“I’m coming,” she yelled down the hall. She collected her purse and rushed to the living room. When she rounded the corner, her father was shaking Jake’s hand. He stepped further into the room and stopped short.
“Wow, you look fantastic.” The intense look in Jake’s eyes confirmed his words.
She blushed and brushed her hands down her dress, all of a sudden self-conscious. “I don’t know what you planned. I hope this is okay.”
He slid in beside her. “It’s perfect.”
The intensity of his words had heat creeping up her cheeks. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been complimented by a man.
“Daddy, I won’t be late.” She kissed her father’s cheek and then Jake guided her out the door, his hand on her lower back. His gentlemanly gesture comforted her and his closeness gave her a sense of security. After feeling like her life was out of her own control for so long, the feeling was welcome.
They walked in silence to his truck and her nerves crept in. When was the right time to bring up her plans? Jake was a nice guy. A really nice guy. He didn’t deserve to be strung along. She didn’t know what her future held, and it wasn’t fair to give him a false impression.
She’d talk to him tonight. And they would likely go their separate ways after that.
After helping her up and climbing in the driver’s door, he leaned over the console. Could he tell that she had a lot on her mind? That she was about to put the brakes on what was starting out to be a great relationship?
But he didn’t question her. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“I missed you today. I was afraid that this weekend was a dream and I had woken up to my normal life without you in it.”
She sighed. Hadn’t she wondered the same thing? “It wasn’t a dream. I feel the same way.”
He threw her another one of his amazing smiles and then cranked the engine and backed out of the driveway.
In the meantime, Erin lost her nerve. She opened her mouth but closed it again. She couldn’t tell him now. Not after those wonderful words that so accurately reflected how she was feeling. Maybe it would be better to talk to him at dinner, when she could look him in the eye.
“Where are we headed?”
“Ristorante Rumari.”
One of the upscale restaurants in town. One that her classmates at LBHS raved about but her neighbors in the valley only dreamed of. “I’ve never been there.”
“Really? It’s one of my favorite places. I used to…”
Erin filled in the blanks. “You used to go with your ex-girlfriend.”
Jake’s shoulders hunched and his voice softened. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t think.”
“Don’t be sorry. We haven’t really talked about her much.”
He turned to her. “How about we talk about Lindsay over dinner? I want to be able to see you, to look in your eyes.”
Funny he said the same thing she was thinking. This dinner was going to be a lot more serious than either of t
hem planned.
He returned his attention to the road but he reached out and wrapped his fingers around hers. Their joined hands rested on the console for the rest of the ride.
They pulled up to the restaurant and Jake easily found parking. After helping her out of the truck, he escorted her into the charming foyer of the restaurant. The relaxing, intimate décor was inviting, the dark floors contrasting the lighter-colored walls. White linen tablecloths draped on each table gave the setting an air of elegance. Large crystal chandeliers suspended from the exposed beam vaulted ceiling and single hurricane candles on each table cast an ethereal glow over the entire room.
The perfect romantic restaurant.
Jake looked up to the ceiling and her gaze followed his. “I know why you come here. You love the architecture, don’t you?”
He chuckled and rested his hand on her arm. “Well, the food’s good, too.”
A minute later, the hostess led them to a quiet table in the corner.