“This is Gia, my date for the evening.” He shot her a conspiratorial wink.
“Oh my God, and you didn’t tell us you’re dating someone? So rude!” The petite woman turned to face Gia fully. “Hi, I’m Quynh, and this grumpy bear is my husband, Griffin.”
Griffin? As in Griffin’s Auto Body?
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you.” Gia stretched out a hand but wasshocked when the smaller woman stepped forward with both arms wide open.
“I’m a hugger. Can I hug you?”
“Oh, sure. Yeah.” Though Gia was at least half a foot taller than the other woman, somehow it worked. Quynh wrapped her arms around Gia as if they were longtime friends reuniting. And was it her imagination, or it was one of the best hugs she’d ever had?
“Come on, let’s get dinner together!”
“Oh, we couldn’t intrude on your plans,” Gia protested.
“Nonsense. It’s so rare for me to get out of the house, and even rarer that this grump comes with me. You don’t mind, do you, honey bear?” Griffin grunted a response, but Gia didn’t miss the way his eyes softened when Quynh glanced up at him. “Besides, I’m having a bout of writer’s block, and I need a distraction!”
Quynh didn’t wait for a response as she turned and dragged Griffin to the door. He held the door and nodded to Gia to enter. Behind her, she heard the men greet each other in the way men do, with that handshake, chest-bump, half-hug thing.
She could have sworn she heard Jake mutter, “Sorry to crash your date,” but she couldn’t be sure over the noise of the dinner crowd. A long wraparound bar sat in the center of the room, while booths were stationed along the wall. High-top tables were spread out throughout the space. Gold and brown accents enhanced the dark green wall, giving it a rustic, vintage vibe with timeless charm. Gia followed Quynh as she pranced to a booth in the window, saying hi to guests who greeted her.
Between Quynh and Jake, it was like they knew every single person in town. Gia noticed she and Griffin seemed to have more in common than their prospective partners.
I guess opposites really do attract.
Quynh climbed into the booth, and Gia sat across from her. The smile Quynh beamed at her husband could melt an iceberg, but he only rolled his eyes half-heartedly before trying to squeezehis enormous frame into the booth next to her. When Quynh rested her head on his shoulder, the tension left Griffin instantly.
Jake lowered himself gracefully onto the seat next to Gia, leaving at least a foot of space between their bodies. Despite the distance, the air felt charged between them. She became aware of every move he made, every time he shifted in his seat. He stretched out an arm and settled it along the back of the booth, fingertips curling into her hair like it was the most natural thing to do.
Between Jake and Quynh, conversation flowed smoothly. Griffin grunted out appropriate responses while Gia tried not to hurl herself through the window to get away from Jake’s touch.
When Griffin excused himself to go to the restroom, Jake placed a hand on her thigh and brought his lips to her ear. His heated breath against her skin made her quiver with alertness.
“You okay, Kitten?”
She turned her head, their noses nearly touching. Her eyes zoned in on his full lips, quirked in the irritating smirk she’d come to love. She licked her lips, throat suddenly dry, a thrill of satisfaction drumming through her at the way his eyes tracked her movement.
Out of the corner of her eye, she knew Quynh was pretending to look at something on her phone.
“Yes,” she croaked, clearing her throat and meeting his eyes. “Yes, I’m fine.”
He held her gaze, the din of the dining room fading away. Time stood still as she lost herself in the arctic depths of his eyes.
A loud thump made her jump nearly out of her skin.
“Drinks are on me.” Griffin handed Quynh and Gia a glass of red wine, which Gia accepted and placed on the table in front of her. He gave a beer to Jake, and the two clinked glasses before taking a swig.
Quynh raised her glass to Gia, who responded by clinking their glasses together—but instead of taking a sip, she placed it back down. Being around people who drank didn’t bother herlike she thought it would, but it had been a while since she’d drank, and she wasn’t ready to test that boundary yet.
“So, Gia, tell me about yourself,” Quynh said after taking a sip of her red wine.
Oh, God, here we go.
“There’s really not that much to tell…”
“She’s lying.” Jake tossed her a droll look. “My darling Gia here is from Willowbrook. She used to be the town’s troublemaker.”
“I was not!”
