She supposed she’d have to broach the crux of the issue, no matter how uncomfortable it made her. “Are you ready to go out in public together?” They hadn’t discussed this before, and she was shocked he was suggesting it now.
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate. “Are you?”
Was she? Going public wasn’t a work issue. She’d already decided the guys here knew her well enough not to assume she was after special favors. And everyone knew Mike’s position here in Serendipity was temporary—he’d pretty much reinforced that five minutes ago when he’d compared himself to his father. She was just scared that the more public the relationship, the harder the fall when he left.
“Cara?” Mike’s voice brought her out of her thoughts. “I’m here and I’m willing to push out of my comfort zone with you. Are you willing to do the same?” He eyed her warily, and she knew this was important to him.
Between his admission about his father and the fact that he was making an effort, she could do no less. “I’ll go with you,” she said, before she could back out.
He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before easing back, a genuinely pleased smile on his face. “Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay,” she said.
Except she didn’t have anything to wear to the house on the hill, and that was trivial compared to her real worry. Once they went out together in Serendipity, she’d have memories of him everywhere in town long after he was gone.
If there was ever a time to let loose and have fun, tonight was it. Cara w
as off for the next two days, she’d visited Daniella and the women at Havensbridge and everything was calm, no talk of changing minds or calling abusive exes, and on a personal note, she wanted to forget she had a public date with Mike on Saturday night.
Tonight was Eighties Night at Joe’s, and Cara had plans to meet Sam and Alexa for drinks. Alexa had invited Dare and his wife, Liza, and they all grabbed a table; the two guys sat side by side, as did the women, so they could talk.
Cara had gotten to know Liza when she was having some personal problems last year, and she liked her a lot. Though she didn’t have a lot of friends, Liza had expanded her social circle and included Cara, and they had fun together; over time, they’d begun to confide in each other. Now Liza and Alexa were Cara’s closest girlfriends.
They dressed like the movie Flashdance: cut sweatshirts hanging over their shoulders with big hair, chunky jewelry, and heavy makeup. Bubblegum band music alternating with heavy techno and New Wave synthesizer sounds blasted on the jukebox, and Cara was on her second Long Island Iced Tea and happily feeling the buzz when she felt a strong hand on her bare shoulder.
She glanced up and into Mike’s warm gaze, and before she could register what was happening, he leaned down and kissed her hello—smack on the lips. Not a short peck, either. A long, happy-to-see-you, tongues-included kiss that left her dazed and out of breath, her body pulsing with sudden need.
“I’m going to sit with the guys,” he said, as if the hello had been perfectly natural and expected.
Cara centered herself and had just refocused on her surroundings when both of her friends leaned in close.
“What was that about?” Alexa asked.
“Holding out on us?” Liza said at the same time.
Cara raised her hands to her flushed cheeks. She’d been keeping everything about Mike to herself, including the fling a few months ago. Only Sam had known about that. Somehow they’d sneaked out of the bar and nobody asked her any questions.
Tonight, however, was another story, and Cara knew her friends wouldn’t accept any hedging. “Mike and I had a one-night stand last time he was in town. When he came home this time, neither of us mentioned it again; I thought it was over, but it’s not.”
She blurted out all about dinner with his family, the overnight trip to Manhattan, and his most recent invitation to dinner Saturday night.
“I guess when he said he wanted to go public, he meant it,” Cara said, still dazed enough to be in shock.
“That was hot,” Alexa muttered, fanning herself.
“You can say that again.” Cara decided she deserved another big sip of her drink and treated herself to a healthy gulp.
“Easy, that’s strong stuff.” Liza’s brother was an alcoholic who’d completed three months as an inpatient at a treatment facility. As a result, she was always their designated driver if needed or, at the very least, their voice of reason.
Since Cara rarely indulged this much because of her own family history, she totally understood where Liza was coming from.
Still, Cara didn’t mind nursing a drink when the occasion warranted. She tipped her head to the side, toward where Mike sat, knowing he’d made this just such an occasion.
“You look flushed,” Liza said.
“Are you okay?” Alexa asked in her doctor voice.
“I’m in shock,” she admitted. “He totally took me off guard. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I was in a relationship that was so public.” Cara was fussy about men and figured she had good reason. She’d had an exclusive dating situation in the past and a couple of hookups with nice enough guys, but this thing with Mike was different.