush on each other.
“I hope they’re good feelings,” he teased, raising an eyebrow.
“They’re the best.”
“So, I can take you on a date?”
I laughed at the tone of his voice and how uncertain he still seemed, even though I had just confirmed I liked him too.
“Yes, you can take me on a date.But I have to warn you, I don’t put out on the first date.”
He shook his head as he got out of the truck and rushed around to open my door for me.He extended his hand and helped me, making sure I didn’t slip on the slush beneath me.
“Do any of the previous meals that we’ve shared by chance count as dates?”he asked as I slid my arm into his and walked alongside him the short distance to the door of the steakhouse.
“Yeah, I guess we can count those.”I scrunched my nose and then laughed again when he jerked his arm in ayesmotion.
We walked inside, and I was surprised by how fancy it was, given how small Silver Falls was.I was used to seeing them in bigger cities, but hadn’t ever seen one in the small towns I visited.
The room was dimly lit, with soft music playing over the speakers, as we followed the hostess to a booth in the back.I took my seat and pulled the napkin from the plate, setting it in my lap as Patrick sat across from me and did the same.Within a few seconds, a man approached the table, pouring fresh ice water into our glasses while another young kid delivered a basket of bread and some dipping oils.
“Wow,” I said after they left.“This is quite the service already.”
“It’s one of my favorite restaurants in Silver Falls,” Patrick said, smiling softly.“It reminds me of New York.”
“Do you miss living in the big city?”
“Sometimes.”He shrugged and let his shoulders fall.“I enjoy being close to family more.”
“I can see that.Daisy is such an amazing little girl, and her face lights up the second she sees you.I know your mother hasn’t stopped talking about how happy she is that her family is all in the same town again, and your dad, well...”
“He’s my dad,” Patrick replied with a laugh.“Always easy going and happy in general.But you should see him with Daisy.I thoughtIwas her favorite, but when my dad is around, it’s like I don’t even exist.”
“I’m happy she has you guys.I love that for her.”
I looked off into the distance, forcing the thoughts of my childhood away from the surface.This was a nice night out with Patrick, and I didn’t want to taint it by thinking about how I longed to feel loved as a child and never did.
Just then, a woman appeared at our table wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and black dress pants.
“Hello, welcome to Rufigio’s.I’m Belle, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.May I start you with some wine or perhaps a signature cocktail from the bar?”
I had no idea whether Patrick drank wine because he hadn’t drunk anything but water and coffee in the time I’d been staying with him.
“I’ll have an Old Fashioned, please,” Patrick said, looking at me instead of the waitress.
“I’ll have a Dirty Martini, please,” I replied, smiling at the waitress as she nodded and headed to the bar to place our order.
I knew she would be back shortly with the drinks and ready to take our order, so I picked up the menu and looked it over.There were only a few options, but they all looked delicious, so it was hard to choose.
“What do you get here?”I asked Patrick, glancing at him over the top of the menu.
“I like the ribeye with the roasted garlic mashed potatoes,” he replied, looking at his.
