A delicate blush stole over Maggie’s cheeks as she reached for her coat on the coat tree. “Have a good night, Virginia.”
Luke waved back at his former teacher as he opened the door for his date. She was grinning ear to ear. Hopefully Maggie didn’t mind the small-town rumor mill. Everyone would know about this by the time they got back. With a hand at the small of her back, he led her to the passenger side of his car and openedthis door for her as well. Then he ran to his side of the car and got them on the road.
“How was your day? You worked the breakfast rush, right?”
“It was busy as always,” he said. “Maggie, you look … stunning.”
“You clean up nicely, too.”
“I’m so glad you changed your mind about this.” He licked his lips. “Can I ask why you did?”
“Why I changed my mind?”
“Yes.” His palms slid on the wheel, and he gripped it tighter.
She paused, taking so long to answer that he wondered if he’d upset her. But a glance to his right and he realized she was just deep in thought.
“It wasn’t any one thing, really.” She finally spoke. “I wasn’t ready before.”
He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “Thank you.”
She stole her hand back with a smile. “Are you always such a gentleman on dates?”
He smirked. “No idea. I think my last proper date was in… high school?”
Maggie turned and looked out the window. “It’s been a long time for me, too.”
Luke couldn’t help but puff up his chest a little at that.
The scenery flew by, traffic on their side as they arrived at the restaurant. Luke insisted on Maggie waiting for him to open her door. The shy smile she gave him told him she wasn’t used to such treatment, and he vowed to prove that she deserved it.
After giving his name at the host stand, they sank onto a bench in the waiting area. It was, after all, Saturday night in a college town. While this place wasn’t known for its alcohol, it was certainly date night for a lot of people in the area. Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and spoke in her ear.
“Where are you from?”
Maggie bit her lip and cast her gaze downward. “Oklahoma.”
“That’s quite a distance.” Her cheeks turned pale pink. “Why Hawthorn Hills?”
“I needed a change of scenery,” she said with a shrug. “It’s kind of funny, really. I was on my road trip and decided I was done, so I threw a dart at a map and it landed on Hawthorn Hills.”
Luke raised an eyebrow in surprise. “A map?”
“Yeah,” she giggled. Apparently, the memory was funny. “At first, I thought it landed in the middle of nowhere and I was going to have to re-throw. But the bartender that was helping me checked and saw the dot for your town.”
“Huh.” Having grown up playing games likeDungeons and Dragonswith his friends, Luke understood better than most how probability worked. This sounded like divine intervention. What were the odds that Maggie would throw a dart and hit his hometown on a map at the same time he was arranging to take leave?
“It’s dumb, right?” Her green eyes started to shutter in the dark restaurant.
“Not at all.” He infused his voice with conviction. “You wanted a fresh start, and you got it. Nothing you do could ever be dumb.”
Her cheeks flushed red as she turned away, and muttered something that sounded like, “You’d be surprised.”
“Graham, party of two?” called the host.
“That’s us.” Luke stood and offered his hand. When she didn’t let go as they followed the host to their table, he counted that as a win.
Their server promptly appeared and asked for their drink orders, and they spent some time going over the menu. Luke found himself distracted by the peekaboo game her dress played with her cleavage, but once they put their orders in, she picked their conversation back up.
