“Perfect.” Anna fought a smile at the girl’s obvious attempt to recommend things that adults would like instead of whatever pizza joint was the local teen hangout.
“Could we, um ... could we take a selfie with you?” the shorter girl asked, holding up her phone. Its case looked like it had been dipped in glitter, sparkling in the afternoon sun.
“Of course,” Anna responded, stepping in for a selfie. She posed for photos with each girl individually and then one with them both, while Eden did the same.
Soon, the teens were on their way, and Anna and Eden got into their rental car.
“Okay?” Anna asked as she put her bag of maple goodies on the back seat.
“Yes,” Eden said. “That was fine, not a mob scene at all.”
“I don’t think we’re likely to get mobbed here in Bumfuck, Vermont,” Anna joked.
Eden rolled her eyes at her. “Should we push our luck and try dinner at Rosa’s? The girl wasn’t wrong, from what I’ve heard. My housekeeper recommended that restaurant too.”
“I wouldloveto have dinner with you at Rosa’s,” Anna gushed, not even trying to hide her excitement. “I would have suggested it, but I didn’t want to push you too far out of your comfort zone.”
“Well, I’ve had dinner with plenty of female friends before,” Eden said, looking suddenly less certain. “It doesn’t have to look like a date, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t, and because the world generally perceives you as straight, they’ll probably jump to the ‘gal pal’ conclusion if anyone were to photograph us at dinner, but just in case they don’t, make sure you’re okay with headlines questioning our relationship and your sexuality.”
Eden was silent for a moment, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. Her eyes were hidden behind her sunglasses, so Anna couldn’t be sure what she was feeling. “I honestly don’t care about headlines questioning my sexuality,” she said finally. “My hesitation is that I don’t like to share my relationships publicly when they’re this new. Trust me, trying to date someone while the world is watching is a kind of pressure you don’t want.”
“I do trust you,” Anna said. “My gut says we could go to dinner at Rosa’s and not have it end up on the gossip sites, but obviously I can’tsay for sure. I don’t have much experience dating publicly, since I wasn’t famous enough when I was with Camille for anyone to care, so I’ll defer to your expertise here. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“I want to go to dinner with you,” Eden said with a nod. “I’m certain Stella would have a fit if I ran this past her, but for once in my life, I want to be impulsive and go to dinner with my girlfriend. What do you say?”
“Girlfriend.” Anna’s heart leaped for joy to hear that word on Eden’s lips. “I say yes ... to dinner and to being your girlfriend.”
Eden’s eyes widened. “Oh, was that ... was I being presumptuous by calling you my girlfriend?”
“No.” Anna leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I mean, technically we’ve only been together for a few days, but we were dancing around each other for weeks before that while we were on tour. Plus, we’re sharing a house this week, which definitely feels like girlfriend material to me.”
Eden exhaled; then she reached for one of Anna’s hands. “I guess I was so busy having a crisis about my sexuality that we never talked about our intentions, but this isn’t a vacation fling for me or anything like that. I’m pretty damned smitten with you, Anna, and I’m serious about dating you.”
“That’s music to my ears, because in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m pretty damned smitten with you too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“This is nice.” Eden smiled across the table at Anna. After their conversation in the car, Anna had called ahead to the restaurant and requested a private table. Consequently, they were seated in Rosa’s upstairs loft area, overlooking the main dining room below. Since the restaurant was relatively uncrowded, they were currently the only occupants of the loft.
“If the food is anywhere near as good as the ambiance, it’ll be a win, but honestly, I feel like we’re already winning just being here.” Anna beamed at her. Her blonde hair was somewhat windblown from their adventurous afternoon, but Eden loved that they were here in jeans with messy hair, enjoying a romantic dinner like any other couple.
“Ladies, your wine.” Their waitress appeared beside the table, holding out the bottle of wine they’d ordered. She poured a taste for each of them, waiting for their approval before she filled their glasses. “Your appetizer will be right out.”
“Thank you.” Eden had seen the gleam of recognition in the waitress’s eyes, but so far, she hadn’t said anything or attempted to take any photos, at least not that Eden had seen. Maybe she really could just ... go out to dinner with her girlfriend here in rural Vermont. The idea was mind boggling in its simplicity.
“To new beginnings,” Anna said, holding up her glass. She seemed to glow with happiness tonight, and maybe it was contagious, because Eden felt pretty damn happy too.
She tapped her glass against Anna’s before taking a sip. “Our relationship signifies several new beginnings for me, and I’m grateful for all of them.”
If it was possible, Anna’s expression grew even more dazzling. She was beaming brighter than the candle on the table between them at this point. “Me too.”
Eden’s gaze dropped to the main dining room below, where the teens they’d encountered earlier had entered with several of their friends. “Uh-oh.”
Anna followed her gaze. “Dammit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested we come here right after they recommended it. I should have expected them to come looking for us.”
“You didn’t suggest coming here. I did.” She drew in a breath and blew it out. “And ... it’s okay. They might not even see us up here, and if they do? We’ll survive a few more photos.”
