Only One Night (Only One 3)

“You’re holding my hand.” She looks down at our hands, and I don’t have time to address the question because we are brought into a private room. “There they are,” Miller says, looking over at us. I look at Evelyn, who looks at me wide-eyed.

“Sorry, there was traffic,” I say.

“Don’t mind him,” Layla says, getting up and coming over to us. “I’m sorry about my husband. He is almost like a senior these days because he eats at four, and when he doesn’t, he gets cranky.” She smiles at Evelyn. “I’m Layla.”

“Nice to meet you,” Evelyn says and holds out her hand. “I’m Evelyn.”

“We apologize for our friend,” Candace says. “I’m Candace,” she says, and instead of shaking her hand, she reaches out and hugs her. I can see that Evelyn is taken aback. “I’m his PR girl.”

“I’ve heard wonderful things about you,” Evelyn says with a smile, and I swear I’ve never been as happy as I am at this moment. We would often have dinner together, but I would always be the fifth wheel.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.” She steps away. “And from just this meeting, you got my vote.”

“Really?” Evelyn says, laughing.

“Don’t mind her,” Layla says. “The minute you didn’t throw a drink at her, you had her vote.”

“Okay, can we sit and order, please?” Miller asks, and Ralph introduces himself. I wait for the four of them to go sit back down, and then I pull out the chair for her.

“You look the same.” Miller looks over at her, and we all look at him. “You know what I mean. Sometimes, you meet someone, and they look one way, and then you see them again, and it’s like a whole different person.”

“What the fuck?” Ralph says, and I just shake my head. Evelyn takes off her jacket and places it on her chair, and I reach over, putting my hand on her chair.

“Thank you, I guess,” Evelyn says.

“This guy was going nuts for you,” Miller says, laughing. “Whenever we go out, he is the first person to leave, but he stayed longer than we did.”

“God, Miller,” Layla says, shaking her head. “What if he didn’t want her to know that?”

He looks at her, confused. “They are together, so I think it’s safe to say he likes her.”

We all laugh. The girls ask her questions, and by the end of the night, it feels like we’ve been doing this forever. When the waitress comes over, Candace asks her to take our picture, and Evelyn looks at me with big eyes. “I’ll go to the bathroom.”

“Why?” I ask, and she looks at me.

“She’s going to post the picture,” she says, and now everyone is looking at us. “And it’s still, you know.”

“I don’t,” I say, and my heart sinks, wondering if she wants to be seen with me. “Do you not want . . .?”

“I’m just saying if she posts this picture, people will see I’m here,” she says, and I see Candace smile and blink away tears. “And well, nothing is signed yet, and if Murielle sees it, she might change her mind.” Her voice goes low as I pull her to me and kiss the top of her head. She tilts her head back, and I kiss her lips. “It’s just easier.”

“I don’t care,” I tell her. “I don’t care if she takes this picture, and she puts it on the Jumbotron during the intermission at the game.”

“Well, this is brand new,” Candace says. “Does this mean you are finally going to get on social media?” I glare at her. “Okay, fine, but hey, at least he is letting me post it. Usually, it’s ‘don’t put me on there.’”

“Look here, everyone,” the waitress says, and I put my arm around her and pull her to me, so people know she’s with me.

When the meal is over, we all get up, and I slip her jacket on for her and bend to kiss her neck. We walk out of the restaurant with our hands together. We are stopped a couple of times, and I’m sure someone has taken a picture of us, but I literally don’t give a shit. The girls hug her good-bye while the guys hold up their hand to wave good-bye.

“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask her as we walk to my SUV. I open the door for her, and she tilts her head back. I push the hair away from her face, then bend down and kiss her lips.

“I did.” She gets into the car, and I walk over to my side.

I make my way to her house, and when we get in, I look at her. “Did you like any of the houses today?”

“I did,” she says, and I wait for it. We went to visit four homes, and I know which one I want, but I want her opinion.