“Do you want to come in for a minute? I want to put these in water.”
“Sure?” He didn’t mean to make it sound like a question. When Lizzy’s brows drew together in confusion, he hastily stepped inside. “I mean, sure.”
“This vase is so pretty,” she said, filling it with water. She looked over her shoulder and scrunched her nose. “Why are you just standing there? You can come and sit down, you know.”
“I’m fine here.” He shifted from foot to foot. Maybe the flowers had been a mistake. He hadn’t planned on being alone with her in her apartment… where there was a bed.
“You’re making me feel rushed.” She dried her hands on a towel and opened the refrigerator. “Here. Let me pour you a glass of wine. I have a bottle of sauvignon blanc chilling in the fridge.”
“I’m not trying to rush you.” He made no move to walk away from the entry. “Take your time.”
She handed him the glass of sauvignon blanc and pointed at the love seat. “Sit.”
He dutifully stepped out of his penny loafers and sat down on the couch as instructed. He could see the bed in his peripheral vision, but he didn’t dare look directly at it. The sauvignon blanc was very refreshing—just dry enough with really nice white peach and berry notes. He didn’t want to horrify his brother and sister, but he actually preferred wine over beer by a tiny margin. It was his deep, dark secret.
He sipped and watched as Lizzy lovingly arranged the dahlias in the vase. “You’re really good at that.”
“Thanks. I actually took a flower arrangement class once. It was very therapeutic.” She turned the vase around this way and that before she put the last piece in. “Et voilà.”
“Nice.” He shot to his feet and placed his empty wineglass in the sink. He was getting a headache from studiously ignoring the bed. “Ready to go eat?”
“Yes, I’m starving.”
He waited as she locked the door and followed her down the stairs.
“So where are we going?” she asked once he pulled away from the curb.
“There’s this Himalayan restaurant the locals love.” Heglanced at her quickly. “It’s not fancy. I hope you don’t mind. I promise you the food is fantastic.”
“Ooh, I’ve never tried Himalayan before.” She clapped her hands. “I heard momos are super yummy.”
He laughed with relief and because she was… well… adorable. “This restaurant makes great ones.”
Even though it was a weeknight, the restaurant was busy but not so busy that they had to wait for a table—just busy enough that it bustled with happy customers. It was what made eating out fun and first dates less awkward.
The drive over had been fine, but as soon as they were seated at their table, Jack wanted to hide his face behind the menu. It was a small table for two, and their knees brushed against each other’s every time one of them moved. And they were close enough together that he wouldn’t even have to lift his ass off his chair to lean over and kiss her. Not that he was going to kiss her. Because there wasn’t going to be any kissing tonight.
He stared at her pink glistening lips exactly the way he wasn’t supposed to.Don’t think about kissing her.That worked about as well as telling someone who was about to pee their pants to not think about peeing their pants. Her lips moved, and he cocked his head to the side, fascinated by the way their shape changed with each syllable. Shit. She was talking to him.
“Sorry.” His gaze flew to her eyes. “What was that?”
She reached across the table and gently unfurled his fingers from the tight fist they were in. “Remember what I said about some things changing but not everything having to change?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“For example, I hadn’t done this before.” She curled her hand around his.
He gulped audibly but instinctively threaded his fingers through hers. “No, not quite like this.”
“But we should be able to order some damn momos without being afraid to speak to each other,” she said with a sweet smile. “You and I, we could always talk to each other. That should never change.”
“Do you think I’m witty and intelligent?” he blurted.
“What?” She blinked.
“It’s just that I’ve always been intimidated by that big, lawyer brain of yours.” That came out wrong, so he rushed to clarify, “Not because I think I’m unintelligent—I know I’m smart—but it’s hard to beat the speed and agility of a litigator’s mind. I figured you sometimes humored me since I was your friend.”
“Are you fishing for a compliment?” She rolled her eyes but humored him. “You are witty, intelligent, sensitive, and funny as hell. I love talking to you… dingus.”
