Lily swallowed, her throat feeling tight, the air feeling so thick it was hard to breathe. “Why are we going to a restaurant and not my empty house right now?”
“Because we’re supposed to be doing this properly,” Eva said, her gaze fixed on Lily’s lips.
“What’s wrong with a little impropriety?”
“Dinner,” Eva said, though the way her tongue swept along her bottom lip was utterly sinful. “And then you can drive me back to your place for as much impropriety as you want.”
Lily nodded, tearing her gaze away from Eva’s mouth and stepping on the gas. The woman was going to be the death of her, Lily was sure, but oh, what a sweet way to go.
* * *
The Italian restaurant was a twenty-minute drive from High Grove, nestled between a cocktail bar and a dry-cleaners.
“I hope this is okay,” Lily said, wringing her hands after she’d put the car into park. “I’ve been here a few times. It’s a family-run place, but they do great pizzas and—”
“Lily.” Eva cut off her rambling and settled a hand high on Lily’s thigh. “Breathe. You don’t have to impress me, you know.”
“I don’t?”
“Of course you don’t. You could take me to a food truck on the side of the highway if you wanted.”
“All right, then.” Lily reached for the ignition, a grin stretching across her mouth. “I think I saw a taco truck on the way—”
“Let’s not be too hasty,” Eva said. “We’re already here.”
Lily’s grin widened, but she let her hand fall back to her lap. “I’m sorry. I’m just nervous, I guess. I haven’t been on a first date in three years.”
“How do you think I feel? I haven’t been on one in five.”
“I’m terrified of messing this up.”
“Honestly? Me too.” Eva met Lily’s gaze. “But…we can’t go into this second-guessing ourselves, or putting too much pressure on it, because here’s the thing: we are going to mess up. Relationships are messy at their core. And I don’t know if you and I are going to be strong enough to weather the storm, but I…I want to try.”
“Me too.” Lily leaned over the center console to risk smearing Eva’s lipstick.
Eva let herself get lost in the kiss for a long moment. “We should go inside,” Eva said when they parted, both breathing heavily. “Before we get too carried away.”
It was hard not to feel smug at the dazed look in Lily’s eyes. Lily shook her head as if to clear it before reaching for the door handle, and when she slipped her hand into Eva’s once they were outside, Eva didn’t pull away.
Only half of the tables in the restaurant were full, and they were led to a booth in the back corner. The red leather creaked as Eva sat down, Lily’s face illuminated by the flickering candles set in the middle of the wide table.
Eva glanced over the menu. “What do you recommend?”
“The ravioli is good. That’s your favorite, right?”
It had been an offhand comment in a conversation months ago, but then, Eva supposed she shouldn’t be too touched Lily had remembered, seeing as she was sure she knew what Lily would be ordering. “And yours is ham and pepperoni pizza.”
Sometimes, Eva struggled to remember that Lily and Molly were the same person. But it was getting easier, the more time they spent together, to put together the pieces in her mind and merge them into one.
“Do you want wine? I think they do half bottles.”
Eva shook her head. “I want to remember every second of this night.” She lowered her voice. “Especially everything that happens after we get out of here.”
Lily’s swallow was audible, her cheeks turning pink, and Eva chuckled. It was so easy to make her squirm.
Eva’s gaze settled on Lily’s face once their server had taken their orders. “How much did you make from the funfair?”
“Nine hundred,” Lily said with pride.
